Fort Wayne ( Fort ) Fort Wayne in modern Fort Wayne , Indiana , was established by Captain Jean François Hamtramck under orders from General " Mad " Anthony Wayne as part of the campaign against the Indians of the area . It was named after General Wayne , who was victorious at the Battle of Fallen Timbers . Wayne may have chosen the name himself — the fort was dedicated the day after he left it . The fort was officially occupied by the army on October 21 , 1794 . The fort was a basic stockade with few buildings , and was located near the present intersection of Berry and Clay streets . History . Fort Wayne was the successor of several previous military outposts at the location . Jean Baptiste Bissot , Sieur de Vincennes built the first fortified trading post on the site in 1704 called Fort Miami . Fort Wayne . Wayne ' s Legion arrived at Kekionga on 17 September 1794 , and Wayne personally selected the site for the new U . S . fort . Wayne wanted a strong fort built , capable of withstanding not only an Indian uprising , but a possible attack by the British from Fort Detroit . The fort was finished by 17 October , and was capable of withstanding 24 - pound cannons . It was named Fort Wayne and placed under command of Major Jean François Hamtramck , who had been commandant of Fort Knox in Vincennes . The fort was officially dedicated 22 October ( the fourth anniversary of Harmar ' s Defeat ) , and the day is considered the founding of the modern city of Fort Wayne . The garrison at Fort Wayne normally consisted of about 100 men and their families . In 1796 , the garrison was ordered to march down the Maumee River to counteract a British demonstration . The force received the transfer of Fort Maumee from the British before Colonel Hamtramck was transferred to Fort Detroit - later the site of another Fort Wayne , and near the future town of Hamtramck , Michigan . Colonel David Strong , a veteran of the American Revolution and Wayne ' s Legion , succeeded him as commandant of Fort Wayne for two years , before transferring commands with Colonel Hamtramck in 1798 . Colonel Thomas Hunt — a veteran of the Battles of Lexington and Concord , Bunker Hill , and Wayne ' s Legion — took command of the fort on 16 May 1798 , and built a substantial new fort several hundred yards north of the original , near the modern city ' s Old Fort Park . The new fort contained multiple guard houses and Indian " factories " ( trading post s ) . The first fort was demolished about 1800 . During the War of 1812 , Fort Dearborn ( in present Chicago ) was evacuated and the residents tried to reach Fort Wayne , but were massacred before they arrived . Fort Wayne was next besieged by the Indian forces of Tecumseh during the Siege of Fort Wayne . Captain James Rhea was in charge of the fort and considered surrendering the fort , but his two lieutenant s relieved him of duty . General William Henry Harrison arrived on September 12 , 1812 ( which coincidentally was his birthday ) and broke the siege . Captain Rhea was formally relieved of duty and one of the lieutenants , named Ostrander , was given official command of the fort . After the war , a town began growing around the fort . A third fort was built in 1816 by Major John Whistler . The fort was officially abandoned on April 19 , 1819 , and its contents shipped to Fort Detroit .