The Seige of Fort Wayne

Friday last, the forces of the Great Lakes River Pirates, under the guidance of Lt.'s Garland & Lith, gathered at the confluence of the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee Rivers for a planned raid on Fort Wayne, situated there. Previous visits to this fort proved quite profitable, the location being well provisioned yet poorly manned. Thus we have come to depend on this raid to provide needed supplies for our continued summer travels.

The forces of the fort, forewarned of our presence or perhaps remembering the slaughter from our last visit, were more prepared for our advances than in the past. Two days of unsuccessful attempts left us unable to break the artillery line and gain access to the fort itself. Wounded, demoralized and low on basic sustanance, we will have to push north with urgency now, ever more anxious for the yearly gathering of our full forces in early August.

The good Lt. Lith, having taken much to drink and gambling at Black's Coffeehouse on Saturday night, attempted to alter the outcome of a dice game, instead found himself engaged in a duel the following morning. His opponent, being an upstanding military man, insisted on following proper protocol for satisfaction, although it seems he was not as forthright as one would have believed. During the loading of the dueling pistols, Lt. Lith's weapon was falsely charged, as a result when the two gentlemen turned to fire it was only his opponent's weapon which discharged, leaving Lt. Lith mortally wounded. Rather than risk further losses to our crew, we hauled anchor after said duel and left the cursed fort in swift manner, hoping for the less hostile territories to the north-west and fair winds as we journey to the Big Lake.

Photos © K. Garland 2009