Forty Fort was a stronghold built by settlers from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, on the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

in what is now Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, both Connecticut and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

claimed this territory, as Connecticut had laid claim to a wide swath of land to its west based on its colonial charter. These competing claims triggered the Pennamite-Yankee Wars but were resolved after the Revolutionary War when the federal government awarded the contested territory to Pennsylvania. The fort was a refuge for settlers during the Battle of Wyoming on July 3, 1778. Lieutenant Colonel

Zebulon Butler Zebulon Butler (January 23, 1731July 28, 1795) was an American military officer and politician from Connecticut who served with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He represented the Wyoming Valley (now i ...

's force of largely militia soldiers was defeated by a force of

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

soldiers from Butler's Rangers and their indigenous allies. Forty Fort capitulated the following day. The fort was reoccupied by the Americans later that year.

Description

Forty Fort was located in the Wyoming Valley on the west bank of the Susquehanna River in what is now Forty Fort Borough in Luzerne County. The fort is named for the forty families from Connecticut who arrived in the Wyoming Valley in 1769. Construction of the fort began in 1770, however, it fell into disrepair until rebuilt in 1777 during the Revolutionary War. The fort enclosed about an acre of ground. Barracks and other buildings were constructed along the double thick, twelve foot high stockade wall. These provided shelter for the occupants and a firing platform for the garrison. The enclosure was rectangular in shape with gates in the north and south walls. Small sentry towers were constructed at the four corners of the fort. File:WyomingValleyForts.jpg, Forts in the Wyoming Valley. A-Fort Durkee, B-Fort Wyoming or Wilkesbarre, C-Fort Ogden, D-Kingston Village, E-Forty Fort, G-battleground, H-Fort Jenkins, I-Monocasy Island, J-Pittstown stockades, G-Queen Esther's Rock. File:FortyFort1778.jpg, Artist's conception of Forty Fort in 1778

References

{{reflist Forts in Pennsylvania American Revolutionary War forts Buildings and structures in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 1770 establishments in Pennsylvania History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania