The Revolutionary War Conference 250 in the Mohawk Valley – June 9-11, 2023

There are many great Revolutionary War events coming up in 2023! Last week we highlighted the American Revolutionary War in the West conference and this week we highlight a great event with our friends at Fort Plain Museum and Historical Park in New York. Also Save the Date for our very own Emerging Revolutionary War Symposium on October 20-21, 2023 in partnership with the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, NC.

Below are the details of the great event at Fort Plain this June!

Returning for 2023 as Conference Master of Ceremonies is Mohawk Valley Legend and “Voice”, Historian Bob Cudmore

Fireside Chat – James Kirby Martin with Guest Host Mark Edward Lender (Sponsored by Westholme Publishing and the Journal of the American Revolution)– Professor and Student Discuss the American Revolutionary War, the Upcoming 250th Anniversary and Their Legacies

Friederike Baer – Hessians: The German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War

John “Jack” Buchanan – The Battle of Musgrove’s Mill, 1780

Benjamin L. Carp – The Boston Tea Party at 250: Reflections on the Radicalism of the Revolutionary Movement

Vivian E. Davis – Over 250 Years Ago! The Battle of Golden Hill, January 19, 1770

Holly A. Mayer – Congress’s Own A Canadian Regiment, the Continental Army, and American Union

Steven Park – 250 Years of Remembering: The Changing Landscape of Gaspee History

Nina Sankovitch – The Abiding Quest of a Forgotten Hero: How Josiah Quincy Battled Overwhelming Odds to Bring Together the Northern and Southern Colonies in 1773, Fanning the Flames of Revolution and Laying the Groundwork for Independence from England

Eric H. Schnitzer – Picturing History: The Images of the American War for Independence

Sergio Villavicencio – St Eustatius and the American Revolution

Mohawk Valley Resident Historian – Terry McMaster – A Revolutionary Couple on the Old New York Frontier: Col. Samuel Clyde & Catharine Wasson of Cherry Valley 

New York State and the 250th: Where Things Stand – Presenters: Devin R. Lander, New York State Historian, Phil Giltner, Director of Special Projects, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Constance M. Kehoe, President, Revolutionary Westchester 250 and Lauren Roberts, Saratoga County Historian        

The Fort Plain Museum Board Chairman – Norman J. Bollen – The Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park’s Grand Enhancement Plan – Rebuilding the Blockhouse for the 250th

Good News! We have added a 2nd Bus. We do need to have a certain number before we can run it. Please sign up right away or reach out to us at info@fortplainmuseum.org

Bus Tour – Forts and Fortified Homes of the Mohawk Valley – Join Tour Leaders Bruce Venter, Wayne Lenig and Norm Bollen as they guide you through the Mohawk River Valley touring the many sites that housed troops during the Revolutionary War. This is an in-depth, never done before tour of the historic forts, fortified homes and sites that formed the defensive perimeter around Fort Rensselaer (Fort Plain).

Site visits will include Fort Failing, Fort Ehle, Fort Clyde, Fort Plank, Fort Rensselaer, Fort Kayser, Fort Paris, Fort Nellis, Fort Klock and more. Lunch and a Bus Tour Booklet are included. This Bus Trip will start at the Fulton-Montgomery CC – 2805 NY-67, Johnstown, NY 12095 – Parking Lots B & C – Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring snacks/beverages. This is a rain or shine Bus Tour.

Registration:

LodgingPlease Click Here for the Hotel-Lodging Information – 2023 Rev War Conference

Conference Location – The Fulton-Montgomery Community College‘s Theater – The Visual Arts & Communications Building (Campus Map Building #2) – 2805 NY-67, Johnstown, NY 12095 – Please Park in Lots 5, 4 or Visitor’s Lot – Please Click Here – FMCC Campus Map

Conference Schedule – 2023 Rev War Conference 250 Schedule – (Please note, this Schedule is subject to changes and will change – last changed 4/25/2023)

“Rev War Revelry” A Visit to Fort Plain & the Mohawk Valley

On Sunday, January 23, Emerging Revolutionary War will journey, virtually, into the heart of the Mohawk Valley of New York in a discussion with Brian Mack of the Fort Plain Museum and Historical Park.

Established in 1961 the museum and park now encompasses over 75 acres and includes the site of Fort Plain/Fort Rensselaer, the foundation of a Revolutionary era bridge, the Fort Rensselaer Redoubt and works constructed by British forces, along with sites of colonial farmsteads, industry, and settlement. The museum also covers a wide era of the history of the area.

Mack lives out his passion for his family & for history in everything he does. A family vacation always includes a stop to a historic site or two. He is involved with the Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park as a member of their Board of Trustees, a Board member with The Stone Arabia Preservation & Battlefield, and a Board Member with The Mohawk Country Association. Most recently, he joined the Board with the Dr. Joseph Warren Foundation.

We look forward to a great discussion about the American Revolution in the Mohawk Valley of New York with Brian this Sunday, at 7 p.m. on Emerging Revolutionary War’s Facebook page.

The Greatest Leaders of the American Revolution You Have Never Heard Of

Sitting under a tree in north-central New York, suffering from a painful and mortal leg wound, yet still managing a successful defense after a powerful ambush, is a characteristic of a great military leader. All the while nonchalantly smoking his pipe!

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General Nicholas Herkimer (courtesy of the NPS/Fort Stanwix and Oneida County (NY) Historical Society)

Nicholas Herkimer was the epitome of a successful militia commander. The Battle of Oriskany was a turning point. Herkimer, sitting on a once innocuous hillside, was a major reason why.

Even George Washington recognized the importance of Herkimer and made mention of his decision to not seek a commission in anything more than the militia of his home state. Not only that simple fact of service recognized by the commander-in-chief, but also his pivotal role in the Northern campaign of 1777.

“It was Herkimer who first reversed the gloomy  scene of the Northern campaign. The hero of the Mohawk Valley served from love of Country, not for reward. He did not want a Continental command or money.”

Herkimer would succumb to the mortal leg wound ten days after the battle, but his role in what was described as “one of the bloodiest battles of the war” solidified his place in the category of “greatest leaders of the American Revolution you have never heard of.”

Born in the Mohawk Valley of New York to Palatinate immigrants, Nicholas was described as a slender built, dark complexioned, dark haired individual. When he was finished growing, he stood near six feet tall, a rather tall height in 18th century Colonial America. He could also boast of being multilingual, fluently speaking English, German, and Iroquois.

He saw action in the French and Indian War, helping to repel the French and Native American attack on German Flatts, New York on November 12, 1757. Although a disastrous day for the German community, as many were taken prisoner by the French and Native Americans, Herkimer’s role led to his promotion to captain in the militia within two months of the fighting on January 5, 1758. Thirty-years after his promotion to captain the town would be renamed “Herkimer” for the actions of this New Yorker during the subsequent war.

In April of 1758, Herkimer was present and assisted in the successful repulse of the French and Indian force.

With peace established in 1763, Herkimer looked toward personal matters, building a house on the south side of the Mohawk River in 1764. He married two ladies, both named Maria. One died and the other would remarry and move north of the border to Canada, after Herkimer’s death in 1777.

With tensions increasing in the 1770s between Great Britain and the colonies, Herkimer led the Tryon County, New York Committee of Safety and was elected colonel of the local militia. The Provincial Congress on September 5, 1776 promoted him to brigadier general of the militia. One of his first roles was to meet with Joseph Brant, a Mohawk military and political leader in an effort to try and keep the Native Americans neutral in the conflict between the colonies and Great Britain. He was unsuccessful.

During the Northern Campaign of 1777, with the thrust southward by British General John Burgoyne being the main column on its way to its destiny at Saratoga, a secondary column entered the Mohawk Valley under British General Barrimore”Barry” St. Leger. The combined British, German, Loyalist, and Native American force laid siege to Fort Stanwix, in present-day Rome, New York.

Herkimer heard about this and marched his militia to help raise the siege. His force was ambushed on August 6, as they were nearing Fort Stanwix. After the initial surprise, in which Herkimer received his wound, the militia responded well and a drawn out battle ensued.

Part of the reason that the majority of the militia recovered from the shock and endured the ensuing bloody carnage was directly related to the inspired leadership of Colonel Samuel Campbell who led one of the militia regiments in the force and Herkimer himself.

Herkimer, after having his horse shot and receiving his mortal wound in the opening shots of the engagement asked to be propped under a tree on the hillside his forces had utilized for their defensive stand He then calmly lit a pipe and with a continued cool demeanor directed the rest of the engagement.

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Famous painting depicting the mortally wounded General Nicholas Herkimer directing his militia from his position seated under a tree, during the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777. (Painting by Frederick C. Yohn)

After the day-long battle, Herkimer ensured he was the last to leave the field, after all the wounded that could be collected had been removed.

Although his wound was dressed on the field, the injury became infected and amputation was the only course of action. In the woods of western New York, the surgeon doing the operation was inexperienced and the wound bled tremendously. Herkimer would succumb to the wound on August 16, at the age of 49. He was buried near Little Falls, where he had built his home in the 1760s. The cemetery today is known as the “Herkimer Home Burial Ground.”

 

 

*Nicholas Herkimer’s role in the war and the Battle of Oriskany and the St. Leger campaign is described wonderfully by Michael O. Logusz in Volume 2 of “With Musket and Tomahawk” published by Savas Beatie LLC in March 2012.*