Rome Free Academy - De O Wain Sta Yearbook (Rome, NY)

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THE SENIOR ANNUAL. 1%: been sitting, and cried, which he had “Tf you will have it so, the blood be up- on your heads!” Waving his sword in the air, he gave the sharp command in which all the eight hundred “Vorwarts!” The troops were soon pressing forward the a voice could hear, all unconscious of ambuscade two miles away. General Herkimer’s forces entered the east side of the ravine, crossing on the log road. As they were pressing up the western slope, a rifle shot rang out and Colonel Cox fell this was a signal for action, from his horse. As if rifle shot and war whoop now rang out from behind every tree and bush. At the first shot, down General Herkimer spurred the hill, and rallying his men, succeeded in drawing his horse them up the slope. Colonel Visscher Caugh- nawaga the eastern hill when the firing began, now fled, followed by many of the Indi ans. At this moment when General Herki- mer had got his troops into a semblance the were on and company, who of order, he received a bullet in his leg, which at the same time killed his horse. He was placed upon his saddle under a nearby beech tree, and having lighted his pipe, continued to order the battle with the utmost firmness and composure until the enemy retreated. The struggle continued with great fury for three-quarters of an hour. ‘The enemy discontinued the fire and charged with the bayonet. Never did brave men stand a charge with more dauntless cour- age and the enemy made no impression. At this moment a severe storm burst upon the fighters, causing them to seek shelter. I can see the brave old patriot leader seated calmly underneath the beech tree while the storm rages fearfully around him. His buff-faced, blue coat is ordered and blood-stained. On his face dis- is a look of pain, but his eager eyes scan the His now obeyed and every movement of enemy. orders are implicitly with the utmost confidence. In the early part of the engagement, Indian the now when a rifle was discharged, an would rush forward and tomahawk marksman. General Herkimer formed his men farther up the plateau the south and ordered two men fire, toward to stand behind each tree, one to while the other loaded. On one of the most untimely hot days, the battle was renewed with increasing fury. About 3 p. m., Willett made his sortie from the fort. Hearing Colonel the guns, the British wished to close the engagement, and Colone! Butler executed a stratagem which nearly accomplished that object. a detachment of Royal Greens, that they They approached from the direction of Fort Stanwix directly toward Captain Gardi- 3ut his sharp eye detected the He so changed the dress of closely resembled the Americans. nier. disguise and many of them were slain, while the rest fled in The Indians, weary and discouraged, after six hours of hard fighting, now raised the retreating cry of “Oonah!”, ““Oonah!” and fled in every direction, leaving the Tryon County militia and confusion. volunteers masters of the field. Sad, but yet victorious, was the re- turn down the valley of those who sur- vived the ever to be remembered Battle of Oriskany—one of the bloodiest, hard- est fought and most decisive battles of the American Revolution. Burgoyne expected Colonel St. Leger to join him with his forces at Albany. Had this happened, the British would have had control of the Hudson, and New England would have been separated from the other colonies. But now Colonel St. Leger could never join Burgoyne and the whole British army was captured at Saratoga. This honor and glory is due,

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+ At this time, when the people were filled with dread ard ready to surrender at the first sign of the British, General Herkimer issued a stirring proclamation calling upon all able-bodied men be- tween the ages of sixteen and sixty, to arm themselves and muster at Fort Day- ton, now Herkimer village. All others were to arm themselves to protect their homes and families. Cn the third of August, St: Leger arrived before Fort Stanwix with Colonel his entire force. The inhabitants of the valley respond- ed nobly to General Herkimer’s proclam- ation. On August fourth eight hundred, including the Tryon County militia and the members of the Committe of Safety, had assembled at Fort Dayton. , lhey north side of the Mohawk and camping ’Ts I'he next day now set out, marching on the upon that side at night. they crossed the river at old Fort Schuy- ler, and when the Indians, with their hideous yells, were attacking Fort Stan- wix, General Herkimer was at Whites- town, eight miles away, with his undis- ciplined but brave troops, eager to face the enemy. While there, he Adam Helmer and two other trusty scouts to apprize his sent Colonel Gansevoort of approach. Upon the arrival of the scouts at the fort, three signal guns were to be fired plainly heard at Then, acting which could be Herkimer’s encampment. in co-operation with the garrison, they forward, scatter the siegers, and enter the fort. The woods were infested with Tories would move be- and lurking savages and it was necessary to be extremely cautious. The scouts were expected to reach the fort early the next morning but they did not reach it until nearly eleven o’clock in the fore- uoon. The signals were promptly fired, but at that moment m atters of fearful taking place between import were 16. Tur SENIOR ANNUAL. General Herkimer’s forces and those under Brant and Sir John Johnson. As soon as General Herkimer left Fort Dayton, Molly Brant sent a swift Indian runner to her brother Joseph with the news of The reached Colonel St. Leger on the evening of the fifth and immediately he spatchedeighty men of Sir John Johnson’s Royal Greens and the entire force of Brant, to intercept the his advance. message de- Indians under Americans. It was decided to draw Herkimer’s men ambuscade. Brant selected a into an spot admirably suited for this purpose, which is situated about two miles north- west of Oriskany and six from Whites- boro. At this point are two ravines, extending north and south and opening toward the north. They are separated by a level plateau, about fifty feet above the bottom of the ravines. The plateau gradually merges into the swampy flats which extend north to the Mohawk river, three-quarters of a mile away. Across the swampy bottom of the ravine Colonel Gansevoort had constructed a rude log road for the easier carriage of supplies to Fort Stanwix. On: the morning of the sixth, General Herkimer wished to remain where he was until he heard the signal guns from the fort. But his men were impatient, hot words the General and Colonel Bellinger on one side and Colonels Cox and Paris on the other. At last, the brave old general was denounced as a tory and a traitor. This shameful taunt sank deep in his answered calmly, “I am and ensued between heart, but he placed over you as a fatherand a guard- ian, and I will not lead you into difficul- ties from which I may not be able to extricate you.” Still the hot words ensued cries of “lead louder and louder. Herkimer sprang upon and the “lead on” became Suddenly General the upon on”, log

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18, THE SENIOR ANNUAL. in a great General Herkimer and the Mohawk Valley Dutchmen. part, to After the battle many of the wounded were borne from the field upon rude lit- ters, among whom was the brave General He home, which is still standing, about two Herkimer. was taken to his own miles east of Little Falls, on the south the Mohawk On the the wound bank of river. battlefield Dr. William Petrie, but he himself, be- was dressed by ing wounded, could not accompany the General. He was now attended by an- other physician and nine days after the battle leg . French surgeon. his by a the was amputated It was done in most unskillful manner, being cut off square and not enough flesh left for it to heel up properly. Colonel Willett called upon him soon after the operation and found him sit- ting up in bed, contentedly smoking his Hemorrhage ensued and the Gen- He presence pipe. eral realized that his end was near. asked for his Bible and in the of his family, he read the thirty-eighth His the book slipped from his fingers, and sink- psalm. voice grew weaker, upon his pillow, General Herkimer, a Christian August 16, 1777. ing back Hero, died On October fourth following, the Con- tinental Congress voted the erection of a monument to his memory of the value of five hundred dollars. This amount was afterward increased by Congress, the New York Legislature and by private subscriptions to more than ten thousand dollars. To-day, on Oriskany Battle- field, stands a beautiful monument in the form of an obelisk, which was erected in 1884, Awarded the prize of a ten-dollar gold piece offered annually by the Daughters of the American Revolution for the best essay. Salem Witchcraft. BY CELIA GRAVES. es E occurences of February 1692, mark the beginning of the saddest period in our country’s history. occurrences, known as the Salem Witch- craft, made a blot on the otherwise fair These lives of our colonial forefathers. Although the witchcraft delusion lasted less than a year, nineteen supposed witches were hung and one man was pressed to death, because he refused to plead either “guilty” or “‘not guilty”. It is barely possible for us in the enlightened twentieth century to realize the horrors of this witchcraft. read the accounts of it we are inclined to shudder and think of it as a fearful story rather than as the truth. Let us look at the conditions of people’s minds and of the country at that time and we may be able to judge more leniently the in- stigators of witchcraft in the colonies. England, France and Germany were hanging and burning witches in the Seventeenth century and they were equally superstitious in other respects. Bishop Jewell of England, while preach- ing before Queen Elizabeth, urged that all witches and sorcerers be punished, saying that through their demoniacal acts AS we ‘“‘your grace’s subjects pine away even unto death, their color fadeth; their flesh rotteth”. As the Pilgrims left England about this time, it is not sur- prising to find them very superstitious. The conditions in eastern Massachu- setts might easily foster superstitious fears in that colony. Instead of the improvements and protections of our day these people were surrounded by a primi- tive forest overrun with the dreaded Indians. ‘The most learned scholars of the time believed that these Indians were