Siege of Fort Stanwix

Siege of Fort Stanwix
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Aerial view of the reconstructed Fort Stanwix
Date August 2–22, 1777 (from a Saturday to a Friday) Location Fort Stanwix, New York 43°12′38″N 75°27′19″W / 43.21056°N 75.45528°W / 43.21056; -75.45528 Result American victory
Belligerents
Great Britain Hesse-Hanau Mohawk Seneca	United States Oneida
Commanders and leaders
Barry St. Leger John Johnson John Butler Joseph Brant Cornplanter Sayenqueraghta	Peter Gansevoort Nicholas Herkimer Benedict Arnold Han Yerry
Strength
750 regulars and provincials 800 indigenous	750 regulars (Gansevoort) 800 militia and 50 Oneida (Herkimer) 700 regulars and 100–300 militia (Arnold)
Casualties and losses
British, Hessian, Loyalist • 5 killed • 47 wounded or sick • 41 captured or missing Indigenous • 32 killed, captured, or missing • 34 wounded or sick[1]	American • 392 killed • 68 wounded • 30 captured • 9 missing[2]

The siege of Fort Stanwix (also known as Fort Schuyler) began on August 2, 1777, and ended on August 22, 1777. Fort Stanwix, at the western end of the Mohawk River Valley, was a primary defense point for the Continental Army against the British and indigenous forces aligned against them during the American Revolutionary War. The fort was occupied by Continental Army forces from New York and Massachusetts under the command of Colonel Peter Gansevoort. The besieging force was composed of British regulars, Loyalist soldiers, Hessians, and indigenous warriors, under the command of Brigadier General Barry St. Leger. St. Leger's expedition was a diversion in support of Lieutenant General John Burgoyne's campaign to take control of the Hudson River Valley to the east.

One attempt at relief was thwarted early in the siege when a force of New York militia under Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer was ambushed on August 6 at the Battle of Oriskany by a large detachment of St. Leger's forces. While the battle did not involve the fort's garrison, some of its occupants sortied and plundered the nearly empty indigenous and Loyalist camps, which was a blow to the morale of St. Leger's indigenous allies. The siege was finally broken when American reinforcements under the command of Major General Benedict Arnold approached, and Arnold used a ruse to convince the besiegers that he had a much larger force. This misinformation, combined with the departure of many of the indigenous warriors, led St. Leger to abandon the effort and withdraw.

St. Leger's failure to advance on Albany contributed to Burgoyne's surrender following the Battles of Saratoga in October 1777. Although St. Leger reached Fort Ticonderoga with some of his forces in late September, he was too late to aid Burgoyne.