George Croghan, Commander at Fort Stephenson

 

George Croghan was born in Kentucky on November 15, 1791. He attended the College of William and Mary, and joined the U.S. Army in 1811. Croghan took part in the Battle of Tippecanoe and the siege of Fort Meigs. George Croghan became commander at Fort Stephenson, located on the Sandusky River in the city now known as Fremont, Ohio. Though General William Henry Harrison ordered Croghan to abandon Fort Stephenson, Croghan stayed at the fort. He and his men were successful when British forces attacked Fort Stephenson on August 2, 1813.

When  “Old Betsy” was fired during the attack on Fort Stephenson, over one hundred British soldiers were killed.

After the War of 1812, Croghan remained in military service. In 1824 he became postmaster of the City of New Orleans, and in 1825 Croghan was named Inspector General of the U.S. Army. George Croghan died of cholera in New Orleans on January 8, 1849. He was originally buried near Louisville, Kentucky, but in 1906, his remains were removed to the site of Fort Stephenson in Fremont, Ohio.

 You can learn more about George Croghan at Ohio History Central and the Sandusky County Scrapbook.

(Note: Image of George Croghan courtesy Wikipedia.)