Battle of Fort Dearborn - Aftermath

Aftermath

Following the battle the Indians took their prisoners to their camp near Fort Dearborn and the fort was burned to the ground, and the region remained empty of U.S. citizens until after the war had ended. Some of the prisoners died in captivity, while others were later ransomed. The fort, however, was reestablished and rebuilt in 1816.

Seen from the perspective of the War of 1812 and the larger conflict between Britain and France which precipitated it, this was a very small brief 15 minute battle, but it ultimately had larger consequences in the territory. Arguably, for the Indians, it was an example of "winning the battle but losing the war": the U.S. later pursued a policy of removing the tribes from the region, resulting in the Treaty of Chicago, which was marked at its culmination in 1835 by the last great Indian war dance in the then nascent city. Thereafter, the Potowatmie and other tribes were moved further west.