Battle of Oriskany

At a glance

Dates: From 1777-08-06.

Place: New York, United States.

Type: battle.

Key figures / parties: United States and Kingdom of Great Britain.

What came before

Part of: American Revolutionary War.

Background Further information: Saratoga campaign and Siege of Fort Stanwix In June 1777, the British Army launched a two-pronged attack from Quebec under the command of General John Burgoyne , whose objective was to split New England from the other colonies by gaining control of New York 's Hudson Valley . The main thrust came south across Lake Champlain under Burgoyne's command; the second thrust was led by St. Leger and was intended to come down the Mohawk Valley and meet Burgoyne's army near Albany . [

Prelude Tryon County 's Committee of Safety head Nicholas Herkimer was warned of a possible British attack along the Mohawk River , and he issued a proclamation on July 17 warning of possible military activity and urging the people to respond if needed. [ 1 ] Oneida allies warned him on July 30 that the British were just four days from Fort Stanwix, and he put out a call-to-arms.

Timeline

Battle Herkimer held a war council on the morning of August 6. He wanted to wait because he had not heard the expected signal from the fort, but his captains pressed him to continue, accusing him of being a Tory because his brother was serving under St. Leger. [ 1 ] He was stung by the accusations and relented, ordering the column to march on toward Stanwix. [ 2 ] About 6 miles (10 km) from the fort,

What happened

Aftermath Patriots Herkimer was seriously wounded and many of his officers were killed, and the battered remnant retreated to Fort Dayton . His men carried him from the battlefield and his leg was amputated, but the operation went poorly and he died on August 16. [ 1 ] The indigenous warriors retrieved most of their dead by the following day, but many dead and wounded Patriots were left on the field. Benedict Arnold 's relief column marched through several weeks later,

Legacy Monument to the unknown Tryon County patriots In an interview many years afterwards, Governor Blacksnake recalled how he "thought at that time the Blood Shed a Stream running down on the decending [ sic ] ground." [ 1 ] The battle's location is known in Haudenosaunee oral histories as "A Place of Great Sadness." [ 2 ] A monument was erected in 1883 to commemorate the battle at 43° 10.6′N 75° 22.2′W, [ 3 ]

The Battle of Oriskany was a major engagement of the Saratoga campaign during the American Revolutionary War. On August 6, 1777, an American column of Tryon County militia and Oneidas marching to relieve the siege of Fort Stanwix was ambushed by a contingent of Britain's Indigenous allies and Loyalists. It was one of the few battles of the war in which most non-Indigenous participants were settlers born in the Thirteen Colonies. The Americans suffered heavy casualties during the battle.