The Battle Of Oriskany And: General Nicholas Her...

The march ended in disaster in a marshy ravine near the village of Oriskany. Alerted by Loyalists, St. Leger dispatched a force of British-aligned Rangers and Mohawk and Seneca warriors to intercept the militia. As Herkimer’s column descended into the ravine, they were caught in a devastating "V-shaped" ambush. The initial volley was horrific, cutting down the rear guard and leaving the militia trapped in a topographical death trap.

The conflict was part of the British "three-pronged" strategy to divide the colonies by seizing the Hudson River valley. While General John Burgoyne descended from the north, Colonel Barry St. Leger moved east from Lake Ontario to besiege Fort Stanwix. Recognizing the existential threat to the Mohawk Valley, Nicholas Herkimer, a veteran of the French and Indian War and brigadier general of the Tryon County militia, rallied roughly 800 local men and 60 Oneida allies to march to the fort's relief. The Battle of Oriskany and General Nicholas Her...

Early in the fighting, a musket ball shattered Herkimer’s leg and killed his horse. In a moment that has since become legendary, Herkimer refused to be carried from the field. Instead, he directed his men to prop him up against a beech tree, where he calmly lit his pipe and continued to command the battle amidst the whistling of bullets and the screams of hand-to-hand combat. The march ended in disaster in a marshy

Herkimer’s tactical adjustments under pressure were decisive. Observing that the Native American warriors would rush in to tomahawk soldiers after they fired their single-shot muskets, Herkimer ordered his men to fight in pairs. One man would fire while the other held his charge, effectively neutralizing the shock tactics of their attackers. A sudden, violent thunderstorm paused the fighting for an hour, allowing the militia to regroup on higher ground. By the time the British and their allies retreated, the field was littered with nearly 500 casualties. As Herkimer’s column descended into the ravine, they