HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Raid on Unadilla and Onaquaga was a military operation by
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
forces and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
militia against the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...
towns of Unadilla and Onaquaga in what is now
upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...
. In early October 1778, more than 250 men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William Butler of the
4th Pennsylvania Regiment The 4th Pennsylvania Regiment, first known as the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion, was raised on December 9, 1775, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for service with the Continental Army. The regiment was assigned to Thomas Mifflin's brigade in the m ...
descended on the two hastily abandoned towns and destroyed them, razing most of the buildings and taking or destroying provisions, including the inhabitants' winter stores. The raid was conducted in retaliation for a series of raids on frontier communities by
Brant's Volunteers Brant's Volunteers, also known as Joseph Brant's Volunteers, were an irregular unit of Loyalist and Indigenous volunteers raised during the American Revolutionary War by Mohawk war leader, Joseph Brant (Mohawk: ''Thayendanegea''). Brant's Volunt ...
, led by
Joseph Brant Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York and, later, Brantford, in what is today Ontario, who was closely associated with Great Britain du ...
, and
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 ...
, under the command of Major
John Butler John Butler may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John "Picayune" Butler (died 1864), American banjo performer; may have been used by a number of performers * John Butler (artist) (1890–1976), American artist * John Butler (author) (born 1937), ...
, during the spring and summer of 1778. Unadilla was located in what is now the Village of Unadilla, Town of Unadilla, Otsego County, and Onaquaga was located in what is now the
Town of Windsor The Town of Windsor is a former local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in northern Brisbane. History On 11 February 1887, a portion of the Ithaca Division was proclaimed a municipality to be known as the Shire of Windsor. ...
,
Broome County Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when ...
.


Background

With the failure of British General
John Burgoyne General (United Kingdom), General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British Army officer, playwright and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1792. He first saw acti ...
's campaign to control the
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...
at the
Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The seco ...
in October 1777, the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
in upstate
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
became a frontier war. During the winter of 1777–78, Major John Butler,
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people (Kanien’kehá:ka), an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language (Kanien’kéha), the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a ...
war leader
Joseph Brant Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York and, later, Brantford, in what is today Ontario, who was closely associated with Great Britain du ...
, and the leaders of the other British-allied Iroquois developed plans to attack frontier settlements in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
and
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. In February 1778, Brant established a base of operations at Onaquaga (present-day Windsor, New York). He recruited a mix of Iroquois and Loyalists estimated to number between two and three hundred by the time he began his campaign in May.Graymont, p. 165 One of his objectives was to acquire provisions for his forces and those of Major Butler, who was planning operations in the
Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...
valley. Brant began his campaign in late May with a raid on Cobleskill, and raided other frontier communities throughout the summer. The frontier settlers had difficulty responding to raids. The local
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
were supported by some
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
regiments stationed in the area, but these forces generally could not mobilize in time to catch the raiders before they disappeared. Members of the militia frequently had to return to their farms to tend to their farms and livestock. New York Governor George Clinton and militia commander Brigadier General
Abraham Ten Broeck Abraham Ten Broeck (May 13, 1734 – January 19, 1810) was a New York politician, businessman, and militia Brigadier General of Dutch descent. He was twice Mayor of Albany, New York and built one of the largest mansions in the area, the ...
considered mounting operations against the principal Iroquois bases used by the raiders, Onaquaga and Unadilla, earlier in 1778, but it was not until an attack by Brant on the settlement of German Flatts in September that an expedition was organized. In response to calls from Governor Clinton, General
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
authorized the use of Continental Army forces, assigning the operation to Lieutenant Colonel William Butler of the
4th Pennsylvania Regiment The 4th Pennsylvania Regiment, first known as the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion, was raised on December 9, 1775, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for service with the Continental Army. The regiment was assigned to Thomas Mifflin's brigade in the m ...
.Barr, p. 152 On September 20, Butler sent scouts to investigate conditions at the two towns. They returned with reports that Unadilla had a population of 300 and Onaquaga 400.Halsey, p. 234


Expedition

On October 2, Butler led a force of 267 men (214 Continentals and 53 militia) from the
Schoharie Valley The Schoharie Valley is a corridor that runs through Schoharie County from Schoharie, New York to Gilboa, New York. Geography The Schoharie Valley is made up of plains surrounding the Schoharie Creek. Within the Schoharie Valley are the towns o ...
towards the two villages. Late in the day on October 6 the force reached the Unadilla area. Butler sent scouting parties out to take prisoners from outlying farms. As the force cautiously advanced toward the town, one of the scouts returned with a prisoner who reported that the community had been abandoned, with most of the inhabitants fleeing to Onaquaga. Butler detached some of his men to destroy the town while he marched with the rest toward Onaquaga. They reached the town late on October 8, and found it abandoned as well, apparently in great haste. Butler and his men spent the next two days destroying the towns. Butler described Onaquaga as "the finest Indian town I ever saw; on the both sides of the River there was about 40 good houses, Square logs, Shingles & stone Chimneys, good Floors, glass windows &c." All the homes were burned, as was the town's saw and grist mill, which was the only one in the area. Butler reported taking 49 horses and 52 head of cattle, and destroyed 4,000 bushels of grain. Operations were complicated by heavy rains that raised the water levels of the Susquehanna River. Butler's men had to build rafts to cross some of the river's tributaries to reach parts of the town. The expedition returned to Schoharie on October 16.


Aftermath

While the raid was taking place, Brant and his volunteers had been raiding frontier settlements in the upper
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
valley. Brant's men were especially upset at the destruction of the two towns, as were the Seneca warriors who joined Brant at the ruins of Unadilla a few days later. This anger contributed to reprisals when a joint British and Iroquois force attacked Cherry Valley, leading to the
massacre A massacre is an event of killing people who are not engaged in hostilities or are defenseless. It is generally used to describe a targeted killing of civilians Glossary of French words and expressions in English#En masse, en masse by an armed ...
of 30 noncombatants by the Seneca. The severity of the frontier war in 1778 led to calls by the
Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...
for a response. In 1779 General Washington organized a major Continental Army expedition into the Iroquois lands. Led by Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General
James Clinton Major general (United States), Major-General James Clinton (August 9, 1736 – September 22, 1812) was a Continental Army officer and politician who fought in the American Revolutionary War. During the war he, along with John Sullivan (ge ...
, the
Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign) was a United States military campaign under the command of General John Sullivan (general), John Sullivan duri ...
destroyed villages, crops, and winter stores, driving most of the British-supporting Iroquois out of their lands. Despite the apparent success of the expedition, the frontier war continued with renewed vigor in the following years.Barr, pp. 155–161


Notes


References

* * * * {{coord missing, New York (state) 1778 in the United States Conflicts in 1778 Unadilla Unadilla Unadilla Broome County, New York Battles of the American Revolutionary War in New York (state) Otsego County, New York 1778 in New York (state) Native American history of New York (state)