Siege+of+Fort+Stanwix



WHEN?

The event last from August 2, 1777 to August 22, 1777.

WHERE?
 * [[image:fort-s5.jpg width="409" height="233"]] ||
 * Fort Stanwix, located in the Mohawk River Valley, in New York ||

WHAT?

At the time, Fort Stanwix was known as Fort Schuyler, and was the primary defense point for the Continental Army, from New York and Massachusetts, under the command of Colonel Peter Gansevoort. The Continental Army forces were at this time aligned against the British and Indian forces during the American Revolutionary War, led by British Brigadier General Barry St. Leger. St Leger's expedition was a diversion in support of General John Burgoyne's campaign to gain control of the Hudson River Valley.

WHY? Fort Stanwix was strategically positioned, and was the westernmost fort on the New York Frontier. During the French and Indian Wars (1754-1763), the British recognized the strategic importance of this north-south waterway. A year after the opening shots of the Revolutionary War were fired, the importance of controlling the Mohawk Valley and the north-south waterways was recognized once again, this time by the Continental Congress. The British also noted that Fort Stanwix was clearly the “key” to the Mohawk Valley. Beneficial to the British, obtaining this fort would prevent another invasion of Canada, it would deny the American Army of much of its grain and beef, and above all, force the Americans to split up their forces to protect the frontier. Therefore, Fort Stanwix had to be captured.



WHO?


 * = [[image:stanwix-3.jpg]] || [[image:stanwix-4.jpg]] ||
 * = British General Barry St. Leger ||  American Col. Peter Gansevoort ||

 Brigadier General Barry St. Leger was a very experienced soldier who had spent twenty of his forty years in His Majesty's service, had taken part in the Siege of Louisburg and the capture of French Quebec during The French and Indian Wars. St. Leger’s expedition consisted of about 1,800 men that were a mix of British regulars, Hessian jagers for Hanau, Loyalists, Native Americans, and rangers.

 Their opponent, Colonel Peter Gansevoort, commanded the Third New York Continental Line Regiment in April of 1777. He lived from the year 1749 to 1812. Only 28 years of age, and perhaps one of the most capable men in the New York area, he had already proved himself a leader in the Siege of Montreal, serving under General Montgomery. He was promoted to Lt. Colonel and placed in command of Fort George. On November 21st, 1776 he was again promoted, this time to full Colonel and given the Command of the 3rd New York. He was well seconded by a brave, innovative officer, Lt. Colonel Marinus Willett. Through their combined efforts, Fort Stanwix was readied for its supreme test.

HOW? At first, St. Leger tried to frighten the fort's occupants by marching his troops, including the Indians in their war dress, in front of the fort. When this didn’t work, he sent a truce flag with a proclamation written by General Burgoyne, but Gansevoort refused to respond. St. Leger then began siege operations, encamping the regulars and artillery on a low rise north of the fort, and most of the Indians and Loyalists to its south, with a picket line of Indian encampments along the Mohawk River. St. Leger's artillery was held up by a method that was also used to slow down Burgoyne's army after the fall of Ticonderoga. Gansevoort and his men had methodically cut down trees across the wooded track the expedition came down, and St. Leger needed to clear the track in order to make way for his artillery. This work occupied all but 250 of St. Leger's white men, with the actual encirclement of the fort dominated by Indians.

For the first few days of the siege, St Leger could only bring musket and rifle fire against the fort, because all of his artillery was stuck on his boats in Wood Creek. The British tried desperately to effectively siege the fort, but nothing seemed to be working. They tried raids, blocking the water supply, and shooting cannons at the fort walls. St. Leger's forces began to fall apart. The British had promised the Indians little fighting, a quick victory, and lots of plunder. Instead, the Indians had lost many men fighting against Gansevoort's militia, had lost most of their personal property, and the British seemed incapable of forcing the fort to surrender. St. Leger did all he could to encourage his Indian allies, but most had lost all interest in fighting or further supporting the British. They also began to complicate the situation even more by breaking into British supplies and stealing from St. Leger's troops to replace what they had lost.

The sudden collapse of the British siege was due to the work of two men: Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold, who was leading a relief column towards the fort, and a local loyalist named Hon Yost Schuyler. Schuyler was married to an Oneida woman and had lived amongst the Indians. Therefore, he was someone the Indians trusted. He also seems to have been a flamboyant storyteller. Arnold decided to use Schuyler's influence on St. Leger's Indian allies, and offered Schuyler his life in exchange for his services. He instructed Schuyler to go to the Indian camps and spread rumors about Arnold's force, exaggerating its size and nearness to the fort, and Schuyler agreed to carry out this plan. Sometime on the morning of August 22, Schuyler reached the British lines and began his work. Uncertain of the true strength of Arnold's force, and with the situation in his camps falling apart, St. Leger was forced to end the siege and order a quick retreat. Panic seems to have overcome a good part of his force however, and the retreat quickly turned chaotic, with troops scattering into the woods and leaving a good part of the expedition equipment behind. The siege of Fort Schuyler had ended, and without any further attempts by the British to directly control the Mohawk Valley. media type="youtube" key="b7KNfjdESXQ" height="315" width="420"