| Time Line: |
|
1763: Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War (the Seven Years' War in Europe) with France ceding Canada to the British.
Nov 1772: First Committees of Correspondence organized.
Sep-Oct 1774: First Continental Congress forms American militia units.
24 Jan 1775: "Committee of Correspondence and Committee of Safety of Albany City and County," established. In attendance were representative from Schoharie (Roscoe, chap III).
19 Apr 1775: Battle at Concord and Lexington Massachusetts between minute men and British troops.
10 May 1775: American Col Ethan Allen and Seth Warner with the Green Mountain Boys from Vermont, seize Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, and Crown Point in Northern NY. Second Continental Congress convenes.
14 Jun 1775: Congress establishes the army and appoints Washington as Commander in Chief.
3 Jul 1775: Washington takes command of the Continental Army.
Oct 1775: Militia units established in Schoharie Districts and Albany County.
12 Nov 1775: American expedition under Richard Montgomery seizes Montreal.
31 Dec 1775: Brigadier General Richard Montgomery and Col Benedict Arnold fail to capture Quebec. 4 Jul 1776 American Declaration of Independence.
27 Aug 1776: British General William Howe defeats Americans under General Israel Putnam at the Battle of Long Island.
15 Sep 1776: British continue the advance and occupy New York City.
6 Jul 1777: the British under General John Burgoyne, seize Fort Ticonderoga from General Arthur St. Clair without a shot fired and move on to Ft. Edward. Gen Burgoyne's plan was to push down the Hudson River to Albany and link up with Lt Col St. Leger.
29 Jul 1777: two girls scalped outside Ft. Stanwix (reported by Gansevoort).
3-22 Aug 1777: British Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger out of Canada and moving down from Oswego , laid siege to Ft. Stanwix (named Ft. Schuyler in 1776 after the General) at present day Rome, NY. The fort under the command of Col Peter Gansevoort, held and Col St. Leger withdrew back to Canada.
6 Aug 1777: Battle of Oriskany "Bloodiest Battle of the Revolution," eight miles south of Ft. Stanwix. Brigadier General Nicolas Herkimer assembled a force of about 800 Tyron militia and 60 Onedia warriors (the only tribe to side with the patriots) at Ft. Dayton and began moving to reinforce Ft Stanwix. They are attacked by Col Butler's Loyalists and Indians. Gen Herkimer was fatally wounded. Both sides suffered the heaviest casualties of the war.
14 Aug 1777: Skirmish at Breakabeen (Vroman's land) between the patriots of Maj Wynkoop's Calvary and Col Hager's men and the loyalist Captain McDonald (from Charlotte's Creek) & Ens'n Adam Crysler's men.
15 Sep 1777: Col Butler is authorized to raise five companies of Rangers.
Sep-Oct 1777: Battles around Saratoga, west of the Hudson River and 3 miles north of Stillwater, between the American Major General Horatio Gates and British Lieutenant General John Burgoyne. This battle was a turning point, and decisive in the American Revolution.
9-12 Sep 1777: Gen Gates, heavily reinforced, moves about 7,000 men from Cohoes to 3 miles north of Stillwater, occupies and reinforces a plateau at Bemis Heights (Nielson's Farm). Gen Gates established a three front defense with; Major General Benedict Arnold on the left, Brigadier General Ebenezer Learned at the center, and Major General Horatio Gates on the right.
On the right and under Gates was: Brigadier General Glover's Continental Brigade
Brigadier General Nixon's Continental Brigade
Brigadier General Patterson's Continental Brigade
14-17 Sep 1777: Gen Burgoyne crosses the Hudson River and occupies Sword's farm.
19 Sep 1777: The first major engagement with the Battle of Freeman's Farm. The battle results in losses of two to one for Gen Burgoyne.
6 Oct 1777: Gen Sir Henry Clinton attacks Ft. Montgomery and Ft. Clinton in the Hudson Highlands. Both forts surrender, American Gen George Clinton, and Col John Lamb escape.
7 Oct 1777: The second major engagement at Bemis Heights, where Gen Burgoyne force's suffered 4 times the losses of the entrenched Americans.
17 Oct 1777: Gen Burgoyne's forces retreating are surrounded at Saratoga (Schuylerville) and he surrenders to Gen Gates.
Nov 1777: the start of construction on three forts at Schoharie.
Spring 1778: construction of the fort at Cherry Valley, Tyron Co.
Apr-Nov 1778: Construction on the fort at Beaverdam.
1 Jun 1778: Skirmish at Cobleskill (George Warner's house). Capt Patrick moving 40 Regulars from the lower fort to reinforce the upper fort of Capt Brown, engage Indians under the Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant. Moving with Capt Patrick was Capt Brown with 17 Militia. The patriots lost 17 killed and retreated to the lower fort.
10 Jul 1778: France declares war on Britain.
11 Nov 1778: massacre of civilians at Cherry Valley (current Otsego Co, NY) by forces under Brant. 47 people died in that massacre. The next day 200 Militia from the Mohawk valley arrived to no avail.
Aug 1779: Lt Col William Butler, 4th Rgmt PA with a company of Morgan's Rangers, reinforce the middle fort at Schoharie.
Fall 1779: Campaign by Gen John Sullivan and Gen James Clinton against Indian villages in the region of Tioga and Chemung (Finger Lakes region). It was supported by the regulars from Schoharie.
24 Apr 1780: Another raid on Cherry Valley. The remaining buildings and empty fort are burnt - the town ceases to exist.
7 Jun 1780: at Vroman's Land, Loyalist Lt Chrysler leading Indians killed five residents, took two prisoners and destroyed stores and homes. Roscoe says Simms stated 30 prisoners were taken.
23 Sep 1780: Benedict Arnold's plot to commit treason by surrendering West Point to the British is discovered.
17 Oct 1780: "The Burning of the Valley's," eight hundred to one thousand Tories, Indians and British regulars under Col John Johnson and the Mohawk Chief Brant attack the middle fort and lower forts at Schoharie. They continued through the valley razing the towns, destroying supplies and homes.
19 Oct 1780: the force moves on to Stone Arabia, "Battle of Klock's Field," where Col Brown's militia is severely beaten.
1 Sep 1781: Massacre of the Dietz family in Beaverdam (Berne).
19 Oct 1781: General Cornwallis surrenders British forces at Yorktown, VA.
25 Oct 1781: Battle of Johnstown, the last large scale battle in NY. Major John Ross and Cpt Walter Butler with about six hundred Regulars, Loyalists, and Indians from Oswego, is forced to retreat by troops in Tyron Militia, under Col Marinus Willett. Col Willett was in command at Ft. Rensselaer (1st Rgmt NY Levies), and requested reinforcements from Ft. Clyde, Ft. Paris and Ft. Plank prior to the engagement. These included elements from the Tyron Co, 1st, 2d, 3d Rgmts.
30 Oct 1781: Ross and Willett's forces again engage this time at the ford of West Canada Creek. Maj Ross is killed and the patriots win this skirmish.
10 Nov 1781: Adam Crysler with 28 Indians kills one in Schoharie, burns two buildings and takes 50 cattle.
19 Apr 1783: Congress ratifies Treaty of Paris, which concludes the American Revolution.
3 Nov 1783: Continental Army disbands by order of Congress.
|
| ROSCOE, William E. "History of Schoharie
County." Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co., 1862. http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyschoha/roscoes.html |