John Doxtader (1760–1801) was a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and an officer in British forces. He is best known for commanding the "Invasion of Currytown" in the

Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, ...

on July 9, 1781. His name is variously spelled Dachstädter, Dachsteder, Docksteder, Dochsteder, etc.

Personal

John (Johannes) Doxtader was born in Stone Arabia,

Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...

(now the Town of

Palatine, New York Palatine is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. It is located on the north side of the Mohawk River in the northwestern part of the county. The population was 3,189 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Palatinate ...

) on December 4, 1760 to Hendrick and Maria Magdalena Dachsteder. The Doxstaders were one of a number of families of

German Palatines Palatines () were the citizens and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, princes of the List of states in the Holy Roman Empire, Palatinates, Holy Roman States that served as Kaiserpfalz, capitals for the Holy Roman Emperor. After the fall of the Holy ...

who settled in the Mohawk Valley from 1708. His younger brother, Frederick Docksteder, would later become a

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in William Caldwell's company of

Butler's Rangers Butler's Rangers (1777–1784) was a Loyalist provincial military unit of the American Revolutionary War, raised by American loyalist John Butler. Most members of the regiment were Loyalists from upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania. T ...

. Sometime after 1783 John married a woman named Sarah (or Sally, last name unknown), and had at least three sons and two daughters.

American Revolution

In 1776 Doxtader declined to support the

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

cause and was ordered to be sent to Albany for imprisonment. He was freed or escaped in 1777 and joined the Loyalist forces, becoming an officer in the Indian Department, and was sent as an agent to the

Cayuga Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada *Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinois ...

Invasion of Currytown

On July 9, 1781 Doxtader commanded a force of five hundred Indians and Loyalists in an attack on the frontier settlement of Currytown, in the present-day town of

Root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

Montgomery County, New York Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,532. The county seat is Fonda. The county was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1 ...

. The town was burned, a number of inhabitants were killed, and nine prisoners were taken. The invaders were driven out by forces commanded by Colonel Marinus Willet.

Later life

John Doxtader died at Grand River, in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

on February 27, 1801.

References

External links