A question Fort Ligonier Staff are often asked is, “Where is the cemetery for those who died at Fort Ligonier?”
This is a great question! We... actually don’t know.
Where many forts have maps that specifically mark the cemetery or burial ground for their site, Fort Ligonier does not have any documentation to mention this exact location. It has been often speculated that the graveyard in the town of Ligonier, adjacent to Covenant Presbyterian Church and Cavalry United Methodist Church, was the location of the Fort’s burial place (Ghosts and Legends of Fort Ligonier, pg. 68, Powell and Fell). Part of the difficulty in locating the cemetery is that the town grew up right on top of the Fort and the grounds nearby. Some of that evidence may be permanently lost to the pages of the past.
Fort Ligonier’s history includes battles, skirmishes, raids, disease, and all manner of danger. Because of this deadly history, we know that parts of the land nearby became the final resting place for some who were a part of Fort Ligonier’s story. A few of these specific moments are listed below.
--When the French attacked on October 12, 1758 there were casualties on both sides. Those who had been killed on the British side were buried as well as a few French soldiers.
On November 12, 1758, two groups of Virginians mistook each other for the enemy and a skirmish ensued roughly two miles away. George Washington wrote that the next day he took a group of soldiers with spades to bury the fallen troops.
-Over the winter of 1759 many Pennsylvanians became ill with scurvy and several died. They would have been buried somewhere near the fort.
-On July 6, 1759, the French attacked Fort Ligonier and Captain Jones was killed in one of the redoubts.
-In 1763, Fort Ligonier was a part of Pontiac’s War and saw hostilities rise all along the frontier, resulting in civilian and combatant casualties.
There were many more incidents at Fort Ligonier, along the Forbes road, and in the wilderness that are noted in primary sources. We remember these people who lived and died at Fort Ligonier. No matter where any grave may be, where we stand today is sacred ground.
Photo: Col. James Burd's gravestone at Middletown Cemetery in Middletown, PA.
