Photo Provided by Seneca County Historian Walter Gable
The Sullivan-Clinton Campaign of 1779 was a military campaign of the Revolutionary War. The campaign was a scorched earth campaign which targeted 4 of the 6 tribes of Iroquois Confederacy, the Cayuga, Mohawk, Onondaga & Seneca tribes, who had sided with British and were attacking frontier settlements.
Causes for the Campaign
As stated above 4 of the 6 tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, the Cayuga, Mohawk, Onondaga & Seneca tribes, had sided with the British at the outset of the Revolutionary War. The British and their allies in the confederacy began raiding Patriot settlements at the fringes of the Iroquois territory.
The most well known attack occurred at a settlement known as Cherry Valley in eastern New York on November 11th, 1778. A force of about 500 British soldiers and Seneca warriors attacked the fort near the village of Cherry Valley but were repelled by it's defenders. The attack then turned to the village of Cherry Valley where men, women and children were taken prisoner or were killed. After the rampage a total of 44 people were killed, mostly civilians, and 45 were taken prisoner.
The attack on Cherry Valley made it clear to revolutionaries that the attacks on the New York frontier had to be addressed and they were given their opportunity when the British shifted their focus and forces to the Southern colonies in 1779. General Washington saw this an opportunity to attempt to take Fort Niagara where the British forces in the frontier of New York were concentrated and several of the attacks that occurred in 1777 and 1778.
The Campaign
The plan for the campaign was simple enough, the Revolutionaries would launch a three pronged attack to destroy villages in the Iroquois territory and destroy the capital of each tribe who allied with the British. This would be accomplished through the use of 5 Colonels and 2 Generals.
Sullivan & Clinton The Main Campaign
The third part was the march of Generals Sullivan and Clinton through Pennsylvania and New York respectively. General Sullivan began his march from Easton, Pennsylvania in the eastern part of Pennsylvania on June 18th, 1779. From there Sullivan marched North and West towards Tioga, Pennsylvania at the present day location of Athens, PA destroying villages along the way. General Clinton began his march from Schenectady, NY on June 16, 1779 and marched South and West and destroyed villages while on his way to meet with Sullivan at Tioga. The two forces met on August 22, 1779 at Tioga, PA and marched northward into New York.
Newtown, the Sole Battle of the Campaign
On August 29 the campaign was marching northward South East of present day Elmira when scouts warned the main force of an ambush orchestrated by 250 British ad 1000 Iroquois. A plan was deceived on short notice that a small part of the force feigned an attack to lure the ambushers into the main force of the Sullivan-Clinton campaign. This battle was the only battle of the Sullivan-Clinton campaign and would later become known as the Battle of Newtown.
Invasion of the Finger Lakes, the Heart of the Confederacy
After Newtown Sullivan and Clinton moved into the Finger Lakes, which was seen as the heart and stronghold of the confederacy, unopposed. The first village they destroyed in the region was located South East of modern day Watkins Glen on September 2nd. The campaign then moved northward along the Eastern shores of Seneca Lake until it destroyed the Seneca Castle on September 7th located North West of present day Geneva.
The campaign then moved westward destroying villages until it destroyed the Genesee Castle or Little Beard's town near Cuylerville, NY North of Geneseo on September 15th.
Boyd-Parker Ambush, Massacre at Groveland
Sullivan sent Lieutenant Boyd and Sergeant Parker to scout Genesee Castle to look for signs of an ambush. Boyd was ordered to only attack in the defense of his party but when he happened upon 4 Native warriors on his way back to the army he disobeyed orders and attacked. 3 of the braves survived the attack and fled and alerted their leader, Little Beard, of the small force.
Little Beard took a force of 300 Iroquois warriors and Loyalists and killed all of the scouting party, except Boyd and Parker, who had camped near the spot they had attacked the braves the day before. Boyd and Parker were taken to Little Beard's Town as prisoners.
Only 5 of the party escaped to report the attack and when the main force of the army reached Little Beard's Town they discovered the bodies of Boyd and Parker.
Butler, Dearborn & Gansevoort's Missions
Due to Brodhead not reaching Geneseo and an assembled force of Iroquois at Fort Niagara the campaign turned East and marched back to Seneca Castle. When the army reached Seneca Castle Sullivan ordered three of his colonels to split off of the main force to destroy additional villages. Sullivan and Clinton moved the rest of the force back to the Watkins Glen village to await the return of Butler, Dearborn and their men.
Colonel Dearborn was sent to march along the Western side of Cayuga Lake while Colonel Butler marched a long the East side of Cayuga Lake with Colonel Gansevoort. Photographed above is a Seneca County Sullivan-Clinton Campaign Marker located in Trumansburg, NY, if you look closely you can note the locations of the villages that were destroyed in Seneca County.
Gansevoort was sent East to attack the Mohawk capital where he took every Mohawk male as prisoner on September 29th.
While Dearborn destroyed the villages on the western shores of the lake Butler moved South along the eastern shores of Cayuga Lake and destroyed the Cayuga Castle along with other villages. Both Colonels regrouped with the main part of the campaign South of Watkins Glen before it returned to Easton, Pennsylvania.
Outcome
The Sullivan-Clinton Campaign has been deemed a failure due to several reasons. First Fort Niagara was not taken which was the main reason behind the campaign. Second, due to the Confederacy retaliating against the Tuscarora and Oneida, they defected from the Patriot cause. Finally frontier attacks continued and intensified in the years following the campaign.
The Iroquois suffered the lost of many of their villages and most of their crops. Most fled to Fort Niagara before the campaign reached their villages while others fled to Canada or returned to their destroyed villages. The British launched a counter attack but by the campaign had ended well before the British force entered the Finger Lakes. Many Iroquois died of starvation and disease and much of the survivors did not return to their lands. Much of their lands were acquired through treaties by the United States and New York and were settled.
As stated above 4 of the 6 tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, the Cayuga, Mohawk, Onondaga & Seneca tribes, had sided with the British at the outset of the Revolutionary War. The British and their allies in the confederacy began raiding Patriot settlements at the fringes of the Iroquois territory.
The most well known attack occurred at a settlement known as Cherry Valley in eastern New York on November 11th, 1778. A force of about 500 British soldiers and Seneca warriors attacked the fort near the village of Cherry Valley but were repelled by it's defenders. The attack then turned to the village of Cherry Valley where men, women and children were taken prisoner or were killed. After the rampage a total of 44 people were killed, mostly civilians, and 45 were taken prisoner.
The attack on Cherry Valley made it clear to revolutionaries that the attacks on the New York frontier had to be addressed and they were given their opportunity when the British shifted their focus and forces to the Southern colonies in 1779. General Washington saw this an opportunity to attempt to take Fort Niagara where the British forces in the frontier of New York were concentrated and several of the attacks that occurred in 1777 and 1778.
The Campaign
The plan for the campaign was simple enough, the Revolutionaries would launch a three pronged attack to destroy villages in the Iroquois territory and destroy the capital of each tribe who allied with the British. This would be accomplished through the use of 5 Colonels and 2 Generals.Sullivan & Clinton The Main Campaign
The third part was the march of Generals Sullivan and Clinton through Pennsylvania and New York respectively. General Sullivan began his march from Easton, Pennsylvania in the eastern part of Pennsylvania on June 18th, 1779. From there Sullivan marched North and West towards Tioga, Pennsylvania at the present day location of Athens, PA destroying villages along the way. General Clinton began his march from Schenectady, NY on June 16, 1779 and marched South and West and destroyed villages while on his way to meet with Sullivan at Tioga. The two forces met on August 22, 1779 at Tioga, PA and marched northward into New York.Newtown, the Sole Battle of the Campaign
On August 29 the campaign was marching northward South East of present day Elmira when scouts warned the main force of an ambush orchestrated by 250 British ad 1000 Iroquois. A plan was deceived on short notice that a small part of the force feigned an attack to lure the ambushers into the main force of the Sullivan-Clinton campaign. This battle was the only battle of the Sullivan-Clinton campaign and would later become known as the Battle of Newtown.
Invasion of the Finger Lakes, the Heart of the Confederacy
After Newtown Sullivan and Clinton moved into the Finger Lakes, which was seen as the heart and stronghold of the confederacy, unopposed. The first village they destroyed in the region was located South East of modern day Watkins Glen on September 2nd. The campaign then moved northward along the Eastern shores of Seneca Lake until it destroyed the Seneca Castle on September 7th located North West of present day Geneva.The campaign then moved westward destroying villages until it destroyed the Genesee Castle or Little Beard's town near Cuylerville, NY North of Geneseo on September 15th.
Boyd-Parker Ambush, Massacre at Groveland
Sullivan sent Lieutenant Boyd and Sergeant Parker to scout Genesee Castle to look for signs of an ambush. Boyd was ordered to only attack in the defense of his party but when he happened upon 4 Native warriors on his way back to the army he disobeyed orders and attacked. 3 of the braves survived the attack and fled and alerted their leader, Little Beard, of the small force.
Little Beard took a force of 300 Iroquois warriors and Loyalists and killed all of the scouting party, except Boyd and Parker, who had camped near the spot they had attacked the braves the day before. Boyd and Parker were taken to Little Beard's Town as prisoners.
Only 5 of the party escaped to report the attack and when the main force of the army reached Little Beard's Town they discovered the bodies of Boyd and Parker.
Butler, Dearborn & Gansevoort's Missions
Due to Brodhead not reaching Geneseo and an assembled force of Iroquois at Fort Niagara the campaign turned East and marched back to Seneca Castle. When the army reached Seneca Castle Sullivan ordered three of his colonels to split off of the main force to destroy additional villages. Sullivan and Clinton moved the rest of the force back to the Watkins Glen village to await the return of Butler, Dearborn and their men.
Colonel Dearborn was sent to march along the Western side of Cayuga Lake while Colonel Butler marched a long the East side of Cayuga Lake with Colonel Gansevoort. Photographed above is a Seneca County Sullivan-Clinton Campaign Marker located in Trumansburg, NY, if you look closely you can note the locations of the villages that were destroyed in Seneca County.
Gansevoort was sent East to attack the Mohawk capital where he took every Mohawk male as prisoner on September 29th.While Dearborn destroyed the villages on the western shores of the lake Butler moved South along the eastern shores of Cayuga Lake and destroyed the Cayuga Castle along with other villages. Both Colonels regrouped with the main part of the campaign South of Watkins Glen before it returned to Easton, Pennsylvania.
Outcome
The Sullivan-Clinton Campaign has been deemed a failure due to several reasons. First Fort Niagara was not taken which was the main reason behind the campaign. Second, due to the Confederacy retaliating against the Tuscarora and Oneida, they defected from the Patriot cause. Finally frontier attacks continued and intensified in the years following the campaign.
The Iroquois suffered the lost of many of their villages and most of their crops. Most fled to Fort Niagara before the campaign reached their villages while others fled to Canada or returned to their destroyed villages. The British launched a counter attack but by the campaign had ended well before the British force entered the Finger Lakes. Many Iroquois died of starvation and disease and much of the survivors did not return to their lands. Much of their lands were acquired through treaties by the United States and New York and were settled.
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