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The Fort Dearborn Massacre occurred on August 15, 1812 near Fort Dearborn in the United States during the War of 1812. The massacre followed the evacuation of the fort ordered by the commander of the US forces, General Hull.
Commandant Captain Nathan Heald ordered that all whiskey and gunpowder be destroyed so it wouldn't be taken by the local Indian tribes allied with the British, and then abandoned the fort. A procession of 148 soldiers, women and children then left Fort Dearborn to retreat to Fort Wayne, Indiana. About two miles south of Fort Dearborn, a band of Potawatomi Indians, led by Chief Blackbird, ambushed the garrison, killing 86 of the fleeing Americans and capturing the remainder as prisoners to sell to the British as slaves.
Fort Dearborn was burned to the ground and the region remained devoid of US citizens until after the war was over.
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