Three Rivers
Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie
History From America's Most Famous Valleys

The Story of Old Fort Plain and the Middle Mohawk Valley
by Nelson Greene
O'Connor Brothers Publishers, Fort Plain, NY 1915

CHAPTER XII.
1777-A Contemporary Account of the Battle at Oriskany-Lossing on Willett's Journey to Schuyler for Aid- The Oriskany Roster.

A contemporary account of the Oriskany battle is appended. This was published in the Pennsylvania Evening Post, Aug. 19 and 21, 1777, and is reprinted from that very interesting volume, "Diary of the American Revolution:"

"Aug. 7:-Yesterday, about nine o'clock, an engagement ensued between a part of the militia of Tryon county, under the command of General Herkimer, and a party of savages, Tories and regulars, a short distance from Fort Stanwix [Fort Schuyler]. It lasted till three o'clock in the afternoon, when the British thought proper to retire, leaving General Herkimer master of the field. Unluckily, however, the General and some valuable officers got wounded or killed in the beginning. But this did in no wise intimidate the ardor of the men, and the general, although he had two wounds, did not leave the field till the action was over. He seated himself on a log, with his sword drawn, animating his men.

"About one o'clock. Colonel Gansevoort having received information of General Herkimer's march, sent out Lieutenant-Colonel Willett, with two hundred men, to attack an encampment of the British, and thereby facilitate General Herkimer's march. In this the colonel succeeded, for after an engagement of an hour he had completely routed the enemy and taken one captain and four privates. The baggage taken was very considerable, such as money, bear skins, officers' baggage and camp equipage; one of the soldiers had for his share a scarlet coat, trimmed with gold lace to the full, and three laced hats. When Colonel Willett returned to the fort, he discovered two hundred regulars in full march to attack him. He immediately ordered his men to prepare for battle, and, having a field piece with him. Captain Savage so directed its fire as to play in concert with one out of the fort; these, with a brisk fire from his small arms, soon made these heroes scamper off with great loss. Colonel Willett then marched with his booty into the fort, having not a single man killed or wounded.

"General St. Leger, who commands the enemy's force in that quarter, soon after sent in a flag to demand the delivery of the fort, offering that the garrison should march out with their baggage, and not be molested by the savages; that, if this was not complied with, he would not answer for the conduct of the Indians, if the garrison fell into their hands; that General Burgoyne was in possession of Albany. Colonel Gansevoort, after animadverting on the barbarity and disgraceful conduct of the British officers, in suffering women and children to be butchered as they had done, informed the flag that he was resolved to defend the fort to the last, and that he would never give it up so long as there was a man left to defend it."

Lossing's "Field Book of the Revolution" says of the heroic expedition of Willett and Stockwell to get aid for Fort Schuyler:

"Meanwhile the people In the Mohawk valley were in the greatest consternation. St. Leger had arrived from Oswego and was besieging Fort Schuyler, while the Tories and Indians were spreading death and desolation on every hand. Colonel Gansevoort, with a handful of men, was closely shut up in the fort. General Herkimer, with the brave militia of Tryon county, had been defeated at Oriskany, and the people below hourly expected the flood of destroyers to pour down upon them. It was a fearful emergency. Without aid all would be lost. Brave hearts were ready for bold deeds. * " * * * Colonel Willett volunteered to be the messenger, and on a very stormy night, when shower after shower came down furiously, he and Lieutenant Stockwell left the fort, by the sally port, at ten o'clock, each armed with a spear, and crept upon their hands and knees along a morass to the river. They crossed it upon a log and were soon beyond the line of drowsy sentinels. It was very dark, their pathway was in a thick and tangled wood, and they soon lost their way. The barking of a dog apprised them of their proximity to an Indian camp, and for hours they stood still, fearing to advance or retreat. The clouds broke away toward dawn and the morning star in the east like the light of hope, revealed to them their desired course. They then pushed on in a zig zag way, and, like the Indians, sometimes traversed the bed of a stream to foil pursuers that might be upon their trail. They reached German Flatts in safety and, mounting fleet horses, hurried down the valley to the headquarters of General Schuyler who had already heard of the defeat of Herkimer and was devising means for the succor of the garrison at Fort Schuyler.

"The American army of the north, then at Stillwater, was in wretched condition and in no shape to offer battle to the advancing forces under Burgoyne. Its commander, Schuyler, ordered a retreat to the Mohawk, and it was during this movement, while the Americans were retiring slowly down the Hudson, that Willett and Stockwell came, asking aid, to the headquarters at Stillwater.

"Not a moment was to be lost. The subjugation of the whole valley would inevitably follow the surrender of Fort Schuyler and, the victors gaining strength, would fall like an avalanche upon Albany, or, by junction, swell the approaching army of Burgoyne.

The prudent foresight and far-reaching humanity of General Schuyler at once dictated his course. He called a council and proposed sending a detachment immediately to the relief of Fort Schuyler. His officers opposed him with the plea that his whole force was not then sufficient to stay the oncoming of Burgoyne. The clearer judgment of Schuyler made him persist in his opinion, and he earnestly sought them to agree with him. While pacing the floor in anxious solicitude, he overheard the halt-whispered remark, 'He means to weaken the army.' Wheeling suddenly toward the slanderer and those around him, and unconsciously biting into several pieces a pipe he was smoking, he indignantly exclaimed, 'Gentlemen, I shall take the responsibility upon myself; where is the brigadier that will take command of the relief? I shall beat up for volunteers tomorrow.' The brave and impulsive Arnold, ever ready for deeds of daring, at once stepped forward and offered his services. The next morning the drum beat and eight hundred stalwart men were enrolled for the service before meridian. Fort Schuyler was saved and the forces of St. Leger were scattered to the winds."

Subsequently Schuyler retreated to the Mohawk and fortified Van Schaick's and Haver's island at the mouth of that stream where it empties into the Hudson. Schuyler ordered the grain in his own fields at Saratoga to be burned, in his retreat, to prevent the enemy reaping it. The following is taken from Lossing:

"That seemed to the the most eligible point [the islands at the Mohawk's mouth] at which to make a stand in defense of Albany against the approaches of the enemy from the north and from the west. At that time there were no bridges across the Hudson or the Mohawk, and both streams were too deep to be fordable except in seasons of extreme drought. There was a ferry across the Mohawk, five miles above the falls (defended by the left wing under Gen. Arnold), and another across the Hudson at Half Moon Point or Waterford. The 'sprouts' of the Mohawk, between the islands, were usually fordable; and as Burgoyne would not, of course, cross the Hudson or attempt the ferry upon the Mohawk, where a few resolute men could successfully oppose him, his path wag of necessity directly across the mouth of the river. Fortifications were accordingly thrown up on the Islands and upon the mainland, faint traces of which are still visible."

Aug. 6, 1777, occurred the battle of Oriskany. On Aug. 22, St. Leger and his force fled from before Fort Schuyler. Aug. 16, the New Hampshire militia, under Stark, beat the enemy at Bennington. Gen. Schuyler's army of the north began to be greatly reinforced about this time when Gen. Gates superseded him. On Sept. 19 occurred the first battle of Stillwater, which was a virtual defeat for the British. On Oct. 7, 1777, Burgoyne was decisively beaten and started to fall back. Oct. 17, the British army surrendered to the American force. Over 2,000 of the 6,000 captives were German mercenaries.

Burgoyne's surrender is said to have been somewhat hastened by an American cannon ball which crossed his breakfast table during a council of the British officers.

Benedict Arnold was born in Norwich, Conn., in 1740, a descendant of Benedict Arnold, one of Rhode Island's early governors. From 1763 to 1767 he kept a drug and book store in New Haven. At the outbreak of the Revolution he was in command of a volunteer company of that city and marched to Cambridge with it. He was in many of the stirring events of the war, up to his treason in 1780. Among his greatest services were his gallant leadership at Saratoga and his clever conduct of the relief of Fort Schuyler. He held commands in the British army during the latter part of the war and at its end went to England. From 1786 to 1793 he was in business at St. Johns, N. B., where he was so dishonest in his dealings that he was hung in effigy by a mob. He died in London in 1804, aged 63 years.

Col. Peter Gansevoort, the intrepid commander of Fort Schuyler, was a Revolutionary patriot and soldier of the highest type and he deserves a niche in the hall of fame dedicated to the heroes of the Revolution. Gansevoort was born in Albany, July 17, 1749. He accompanied Montgomery into Canada in 1775, with the rank of major, and the next year he was appointed a colonel in the New York line, which commission he held when he defended Fort Schuyler against St. Leger. For his gallant defense of that post he received the thanks of congress, and in 1781 was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by the state of New York. After the war he was for many years a military agent. He held several offices of trust and "was always esteemed for his bravery and judgment as a soldier and for his fidelity. Intelligence, and probity as a citizen." He died July 2, 1812, aged 62 years.

Of the 800 or more who constituted the patriot army at Oriskany only the following soldiers are recorded. Some of these are known also to have come from certain Tryon county sections, and wherever this is verified, it is given. The word, Mohawk, refers to the present town of Montgomery county. The letter

K appended stands for killed;

W for wounded;

P for prisoner.

Following is the "Oriskany roster:"

Abram, Arndt, Minden
Alter, Jacob, Minden
K. Ayer, Frederick, Schuyler
Bellinger, Col. Peter, German Flats
P. Bellinger, Lieut. Col. Frederick, German Flats
Bell, Capt. Geo. Henry, Fall Hill
K. Bell, Joseph, Fall Hill
K. Bell, Nicholas, Fall Hill
W. Bigbread, Capt. John, Palatine
Bauder, Melchert, Palatine
Boyer, John, Remesnyderbush
K. Bowman, Capt. Jacob, Canajoharie
P. Blauvelt, Maj. (supposed murdered), Mohawk
Bellinger, Adam
K. Bliven, Maj. John, Florida, Mohawk committee
Bellinger, John
K. Billington, Samuel, Palatine Committee of Safety
Billington, --, Palatine
Bargy, Peter, Frankfort
K. Cox, Col. Ebenezer, Danube, Canajoharie committee
Campbell, Lieut. Col. Samuel, Cherry Valley, Canajoharie committee
Clyde, Maj. Samuel, Cherry Valley, Canajoharie committee
Copeman, Capt. Abram, Canajoharie
Covenhoven (now Conover), Isaac, Glen
Casler, Jacob, Minden
Casler, John, Minden
Casler, Adam, Minden
Clock, John I., St. Johnsvllle
W. Cook, John, Palatine
Coppernoll, Richard, Minden
Cox, William, Minden
K. Crouse, Robert, Minden
Crouse, George, Minden
Clemens, Jacob, Schuyler
W. Conover, Peter
K. Cunningham, Andrew, Amsterdam
Collier, Jacob, Florida
K. Campbell, Lieut. Robert, Cherry Valley
K. Dievendorf, Capt. Henry. Minden
K. Dlllenbeck, Capt. Andrew, Palatine
K. Davis, Capt. John James, Mohawk
K. Davis, Martinus, Mohawk
Dievendorf, John, Minden
Dunckel, Francis, Freysbush
Dygert, Peter, Palatine
Dunckel, Hon. (John) Peter, Minden
Dunckel, Hon. Garret, Minden
Dunckel, Hon. Nicholas, Minden
K. Davis, Benjamin, Mohawk
Dockstader, John, German Flats
K. Davy, Capt. Thomas, Springfield
K. Dygert, John, Palatine Committee of Safety
Dygert, Capt. William, German Flats
Demuth, Capt. Marx, Deerfleld
DeGraft, Nicholas, Amsterdam
Degraff, Capt. Immanuel, Amsterdam
Dygert, Peter S., German Flats
Dygert, George, German Flats
Dorn, Peter, Johnstown
K. Eisenlord, Maj. John, Palatine (secretary county committee)
Empie, Jacob, Palatine
Ehle, William, Palatine
P. Ehle, Peter
Eysler, John, Remesnyderbush
W. & P. Frey, Maj. John, Palatine, Palatine committee
K. Fox, Capt. Christopher P., Palatine
W. Fox, Capt. Christopher W., Palatine, Palatine committee
Fox, Peter, Palatine
Fox, William, Palatine
Fox, Charles, Palatine
Fox, Christopher, Palatine
W. Folts, Conrad, Herkimer
K. Failing, Jacob, Canajoharie
W. Failing, Henry, Canajoharie
Failing, Henry N., Canajoharie
Fralick, Valentine, Palatine
Fonda, Jelles, Mohawk
Fonda, Adam, Mohawk, Mohawk committee
Frank, Adam
W. Gardinier, Capt. Jacob, Glen
W. Gardinier, Lieut. Samuel, Glen
K. Grant, Lieut. Petrus, Amsterdam
Geortner, Peter, Minden
Geortner, George, Canajoharie
K. Gray, Nicholas, Palatine
Gray, Lieut. Samuel, Herkimer
K. Graves, Capt. --,
Gremps, John (15 years old), Palatine
Gros, Capt. Lawrence, Minden
Gray, Silas, Florida
W. Groot, Lieut. Petrus, Amsterdam
Harter, Henry, German Flats
K. Herkimer, Gen. Nicholas, Danube, member Canajoharie committee
Herkimer, Capt. George, Fort Herkimer, member German Flats committee
K. Helmer, Capt. Frederick, German Flats, German Flats committee
Helmer, John Adam, German Flats [Sent to fort by Gen. Herkimer]
House, Lieut. John Joseph, Minden
K. Hunt, Lieut. Abel (supposed), Florida
Huftnall, Christian
Hawn, Conrad, Herkimer
Hiller, --, Fairfield [shot from a tree-top]
Huyck, John, Palatine
Hand, Marcus, Florida
Hall, William, Glen
Hill, Nicholas
Klock, Jacob I., Palatine
Klepsaddle, Maj. Enos, German Flats
Kilts, Conrad, Palatine
Kilts, Peter, Palatine
Keller, Andrew, Palatine
Keller, Jacob, Palatine
Keller, Solomon, Palatine
Klock, John, St. Johnsville
Klock, Col. Jacob G., St. Johnsville, member Palatine committee
Klepsaddle, Jacob, German Flats
Loucks, Lieut. Peter, Palatine
Lintner, George, Minden
Lighthall, --, Palatine
Longshore, Solomon, Canajoharie
Louns, Henry, Canajoharie
Lighthall, Francis, Ephratah
Louis, Col., a St. Regis Indian with Oneidas. [He held a Lieutenant's commission, and was usually called Colonel.]
Moyer, Jacob, Fairfield [found with his throat cut.]
Miller, Adam, Glen
Miller, Jelles, Minden
Miller, John P., Minden
Miller, Henry, Minden
Murray, David, Florida
McMaster, Lieut. David, Florida
Markell, Jacob, Springfield
Merckley, William, Palatine
Myers, Jacob, German Flats
Myers, Joseph, Herkimer
Mowers, Conrad, supposed Danube
Mowers, --
Mowers, --, brothers
W. Nellis, Philip, Palatine
Nellis, Christian, Palatine
Nellis, John D., Palatine
Nestell, Peter, Palatine
Newkirk, John, Florida
Newkirk, Garret, son of John, Florida
K. Paris, Hon. Isaac (murdered), Palatine Committee of Safety
K. Paris, Peter, son of Isaac, Palatine
Petry, Dr. William, Fort Herkimer Committee of Safety
K. Pettingill, --, Mohawk
K. Petry, Lieut. Dederick Marcus, German Flats, German Flats committee
Petry, John Marks, German Flats
K. Pettingall, --, town of Mohawk

Putman, Ensign Richard, Johnstown
K. Putman, Martinus, Johnstown
K. Phillips, Cornelius, Florida
W. Price, Adam, Canajoharie
Pickard, Nicholas, Canajoharie
K. Petry, John, Herkimer, German Flats committee
W. Petry, Joseph, Herkimer
K. Petry, Lieut. Han Yost, Herkimer
Pritchard, Nicholas, Minden
Quackenbush, Lieut. Abm. D., Glen
W. Rechtor, Capt. Nicholas, Ephratah
W. Radnour, Jacob, Minden
Rother, John, Minden
K. Raysnor, George, Minden
Roof, Johannes, Fort Stanwix; afterwards captain of exempts at Canajoharie
Roof, John, a son (Col.- of militia after the war)
Rasbach, Marx, Kingsland
Ritter, --, Fairfield. Suftrenus Casselman, a tory, boasted of having cut Ritter's throat.
Sammons, Sampson, Mohawk Committee of Safety
Sammons, Jacob, Mohawk
Shoemaker, Rudolph, Canajoharie
Scholl, Ensign John Yost, Ephratah
Sitts, Peter, Palatine
K. Sharrar, Christian, Herkimer
K. Sharrar, --, a school teacher, Remesnyderbush
Staring, Hendrick, Schuyler
Shoemaker, Thomas, Herkimer
Siebert, Rudolph
Shults, George, Stone Arabia
Shaull, Henry, Herkimer
Shimmel, ---, Herkimer
Sanders, Henry, Minden
W. Shafer, William
K. Seeber, Major William H., Minden, Canajoharie district committee
K. Seeber, Capt. Jacob, Minden
K. Seeber, Suftrenus, Canajoharie
K. Seeber, Audolph, sons of William S., Minden
K. Seeber, James, Canajoharie
W. Seeber, Henry, Canajoharie
Seeber, Lieut. John, Canajoharie
K. Spencer, Henry (interpreter), an Oneida
Schell, Christian, Schellsbush
Smith, George, Palatine
Smith, Henry,
Swarts, Lieut. Jeremiah, Mohawk
Sillenbeck, John G.
Shults, John, Palatine
Shults, George, Stone Arabia
Sommer, Peter
Stowitts, Philip G. P., Root
K. Snell, Joseph, Snellsbush (now Manheim)
K. Snell, Jacob, Snellsbush
K. Snell, Frederick, Snellsbush
K. Snell, Suffrenus, Snellsbush
Snell, Peter, Snellsbush
Snell, George, Snellsbush
K. Snell, John, Stone Arabia
K. Snell, John, Jun., a fifer, Stone Arabia
K. Snell, Jacob, a committee man, Stone Arabia
P. Sponable, John, Palatine
Thum, Adam, St. Johnsville
Thompson, Henry, Glen
Timmerman, Jacob, St. Johnsville
W. Timmerman, Lieut. Henry, St. Johnsville
Timmerman, Conrad, St. Johnsville
Visscher, Capt. John, Mohawk
W. Visscher, Col. Frederick, Mohawk, Mohawk committee
Van Alstyne, Martin C., Canajoharie
Van Deusen, George, Canajoharie
Vedder, Henry
W. Vols, Conrad, German Flats
Vols, Lieut. Jacob. German Flats
K. Van Slyke, Maj. Harmanus, Palatine, Palatine committee
Van Slyke, Nicholas, a fifer, Palatine
Van Horne, Cornelius, Florida
Van Home, Henry, Florida
Van Slyke, --, Canajoharie
K. Van Antwerp, John, Glen
Wagner, Lieut. Col. Peter, Palatine, Palatine committee
Wormuth, --, Palatine
Wagner, Lieut. Peter, Palatine
W. Wagner, George, Palatine
Wagner, John, Palatine (sons of Lieut. Col. Peter Wagner)
Wagner, Jacob, Minden
Wagner, John, Canajoharie
P. Walrath, Garret, Minden
W. Walter, George, Palatine
K. Westerman, Peter, Minden
K. Wohlever, John, Fort Herkimer
Wohlever, Richard, Fort Herkimer
Wohlever, Peter Fort Herkimer
Wohlever, Abram, Fort Herkimer
P. Walrath, Lieut. Henry, Herkimer
Weaver, Jacob, German Flats
Weaver, Peter James, German Flats
Widrick, Michael, Schuyler
K. Wrenkle, Lawrence, Fort Herkimer
Walrath, Jacob, Palatine
P. Walrath, Henry, Herkimer
Yates, Capt. Robert, supposed Root
W. Yerdon, Nicholas, supposed Minden
P. Younglove, Moses, surgeon, Stone Arabia
P. Youker, Jacob. Oppenheim
W. Zimmerman, Henry, St. Johnsville

This list of names indicates that Herkimer's regiment was composed three-quarters of German farmers, with some Dutch from the eastern part of the county, while the balance of one-quarter consisted of men with Scotch, Irish, English, Welsh, Swiss and names of indeterminate nationality. The foregoing roster contains 256 names, the largest list yet published and gives the identity of a little less than one-third of the Tryon militia of Oriskany. Further research would probably add more men to this record. The homes of 225 of the 256 are given. Of these 225, the Palatine district furnished 71 and the Canajoharie 66-137 combined. This great proportion of the regiment from this midsection of the valley may be due largely to the fact that more effort has been made to identify the men of Oriskany here-abouts, particularly by Simms. Of the five western Montgomery towns, Palatine furnishes to this list 65, Minden 35, Canajoharie 21, St. Johnsville 8, Root 2, a total of 119. At least 20 of the patriots were members of the Tryon County Committee of Safety.

The loss of the American force at Oriskany is variously stated by writers of the period. One account gives it as 160 killed and another as 160 killed and wounded. Whatever it was it was large for the force engaged, and the loss of the enemy at Oriskany and during Willett's sortie was fully as great as that of the provincials.

Assuming the patriot force, which set out from Fort Dayton for Oriskany, to have numbered 850 men, the roster here published comprises about two-sevenths of this valley regiment. This list, out of 256 names, has 63 killed, 24 wounded and 11 prisoners. The same proportion carried out would make the Oriskany losses 224 killed, 84 wounded and 37 prisoners. This probably is not accurate as to deaths, as more names of killed soldiers were probably remembered and recorded and put on the roster than of the wounded, prisoners or unharmed. The proportion of wounded and prisoners may be assumed to be correct so that the opinion may be risked that the American losses were about 160 killed, 80 wounded and 40 prisoners, a total patriot loss of 280. As 40 Senecas were killed, on the British side, it may be assumed that, aside from the prisoners, the enemy's loss was as great and possibly greater, and this would indicate a total casualty list of 2,800 engaged at Oriskany and Wlllett's sortie of 500 killed and wounded. This is merely ventured as an opinion, and the true or full extent of the terrible losses at Oriskany (said to have been the bloodiest battle of the Revolution) on both sides will probably never be known. Certainly scores of dead were left by the provincials on the field and similarly, on the enemy's side, scores were buried by the Indians and Tories or were left lying in the forest where the battle was fought. Scores of wounded were carried down the valley by the patriots and back to the British and savage camps by the enemy. The patriot wounded were frequently slaughtered where they lay, many of the Americans being found, with their throats cut where they fell, by their comrades after the savage foe retreated. Here, as in many other Revolutionary conflicts, the Indians acted like bloodthirsty, cowardly wild beasts and, in many instances, their Tory comrades outdid them in deeds of bloody bestiality. The brave men, who went to this wood of death with Herkimer, came from the confines of the present counties of Montgomery, Fulton, Herkimer, Oneida and Otsego, all from the Mohawk valley with the exception of the men from the Cherry Valley and Springfield settlements.

After the battle of Oriskany a song, commemorative of the event was composed, and for a long time sung in the Mohawk valley, of which the following is a stanza:

"Brave Herkimer, our General's dead,
And Colonel Cox is slain;
And many more and valiant men,
We ne'er shall see again."