One of the last engagements of the American Revolutionary War, fought at present-day Wheeling, West Virginia, in September 1782.
Key Facts
- Date of siege
- September 11–13, 1782
- Duration
- 3 days days
- Attacking Native force
- ~260 Wyandot, Shawnee, Mingo and Lenape
- British regulars accompanying
- 40 soldiers from Butler's Rangers
- Notable story
- Betty Zane's gunpowder exploit
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the later stages of the American Revolutionary War, British forces and their Native American allies continued raids on American frontier settlements. Fort Henry at present-day Wheeling, West Virginia, was a strategic American fortification targeted by a combined British-Native coalition seeking to pressure the frontier.
Beginning September 11, 1782, approximately 260 warriors from the Wyandot, Shawnee, Mingo, and Lenape nations, accompanied by 40 soldiers of Butler's Rangers, a British provincial regiment, laid siege to Fort Henry for three days. The defenders held the fort, and the engagement became famous in the 19th century for Betty Zane's reported act of carrying gunpowder to the besieged garrison.
The siege ended without the attackers capturing Fort Henry. As one of the final military engagements of the Revolutionary War, it occurred just months before the 1783 Treaty of Paris formally ended hostilities. The story of Betty Zane's bravery during the siege became widely known to American audiences in the 19th century, cementing the episode in frontier mythology.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents