Horse burial at Fort Meigs   Save
Fort Meigs Collection
Description: Photograph showing the excavated burial site of two horses, located at Fort Meigs near Perrysburg, Ohio. During archaeological investigation at the site in 2001, this grave was discovered about 250 feet southwest of the wall of the original fort. On the left is the skeleton of a larger draft horse, while the right figure was a smaller cavalry horse. Their causes of death were both likely tied to their service at the fort--the draft horse from a fatal fall, and the cavalry horse from being struck by buckshot (possibly in battle). Also buried with the bodies, beneath the right shoulder of the cavalry horse, was the skull of a boar. While the exact significance of this burial is uncertain, it's possible that the positioning was intentional as part of a forgotten military ritual. The site of Fort Meigs marked a turning point in the western theatre of war for American forces during the War of 1812. The twice-successful defense of the fort in 1813 ushered in a series of American victories which ultimately secured the Great Lakes Region under United States control and cemented the geographic and cultural boundaries of the region, which still exist today. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: A4597_BP29_54
Subjects: War of 1812; Fort Meigs (Ohio); Military life; Funeral rites & ceremonies; Excavations (Archaeology)--Ohio;
Places: Fort Meigs (Ohio); Perrysburg (Ohio); Wood County (Ohio)