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STEUBENVILLE -- While the battles of Lexington, Concord and Yorktown dominate most accounts of the American Revolution, another fierce struggle unfolded hundreds of miles to the west in the rugged Ohio Country. It was a conflict fought not only between British and American forces, but also among Native American nations, frontiersmen and settlers whose lives were forever changed by the fight for the frontier.
Historic Fort Steuben invites the public to learn more about this chapter of American history at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 20, when acclaimed local historian and author Alan Fitzpatrick presents “The American Revolution in the Ohio Country 1776-1782.” The free lecture will be held at the Fort Steuben Visitor Center, 120 S. Third St., as part of the organization’s ongoing America 250 Lecture Series.
Drawing on decades of research, Fitzpatrick will examine the military campaigns, frontier settlements, Native American alliances and pivotal events that transformed the Upper Ohio Valley during the Revolutionary War. His presentation will reveal how the struggle for the Ohio Country became one of the war’s most significant --and often overlooked --frontiers.
Born and raised in Canada, Fitzpatrick has called the Wheeling area home since 1973 after graduating from Kent State University with a degree in psychology. He began his career as a classifications counselor at the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville before operating a successful retail carpet business for 33 years.
His lifelong passion for frontier history led him to become a founding member of Fort Henry Days, the annual living-history commemoration of the 1782 Battle of Fort Henry, held each Labor Day weekend at Oglebay Park in Wheeling. For nearly three decades, Fitzpatrick has researched the turbulent relationship between Native Americans and colonial settlers in the late 18th century, establishing himself as one of the Ohio Valley’s foremost authorities on the period.
Fitzpatrick is the author of nine books exploring early American frontier history, including “Wilderness War on the Ohio,” “In Their Own Words,” “The Place of the Skull,” “The White Indians, Captives and Kin in the Ohio Country,” “The Untold Story of Isaac Zane, Patriot Soldier, Loyalist Spy” and “Vengeance Is Mine: The Untold Story of Bemino, and Captured by the Mingo - Two Faces.”
“As our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence, it is important to remember that the Revolution was fought far beyond the Atlantic seaboard,” said Paul Zuros, executive director of Historic Fort Steuben. “The Ohio Country was a crucial battleground where the outcome of the war shaped the future of the American frontier. Fitzpatrick brings this remarkable history to life through his extensive research and engaging storytelling.”
Historic Fort Steuben’s America 250 Lecture Series explores the people, places and events that influenced the founding of the United States and the development of the Ohio Valley.
The lecture is free and open to the public. For information, contact Historic Fort Steuben at (740) 283-1787 or visit Historic Fort Steuben on Facebook.