A Local, Contemporary Look at the American Revolution

By Cheyenne Dorsagno

Now

April 19, 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. It was set off with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The Revolution lasted until September 3, 1783, ending with the Treaty of Paris.

The Oneida County History Center commemorated the Revolution on April 25, on National Historic Marker Day. They visited the Oriskany Battlefield to clean the markers at 7801 New York 69. This has been a local landmark of the war since the battle took place on August 6, 1777. Oriskany Battlefield was designated as a historic site in 1927, and it was later declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962. It’s still remembered as a large contributor to the Revolutionary War turning in America’s favor.

The Fort Plain Museum (located near the original Revolutionary War fort) was created to rebuild Fort Plain’s titular military outpost of the Revolutionary War. Now, the Museum educates locals on Fort Plain’s role in the war effort. On April 26, The Fort Plain Museum hosted history author Joseph Robertaccio, who shared his expertise on The Battle of Oriskany. They’ll host a series of events over their American Revolution Conference from May 29-June 1.

The Little Falls Historical Society urged the city to establish a Patriots Day in 2010 – now on the third Saturday of every May. This year, the Society commemorated the event by visiting a NYS Historic Site – General Herkimer’s home (where there’s also his family cemetery) in the Town of Danube. The event included live music, a series of informative speakers, a musket salute by men wearing period costumes, and a wreath placement at the monument marker by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

“Commemoration is not about nostalgia,” explained Dr. Carol Berkin, Professor Emerita of American History, “It’s about understanding how the past lives on in the choices we make today.”

Then

In the Mohawk Valley, the American Revolutionary War had become a civil war, a street-level conflict. The colonists were not unanimously in favor of independence, and there was a lot of in-fighting. The “Patriots” supported American independence while the “Loyalists” supported the British. We were divided on the home front. People connected through kinship or shared land fought on opposing sides of the war. For some, tension remained for generations. So, the Revolution resulted in varying unity and division amongst Americans.

Dr. Joanne Freeman, historian at Yale, spoke on conflict: “The Revolution fractured families just as surely as it broke from Britain. There was no clear side – only hard choices made in impossible times.”

So, it was not a distant war. In fact, many of the American soldiers were locals – farmers of Palatine German descent. They were not necessarily trained for battle.

This Place

The British intended to take control of New York State and its waterways. They wanted to weaken and isolate New England from the rest of the colonies; New England was a northeastern region that, today, makes up six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

As explained by Dr. James Kirby Martin, expert on Revolutionary War military strategy, “Control of the Mohawk Valley was the key to controlling the entire Northeast. It was the artery through which food, troops, and power flowed.”

If the British took control of the waterways, then they would more efficiently transport troops and supplies, weaken the colonies with division, and encourage their allies that they were taking control of the war. The Patriots were led, in part, by General Herkimer – he headed the Tryon County Militia, a critical adversary to the British.

In 1777, the British launched their campaign. The strategy, known as The British Three-pronged Offensive, intended to unite three British armies by converging near Albany; they wanted to separately advance from three locations – southward from Canada (Lake Champlain and Lake George), northward from New York City, and eastward from Oswego. One of its pivotal battles was the brutal, turbulent Battle of Oriskany. While technically a tactical loss, Oriskany disrupted the British offensive and ultimately helped secure the all-important victory at Saratoga.

That Day

At 10 AM of August 6, 1777, General Herkimer was leading his troops on horseback across a stream in a ravine west of Oriskany Creek when they were ambushed by the British (as initiated by their Iroquois native allies). Many soldiers panicked and fled, but they were pursued by the enemy, leaving a trail of dead and wounded men that stretched over several miles. They engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Many of them were armed with muskets, tomahawks, and/or spears. Approximately 450 Americans and Oneida natives (aka “America’s First Allies”) were killed, wounded, or captured. By contrast, only around 200 of the British and their allies were overtaken.

Despite the British lead with over half of the Patriots having died in battle, the Americans refused to give up. General Herkimer’s horse was killed and his leg was shattered by a musket ball. He later had his leg amputated, and he ultimately died ten days later. But initially, he persisted through the pain. Upon being wounded, he was set underneath a beech tree. His peers begged him to retire, but he remained calm. “I will face the enemy,” he said. He leaned against the tree, smoked his pipe, and continued to coach his men.

A thunderstorm caused a one-hour break in the battle, during which General Herkimer devised a game plan. He instructed his men to fight in pairs; while one man fired and reloaded, the other waited and then only fired if attacked. They were to keep at least one weapon loaded at all times to remain prepared against tomahawk attacks.

Eventually, American reinforcements arrived, causing the British to retreat and their native allies to quit completely. This defensive accomplishment culminated in a crucial victory – the Battle of Saratoga.

The spirit of the battle was articulated by Joseph Robertaccio, co-author of Liberty March: The Battle of Oriskany (1998): “Oriskany showed that even in the face of devastating losses, the will to resist endured – and in that, we see the DNA of the American spirit.”

Fighting Here

While we know the ultimate outcome of the war, the Battle of Oriskany did not mark the end of Patriot casualty.

After a series of losses, the British were desperate to regain control, leading to increasingly shocking violence. They resorted to frontier raids, and they continued to target the Mohawk Valley.

One such example is seen in the Andrustown Massacre on July 18, 1778 – near present-day Jordanville in Herkimer County. Several settlers were killed and several houses were set aflame by the British and their Native allies. Civilians were targeted in the war effort, and people became fearful even in their homes.

Later on September 17, 1778, combined Loyalist/Indian force that destroyed the settlements in German Flatts (Herkimer Flatts) having launched their raid from Oquaga which is modern Windsor, NY. (On June 7 and 8, the Herkimer Home State Historic Site, living historians will provide large scale tactical demonstrations depicting the “Raid on Herkimer Flatts”, and “The Ambush”, a recreation of the Battle of Oriskany.)

Then came the Cherry Valley Massacre on November 11, 1778 – in Otsego County. British soldiers and their native allies killed over 30 civilians and soldiers, including women and children.

After, the Patriots upped their frontier defenses.

But the losses didn’t end. Violence continued even eight months after the British surrendered on October 19 of 1781. The war was supposed to be over. But 300 Loyalists and native allies attacked a gristmill (which grinds wheat into flour and middling). A number of Patriots were killed.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. Alan Taylor described these edges of American territory as the Revolution’s most forgotten battlefield. “Civilians were not just caught in the crossfire,” he said. “They were targets.”

Support from There

The Battle of Oriskany was a turning point in the war that boosted American morale and inspired France’s imperative allyship. Mind you, the French wanted to pay back the British for seizing France’s North American land only a decade earlier when they lost the French and Indian War.

Marquis de Lafayette was a French war hero who joined the war effort at age 19. George Washington entrusted him to mediate France’s support for the cause. He was also present for the final victory at Yorktown (Virginia, 1781).

Historian Dr. François Furstenberg described Lafayette as a source for both physical reinforcement and political legitimacy. Furstenberg said, “[Lafayette’s] involvement signaled to Europe that this was more than a rebellion; it was a real revolution.”

Lafayette became a symbol of unity between France and America as well as an enduring icon of liberty. And his support was never forgotten. In 1825, he toured the nation that he helped establish. On June 10, he passed through Little Falls, where he was met with a glowing reception. The town was illuminated with torches and lanterns. To this day, some current residents shine a flashlight outside on June 10.

Onwards

Many of our local buildings and trees have seen more of life than any of us ever will. As Historian Dr. David McCullough said, “Historic battlefields are not just reminders of conflict; they are mirrors to our identity.”

It’s not a stretch to imagine who we would’ve been just 248 years ago. A Patriot soldier heading into war, a doctor caring for the wounded, a neighbor defending the British, etc.

If the Battle of Oriskany had turned out differently, American forces may not have prevailed at the Battle of Saratoga and the French may not have felt it a safe bet to become our allies.

Commemorating that history contextualizes our neighborhood and puts our lives into perspective. By preserving these markers, we learn the story of our country’s origin, reflect on how the country has changed, and carry that impact into the future.