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=The Battle of Oriskany = by Charlotte Ganong

The Battle of Oriskany took place during the American Revolutionary War on August 6, 1777. This battle is said to have been one of the "bloodiest battles" (3) in the American Revolutionary War. The war was fought between the Loyalists (American colonists loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain) and the Continental Army (the colonies that would become the United States of America). (1) General Nicholas Herkimer became known as the "Hero of Oriskany" because of his unlikely defeat of the Loyalists led by Colonel Barry St. Leger. But was General Herkimer really the "Hero of Oriskany"?

Why Oriskany, New York?


The Battle of Oriskany took place at its location because of very specific reasons. The British army sought to separate New England from the rest of the colonies by taking over the Hudson River Valley in New York. The leader of a Loyalist army, Colonel Barry St. Leger, was going to meet another commander and besiege Fort Stanwix on the way. However, the Battle of Oriskany came unexpectedly while Leger was carrying out his responsibilities.

The "Hero of Oriskany"
General Nicholas Herkimer has become widely regarded as the "Hero of Oriskany". Herkimer and his soldiers were on route to relieve Fort Stanwix in present day Rome, New York. This fort was currently occupied by the British and had been since July 1777. He rallied 800 men together in order to attack the besieged fort, but was ambushed on the way. (3) Near the Native American village of Oriskany, General Herkimer and his men were attacked by the Loyalists and their allies, the Iroquois. Shortly into the battle, Herkimer's horse was shot and he was wounded in the leg. Herkimer remained in command of his forces for the remainder of the battle. (3) In Figure 1, General Herkimer can be seen propped against a tree with his wounded leg stretched out in front of him. Several days later, Herkimer's leg was amputated. He was unable to withstand the surgery and passed away. As Peter J. Dygert wrote on August 6, 1777, many of Herkimer's men were killed or wounded, "the flower of our militia either killed or wounded, except 150, who stood the field and forced the enemy to retreat". (2) Despite General Herkimer's very serious injuries, he carried out his commanding responsibilities. Although he was unable to save many lives, it seems that he represented the name "Hero of Oriskany" very well.

Colonel Barry St. Leger
But, could the Loyalists have had their own hero in the Battle of Oriskany? Colonel Barry St. Leger was a commander in the Loyalist armies who was also of great significance in the Battle of Oriskany. On August 3, 1777, Leger commanded an army of 2000 men to take over Fort Stanwix. (3) When he heard an American relief army had been deployed to aid at Fort Stanwix, he decided to engage them outside of Oriskany. Although, Leger's men killed 670 of General Herkimer's men, Leger was unsuccessful in the Battle of Oriskany. (3) Barry St. Leger's army also suffered severe losses in this battle. However, Leger did survive the fight. Colonel Barry St. Leger could also be seen as the "Hero of Oriskany". From his standpoint, he was able to destroy much of General Herkimer's army during this battle. However, his many losses and eventual loss of the battle shows that General Herkimer may have a better position in this respect.

Other Interesting Sites on the Battle of Oriskany
http://www.revolutionaryday.com/nyroute5/oriskany/default.htm

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/historic-sites/21/details.aspx

Images
Figure 1: "Battle of Oriskany", __Oriskany Museum and USS Oriskany Reunion Association__ (accessed June 25, 2010), available from http://www.ussoriskany.com/id5.html

Figure 2: (accessed July 13, 2010), available from http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Hudsonmap.png

Figure 3: "Herkimer at Oriskany", __Wikipedia: The Free Encylcopedia__ (accessed July 14, 2010) available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Herkimer_at_oriskany.jpg

Figure 4: "Barry St. Leger", __Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia__ (accessed July 14, 2010) available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Barry_St_Leger.jpg