Fort Defiance was built by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the second week of August 1794 at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee rivers. It was one of a line of defenses constructed by American forces in the campaign leading to the Northwest Indian War's Battle of Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794.
Fort Defiance
Park overlooking the Auglaize and Maumee rivers
From "Early History of the Maumee Valley," 1902
Anthony Wayne was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to brigadier general and the nickname "Mad Anthony". He later served as the Senior Officer of the Army on the Ohio Country frontier and led the Legion of the United States.
Portrait by Edward Savage, c. 1795
A statue of General Wayne at Freimann Square in Fort Wayne
A 1780 letter from Wayne to Israel Shreve
Statue of Wayne at Valley Forge, facing toward his home in nearby Paoli, Pennsylvania