The Battle of Oriskany was fought near Oriskany, New York, on August the 6th, 1777 during the American War of Independence, between a force of Loyalists led by the British colonial administrator Sir John Johnson and the Mohawk Indian chief Joseph Brant, both under the command of the British officer Barry St Leger, on one side; and Americans under General Nicholas Herkimer, on the other.
General Nicholas Herkimer with 800 men started to relieve Fort Stanwix, now besieged by Barry St Leger and his Indians. At Oriskany, ten miles away, he halted and attempted to concert an attack and a sortie. The plan miscarried. Nicholas Herkimer advanced and was attacked by the Indians and Loyalists in a deep ravine. The battle raged furiously for hours, despite a terrific thunder-storm, and was one of the most cruel and bloody of the war. Nicholas Herkimer was mortally wounded in the battle, and more than a third of the forces on each side were killed or wounded. The British were forced to retreat, thus ending hopes for a British victory at Saratoga. A monument, erected in 1880, marks the site of the battleground, which is now a public park. Research Battle of Oriskany
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Warfare
Research Battle of Oriskany
