Siege of Fort Henry ( 1777 ) The Siege of Fort Henry was an attack on American militiamen during the American Revolutionary War near the Virginia outpost known as Fort Henry by a mixed band of Indians in September 1777 . The fort , named for Virginia Governor Patrick Henry , was at first defended by only a small number of militia , as rumors of the Indian attack had moved faster than the Indians , and a number of militia companies had left the fort . The American settlers were successful in repulsing the Indian attack . Background . In the summer of 1777 , rumors began circulating throughout frontier areas of Virginia and Pennsylvania that Indians living in the Ohio Country were planning attacks on frontier settlements on and around the Ohio River . Fort Henry , which had been constructed in 1774 to protect the settlers in the area around what is now Wheeling , West Virginia , was one of the rumored targets . In early August , General Edward Hand , the commander at nearby Fort Pitt warned Lieutenant David Shepherd and all of the local militia captains of the threat , ordering them to gather at Fort Henry . For a time thereafter , militia companies stayed at Fort Henry , improving its defenses and patrolling for Indians . However , the absence of any obvious threat led many of those companies to leave and return to their homes . By the end of August , only two companies , those of Joseph Ogle and Samuel Mason , remained . Battle . The battle is reported in some sources to have taken place on September 1 , and in others on September 21 . On the night of the battle , a mixed band of about 200 Indians ( predominantly Wyandot and Mingo , although there were also some Shawnee and Delaware ) under the leadership of the Wendat chief Pomoacan , approached the fort in great stealth and secrecy . Local men later joined by recruits from Fort Shepherd ( in Elm Grove ) and Fort Holliday defended the fort . When four men left the fort early that morning , the Indians attacked them , killing one . The other three escaped , including two who returned to the fort to raise the alarm . Anticipating a sortie from the fort , the Indians set up an ambush . The party that Captain Mason led out marched out to search for the Indians , and were very nearly surprised . One of Mason ' s men spotted an Indian and shot him , prompting the Indians to open fire . Seeing that they were very nearly surrounded , Mason and his men retreated , with Mason suffering severe enough injuries that he was forced to hide by the path rather than go to the fort . When Ogle led some men out to assist , his party was also attacked , and he was forced to take cover . Both he and Mason were eventually able to reenter the fort . The native force subsequently burned the surrounding cabins and destroyed livestock . Major Samuel McColloch led a small force of men from Fort Vanmetre along Short Creek to assist the besieged Fort Henry . McColloch was separated from his men and was chased by attacking Indians . Upon his horse , McColloch charged up Wheeling Hill and made what is known as McColloch ' s Leap , down its eastern side to safety . The Indians rushed to the edge , expecting to see the Major lying dead in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the hill . To their great surprise they instead saw McColloch , still mounted on his white horse , galloping away from them . The Indians remained overnight outside the fort , dancing and demonstrating , but never attacked it directly . They left the next morning , having suffered nine wounded and one killed , while the Americans lost fifteen , with five wounded .