| Fort Machault | |
|---|---|
| Venango County, Pennsylvania near Franklin, Pennsylvania | |
 Map showing Fort Machault and its outbuildings.[1]: 48 | |
  Fort Machault Location of Fort Machault in Pennsylvania | |
| Coordinates | 41°23′52″N 79°49′53″W / 41.39778°N 79.83139°W |
| Type | Military fort |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1754 |
| In use | 1754–1759 |
| Battles/wars | French and Indian War |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | Philippe-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire Michel Maray de La Chauvignerie François-Marie Le Marchand de Lignery |
| Garrison | 6-100 French and Canadian marines |
| Designated | 1969[2] |
Fort Machault (/mɑːˈʃɔːl/, French: [maʃol]) was a fort built by the French in 1754 near the confluence of French Creek with the Allegheny River, in northwest Pennsylvania. (Present-day Franklin developed here later.) The fort helped the French control these waterways, part of what was known as the Venango Path from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. It was one of four forts designed to protect French access to the Ohio Country and connections between its northern and southern colonies. From north to south the forts were Fort Presque Isle (at Lake Erie), Fort Le Boeuf (at the south end of the portage leading to the head of French Creek), Fort Machault (at the confluence noted), and Fort Duquesne. In January 1759 the British launched an expedition to attack Fort Machault, but had to turn back after encountering resistance from French-Allied Native Americans. The fort was abandoned by the French in August 1759, and burned so that the British could not use it. It was replaced by the British in 1760 with Fort Venango.