Construction of Fort Amanda Begins - Oct. 1812

Ft. Amanda was built in two phases, Phase I, built by the Kentuckians, was square shaped (198 feet by 198 feet).  How many structures, if any, of Wayne’s old post Head of Auglaize were still standing when Pogue’s men arrived is unknown.   .

With the winter months approaching, the first buildings needed were cabins for the men.  Using the dimensions of Ft. Harrods structures, the cabins at Pogue’s fort would have been 20 feet square with the backs serving as a wall that ran parallel to the Auglaize River.  (see Figure 1)  A door and window would have been cut into the front wall and the roofs sloping inward.   Sloping the roofs inward served two practical purposes; they provided a run off for rain water which could be collected in barrels and used for washing clothes and other camp functions and secondly it provided cover from the enemy for soldiers who needed to go up on the roof to extinguish fires, make repairs, etc.  The cabins, each with a fireplace were large enough to house 6 - 8 men so judging from the number of men normally on duty at the fort, there were probably no less than 10 - 12 cabins.  Each had a fireplace (Figure 5).  A row of cabins formed the northeast wall of the fort (the river side) as well as sections of the northwest wall.  The open spaces between the cabins served as a firewall and was closed by a section of stockade wall.   

Fig. 1
Backs of cabins serving as stockade walls

The stockade walls (See Figure 2) were constructed by placing logs ranging in diameter from six inches to afoot and 15 feet long placed upright side by side in a 3 – 4 foot deep trench.  Once the logs were in place and secured, dirt was shoveled back around the base and tamped down.  To help strengthen the wall, a board or log spanning several of the upright logs was nailed or pegged in place. 

Fig. 2
Section of Stockade wall with spanning support

Again, using Ft. Harrod as the model, the blockhouses in the north, east and west would have been two story structures measuring approximately 25 x 25 feet. The blockhouse in the south corner of the enclosure was the largest of the four measuring as much as 25 x 40 feet (See Figure 3).  

Fig. 3
Large blockhouse in the southeast corner of the fort.

The second story of all the blockhouses would have extended 2 or 3 feet over the lower wall allowing soldiers in the upper story to shoot down holes in the overhang on an enemy below (Figure 4).  Several smaller buildings used as storage sheds lined the interior walls of the fort with one serving as a blacksmith shop.  There were buildings located outside the walls as well.  Those would have been used to store animal feeds and other supplies. A building to store whiskey was needed as well as a building for the storage of gunpowder would have been would have been buildings for storing whiskey and another for storing gunpowder. 

Fig. 4
Overhang of second floor of a blockhouse

Fig. 5
Fireplace Chimney

  

Corrals for the horses and pens for cattle and hogs were located in the area south of the fort.  Slaughtering, salting and the packing the meat for shipment took place there.  It was much cheaper to herd the livestock on the hoof to the forts rather than having to pay for transport services from contractors. Once the animals were butchered, the meat was placed in barrels then stored in the second story of east blockhouse.  Carcasses and other wastes not used were simply thrown over the bank and into the river.  Smaller animals such as chickens and ducks were allowed to run free outside the walls.  A fifteen foot deep well was dug to provide drinking water for the men and animals.  There were two gates (Figure 6) , one located in the northwest end of the enclosure and used as the primary entrance and a second located in southeast wall that opened to a small staging area.  Because the fort sat on a hill several feet above the river, a ramp was built to move materials down to the river’s edge several feet below.

Fig. 6
Gate

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On the opposite side of the river Pogue’s men along with civilian contractors built a boat construction area.  The area consisted of dirt mounds approximately three feet high and as much as 30 feet long, ten feet apart running parallel to each other.  Timbers were laid across the mounds and being elevated, the men were able to crawl underneath and lash or otherwise secure the timbers together.  The size and types of the boats being built at the new fort varied from small dugout canoes to large flat bottomed rafts that could carry as much as 50 barrels of flour. 

Pirogues were large dugout canoes while bateaux on the other hand, required more skills to construct. These were larger boats some measuring twenty to thirty feet in length, six to ten feet wide and weighing as much as 1200 pounds.  Bateaux of this size required a crew of seven men with oars and push poles to navigate the shallow waters of the Auglaize.   Once assembled, the boats were filled with water and allowed to set for a few days so the wood would swell, making the joints virtually leak proof.   Once that was done, they were pulled to the opposite side of the river where they were loaded with men and supplies and transported to other forts along the Auglaize including Ft. Defiance a trip that normally took three to four days. 

By mid-November 1812, most of Phase I was completed.  The fort was square shaped with a well inside the walls.  Cabins lined the northeast and northwest walls. Shed lined the walls both inside and out. There was a gate in the northwest wall and the southeast wall.  There were 4 blockhouses.  Anecdotal evidence suggests there was a large structure in the center of the fort however no records have been found to date to substantiate that.  Some writers have theorized that it was the forts “hospital.”  Most forts had a “hospital” which was nothing more than a cabin dedicated to housing the sick or injured. 

 The original letter is in the possession of the family. 

Daddy's Little Girl

One of the things that makes the naming of Fort Amanda unique is its naming. The custom of the day was for builders of military posts to name their new forts either after themselves (i.e. Jennings, Barbee, Harmar, Winchester, Wayne) or politicians of the day; (Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Adams, Meigs).  Col.  Pogue broke with tradition by naming his new fort for his 11 year old daughter Hannah Amanda Pogue.  Family letters show that family members referred to her simply as “Amanda.”     

The words “Fort Amanda,” first appeared on Nov. 25, 1812 in a regimental order sent from Col. Pogue to his regimental paymaster Lt. George Botts.  It reads:

Fort Amanda    Nov. 25^th, 1812

Lieut. George Botts,

Pay Master to the 4^th Regt. Ky. Mil:               

Sir, you are ordered to proceed immediately to Fort Jennings and receive the portion of Indian goods allotted to the Regiment under my command and have them brought on to this place if the means of transportation can be obtained.  And return and join the Regiment and report the prospect of getting on the goods to the men at the fort.

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