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Survey of
Historic Sites and Buildings

	ORISKANY BATTLEFIELD New York
Location: 5 miles east of Rome on N.Y. 69. Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site

Ownership and Administration (1961). Education Department, State of New York.

Significance. The battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777, was the key to the success of the garrison at Fort Stanwix in holding out against the siege by Barry St. Leger (described on pp. 125-126), which thwarted the British invasion plan in the Mohawk Valley. General Burgoyne was thus deprived of reinforcements which might have prevented the necessity of his surrender at Saratoga later in the year.

General Nicholas Herkimer was ambushed at Oriskany when he led a contingent of 800 Tryon County militiamen toward Fort Stanwix in an attempt to relieve the garrison. The patriot troops were green, and Herkimer was mortally wounded in the first fire, but they succeeded in holding the field. The British force was composed of both loyalists and Indians, and after a bloody struggle at close quarters the latter abandoned the field to return to the lines around Fort Stanwix, whose garrison had in the meantime come out to raid the British camps.

Herkimer and his soldiers retreated, and he died 10 days later. The Battle of Oriskany and the siege of Fort Stanwix not only discouraged the British and their Indian "allies" but also demonstrated the courage and determination of the militiamen, standing in defense of their homes.

Present Appearance (1961). Gently rolling hills dropping away to the valley lands on the north preserve the scene of Herkimer's hard-fought battle, and a tall monument commemorates the action. Included in the site is the ravine between two low hills where the Indians and loyalists sprang their ambush. The heavy forest that covered the battlefield in 1777 has disappeared, but the area has otherwise retained its natural features with a minimum of modern encroachments. Restoration of the field appears practicable. Oriskany State Park, containing the battlefield, is well maintained and offers picnic facilities. [43]