MOHAWK - Discovering the Valley of the Crystals Copyright 2004
Chapter 8 - Revolution
Families and Friends at War
The Revolutionary War divided families, friends and neighbors. Most
of the people who lived in the Mohawk Valley supported the Continental
Congress, but there were many prominent individuals and families that remained
loyal to the King of England. As hostilities increased these Loyalists
(Tories) were driven from their homes, farms and estates and fled to British
strongholds along Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence Valley and Canada. Many
of them returned as soldiers and scouts in British Army units known as
the King's Royal Yorkers (or Johnson's Greens) and Butler's Rangers to
destroy homes, farms, crops and livestock, and to strike terror into the
hearts and minds of the residents of the Mohawk Valley. In the process
they killed and captured relatives, and former friends and neighbors.
Johnson's Greens (left), Butler's Rangers (right) and their Iroquois allies attacked and destroyed homes and farms the length and breadth of the Mohawk Valley.
(Illustrations from: Uniforms of the Armies in the War of the American
Revolution, 1775-1783.
Lt. Charles M.Lefferts. New York York Historical Society.
New York, NY. 1926.)
Sir John Johnson, the son of the late Sir William Johnson, commanded the Royal Yorkers, and Colonel John Butler, another wealthy landowner and loyalist leader in the Mohawk Valley, commanded Butler's Rangers. His son, Walter was an officer in that command.
The war was equally divisive to the Indians in this
area. For hundreds of years the Mohawks and Oneidas had lived as neighbors
and as members of the Iroquois Federation. Intermarriage was common and
there was a strong bond of brotherhood between clans that were common to
all nations in the Federation. When the Oneidas (and Tuscaroras living
on Oneida land) supported the Continentals and the rest of the Federation
remained loyal to the King, it was a break in hundreds of years of alliance
and tradition . . .. and it tore families and clans apart. The Lower Mohawk
Castle at the mouth of Schoharie Creek (Fort Hunter) and the Upper Castle
opposite the mouth of East Canada Creek (Fort Hendrick) were all but abandoned,
thus ending the 1000 year presence of the Mohawk Nation in their valley. 
Captain Joseph Brant or Thayendanega, a highly educated
and respected Mohawk Pine Tree Chief of the Upper Castle, commanded the
Iroquois warriors loyal to the King. He left his home and farm located
near the mouth of Nowadaga Creek.
A few miles west of Brant's home was the estate
of neighbor and friend, Nicholas Herkimer. General Herkimer was the commander
of an 800-man force of the Tryon County Militia and Oneida Indians who
marched from Fort Dayton to relieve the siege of Fort Stanwix on August
4, 5 & 6, 1777. Johnson's Greens and the Iroquois led by Captain Brant.ambushed
them at Oriskany. More than 450 of Herkimer's command were killed or captured.
Herkimer was shot in the leg and died a few days later.
The Revolutionary War came to the Mohawk Valley
in 1777. The Battle of Oriskany and subsequent military action by the Continental
Army ended the siege of Fort Stanwix and halted the major British offensive.
From then on the British strategy was to conduct a series of raids designed
to prevent Mohawk Valley farmers from providing grain and other supplies
to the Continental Army. Until war's end, Johnson's Greens, Butler's Rangers
and Brant's Iroquois attacked and destroyed homes and farms the length
and breadth of the valley.
Raids in the Mohawk Valley
1777 - 1782
Discovery: "Forgot Half of What I Know"
Paul Flanders is a retired school principal and history teacher
who has lived near Saint Johnsville most of his life. In addition to having
a keen interest in the history of the area, he is an enthusiastic proponent
of the living history movement. His many activities in this regard include
cutting shingles, and growing and processing flax. When I asked Paul if
he would join me in discovering Revolutionary War sites in the central
Mohawk Valley, he seemed hesitant. I suggested we meet for breakfast to
talk about it.
The Palatine District Committee of Safety met at Louchs Tavern.
Our subsequent conversation reminded me
of longtime friend, now passed on, who's favorite saying when asked to
provide information or complete a task was, "I forgot half of what I know."
Invariably, he discovered the forgotten half of his memory was there all
along. It just needed stimulation.
William Cool was killed during a raid at this Old Grist Mill.
With that in mind, when Paul wondered if he was the right person to assist me, I told him I was certain he knows much more than he thinks he knows. We just had to stimulate the other half of his brain. He agreed to give it a try and asked how I planned to go about it. I told him I didn't have the slightest idea, but I was certain it would all work out. For starters, I suggested, a drive to some of the local roadside historic sites and markers on the north side of the river. I drove, but except for noting some of the historic markers were along Route 10 near Stone Arabia and Ephratah, I doubt if I could return to all the places we visited that morning.
William Smith, a "Soldier of the Revolution" and Elizabeth
Cool were buried at the Dillaborough Cemetery.
We stopped at the historic marker for Louchs Tavern, the location of
the first meeting of the Palatine District Committee of Safety on August
27, 1774. Paul also pointed out the nearby sites of Fort Paris and Fort
Kyser, noting that he had assisted an archaeologist on a dig at Fort Paris.
We stopped at the historic marker near the site of the Battle of Stone
Arabia where Colonel Brown's American Battalion was defeated in 1780.
From there we drove to a mill built by Sir William
Johnson in 1770, and then up Tilboro Road into the woods. We traveled a
mile or so on this "limited access" dirt road to the Dillaborough Cemetery
where we discovered the flagged graves of veterans of the Revolutionary
War, and members of families who lost loved ones in raids on the Mohawk
Valley .
I thought we got off to a good start, and anticipated
future discovery trips that would provide a wealth of information with
minimal research on my part. Paul Flanders had other ideas. Before we parted
that afternoon, he handed me an armful of history books. "Look these over.
They should help you to develop a plan."
We meet again on Veterans' Day.
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