It was the site of the Battle of Africa Point in the War of 1812, one of few battles of the war in the Illinois Territory.
[2] During the War of 1812 there were 26 families living in Fort LaMotte, and 90 rangers under the command of frontier officer Captain Pierce Andrews.
[4][5] The inhabitants of the Fort became the nucleus of Palestine.
[6] A marker at Palestine indicates that Frenchman John Lamotte became separated from the Lasalle party and reached the region in 1678.
This Crawford County, Illinois location article is a stub.