Oriskany

Background

In June 1777, British forces set out from Quebec on a two-pronged campaign under General John Burgoyne, aiming to sever New England from the rest of the colonies by seizing New York's Hudson Valley. Burgoyne himself led the primary column south along Lake Champlain, while a second force under St. Leger was to descend the Mohawk Valley and join him near Albany.

St. Leger's force numbered roughly 1,800 men, drawn from a combination of British regulars, Creuzbourg's Jäger Corps, Loyalist troops including the Royal Yorkers, members of the British Indian Department, and Indigenous fighters from several nations, among them the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Mohawk, and Mississauga. This body moved from Lachine, traveling up the Saint Lawrence River and along Lake Ontario's shoreline before reaching the Oswego River. Once at Oswego, they linked up with rangers of the British Indian Department dispatched from Fort Niagara under Deputy Superintendent John Butler, along with several hundred more Indigenous warriors. From there the combined force pushed up the Oswego River, crossed Oneida Lake, and arrived at the Oneida Carry. On August 2, they laid siege to Fort Stanwix, a Continental Army post situated at the portage's eastern end.

Prelude

Word reached Nicholas Herkimer, who headed Tryon County's Committee of Safety, that a British strike might be coming along the Mohawk River. Acting on this concern, he put out a proclamation on July 17 alerting residents to potential fighting and asking them to be ready to answer the call. On July 30, Oneida allies brought fresh word that the enemy stood only four days from Fort Stanwix, prompting Herkimer to summon the militia to arms. Roughly 800 men answered, most of them Tryon County farmers with little military experience, largely of Palatine German stock. Leaving Fort Dayton on August 4, the column made camp the following day close to the Oneida settlement of Oriska. The march thinned their ranks somewhat, as several militiamen fell behind, unused to such exertion, but the group gained reinforcement from between 60 and 100 Oneida fighters under Han Yerry, a committed backer of the Patriot side.

That same evening, Herkimer dispatched three messengers ahead to the fort, carrying word for its commander, Colonel Peter Gansevoort. The plan called for Gansevoort to fire three cannon rounds upon receiving the message and then lead a sortie to link up with the oncoming militia. But British positions blocked the couriers' path, delaying their arrival until well into the following morning, by which point fighting had already broken out.

Meanwhile, St. Leger became aware on August 5 that Herkimer's relief column was advancing, thanks to intelligence Molly Brant had passed to her brother Joseph Brant, the Mohawk chief commanding part of St. Leger's native allies. In response, St. Leger sent light infantry drawn from Sir John Johnson's Royal Yorkers toward Oriska that night to keep watch on Herkimer's approach. Brant and Butler set out early the next day as well, leading close to 400 warriors and Indian Department rangers. While many carried muskets, others went equipped only with tomahawks and spears.