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Oriskany, Battle of
ORISKANY, BATTLE OFORISKANY, BATTLE OF (6 August 1777). The British threefold battle plan of 1777 included the advance of Lt. Col. Barry St. Leger across New York from Fort Oswego to meet generals John Burgoyne and William Howe in Albany. On 3 August, St. Leger, with an army of approximately 1,200 Tories and Mohawks approached Fort Stanwix on the Mohawk River. Gen. Nicholas Herkimer and his 800 militiamen hoped to surprise the British force with a rear attack, but scouts discovered the ambush and the advancing Americans were themselves set upon by a British detachment under Sir John Johnson about two miles west of Oriskany Creek. When the main force from Fort Stanwix finally arrived, the Tories retreated. St. Leger, unable to force the surrender of the fort, on 22 August retreated to Oswego. BIBLIOGRAPHYPeckham, Howard H. The Toll of Independence. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1974. Scott, John A. Fort Stanwix and Oriskany. Rome, N.Y.: Rome Sentinel Company, 1927. A. C.Flick/a. r. See alsoIndians in the Revolution ; Revolution, American: Military History . |
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"Oriskany, Battle of." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Oriskany, Battle of." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401803106.html "Oriskany, Battle of." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401803106.html |
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Oriskany, Battle of
Oriskany, Battle of a battle between British and American forces near Oriskany, New York, on August 6, 1777, during the Revolutionary War. On August 3, British Lt. Col. Barry St. Leger and his army of approximately 1,200 men, mostly Tories under Col. John Butler and Sir John Johnson, and Indians under Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, demanded the surrender of Fort Stanwix (also called Fort Schuyler, and now Rome, New York) during their march across New York to join with British forces at Albany. Two miles west of Oriskany Creek, the British force ambushed a colonial force of some 800 men under Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, who were en route to help defend the fort. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, and Herkimer was mortally wounded. On August 22, St. Leger, unable to force the surrender of the fort, retreated to Oswego.
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Cite this article
"Oriskany, Battle of." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Oriskany, Battle of." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-OriskanyBattleof.html "Oriskany, Battle of." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-OriskanyBattleof.html |
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