Benjamin Howard (1760 – September 18, 1814) was a congressman from Kentucky, the first governor of the Missouri Territory and a brigadier general in the War of 1812. Early life and education Howard was born in Lexington, Kentucky, (then part of Virginia) and graduated in 1797 from the College of William & Mary. Career Election to Kentucky General Assembly Howard was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly in 1800. Continuing in politics, he was elected to the 10th and 11th Congresses (D-R-KY), from 1807 until April 10, 1810. One week later, on April 17, 1810, President James Madison appointed him as governor of the Louisiana Territory (the Louisiana Purchase district north of modern-day Louisiana). It was renamed the Missouri Territory in June 1812. War of 1812 During the War of 1812, Howard resigned his post and was commissioned as a brigadier general of the Eighth Military Department. In September 1813, Brigadier General Benjamin Howard led an expedition of about 1,400 men against Indian villages around Lake Pimiteoui. The first portion of the expedition, a detachment of 150 troops of the First United States Infantry under the command of Lt. Colonel Robert Carter Nicholas, arrived at Lake Pimiteoui on August 29. The troops came from St. Louis in reinforced keel boats and immediately began to build a stockade adjacent to the river at the former French village. Trees were cut on the eastern shore of the lake and rafted across to the western shore. While the first blockhouse was under construction, 150 Indians under the command of Black Partridge made an attack on the troops, but were driven off. Eight hundred mounted rangers from the Illinois and Missouri militia reached the settlement three days after the arrival of the regulars. The rangers marched to the two Indian villages at the head of Lake Pimiteoui; on the eastern shore was the village of Black Partridge, and on the western shore was a Potawatomi village, led by Chief Gomo. When the rangers arrived, the occupants of both villages had already fled. The rangers burned what remained of the villages and returned to the French village. With over 1,000 men to assist, the construction of a new fort was completed on September 23. A brass six-pound cannon was mounted and fired in celebration. The fort was named Fort Clark, in honor of General George Rogers Clark, the celebrated hero of the War of 1812