Yet Henry could not sleep for a long time. This ambush on Continental forces would produce more casualties than Newtown, while the burning of New Chemung would become an example of how Continental forces would deal with American Indians in the future. 42° 1.687′ N, 76° 41.275′ W. Marker is near Chemung, New York, in Chemung County. Then the second howitzer, aimed well like the first, sent a shell almost to the same point, and a like cry came back. Title: Microsoft Word - Battle of Chemung.doc Author: Jim W. Filipski Created Date: 5/4/2007 7:44:38 PM The victorious army, animated by the memory of the countless cruelties that had been practiced on the border, pushed harder and harder. The County of Chemung, State of New York, was incorporated by Act of the State Legislature as a County of the State of New York by Chapter 77 of the Laws of 1836 on March 29, 1836, being taken from the western part of Tioga County, with the County Seat at Elmira. Interstate 86 or Route 17 is on the right of the photo. Long Jim and Tom Ross had suffered slight wounds that they scarcely noticed, and they and the whole group of scouts were just behind Henry. When its last echo died they sent forth a fierce, defiant note of their own, and, crawling forward, began to send in their bullets. Nonetheless, they managed to increase their pressure on frontier settlements in 1780. It was the first time that they had ever beheld a large and regular army going into action, and they were a part of it, a part by no means unimportant. It was Henry, with his consummate skill and daring, who had uncovered the position of the enemy, and now, without snatching a moment's sleep, he was ready to lead where the fray might be thickest. But sharp eyes were watching them. Henry found himself exclaiming. He wrote some of his finest literary classics, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as he was perched high above the Chemung River in his octagonal study. The American army not only carried the center of the Indian camp, but the heavy flanking parties closed in also, and the whole Indian army was driven in at every point. Today, Chemung County's heart is beating with the vitality of a modern business center, yet remains peaceful in nature. The Deserted Cabin, The Scouts Of The Valley - Chapter 14. He looked around and saw the face of Heemskerk, glowing red with zeal and exertion. One defeat means more to them than a half dozen to us.". Henry kept his gaze fixed upon a point where the earthwork was lowest. It sent its great shell in a curving line at and over the embankment, where it burst with a crash, followed by a shout of mingled pain and awe. The rifles were at work now, thousands of them, and they kept up an incessant crash, while above them rose the unbroken thunder of the cannon. N 42° 01.684 W 076° 41.284. Jules Verne. They had toiled so long and so faithfully that the work of watching and scouting that night could be intrusted to others. The Battle of Chemung was considered an early success for the Sullivan-Clinton campaign being the first combat between the Continentals and British-allied Native Americans and Loyalists. By Brian Scott, September 21, 2015. The fires which had formed a great core of light also sank, and the shadows crept toward the camp. The scouts could now see through the trees the embankments and rifle pits, and they could also see the last of the Iroquois and Tory skirmishers leaping over the earthworks and taking refuge with their army. The Battle of Chemung is re-enacted annually at Newtown Battlefield State Park in … Copyright 2010 By FOB, All Rights Reserved -. Battle of Chemung Monument Credits. Paul was awake in an instant, and the second instant he was on his feet, rifle in hand, and heart thrilling for the great attack. As a result, Iroquois attached to Chief Joseph Brandt followed him in a resettlement to Canada. Gen. John Sullivan’s troops were camped at Tioga Point, near the present-day Athens, Pa., when scouts brought word of the settlement at New Chemung. The three-pounders also opened fire, and sent their balls squarely into the rifle pits and the Indian camp. If you like this book please share to your friends : The Scouts Of The Valley - Chapter 21. History of the Lower Chemung River Valley, The Revolutionary War (American War of Independence). The noises of the night interested him. Battle of Chemung Marker. The attack was now pressed with fresh vigor. They were glad when they saw the cheerful lights of the camp fires twinkling through the forest, and heard the voices of many men talking. Now he was the very first of the scouts, although his comrades and a dozen others were close behind him. Mark Twain (a.k.a. By and by, as the night deepened, the five saw fiery eyes in the thickets, and the long howls came again. Shif'less Sol, Long Jim, Silent Tom, Heemskerk, and the rest were by the side of him, and all about them rose the sounds of an army going into battle, commands sharp and short, the rolling of cannon wheels, the metallic rattle of bayonets, the clink of bullets poured into the pouches, and the hum of men talking in half-finished sentences. Nothing could have turned him back now. Their work done, the sharpshooters fell back again, the gunners worked faster for a while, and then at a command they ceased suddenly. Henry, with the memory of Wyoming and all the other dreadful things that had come before his eyes, saw red. Oonali!" They beheld a dead warrior at every step, and at intervals were rifles, tomahawks, scalping knives, blankets, and an occasional shot pouch or powder horn. Shif'less Sol, watching the shots, jumped up and down in delight. The Buffalo March, The Scouts Of The Valley - Chapter 19. Chemung County is known as "Mark Twain Country". The Continental commander in chief, General George Washington, gave Sullivan orders to attack the Iroquois of the Finger Lakes region, who were allied with the British, in what is known as the “Sullivan Expedition.” Washington had first requested General Horatio Gates to challenge the Iroquois, but Gates refused. He watched the men going about, and the sentinels pacing back and forth around the camp. They were not far ahead, and the scouts now proceeded very slowly, examining every tree and clump of bushes to see whether a lurking enemy was hidden there. "The Iroquois have always thought they were invincible, and now the spell's been broke. Armies of Sullivan and Clinton, similar to other markers in state about Sullivan's Trail and Battles with Native Americans in 1779. Battle of Chemung or Newtown, New York On this day in 1779, at what is modern-day Elmira, New York, near the state's southwestern border with Pennsylvania, Continental forces led by Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General James Clinton defeat a combined force of Loyalists and Indians commanded by Captain Walter Butler and Chief Joseph Brant. Routes of the Armies of General John Sullivan and General James Clinton 1779 . It seemed that they might be hemmed in against the river, but in their flight they came to a ford. Despite the best efforts of the Iroquois, the Chemung Valley fell into the hands of American settlers following the war. The Iroquois were driven back along the Chemung. The river provided both a means of transport and sustenance for the Iroquois of the surrounding region. The Battle of Chemung (August 13, 1779… Henry saw both Thayendanegea and Timmendiquas, the plumes in their hair waving aloft, and he felt sure that wherever they stood the battle would be thickest. Henry caught one glimpse of a face that was white, that of Braxton Wyatt, and he sought a shot at the renegade leader, but he could not get it. They retreated slowly, firing from every covert, sending a shower of bullets, and now and then tittering the war whoop. Now bigger voices than those of the rifles shall talk.". "It's the best job that's been done in these parts for many a year," he said. Famous Authors (View All Authors) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Down The Ohio, The Great Sioux Trail: A Story Of Mountain And Plain - Chapter 3. They kept on for the bank, and their own men behind them opened a covering fire over their heads. As Braxton Wyatt had truly said, these scouts were the best in the world. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. The retreat was becoming a rout. They had been told already that they were to march again in the morning. The Americans were now pushing forward their cannon, six three-pounders and two howitzers, the howitzers, firing five-and-a-half-inch shells, new and terrifying missiles to the Indians. It was to all the five a vast and stirring scene. Henry leaped upon the earthwork. ", "Come on," cried Henry in return, "and we'll lead!". Many camp fires were built, and the soldiers, happy in their victory, were getting ready for supper. now!" The sharp crack, sounding triply loud at such a time, came back from the forest in many echoes, and a light puff of smoke arose. The Pursuit On The River, The Scouts Of The Valley - Chapter 13. "Here's work for us now.". Location. Precipitate flight was saving the fugitives from a greater loss in killed and wounded-it was usually Indian tactics to flee with great speed when the battle began to go against them-but the people of the Long House had suffered the greatest overthrow in their history, and bitterness and despair were in the hearts of the Iroquois chiefs as they fled. An Indian fired at him point blank, and he swung heavily with his clubbed rifle. Deep peace came over him, and his eyelids drooped, the sounds in the camp sank to the lowest murmur, but just as he was falling asleep there came from the battlefield behind then the far, faint howl of a wolf, the dirge of the Iroquois. 6. The earthwork, the thickets, and the trees were torn by cannon balls. Henry heard a panting breath by his side. John Butler and Joseph Brant did not want to make a stand at Newtown, but proposed instead to harass the enemy on the march, but they were overruled by Sayenqueraghtaand other Indian chiefs. "It sounds like the dirge of the people of the Long House," said Paul, upon whose sensitive mind the scene made a deep impression. Some tents raised by the Tories lay in ruins, and the earth was stained with many dark splotches. The volume of smoke deepened, and it was shot through with the sharp, pungent odor of burned gunpowder. Heemskerk welcomed them there. Thayendanegea and Timmendiquas raged and sought to gather together enough men for an ambush, for anything that would sting the victors, but they were pushed too hard and fast. A valorous charge led by Colonel Hubley drove the Indians to the swamp a quarter mile west. The five beard the bullets whizzing past them, and the sudden cries of the wounded behind them, but they never ceased to rush straight for the embankment. Then they turned back and saw the long line of their own army steadily advancing, while the sounds of heavy firing still continued on both flanks. Battle of Chemung was fought two weeks before the better known Battle of Newtown. ", "That's true," said Henry, "but in my opinion the Iroquois are overthrown forever. This ain't any Wyomin'!". Battle Of The Chemung (Format : PDF). He saw there the plumed head of Thayendanegea, and he intended to strike if he could. The artillery fire had never ceased for a moment, the shells and balls passing over their heads. In addition, it is included in the The Sullivan-Clinton Expedition Against the Iroquois Indians series list.