﻿356 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  spoke, 
  begging 
  the 
  Indians 
  to 
  join. 
  He 
  reported 
  700 
  Indians 
  

   and 
  400- 
  regular 
  troops 
  at 
  Oswego, 
  with 
  600 
  Tories 
  on 
  an 
  island 
  

   above 
  Oswegatchie, 
  and 
  advised 
  prompt 
  action. 
  Herkimer 
  called 
  

   out 
  the 
  militia, 
  reinforced 
  Fort 
  Stanwix, 
  and 
  commenced 
  repairs. 
  

   The 
  Oneidas 
  were 
  excited, 
  fearing 
  harm 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  Indians. 
  

   Jul3 
  r 
  29, 
  Thomas 
  Spencer 
  wrote 
  to 
  the 
  Americans 
  : 
  " 
  To-morrow 
  

   we 
  are 
  going 
  to 
  the 
  Three 
  Rivers 
  to 
  the 
  treaty. 
  We 
  expect 
  to 
  

   meet 
  the 
  warriors 
  there, 
  and 
  when 
  we 
  come 
  and 
  declare 
  we 
  are 
  

   for 
  peace, 
  we 
  expect 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  with 
  indifference 
  and 
  sent 
  away." 
  

  

  St 
  Leger's 
  force 
  moved 
  in 
  boats 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  estimated 
  at 
  

   1700; 
  but 
  J. 
  W. 
  de 
  Peyster 
  reasonably 
  made 
  it 
  some 
  hundreds 
  

   less. 
  Lieutenant 
  Bird's 
  party 
  went 
  ahead, 
  reaching 
  Three 
  Rivers 
  

   July 
  28, 
  where 
  16 
  Senecas 
  and 
  over 
  70 
  Mississagas 
  joined 
  him, 
  

   others 
  following 
  later. 
  He 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  east 
  end 
  of 
  Oneida 
  lake 
  

   July 
  30, 
  and 
  Brant 
  and 
  his 
  men 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  his 
  aid. 
  Molly 
  

   Brant 
  gave 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  advance 
  of 
  Herkimer, 
  whose 
  men 
  met 
  

   at 
  Fort 
  Dayton, 
  leaving 
  there 
  Aug. 
  4, 
  and 
  encamping 
  near 
  Oris- 
  

   kany 
  on 
  the 
  5th. 
  Thence 
  an 
  express 
  went 
  forward 
  to 
  arrange 
  

   signals 
  and 
  a 
  sortie. 
  Herkimer 
  waited 
  for 
  the 
  signal 
  ; 
  his 
  officers 
  

   were 
  impatient 
  and 
  charged 
  him 
  with 
  cowardice. 
  Stung 
  by 
  this, 
  

   he 
  gave 
  the 
  fatal 
  order 
  to 
  advance, 
  and 
  fell 
  into 
  an 
  ambuscade 
  2 
  

   miles 
  west 
  of 
  Oriskany, 
  a 
  spot 
  now 
  marked 
  by 
  a 
  stately 
  monu- 
  

   ment. 
  Spencer 
  had 
  warned 
  him 
  that 
  this 
  might 
  happen, 
  but 
  

   the 
  surprise 
  was 
  complete. 
  The 
  bloody 
  battle 
  was 
  briefly 
  inter- 
  

   rupted 
  by 
  a 
  storm. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  terrible 
  struggle 
  in 
  every 
  way. 
  

   Brother 
  fought 
  with 
  brother, 
  neighbor 
  against 
  neighbor, 
  hand 
  

   to 
  hand 
  and 
  relentless, 
  neither 
  victorious. 
  The 
  Americans 
  lost 
  

   200 
  killed, 
  besides 
  the 
  wounded. 
  The 
  Indians 
  alone 
  had 
  100 
  

   killed, 
  of 
  whom 
  36 
  were 
  Senecas. 
  When 
  the 
  Indian 
  survivors 
  

   reached 
  home, 
  the 
  dead 
  were 
  mourned 
  by 
  " 
  the 
  most 
  doleful 
  

   yells, 
  shrieks 
  and 
  howlings, 
  and 
  by 
  inimitable 
  gesticulations." 
  

  

  Terrible 
  as 
  was 
  this 
  blow 
  to 
  both, 
  neither 
  party 
  as 
  yet 
  gave 
  

   up. 
  The 
  Americans 
  knew 
  the 
  lightness 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  guns 
  and 
  

   refused 
  to 
  surrender; 
  St 
  Leger 
  dared 
  not 
  risk 
  an 
  assault. 
  The 
  

   siege 
  dragged 
  on, 
  and 
  Johnson 
  wished 
  to 
  go 
  down 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  

   with 
  some 
  force, 
  assured 
  that 
  many 
  would 
  join 
  him 
  there, 
  but 
  

  

  