This article lacks inline citations besides NRIS, a database which provides minimal and sometimes ambiguous information. Please help ensure the accuracy of the information in this article by providing inline citations to additional reliable sources. (March 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) | For the British colonial Fort Lawrence, see Fort Lawrence (Nova Scotia). United States historic place Fort Laurens Site U.S. National Register of Historic Places Southwest bastion outline in ground Show map of Ohio Show map of the United States Location| Lawrence Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio Nearest city| Bolivar, Ohio Coordinates| 40°38′20″N 81°27′22″W / 40.63889°N 81.45611°W / 40.63889; -81.45611Coordinates: 40°38′20″N 81°27′22″W / 40.63889°N 81.45611°W / 40.63889; -81.45611 Built| 1778 NRHP reference No.| 70000518 [1] Added to NRHP| November 10, 1970 * v * t * e Western theater * 1st Fort Henry * Boonesborough * Illinois * Vincennes * Fort Pitt * Fort Laurens * Chillicothe * St. Louis * Bird's invasion * Piqua * La Balme's Defeat * Fort St. Joseph * Coshocton * Lochry's Defeat * Long Run * Gnadenhütten * Little Mountain * Crawford expedition * Bryan Station * Blue Licks * 2nd Fort Henry * Arkansas Post Fort Laurens was an American Revolutionary War fort on a northern tributary of the Muskingum River in what would become Northeast Ohio, United States. The fort's location is in the present-day town of Bolivar, Ohio, along the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail. ## Contents * 1 Overview * 2 Siege * 3 Fort Laurens Museum & Park * 4 References * 5 External links ## Overview[edit] The fort was built by General Lachlan McIntosh, in early December, 1778, on the west bank of the Tuscarawas River, now in Tuscarawas County near the town of Bolivar. It was named after Henry Laurens, a president of the Continental Congress from South Carolina. The fort was used as a reference point in defining the boundary line in Treaty of Greenville, although the text of the treaty misspells the name as "Fort Lawrence". The fort was intended to be a staging point for an attack against the British garrison at Detroit. However, the conditions at the fort were harsh during the winter, and McIntosh removed most of the American forces to Fort Pitt, leaving only about 150 men (from the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment and 13th Virginia Regiment) under the command of Colonel John Gibson. Fort Laurens was the only fort built in the Ohio Country during the Revolutionary War. The fort was abandoned on August 2, 1779. ## Siege[edit] The British learned of the miserable conditions at the fort, and on February 22, 1779, Captain Henry Bird of the 8th Regiment of Foot with a handful of British soldiers and a couple hundred Wyandot, Mingo, Munsee, and Delaware warriors laid siege to the fort. The siege continued until mid-March, and the men inside the fort reportedly were reduced to making a stew of boiled moccasins. The British forces were also weakened by the long siege and lifted the siege on March 20, 1779. American relief forces from Fort Pitt arrived three days later, leaving a force of 106 men behind under the command of Major Frederick Vernon. Colonel Daniel Brodhead had replaced McIntosh as commander at Fort Pitt and felt the fort was inadequate for mounting an attack on Fort Detroit. ## Fort Laurens Museum & Park[edit] The Ohio History Connection owns the site, and the Zoar Community Association operates the small museum at the site on behalf of OHC. The museum's exhibits include information on frontier soldiers, a video about the fort's history, and archaeological artifacts from the fort's excavation. The museum is located in a large park that is used for military reenactments. The fort is the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Patriot of the American Revolution, laid to rest with full military honors by the Ohio National Guard in 1976. A crypt in the museum wall also contains remains of soldiers who died defending the fort. The site is closed in the winter. In 1970, the fort site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1] ## References[edit] 1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008. ## External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Laurens. * Fort Laurens at Ohio History Central * Fort Laurens, 1778-1779: The Revolutionary War in Ohio - by Thomas Pieper and James B. Gidney. Kent State University Press (January 1980) * Friends of Fort Laurens * Fort Laurens Website * v * t * e U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics| * Architectural style categories * Contributing property * Historic district * History of the National Register of Historic Places * Keeper of the Register * National Park Service * Property types Lists by state| * List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state: * Alabama * Alaska * Arizona * Arkansas * California * Colorado * Connecticut * Delaware * Florida * Georgia * Hawaii * Idaho * Illinois * Indiana * Iowa * Kansas * Kentucky * Louisiana * Maine * Maryland * Massachusetts * Michigan * Minnesota * Mississippi * Missouri * Montana * Nebraska * Nevada * New Hampshire * New Jersey * New Mexico * New York * North Carolina * North Dakota * Ohio * Oklahoma * Oregon * Pennsylvania * Rhode Island * South Carolina * South Dakota * Tennessee * Texas * Utah * Vermont * Virginia * Washington * West Virginia * Wisconsin * Wyoming Lists by insular areas| * American Samoa * Guam * Minor Outlying Islands * Northern Mariana Islands * Puerto Rico * Virgin Islands Lists by associated state| * Federated States of Micronesia * Marshall Islands * Palau Other areas| * District of Columbia * American Legation, Morocco Related| * National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 * Historic Preservation Fund * List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places * University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places * National Register of Historic Places portal * Category *[No.]: number *[v]: View this template *[t]: Discuss this template *[e]: Edit this template