Battle of Oriskany

Battle of Oriskany, military engagement of the American Revolution (1775-1783). It was fought near Oriskany, New York, on August 6, 1777. The British strategy was to defeat the Americans in New York to isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. General John Burgoyne and Barry St. Leger planned to coordinate an attack on Albany. Burgoyne’s armies would move south from Fort Ticonderoga to Albany, and Leger would march east down the Mohawk River Valley to Albany.

Leger and his forces, which were made up of both British soldiers and Native American allies, moved toward Fort Stanwix to try to capture that American stronghold. On the way, they attacked an American force led by Nicholas Herkimer near Oriskany, New York. The British defeated the Americans, mortally wounding Herkimer, and continued on to Fort Stanwix, which they placed under siege. However, they were forced to retreat to Montréal when American relief forces under Benedict Arnold arrived. Leger’s retreat allowed the Americans to focus on Burgoyne’s army, which they defeated at the Battle of Saratoga. A monument, erected in 1880, marks the site of the battleground, now a public park.