1892-93.] MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN WALTER BUTLEK. 287 



that he thought he would have struck a blow ere now. I told him I 

 thought I might venture to assure him that it was not his intention ; that 

 he would remain where he was or thereabouts till he could join the army 

 from York with safety, or till it would be too late to do anything. He 

 told me the other day that young Butler was a pretty genteel man. I 

 took the opportunity to give my opinion of him pretty freely." 



Walter Butler did not return to Niagara till the end of July, and 

 consequently had no part in the destruction of Wyoming. Soon after he 

 joined his company at Oquaga, an Indian village near the east branch of 

 the Susquehanna, his father was forced by a severe attack of rheumatism 

 in the head to hand over to him the command of the entire corps and 

 leave the Indian country altogether for the remainder of the year. 

 During August, the main body of the rangers remained in the vicinity of 

 Oquaga in readiness, if a favourable opportunity offered, to make a raid on 

 the enemy's frontier, or if need be to protect the Indian villages from attack, 

 but their scouts and reconnoitering parties ranged the entire border from 

 the Susquehanna to the Mohawk and Oswego. Early in September an 

 avenging force from Wyoming advanced in the direction of the Seneca 

 country, but retired after burning two small villages before Butler could 

 gather a party strong enough to attack it with any prospect of success. 

 When he found that the invaders had evaded pursuit he sent Captain 

 Caldwell with the main body of the rangers to destroy the German Flats, 

 where extensive magazines of provisions had been formed for the supply 

 of the enemy's army and garrisons in New York. This was swiftly and 

 thoroughly accomplished without the loss of a man. During Caldwell's 

 absence Butler continued to collect the Indians and enlist recruits for the 

 rangers, with the intention of dealing a still more effective blow at Cherry 

 Valley, where a great quantity of grain and many cattle were collected 

 for the use of Washington's army. This movement was delayed by the 

 sudden advance of a second column of nearly 1400 men from Wyoming 

 which reached and destroyed the village of Oquaga, but then hastily 

 retired. Captain Butler had awaited the invaders' approach at Canada- 

 saga, where he was joined by 400 Senecas and a few volunteers from the 

 King's regiment in garrison at Fort Niagara. When the Americans 

 commenced their retreat he felt that the time had arrived for his counter- 

 stroke at Cherry Valley, if it was to be executed that year, for it was 

 already the beginning of November. The forest paths were fast 

 becoming impassable, and the settlement he designed to attack lay 

 within sixty miles of Albany. He began his march at once with 200 

 rangers and volunteers and 321 Indians. The journey was tedious and 

 fatiguing from the condition of the roads and stormy weather. On the 

 9th of November they met and captured the whole of a scouting party, 

 5 



