In the fifth year of the War of Independence, while the Americans focused on the British thrust against the Carolinas, the Canadian Department waged a decisive campaign against the northern frontier of New York. Their primary target was the Mohawk River region, known to be the "grainbowl" that fed Washington’s armies. The Burning of the Valleys details the actions of both sides in this exciting and incredibly effective British campaign.
General Frederick Haldimand of Canada possessed a potent force, formed by the deadly alliance of toughened, embittered Tories, who had abandoned their families and farms in New York and Pennsylvania to join the King’s Provincial regiments in Canada, and the enraged Six Nations Iroquois, whose towns and farmlands had been utterly devastated by Continentals in 1779. The Governor augmented this highly motivated force with British and German regulars and Canadian Iroquois.
In October, without benefit of modern transportation, communications or navigational aids, four coordinated raids, each thoroughly examined in this book, penetrated deeply into American territory. The raiders fought skirmishes and battles, took hundreds of prisoners, burned forts, farms, and mills and destroyed one of the finest grain harvests in living memory.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 973.3/36
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 21
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-us-ny
- ISBN
- 1550022717 9781770700826
- LCCN
- E236
- LCCN Item number
- W37 1996eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOTU
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (392 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00603095 (OCoLC)281167926 (CaOOCEL)410555
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOTU
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents 6
- List of Maps 8
- Preface 10
- Chronology of Some Primary Events of the American Revolution and Key Occurrences Relating to the New York Frontier & Canada — June 1774 to October 1780 14
- Comparative Chronology of the October 1780 Raids 20
- General Introduction: Key Personalities, Geography and Organizations 22
- I: The Background 60
- II: 1780, The Year of Revenge — The Campaign Opens 68
- III: The Fall Campaign of 1780 — The Expeditions on Lake Champlain 92
- Carleton Attacks the Hudson Valley 94
- An Epilogue to Carleton's Expedition 110
- Munro's Expedition Through the Woods Against Ballstown 120
- The Canada Indians Against the White River Region 138
- IV: The Expedition from Oswego — The "Infamous Bandittie" Attack the Schoharie Valley 158
- V: The Expedition from Oswego — "Johnson and his Blood-Hounds" Attack the Mohawk Valley 192
- An Epilogue to the Oswego Expedition 240
- VI: Reflections and Considerations 252
- A Mystery 252
- With Consummate Daring - The Question of Leadership 254
- Washington's Opinion of the Effect of Terms of Enlistment 257
- The Destruction of Grain & Livestock as a Military Strategy 260
- To Pay the Piper - the Price of Neglect 270
- Notes 272
- Appendix 1: Mysterious Tales of New Dorlach - October 17-19, 1780 318
- Philip Crysler's Mission 318
- Jacob Merckley's 'Company' 326
- Roster of Jacob Merckley's New Dorlach 'Company', Oct. 19, 1780 330
- Notes 333
- Appendix 2: Rebel Militia Regiments Engaged at Klock's Field, Oct. 19, 1780 336
- Appendix 3: Casualty Analyses of the Johnson Expedition 338
- Sir John Johnson's Return of Casualties 338
- Casuals of Butler's Rangers during the October 1780 Raids 339
- List of Prisoners with the Rebels of the KRR NY 340
- Listed Deserters of the KRR NY 342
- Return of British Prisoners of War Held in Pennsylvania 343
- Reconciliation of Reports of Missing & Prisoners 345
- Appendix 4: Recruitment in the King's Royal Regiment of New York Resulting from the October 1780 Raids 346
- Recruiting in the KRR NY 346
- Recruiting in Jessup's King's Loyal Americans & Roger's 2Bn King's Rangers 349
- Men taken at Forts Ann & George in Loyalist Regiments, 1782-84 351
- Appendix 5: Rebel Prisoners Taken During the Fall 1780 Raids 354
- Bibliography of Citations 362
- Index 366
- A 367
- B 371
- C 373
- D 375
- E 376
- F 377
- G 378
- H 379
- I 380
- J 381
- K 382
- L 382
- M 383
- N 385
- O 386
- P 386
- Q 387
- R 388
- S 389
- T 391
- U 392
- V 392
- W 393
- Y 393
- Z 393
