The initial proposal for a fortification on the mouth of the Ohio was made by Virginia governor Patrick Henry in 1777, in a letter to the Spanish governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez. He proposed a fortification to protect trade and supplies between Virginia and Spanish Louisiana from British interference. Henry would also propose this idea to George Rogers Clark, who saw it as a fortification for frontier protection and conquest of British Indian allies.
In 1777, Patrick Henry suggested constructing a defensive position on the Ohio River's mouth in a letter to Bernardo de Galvez. His goal was to safeguard trade routes between Virginia and Spanish Louisiana from British interference. This idea would later be discussed with George Rogers Clark, who saw it as a way to secure the frontier and gain control over British Native American allies.