Attack on German Flatts (1757)
Encyclopedia
On November 12, 1757 during the French and Indian War
, a company of French and Indian warriors staged an attack on German Flatts, on the north side of the Mohawk River
in the British Province of New York
. The settlement of Palatine German refugees and their families was destroyed, and many of the women and children were taken prisoner. (Since 1788 the village has been called Herkimer, New York
and not German Flatts.)
. The British
had failed in an expedition against Louisbourg
, and defeated at Fort William Henry
by the French and their Indian allies. New France's governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuil
, had attempted to convince German settlers in the Mohawk River
valley to support the French cause. When the Germans failed to support the French in the assault on Fort William Henry
in August, Vaudreuil decided to send a punitive expedition against them. He attacked the settlement called German Flatts, on the north side of the Mohawk River west of Little Falls. (This settlement is where present-day Herkimer, New York
is located, and not the modern German Flatts
on the south side of the Mohawk River.)
Vaudreuil assembled a force of about 300 at Lachine
under the command of François-Marie Picoté de Belestre
, an experienced commander in the troupes de la marine
. On October 20, this company left Lachine and traveled up the Saint Lawrence River
and along the shore of Lake Ontario
to the mouth of the Oswego River
, site of another French victory in 1756. From there they traveled up the river, crossed the Oneida Carry
to the Mohawk River, and descended to German Flatts. They arrived near the settlement on November 11.
At the time, German Flatts consisted of about 30 homes and 300 settlers, with five fortified blockhouse
s. Although friendly Oneida
had warned of the attack, the settlers had made no defensive preparations.
for safety. The fort's commander sent out a detachment of fifty men, but they retreated after a brief exchange of gunfire with Belestre's force. The next day Belestre departed, his canoes loaded with prisoners and plunder; he returned to Montreal on November 20.
the day after the attack. General George Howe
immediately came up the river with the 42nd Regiment, but found nothing more than the smoking ruins of the settlement.
Most of the prisoners were later exchanged for those held by the British. Gradually the German residents returned and rebuilt the settlement. During the American Revolutionary War
, German Flatts was attacked
in 1778, with considerable loss of life and crops. Fighting on the frontier in the valley was fierce during those years.
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, a company of French and Indian warriors staged an attack on German Flatts, on the north side of the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
in the British Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
. The settlement of Palatine German refugees and their families was destroyed, and many of the women and children were taken prisoner. (Since 1788 the village has been called Herkimer, New York
Herkimer (village), New York
Herkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States, about southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people. The village is named after the Herkimers, Palatine German immigrants who settled in this area in 1723...
and not German Flatts.)
Background
The campaign season for 1757 had been a successful one for authorities in New FranceNew France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
. The British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
had failed in an expedition against Louisbourg
Louisbourg Expedition (1757)
The Louisbourg Expedition was a failed British attempt to capture the French fortress of Louisbourg on Île Royale during the Seven Years' War ....
, and defeated at Fort William Henry
Battle of Fort William Henry
The Siege of Fort William Henry was conducted in August 1757 by French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm against the British-held Fort William Henry...
by the French and their Indian allies. New France's governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuil
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal was a Canadian-born French colonial governor in North America...
, had attempted to convince German settlers in the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
valley to support the French cause. When the Germans failed to support the French in the assault on Fort William Henry
Fort William Henry
Fort William Henry was a British fort at the southern end of Lake George in the province of New York. It is best known as the site of notorious atrocities committed by Indians against the surrendered British and provincial troops following a successful French siege in 1757, an event which is the...
in August, Vaudreuil decided to send a punitive expedition against them. He attacked the settlement called German Flatts, on the north side of the Mohawk River west of Little Falls. (This settlement is where present-day Herkimer, New York
Herkimer (village), New York
Herkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States, about southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people. The village is named after the Herkimers, Palatine German immigrants who settled in this area in 1723...
is located, and not the modern German Flatts
German Flatts, New York
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,629 at the 2000 census.The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer on the south side of the Mohawk River, and southeast of Utica.-Herkimer:This...
on the south side of the Mohawk River.)
Vaudreuil assembled a force of about 300 at Lachine
Lachine, Quebec
Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now a borough within the city of Montreal.-History:...
under the command of François-Marie Picoté de Belestre
François-Marie Picoté de Belestre
François-Marie Picoté, sieur de Belestre II was a colonial soldier for both New France and Great Britain....
, an experienced commander in the troupes de la marine
Troupes de la marine
See also Troupes de Marine for later history of same Corps.The Troupes de la Marine , also known as independent companies of the navy and colonial regulars, were under the authority of the French Minister of Marine, who was also responsible for the French navy, overseas trade, and French...
. On October 20, this company left Lachine and traveled up the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
and along the shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
to the mouth of the Oswego River
Oswego River (New York)
The Oswego River is a river in upstate New York in the United States. This river is the second-largest river flowing into Lake Ontario. James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Pathfinder, or The Inland Sea is set in the Oswego River valley...
, site of another French victory in 1756. From there they traveled up the river, crossed the Oneida Carry
Oneida Carry
-Overview:The Oneida Carry was an important link in the trade route between Albany, New York, Oneida Lake, and Lake Ontario during the 18th Century...
to the Mohawk River, and descended to German Flatts. They arrived near the settlement on November 11.
At the time, German Flatts consisted of about 30 homes and 300 settlers, with five fortified blockhouse
Blockhouse
In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
s. Although friendly Oneida
Oneida tribe
The Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
had warned of the attack, the settlers had made no defensive preparations.
Attack
On November 12, 1757 at around 3 am, Belestre's force launched an attack on German Flatts from the hills north of the village. The five blockhouses quickly surrendered before the superior force. Forty people were killed, all the buildings were destroyed, and more than 100 of the inhabitants, mostly women and children, were captured and taken back to Montreal. Some of the inhabitants fled across the Mohawk to Fort HerkimerFort Herkimer
Fort Herkimer was a fort located on the southern side of the Mohawk River, opposite West Canada Creek, in central New York, United States.The fort was first built in 1740, around the homestead of the Herscheimer family...
for safety. The fort's commander sent out a detachment of fifty men, but they retreated after a brief exchange of gunfire with Belestre's force. The next day Belestre departed, his canoes loaded with prisoners and plunder; he returned to Montreal on November 20.
Aftermath
News reached SchenectadySchenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
the day after the attack. General George Howe
George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe
George Augustus Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe was a career officer and a Brigadier General in the British Army. He was described by James Wolfe as "the best officer in the British Army"...
immediately came up the river with the 42nd Regiment, but found nothing more than the smoking ruins of the settlement.
Most of the prisoners were later exchanged for those held by the British. Gradually the German residents returned and rebuilt the settlement. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, German Flatts was attacked
Attack on German Flatts (1778)
On September 17, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, a force of Loyalists and Iroquois made an attack on German Flatts, New York .-Prelude:...
in 1778, with considerable loss of life and crops. Fighting on the frontier in the valley was fierce during those years.