Battle of Oriskany - Prelude

Prelude

Alerted to the possibility of a British attack along the Mohawk, Nicholas Herkimer, the head of Tryon County's Committee of Safety, issued a proclamation on July 17 warning of possible military activity and urging the people to respond if needed. Warned by friendly Oneidas that the British were just four days from Fort Stanwix on July 30, Herkimer put out a call to arms. The force raised totaled 800 from the Tryon County militia and was composed primarily of poorly-trained Palatine German-American farmers. Setting out on August 4, the column camped near the Oneida village of Oriska on August 5. While a number of the militia dropped out of the column due to their lack of conditioning, Herkimer's forces were augmented by a company of 60 to 100 Oneidas, led primarily by Han Yerry, a strong supporter of the Patriot cause. That evening, Herkimer sent three men toward the fort with messages for the fort's commander, Colonel Peter Gansevoort. Gansevoort was to signal the receipt of the message with three cannon shots, and then sortie to meet the approaching column. Due to difficulties in penetrating the British lines, these couriers did not deliver the message until late the next morning, after the battle was already underway.

St. Leger learned from a messenger sent by Molly Brant to her brother, the Mohawk leader Joseph Brant who led a portion of St. Leger's Indian contingent, that Herkimer and his relief expedition were on their way on August 5. St. Leger sent a detachment of light infantry from Sir John Johnson's Royal Yorkers toward the position that evening to monitor Herkimer's position, and Brant followed early the next morning with about 400 Indians and Butler's Rangers. Although many of the Indians were armed with muskets, some were not, and only carried tomahawk and spear.