End of the War
How the chaotic end of the American Revolution forged the physical and political landscape of America
Fort in the fogFort Stanwix National Monument
May 1781: Fort Schuyler burns
Commander Robert Cochran and Gen. James Clinton suspected arson due to starvation and low morale, but rule it an accident based on testimony. The ruined fort is abandoned for another location, German Flatts.
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February 1783: The Oswego Expedition
As the American Revolution was drawing to a close and preliminary peace talks were already underway, General George Washington ordered a surprise winter attack against a British-held fort, Fort Ontario, at Oswego, New York.
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Sleighs were abandoned at Fort Brewerton. The sledge dogs were killed to prevent barking. Scouts got lost in the swamp, and when dawn broke, they found themselves lost. Starving troops resorted to eating the dogs raw.
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• 500 men marched
• 12 days in sub-zero conditions
• 5 days without food
• 130+ frostbitten casualties
The fort at Oswego remained safely in British hands until the Jay Treaty of 1796. The British commander of the fort later reported that "there never was a more ridiculous expedition".
Treaty of Paris Proclamation (14 January 1784)U.S. National Archives
1783: peace treaty signed
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, formally ended the American Revolutionary War, officially recognizing U.S. independence. Negotiated by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, it established generous boundaries for the new nation, extending west to the Mississippi River, north to Canada, and south to Florida.
Ratified Indian Treaty 9: Six Nations - Fort Stanwix Ratified Indian Treaty 9: Six Nations - Fort Stanwix (22 October 1784)U.S. National Archives
October 1784: Treaty of Fort Stanwix
First US-Indian treaty establishes the first Native reservation. Negotiated by Arthur Lee, Richard Butler, and Oliver Wolcott.
Hostages were taken from the Six Nations to ensure the return of POWs. The Oneida and Tuscarora are secure in their lands. The US grants peace to the Six Nations. A boundary line establishes the first American Indian reservation, yielding massive western territories to the US.
The Sovereignty Squeeze (1785-1789)
The weak Federal government could not stop NY State from negotiating its own state-level treaties to circumvent Federal protections.
1784: Six Nations Reserve
1785: Ft Herkimer; South NY ceded
1788: Ft Schuyler; Onondaga/Oneida lands slashed
1789: Albany Treaty; Cayuga lands reduced
Map Depicting the Siege of Fort Stanwix and the Oneida Carry (1777) by Francois Louis Tesseidre de FleuryFort Stanwix National Monument
From military carry to commercial chokepoint
The "Oneida Carry" was a 1-to-6 mile land break separating the continuous water route from Albany to the Great Lakes. The portage: travelers were forced to haul boats and cargo entirely overland, paying exorbitant tolls. The nation that controlled the carry controlled the West.
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Bypassing the rapids (1792–1803)
The Inland Lock & Navigation Company, led by Gen. Schuyler, began removing the portages.
1793: Rock dams built to bypass 57 rifts
1795: 5 locks constructed to eliminate the Little Falls portage
1797: A 1.7-mile canal with 2 locks at Rome connects the waterways, bypassing the Oneida Carry forever.
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The Erie Canal & The Empire State, 1817
The canal transformed Rome from a declining outpost into a thriving city. Today, 80% of upstate NY residents live within 25 miles of the canal. The completion of the waterway triggers massive demographic and economic explosion and by 1850 the population had quadrupled.
Map Depicting the Siege of Fort Stanwix and the Oneida Carry (1777) by Francois Louis Tesseidre de FleuryFort Stanwix National Monument
Echoes in the earth
The physical path of wartime suffering and diplomatic displacement perfectly mapped the route of America's first great economic highway.
Layer 1: The military march routes and Native portage trails (1781-1783)
Layer 2: The boundaries of the seized Six Nations lands (1784-1789)
Layer 3: The Erie Canal (1817)
The military march, the treaty line, and the commercial canal are the exact same line.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers of the Revolution Three Quarter View from left by National Park Service and Dan UFort Stanwix National Monument
Honoring the Unnamed
In 1972, excavations near Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY uncovered the remains of 8 unknown Revolutionary War soldiers. In 1976, they were re-interred beneath an obelisk designed by Lorimer Rich.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers of the Revolution by National Park Service and Dan UFort Stanwix National Monument
The Oneida Nation is now a designated Purple Heart Nation. The cities, locks, and vast wealth of the Empire State rest directly atop their forgotten sacrifices.
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