Forwarded from the MARYLAND - WASHINGTON COUNTY LIST From: "Sharon Banzhoff" <shabanz@earthlink.net> To: <MDWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 9:45 PM Subject: [MDWASHIN] POWs at Fort Frederick The following is a quote from "MARYLAND - The Seventh State , A History by John T. Marck, 4th Edition: Fort Frederick is located about 13 miles west of Hagerstown in Big Pool, MD. It was one of the last forts built at the time of the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The stone fort was named in honor of Maryland's Lord Proprietor, Frederick Calvert, Sixth Lord Baltimore, and erected by Governor Horatio Sharpe in 1756 to protect the English settlers against the French and their Indian allies. Most forts during this period were built of wood and earth and were small in size but Fort Frederick is unique because of its size and its strong stone stockade walls. Though never attacked by the French, the Fort did serve as an important supply base for various English campaigns. In 1763, an Ottawa Indian Chief named Pontiac staged a massive Indian uprising. It was during this uprising that several hundred settlers and a militia force sought protection at the fort. During the American Revolution, Fort Frederick saw service again as a refuge for settlers and as a prison camp for Hessian and British soldiers. In 1791, the State of Maryland sold the Fort and for the next on hundred thirty-one years, the land was used for farming. During the Civil War, Union troops occupied the Fort and fought a brief skirmish with Confederate raiders on Christmas Day, 1861. This was the only military engagement Fort Frederick has seen. ==== MDWASHIN Mailing List ==== If you have any problems feel free to address those to the list administrator: MDWASHIN-admin@rootsweb.com ============================== Find your ancestors in the Birth, Marriage and Death Records. New content added every business day. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13964/rd.ashx