Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site is a historic site in
Oneida County,
New York, United States that marks the
Battle of Oriskany, fought in 1777 during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, one of the bloodiest engagements of the war.
The park is northwest of the
Village of Oriskany on
NY Route 69 and is southeast of the
City of Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. An
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...
, with plaques at the base commemorating the battle and its participants, is the central feature of the site.
The battlefield is on the south side of the
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk f ...
. The terrain consists of small rises, divided by ravines, above Mohawk River bottomlands.
Battle
Patriot
A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism.
Patriot may also refer to:
Political and military groups United States
* Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution
* Patriot m ...
militia General
Nicholas Herkimer, leading a relief column to the besieged
Fort Stanwix Fort Stanwix was a colonial fort whose construction commenced on August 26, 1758, under the direction of British General John Stanwix, at the location of present-day Rome, New York, but was not completed until about 1762. The bastion fort was built ...
, was ambushed in a ravine by Iroquois chief
Joseph Brant, leading a mixed group of
Iroquois
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
and
Tories
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
. Herkimer had his ambushed militia fight in pairs behind cover. One militiaman fired, while he was reloading the other militiaman covered him. This tactic was effective due to the Iroquois warriors tactics of charging the enemy after they fired. After sustaining high casualties in the number of native War Chiefs, and a heavy downpour the British forces withdrew, leaving the Tryon County militia in possession of the field. The occupants at the fort used the reduction in the force before them as an opportunity to sally out and sack the British camp. Herkimer died of his wounds days later. Oriskany is known as the bloodiest battle of the American Revolution. In respects to the number of combatants, casualties sustained and the fact that many of the combatants had friends and relatives on the opposing side. See
Battle of Oriskany for more details.
Commemoration
A monument at the site stands above a small rise that many of the ambushed Americans found their way to, and where Herkimer, wounded, rallied and directed the American forces. Plaques on the monument depict Herkimer and list many of the American participants in the battle.
The monument was dedicated in 1884.
The site was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1962.
[ and ]
It is a
New York State Historic Site
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation a ...
.
Activities and services
Visitor center and museum, scenic views, picnic area, hiking, tours, and re-enactments.
See also
*
Herkimer Home State Historic Site
*
Mohawk Upper Castle Historic District
Mohawk Upper Castle Historic District is a historic district in Herkimer County, New York that was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993. Located south of the Mohawk River, it includes the Indian Castle Church, built in 1769 by Sir Will ...
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
*
List of New York State Historic Sites
This is a list of New York (state) historic sites. It includes 40 state-designated historic sites and parks managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Twenty-two sites also are National Historic Landmarks ...
Photos
Image:OriskanyBattlefieldMonument PanelCombat 2007.jpg, Combat
Image:OriskanyBattlefieldMonument PanelText 2007.jpg, Text description
Image:OriskanyBattlefieldMonument PanelHerkimerDirecting 2007.jpg, Herkimer directing the battle
Image:OriskanyBattlefieldMonument PanelTryonParticipantsListed 2007.jpg, Tryon militia participants
Image:OriskanyBattlefield PlaqueB 2007.jpg, Plaque before Mohawk River bottomlands
Image:OriskanyBattlefield PlaqueA 2007.jpg, Plaque at rally site
References
External links
Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Siteat NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (Official Site)
More information from Wildernet*
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz4mJOVZ7eM/ Video showing the Battlefield and a ranger talking about the battlefrom 2016
{{Protected areas of New York
American Revolutionary War sites
Monuments and memorials in New York (state)
National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)
Native American history of New York (state)
New York (state) in the American Revolution
New York (state) historic sites
Parks in Oneida County, New York
1884 sculptures
Towers completed in 1884
National Register of Historic Places in Oneida County, New York
American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places
Obelisks in the United States