What was the British fort built on the site of Fort Duquesne?

The British fort built on the site of Fort Duquesne was Fort Pitt. It stood at the strategic meeting point of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, where the Ohio River begins in present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The French built Fort Duquesne in 1754 to strengthen their claim to the Ohio River Valley. British expeditions tried to capture it during the French and Indian War, but the fort was eventually destroyed by the retreating French in November 1758.

British forces then constructed Fort Pitt between 1759 and 1761 and named it after William Pitt the Elder, the British statesman who helped direct Britain’s wartime strategy. The new fort had a large pentagonal design intended to defend the important river junction.

Fort Pitt was near, but not directly on, the exact footprint of Fort Duquesne. Both sites are now within Point State Park in Pittsburgh, where outlines of the two forts can be seen. The location later became central to the development of Pittsburgh.