October 30, 2021 - Fort Pitt
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The point where the three rivers meet is an obvious place for a fort. The British hastily built Fort Prince George during 1753-54 before a larger French force drove them off. Then the French built Fort Duquesne. The French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years' War, began with the future Pittsburgh as its center. British General Edward Braddock was dispatched with Major George Washington as his aide to take Fort Duquesne. The British and colonial force were defeated at Braddock's Field. British General John Forbes finally took the forks in 1758. He began construction on Fort Pitt, named after William Pitt the Elder while the settlement was named "Pittsborough". The U.S. Army decommissioned the fort on August 3, 1797.
The point is now a park area the remnants of Fort Pitt is still there. They have a very nice museum on the site, which we visited.
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A model of Fort Prince George built during 1753-54 by the British, actually Virginians, before a larger French force drove them off.
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| A model of the French Fort Duquesne as it was in 1757. A small village of French traders is adjacent to the stockade. |
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The British made two attempts to take the French Fort Duquesne. The first attempt, by General Braddock, in 1755, was a failure. It involved the building of Braddock's Road from Cumberland to Fort Duquesne, and Braddock's defeat at the Battle of Monongahela. The second attempt was led by British General John Forbes who built a new road through Penssylvania to approach Fort Duquesnne in 1758. The French garrison defeated Forbes' advanced party in September 1758 at the Battle of Fort Duquesne. However, the French commander Colonel de Lignery ordered Fort Duquesne destroyed and abandoned in late November as Forbes main body approached as the French were vastly outnumbered.
Lynnette and I had drove part of Braddock's Road last year when we visited Fort Necessity: Link. When we left Pittsburgh, we ended up driving along Forbes Road.
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| A model of the British Fort Pitt and the early town of Pittsburgh as it was in 1765. |
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| The view of the Monongahela River and the Duquesne Incline from the Museum. |
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| In 1764, five Redoubts were built. One still remains, a small brick outbuilding called the Blockhouse, pictured here. It is the sole remnant of Fort Pitt. Erected in 1764, it is believed to be the oldest building still standing in Pittsburgh. Used for many years as a private residence, the blockhouse was purchased and preserved for many years by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. |
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Looking at the Point State Park Fountain.
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| The outline of the old French Fort Duquesne is outlined in the grass. |
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Looking across the Allegheny River at Heinz Field.
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| Looking back at downtown Pittsburgh. |
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