Plan and profiles of Fort Loudoun on the Tanasee River, projected and constructed by John Gerar William de Brahm
This primary source is a black-and-white photographic plate that presents cartographer and engineer John Gerar William de Brahm's plan for Fort Loudoun, along with a profile (the elevation or ground-level view) of the completed structure as he envisioned it.
Fort Loudoun was an early colonial fort located on the banks of the Little Tennessee River near the Cherokee capital of "Chota" in present-day Monroe County, TN. Interest in establishing a fort in Cherokee territory with the goal of improving diplomatic and trade relationships between the British colonists and the Cherokee had existed since the 1740s. Constructed in 1756-57 during the French and Indian War, the fort was intended to be a self-sufficient military outpost for the British on the Western Frontier. However, the fort's inhabitants depended on friendly relations with the Cherokee for an adequate supply of food. The fort was named in honor of John Campbell, the 4th Earl of Loudoun and commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America at the time of the fort's construction.
In March 1760, as relations between the British forces, colonists, and the Cherokee declined, the Cherokee laid siege to the fort cutting off outside supplies. In the summer of 1760, the British garrison abandoned the fort and attempted to go to South Carolina. The Cherokee attacked, killing the soldiers and their families and taking the fort. Although the garrison and fort were lost, the original mission of keeping the Cherokee from supporting the French cause in the early years of the war had been served.
This source meets the 4.03, 8.13, and TN.06 Tennessee social studies standards.
