Atlas of Battles

battle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Fort Dearborn

Battle of Fort Dearborn was a battle fought on 15 August 1812 at Chicago, in what is now Illinois, United States. It was part of the War of 1812, which ran from 1812 to 1815. The recorded result: Potawatomi victory. Recorded strength: 400–500 against 66 military + 27 dependents.

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Defense by Henry Herring, 1928. This sculpture adorns the wall of the south western bridge tender's house on Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago, Illinois.
Defense by Henry Herring, 1928. This sculpture adorns the wall of the south western bridge tender's house on Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago, Illinois.. User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought15 August 1812
WhereChicago, Illinois, United States41.858N, 87.619W
OutcomePotawatomi victory
BelligerentsPotawatomiagainstUnited States
Casualties and losses15andMilitary; 38 killed; 28 captured; Civilian; 14 killed; 13 captured
Battlefield todayFort Dearborn battlefieldNPS site IL400, 868 acres studied, 232 core
Part ofWar of 18121812 to 1815

Where it sits in the War of 1812

Siege of Fort Harrison, 1812Battle of the Mississinewa, 1812Engagements on Lake Ontario, 1812Battle of River Canard, 1812Siege of Fort Mackinac, 1812First Battle of Sacket's Harbor, 1812Battle of Brownstown, 1812Battle of Maguaga, 1812USS Essex vs HMS Alert, 1812Siege of Detroit, 1812Battle of Fort Dearborn, 1812USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere, 1812Siege of Fort Wayne, 1812Battle of Queenston Heights, 1812Capture of HMS Frolic, 1812Battle of St. Regis, 1812USS United States vs HMS Macedonian, 1812Battle of Lacolle Mills, 1812Battle of Wild Cat Creek, 1812Battle of Frenchman's Creek, 1812Battle of La Guaira, 1812Battle of Frenchtown, 1813Battle of Fort George, 1813Battle of Ogdensburg, 1813Battle of Tipton's Island, 1813Battle of Rappahannock River, 1813Battle of Africa Point, 1813Battle of York, 1813Siege of Fort Meigs, 1813Raid on Havre de Grace, 1813Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor, 1813Capture of USS Chesapeake, 1813Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813Battle of Craney Island, 1813Battle of Beaver Dams, 1813Raid on Black Rock, 1813Battle of Fort Stephenson, 1813Battle of St. Michaels, 1813Second Battle of St. Michaels, 1813Capture of HMS Boxer, 1813Battle of Lake Erie, 1813Battle of the Thames, 1813Battle of the Chateauguay, 1813Battle of Crysler's Farm, 1813Capture of Fort Niagara, 1813Battle of Buffalo, 1813Siege of Prairie du Chien, 1814Battle of Big Sandy Creek, 1814Battle of Fayal, 1814Battle of Longwoods, 1814Battle of Valparaíso, 1814Battle of Lacolle Mills, 1814Battle of Fort Oswego, 1814Sinking of HMS Reindeer, 1814Battle of Chippawa, 1814Battle of Rock Island Rapids, 1814Battle of Lundy's Lane, 1814Battle of Mackinac Island, 1814Battle of Conjocta Creek, 1814Siege of Fort Erie, 1814Battle of Bladensburg, 1814Raid on Alexandria, 1814Battle of Caulk's Field, 1814Sinking of HMS Avon, 1814Battle of Hampden, 1814Battle of Credit Island, 1814Battle of Plattsburgh, 1814Battle of North Point, 1814Battle of Baltimore, 1814Battle of Cook's Mills, 1814Battle of Malcolm's Mills, 1814Battle of Pensacola, 1814Battle of Lake Borgne, 1814Siege of Fort St. Philip, 1815Battle of New Orleans, 1815Battle of Fort Peter, 1815Capture of East India Company ship Nautilus, 181518121815Battle of Fort Dearborn, 1812
77 placed engagements of the War of 1812 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date15 August 1812
PlaceChicago, Illinois, United States
41.858N, 87.619W
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength400–50066 military + 27 dependents
Casualties and losses15Military; 38 killed; 28 captured; Civilian; 14 killed; 13 captured
Commanders
  • Nathan Heald
  • William Wells (soldier)
Battle of Fort DearbornBattle of Fort DearbornEvanston20 km41.858N, 87.619W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the battlefield study area mapped by the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1812

The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program maps this as the Fort Dearborn battlefield (site IL400): a study area of 868 acres, with a core area of 232 acres where the fighting was concentrated.

Battle of Fort Dearborn is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (12 in Illinois).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2888523, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Fort Dearborn, revision 1376222713, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.