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free some legally arrested individuals, Fort
Bedford was no longer a British Fort. The court records of Cumberland County maintain absolutely no records of Smith's capture of the 'British Fort'. No one knew that the fort had been captured until thirty years later when Smith published his self-congratulatory autobiography.
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A reconstruction of one of the five log blockhouses was built near the site in 1958 in honor of the fort's 200th anniversary. The style of the reconstruction is not necessarily the style of the original blockhouses of Fort
Bedford as no contemporary images of the fort exist. Unlike the 'cube' form of
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on his roster to guard the fort and more than 90 local families. Despite the weakness of the garrison, the fort was not directly attacked by native warriors. Instead they raided several local settlements and attacked supply trains bound for the fort, apparently hoping to starve out the garrison. The
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Bouquet searched the area for some time to find a site that was both defensible and had access to fresh water. Since he could find no spot in the area with both these characteristics, the builders placed the fort on a high spot and devised an innovative fortified elevated gallery that provided access
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In
October 1766, Garrett Pendergrass petitioned John Penn, the Provincial Governor for compensation for the use of his property. In his petition, Pendergrass claimed that "since the King's Troops evacuated that Fort, and the Avenues thereof..." In 1769 when James Smith attacked the fort to illegally
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Fort
Bedford has been described as the "Grand Central Station of the Forbes campaign" during the French and Indian War. It was used as a staging ground and central storage area for the British Army's push westward towards the French garrisons. Colonel Bouquet and General Forbes used it as their
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Bouquet chose a spot adjacent to the
Juniata River west of a strategic gap in the mountains called "the narrows". Keeping with the overall plan, the new site was about one day's march from the previous fort. After briefly being referred to simply as the "camp at Raystown", the new encampment was
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The exact location of the fort has been lost to history. Several archaeological digs have failed to yield any solid evidence of the fort's site. Using period documents, historians believe it was located somewhere along what is now East Pitt Street in the
Borough of Bedford.
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headquarters for portions of the campaign. After the bulk of the army moved westward, the fort was garrisoned by about 800 men. The fort saw little action during the war and was used mainly as a forward supply base.
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ended in disaster, General Forbes was placed in command of a new expedition to capture the strategic point guarded by Fort
Duquesne. Forbes vowed not to make the same mistakes as his predecessor.
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most French and Indian War blockhouses, the reconstruction resembles more so blockhouses from the 1870s of the
American Midwest. It is currently a museum operated by The Bedford Heritage Trust.
229:. The north side, which faced the river, featured the unique gallery to the riverbank. The non-river sides were protected by a ditch estimated at between 4 and 9 feet (1.2 to 2.7 m) in depth.
162:. His poorly defended lines of supply and communication were soon compromised. Forbes intended to launch a large invasion from eastern Pennsylvania by hacking a new pioneer wagon road over the
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265:, 2002) notes that there is some corroborating evidence, and that some other historians believe the tale to be true. Smith called this the first British fort to fall in the era of the
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Details of the fort during the inter-war years are sketchy and controversial. The
British Army abandoned the fort sometime during this period. According to the autobiography of
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As the French and Indian War wound down in the frontier, the fort's garrison was moved to other forts. Captain Lewis Ourry, in command of the fort at the outbreak of
225:. The walls enclosed an area of approximately 1.45 acres (5,900 m). The main gate was located on the south side of the structure and was protected by an earthen
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to and water from the
Juniata River. It is believed that Fort Bedford was the only fort ever constructed in America with this arrangement.
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reduced the fear of Indian raids in the area of the fort. Sometime during this period, the fort was abandoned and demolished.
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in 1794. Records of the army's stay at that time seem to indicate that the fort had already been razed.
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stopped at the town of Bedford while leading troops into Western Pennsylvania to put down the
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arrival of reinforcements under Colonel Bouquet in July 1763 ended most of the local raiding.
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After the American War of Independence ended, the treaties of the 1780s such as the
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War Under Heaven: Pontiac, the Indian Nations, & the British Empire
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Braddock had led a small invasion force launched from western
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269:. The incident was portrayed in the 1939 Hollywood film
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Historic military fortification in Pennsylvania, USA
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92:fortification located at the present site of
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166:. His plan called for a string of forts and
136:and campaign against the French garrison at
100:log fortress erected in the summer of 1758.
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69:Learn how and when to remove this message
804:Military and war museums in Pennsylvania
116:Fort Bedford was constructed during the
32:This article includes a list of general
824:History of Bedford County, Pennsylvania
799:Museums in Bedford County, Pennsylvania
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814:British forts in the United States
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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351:Fort Bedford Museum official site
794:American Revolutionary War forts
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286:The fort was garrisoned by the
809:Colonial forts in Pennsylvania
338:Fort Bedford Historical Marker
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789:French and Indian War forts
420:Battle of the Great Meadows
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332:Fort Bedford, Pennsylvania
298:Decline and reconstruction
450:Battle of the Monongahela
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415:Battle of Jumonville Glen
189:Location and construction
183:Breezewood, Pennsylvania
151:'s campaign to take the
112:Location of Fort Bedford
533:Battle of Fort Ligonier
528:Battle of Fort Duquesne
512:Bloody Springs massacre
486:Battle of Sideling Hill
308:Treaty of Fort McIntosh
153:forks of the Ohio River
53:more precise citations.
356:Fort Bedford Time Line
304:Treaty of Fort Stanwix
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197:Sketch of Fort Bedford
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784:Forts in Pennsylvania
731:Heinrich Zeller House
621:Fort Juniata Crossing
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118:French and Indian War
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94:Bedford, Pennsylvania
86:French and Indian War
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219:star-shaped fortress
124:by order of General
760:40.0199°N 78.5038°W
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460:Great Cove massacre
445:Braddock Expedition
267:American Revolution
217:The fort was a log
204:4th Duke of Bedford
177:After constructing
164:Allegheny Mountains
696:Fort Prince George
272:Allegheny Uprising
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701:Redstone Old Fort
691:Fort Presque Isle
543:Forbes Expedition
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316:Whiskey Rebellion
312:George Washington
292:Revolutionary War
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601:Fort Halifax
586:Fort Deshler
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666:Fort McCord
661:Fort Manada
611:Fort Hunter
576:Fort Bigham
399:during the
275:, starring
255:James Smith
168:blockhouses
130:Forbes Road
126:John Forbes
98:star-shaped
51:introducing
778:Categories
751:78°30′14″W
748:40°01′12″N
606:Fort Henry
581:Fort Depuy
561:Fort Allen
340:2016-01-04
334:2016-01-04
326:References
277:John Wayne
259:Black Boys
221:with five
142:Pittsburgh
104:Background
59:March 2024
34:references
686:Fort Pitt
552:Frontier
306:and the
223:bastions
160:Maryland
288:Patriot
227:ravelin
47:improve
84:was a
36:, but
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