Historians to honor British soldiers killed in Fremont in 1813

FREMONT - Beneath the green grass of a downtown lot where Fremont Middle School once stood lie the bodies of British soldiers killed in an assault of Fort Stephenson more than 200 years ago.

The exact number and location of the bodies is a mystery and the graves are currently unmarked, but local historians are working to change that.

A historical marking honoring the fallen soldiers was dedicated at the former middle school in 1965, with British representatives in attendance, but that marker has been in storage since 2012 when the school was razed.

The marker is currently being held at Birchard Library, where director Pam Hoesman said it is being well-taken care of and will one day be placed at its rightful location.

"We are planning to put it up. We've had it since last summer and are surveying the public for possible renovations to the library, which this piece (of property) would be a part of," Hoesman said. "We just don't know what that renovation would be yet."

The marker, weighing about 100 pounds, honors the British soldiers who died in the Fort Stephenson assault, saying; "In Commemoration: Lt. Col. W.M. C. Shortt, Lt. J.G. Gordon, one sergeant, one drummer and 21 rank and file of the 41st Regiment, British regulars, who died in the assault of Fort Stephenson, Aug. 2 1813; and the succeeding amity between contending nations."

Hoesman said the library's board of directors would decide if the library would place a levy on the ballot to assist in funding renovations, or possibly building a small museum where the historical marker would be placed.

"We want to do it right when we do it, so Fremont has something to be proud of," said Hoesman.

The battle pitted 150 to 160 men at Fort Stephenson against as many as 800 British soldiers and 2,000 of their Indian allies.

In 1905, author and historian Lucy Keller published "A Guide to local history of local history of Fremont, Ohio, prior to 1860" for the Library of Congress, in which she highlights the battle at Fort Stephenson and the heroic job Major George Croghan did holding off such an overwhelming attack.

"Croghan's gallant force of 160 men and one cannon held the fort two days and finally vanquished 800 British regulars, veteran troops of Wellington's Peninsula campaign, commanded by Gen. Henry Proctor and about 2,000 Indian allies under Tecumseh," Keller wrote.

Historians believe it took three shots from the cannon, known as "Old Betsy," to disperse a large group of Indians coming from the east near Sandusky Bay.

Croghan and his men, initially sent to Fort Stephenson for repairs, stayed and battled the British and their Indian allies.

British and Indian soldiers attempted to enter the fort by chopping holes in it, rather than scaling the walls. This, according to Touring Ohio, proved to be a calculated mistake, leading to the defeat of the British and Indian forces.

During the final battle, British soldiers made one last effort to chop through the fort, only to be met by a ditch trap that bottlenecked the soldiers, allowing Americans to use "Old Betsy" to inflict severe carnage, according to Touring Ohio.

Keller also wrote of the importance of the victory for Croghan and his men as it provided great encouragement across the country.

"This battle was the turning point of the war," Keller wrote.

Keller wrote that she believes the bodies of the British officers were buried on Garrison Street, at the corner of Garrison and Park streets, not Garrison and High streets as some historians assert.

Even if the library can decide how to properly honor the fallen soldiers, the historical society does not know exactly where the bodies are buried and how many soldiers were buried at the now green space location.

​"There are a lot of rumors on how many were buried and where they were buried, but we are just not sure," said Fred Recktenwald, vice president of the historical society. "There was a story the bodies were moved into a corner. We think they are in the southwest corner of the land. It's an interesting piece of history."

Although Recktenwald and the historical society believe the bodies are at the High and Garrison Street location, he said it is still a mystery because no one has attempted to use underground radar to determine the location of the bodies, and how many there are at the site.

News-Messenger columnist and local historian Roy Wilhelm said the sugar plant next to the Sandusky River on North Street is believed to be another location where British soldiers are buried, saying that site "makes sense" because British forces would have retreated in that direction after their unsuccessful assault on Fort Stephenson.

"It was pretty important," Recktenwald said. "There were British representatives there during the dedication. It must be pretty important if there was a historical marker dedicated."

"Croghan only lost one man in that battle. That and Perry defeating the British in the battle of Lake Erie were two of the last battles in the Northwest Territory," said Recktenwald.

Although those buried in Fremont were considered the enemy when they died in battle, one local veteran, Tanya Schardt, said it is important to honor those who lost their lives in the assault because Croghan respected his enemy enough to bury them with honors.

"I have been stationed in Germany so I have seen World War II American graves. I have seen our soldiers honored. When the school was taken down (in 2012), I did not want them to be forgotten," Schardt said. "It is important to Fremont because it is part of our history. We need to respect them."

cshoup@gannett.com

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