Fort Duquesne

Fort Duquesne was a fort located in what is now Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The British who sought control of the area from the french for the security of English settlers in western Pennsylvania and transportation control of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers. They sent 41 Virginians to build Fort Prince George in 1754. Construction on the fort was never completed because when the French, who controlled the Ohio at the time, got word of the fort, sent in a large force to capture the fort. The french then resumed building the incomplete fort and renamed it to Fort Duquesne. The French held the ford during the French and Indian War. It was one of the focal points for the war because of its location in disputed territory. The French held the fort for 4 years until, in 1758, the British recaptured it, destroyed it, and rebuilt it. They renamed it to Fort Pitt.