August 6th marks the anniversary of the 1777 Battle of Oriskany. Fought as an American relief column marched to aid the besieged Fort Stanwix, about 800 Tryon County militiamen and 60 allied Oneida warriors under Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer were ambushed by British, Loyalist, and Indigenous forces (including Mohawk and Seneca warriors). [Read more…] about August 6th Marks 1777 Battle of Oriskany Anniversary
Battle of Oriskany
Two Kettles Together: Sarah Martin Tyonajanegen
Tyonajanegan, who Europeans called Sarah Martin Tyonajanegen or Two Kettles Together, was a mother of four who took up arms alongside her husband as their Oneida Nation chose to support the colonists in the American Revolution.
Almost nothing is known about her early life, although at least one family historian reports that she was “taken prisoner with her sister Katy from the Shawanoes, & remained with the Mohawks.”
However, she and her husband and his family had significant roles in early New York history. [Read more…] about Two Kettles Together: Sarah Martin Tyonajanegen
F.C. Yohn: Artist & Illustrator of New York History
In early October 1900, the Glens Falls Insurance Company announced receipt of an illustration for publication in their 1901 calendar. The painting was by F.C. Yohn, a commercial artist, whose numerous-creative works dramatically portrayed Americana.
Yohn’s 1900-produced painting interpreted the death scene of Colonel Ephraim Williams, a British provincial officer from Massachusetts, who perished in the Battle of Lake George on September 8, 1755. [Read more…] about F.C. Yohn: Artist & Illustrator of New York History
Early Settlers Near Rome, NY
Johannis Rueff (later anglicized as John Roof) was born in Durlach, a district in what is now Karlsruhe, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, on January 9, 1730. He married Annie Mira Leonardo of Heildelberg on January 13, 1759. They migrated to the American colonies and landed in Philadelphia in October 1759 and moved north to Fort Stanwix on the New York frontier.
There he traded with Indigenous People, most likely the Oneida and other Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) he encountered, and the few traders moving over the portage known as the Great Carry or Carrying Place, which connected Wood Creek with Oneida Lake, at what is now Rome, NY. [Read more…] about Early Settlers Near Rome, NY
Defending Fort Stanwix: The New York Frontier in the American Revolution
In Defending Fort Stanwix: A Story of the New York Frontier in the American Revolution (Cornell University Press, 2024), William L. Kidder tells the dramatic story of “the fort that never surrendered” and the crucial role it played in the American War for Independence.
After a series of military defeats over the winter of 1776–1777, British military leaders developed a bold plan to gain control of the Hudson River and divide New England from the rest of the colonies. [Read more…] about Defending Fort Stanwix: The New York Frontier in the American Revolution
Mohawk Valley Preparations for the American Revolution
Samuel Adams, using the pseudonym “Valerius Poplicola,” wrote to the Boston Gazette on October 5, 1772: “Let Associations & Combinations be everywhere set up to consult and recover our just Rights.”
A few weeks later he presented his plan to oppose Britain’s “Plan of Slavery” at a meeting in Boston organized for that purpose. This was the birth of the “Committees of Correspondence” or “Committees of Safety” which spread throughout the colonies in early 1773. [Read more…] about Mohawk Valley Preparations for the American Revolution
The Battle of Oriskany, One Of The Bloodiest of the Revolution
A significant turning point in the American Revolution, the Battle of Oriskany was fought on August 6th, 1777, and is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war. [Read more…] about The Battle of Oriskany, One Of The Bloodiest of the Revolution
Revolutionary Albany: Setbacks As The War Presses Toward Albany
After a late-summer of preparations, too late in the fall of 1775, the Colonial Army mounted a two-pronged invasion of Canada. General Schuyler invaded Montreal from Fort Ticonderoga and General Benedict Arnold attacked Quebec.
Schuyler fell ill and was replaced by General Richard Montgomery. Montgomery took Montreal and then marched to assist Arnold at Quebec. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Albany: Setbacks As The War Presses Toward Albany
General Peter Gansevoort’s Map
A sculpture of Brigadier General Peter Gansevoort stands in a city park named in his honor at Rome, Oneida County, NY. This bronze, dedicated November 8, 1906, was created by Emilio F. Piatti. It presents the General in dress uniform grasping his sword and holding what is perhaps one of the most impactful tools (or weapons) ever devised – an accurate map. [Read more…] about General Peter Gansevoort’s Map
The Battle of Oriskany and Herkimer’s Militia Virtual Lecture
The Oneida County History Center has announced a virtual lunchtime lecture with Alexis Albright, curator of the Oriskany Museum, who will look at the Battle of Oriskany, General Nicholas Herkimer and the Tryon County Militia.
The Battle of Oriskany was one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution. Loyalists and several hundred Native American allies ambushed an Patriot military party attempting to relieve the siege of Fort Stanwix. [Read more…] about The Battle of Oriskany and Herkimer’s Militia Virtual Lecture
Which NYS Battle Was Most Significant For The State?
Over at the New York History Blog Facebook Page we recently asked the following question:
Which battle in New York State’s history had the most significant impact on the state?
The answers were surprisingly varied and included answers from the 1643-45 Kieft’s War (the war between New Netherland settlers and the Native inhabitants of Hudson River Valley also known as the Wappinger War) to the Anti-Rent War of 1839–1845.
We’ve reviewed the suggestions, and came up with a short list of five battles* which stand out as the most important to us (with short descriptions from Wikipedia) – what do you think? [Read more…] about Which NYS Battle Was Most Significant For The State?
General Herkimer’s Death at Oriskany
This week on The Historians Podcast, Leader Herald newspaper history columnist Peter Betz reports on how American General Nicholas Herkimer died after being wounded in the Battle of Oriskany. Plus a story about a discouraged author and a tale about Sunday baseball.
Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about General Herkimer’s Death at Oriskany