Mercer's Fort was a temporary fort built by Colonel Hugh Mercer during the winter of 1758–1759, to secure the "forks of the Ohio," at the confluence of the Monongahela River and the Allegheny River, where Mercer was preparing to build Fort Pitt. At the time it was loosely known as "the fort at Pittsburgh," and when work on Fort Pitt had progressed, it was sometimes referred to as "the first Fort Pitt." Only later did people call it "Mercer's Fort," leading to confusion with Fort Mercer in New Jersey. The fort initially served to defend the site, but as Fort Pitt neared completion, it was used mostly to lodge workers and to store supplies. In mid-1760 it was partially dismantled, with some buildings converted into a hospital.
Plan of Fort Pitt, showing the outline of Mercer's Fort at the top of page, labelled "M".
Plan of Fort Pitt showing the outline of Mercer's Fort at the bottom, labelled "K".
Hugh Mercer was a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the New York and New Jersey campaign and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Princeton.
The Kentucky land grant to heirs of Mercer for jos service of George Weedon during the French and Indian War signed by then Virginia governor Thomas Jefferson in 1780
Hugh Mercer Apothecary in Fredericksburg, Virginia
The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777, a portrait by John Trumbull featuring Mercer's death and George Washington on the horse
Mercer Memorial at the Thomas Clarke House in Princeton, New Jersey, where Mercer was treated after being bayonetted by British troops at the Battle of Princeton
