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 DEDICATION OF 
 
 THE ORISKAM MONUMENT, 
 
 August 6, 1884. 
 
 The monument erected by the Oneida Historical Society to 
 mark the spot where one hundred and seven years before the 
 battle of Oriskany was fought and General Herkimer fell, was 
 dedicated August 6, 1884. The exercises were appropriate and 
 successful in every way. The day was fine, and the attendance 
 good. 
 
 The little village of Oriskany and people living in the neighbor- 
 hood joined in the spirit of the day and welcomed tlio visitors by 
 numerous and profuse decorations of bunting and evei'green. 
 
 When the exercises began there were about six thousand 
 persons present. They came not only from Utica and Rome and 
 intermediate points, but from points east of Utica and in the 
 northern part of the county. They came in the cars, in canfl 
 steamboats, carryalls, hacks, cai-riages and wagons. They came 
 on foot, on wheels and on horseback by hundreds and thousands. 
 The fences surrounding the fields in the neighborhood of the 
 monument, were lined with vehicles of every description. As the 
 sun shone brightly, every tree and bush was surrounded by a 
 group eager to enjoy the shade. 
 
 The monument is fully desci-ibed in the address of Hon. John 
 F. Seymour. It stands on a hill naturally terraced, whicli com- 
 mands a most beautiful view of the Mohawk valley for ten or 
 fifteen miles east and west, and nearly as many miles north. 
 Directly opposite the monument is the little village of Floyd 
 Corners, and the white spire of its church gleams from among the 
 trees. Many of the visitors came early in the morning, and as 
 the exercises did not begin till 2 p. m., they seated themselves at 
 the foot of the monument or on the edges of the terraces enjoying 
 the view up and down the valley. To the dwellers in cities whose 
 
F 
 
 192 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 range of vision is hemmed in by brick walls, the scene was a very 
 inviting one. The elevation is so great that although there was 
 "but little shade, a cool breeze mollified the effects of the heat. In 
 the foreground the boats on the canal, the numerous trains passing 
 on the Central road, and the long line of visitors trudging their 
 way up the hill from the boats and cars, formed a scene of 
 animation. The green hills on the opposite side of the valley, 
 thickly sprinkled with shady groves, and studded here and there 
 with the white of farm houses and the red of farm barns, formed 
 a fitting back ground to this scene of life. The blue hills on the 
 extreme right and left completed the picture. From the railroad 
 or canal where many of the visitors landed, the picture was 
 scarcely less grand. On the top of the hill 100 feet high, rises the 
 massive monument, its tall obelisk piercing the sky. 
 
 In the immediate vicinity of the monument the scene was a 
 stin-ing one. Near the road the ladies of St. Peter's Church, 
 Oriskany, had a large tent, in which they served refreshments to 
 the hungry crowd. 
 
 The exercises were held on the north or shady side of the 
 ftouument. Two large American flags w^ere draped above the 
 roster tablet, and bouquets ornamented the tables on the platform. 
 
 At 2.30 p. M., in the absence of Hon. Horatio Seymour, president 
 of the Oneida Historical Society, Hon. Ellis H, Roberts, its vice- 
 president, called the assemblage to order. 
 
 The exercises were opened by the singing of "Des ist der Tag 
 des Herrn," (It is the Lord's own day,) by the Utica Maennerchor, 
 under the direction of Professor C. Sutorius. 
 
 An ajjpropriate prayer was offered by ReA\ Dr. James H. Taylor, 
 of Rome. 
 
 Mr. Roberts then introduced Hon. John F. Seymour as the 
 chairman of the committee on the building of the monument, who, 
 he said, had labored with zeal, persistence and discretion, and to 
 whom more than to any other single person, the credit is due for 
 the finished work. 
 
PRESENTATION ADDRESS. 
 
 BY JOHJS^ F. SEYMOUB, 
 Chairman of the Committee on Monument. 
 
 Mr. President and Members of the Oneida Historical Society : 
 
 Soon after the Centennial Celebration of the Battle of Oriskany, 
 in 1877, the Oneida Historical Society took measures to 
 buy land, prepare plans and make contracts for the buildiug of a 
 monument to the memory of General Herkimer and his compatri- 
 ots who were engaged with him in that battle. 
 
 For this purpose a special committee was appointed by the Soci- 
 ety consisting of Alexander Seward, S. N. D. North, C. W. Hutch- 
 inson, S. G. Visscher, and myself, as chairman. 
 
 Many of the facts connected with this undertaking have already 
 appeared in an interesting "Story of a Monimient," from the 
 pen of Mr. S. JST. D. North, published in the present August num- 
 ber of the Magazine of American History. It is not my purpose 
 to repeat them but to commend the August number of tliat maga- 
 zine to your attention for its pleasant and instructive reading. 
 
 As some of you may not see that magazine, I must mention some 
 facts which are essential to an understanding of our report. 
 
 You have before you the result of our eiforts, in a monument, 
 the top of which is 190 feet above the level of the water in the 
 Erie canal in the valley below you. The pedestal and shaft of 
 this monment are 85 feet high, built upon a foundation which is 
 105 feet above the level of the canal. This foundation was built 
 by ]Mr. William Jones, of Utica, a master mason, who has had the 
 supervision of the whole of the work. Large as the pedestal and 
 shaft appear, they contain less stone than the foundation beneath 
 them. This foundation has a base of 24 feet and 4 inches 
 square, with a top 20 feet and 2 inches square, and is laid in 
 Portland and Howe's Cave cement 13 feet deep in the ground. 
 
 The stone used for the foundation, for the shaft and for the 
 backing of the granite pedestal is the limestone of the valley of 
 the Mohawk and of Onondaga county, the gift of the people of 
 this State to your Society for the purposes of this moniiment. It 
 is all laid in the best of Portland and Howe's Cave cement and 
 
194 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 with Schoharie sand. The pedestal is of granite, fi-om the Mt. 
 Waldo Granite works of Maine. It is 19 feet high, 20 feet square 
 at its base and 8 feet 3 inches square at its top. Upon this pedes- 
 tal rests an obelisk 66 feet high. All of the masonry above the 
 foundation is the work of Alexander Pirnie, of Remsen. On each 
 side of the die of the pedestal is a bronze tablet six feet wide and. 
 four and a half feet high. Two of the bronzes, in bas relief, tell 
 their own story, of the wounded general directing the battle, and 
 the mortal conflict between the Indian and the white man. Of the 
 two remaining tablets, one is a dedication written by Professor 
 Edward North, of Hamilton College, and the other is a roster con- 
 taining the names of all those engaged in the battle on our side, as 
 far as we can ascertain them — only 250 out of 800 — thus telling 
 the deadly character of tlie conflict.* 
 
 These tablets are the work of the National Fine Art Foundry, 
 of tlie city of New York, carried on by Judge Maurice J. Power, 
 who united with the Mt. Waldo Granite Works in the design and 
 contract for the monument, dated July 4, 1882, and that con- 
 tract was approved by the Society and ordered signed by your 
 Recording Secretary, October 11, 1882. 
 
 The Mt. Waldo Granite Works and the National Fine Art 
 Foundry, have been paid in full, save a small sum kept back to 
 secure the fulfillment of their contract. We bought of Mr. Wil- 
 liam Riugrose five acres, (lacking thirteen rods,) of this battlefield, 
 including the site of the monument, and have paid for the same • 
 but by our contract we are imder obligation to fence it, and there 
 are some unsettled accounts, and the accounts of the committee 
 have not been audited, so that we can not state that everything is 
 closed up. The cost of the land, and material, and labor, and 
 fence, will not be less than $12,000. 
 
 We are ready to give an account of our stewardship, and our 
 work is so nearly completed that we think this anniversary of the 
 Battle of Oriskany should mark the dedication of this monument, 
 and of the park which surrounds it. 
 
 It is proper to state that the resolution of the Continental Con- 
 gress of 1777, was the foundation of our success in obtaining as- 
 sistance from the General Government, as well as from the State 
 of New York. That resolution was in the following words : 
 ^ ^^ Hesolved^ That the Governor and Council of New York, be 
 
 *For the accompanying engravings of the pictorial tablets, -we are indebted to 
 the courtesy of Mrs. Martha J. Lamb, the accomplished editress of the Magazine of 
 American History. For Roster see Appendix. 
 
DEDICATORY INSCRIPTION ON BRONZE TABLET. 
 
 HERE WAS FOUGHT 
 
 THE BATTLE OF ORISKANY, 
 
 ON THE Gth day OF AUGUST, 1777. 
 
 HERE BRITISH INVASION WAS CHECKED AND THWARTED. 
 
 HERE GENERAL NICHOLAS HERKIMER, 
 
 INTREPID LEADER OF THE AMERICAN FORCES, 
 
 THOUGH MORTALLY WOUNDED KEPT COMMAND OF THE FIGHT 
 
 TILL THE ENEMY HAD FLED. 
 
 THE LIFE-BLOOD OF MORE THAN 
 
 TWO HUNDRED PATRIOT HEROES 
 
 MADE THIS BATTLE GROUND 
 
 SACRED FOREVER. 
 
 THIS MONUMENT WAS BUILT 
 
 A. D. 1883, IN THE YEAR OF INDEPENDENCE 107, 
 
 BY GRATEFUL DWELLERS IN THE MOHAWK VALLEY, 
 
 UNDER THE DIRECTION 
 
 OF THE ONEIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
 
 AIDED BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT 
 
 AND THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
 
PRESENTATION ADDRESS. 197 
 
 desired to erect a mouument at Continental expense, of the value 
 of five hundred dollars, to the memory of the late Brigadier Gen- 
 eral Herkimer, who commanded the militia of Tryon county, in 
 the State of New York, and was killed fighting gallantly in 
 defense of the liberties of these States." 
 
 There was no Oneida county then, and nothing here save a wil- 
 derness. When we recall the poverty of that Continental Con- 
 gress, its empty treasury, its worthless paper, its half-clad, half- 
 fed soldiers, the destitution of women and cliildren, in which New 
 York shared, we do not wonder that this resolution effected noth- 
 ing at that time. 
 
 Dire necessity and the struggle for the living, compelled a post- 
 ponement of this tribute to the dead, until, at last, our independ- 
 ence won, the tide of emigration crowding into and through this 
 valley, compelled the making of stage roads, the grand Erie canal, 
 the New York Central Railroad, and the telegraphic lines, all of 
 which you see in the valley below you, monuments themselves of 
 the enterprise of the people who constructed them, but not monu- 
 ments for the dead. Congress slept over the resolution of 1777, 
 and for many years resisted all awakenings in that direction. But 
 after a time Historical Societies were formed, and among them, in 
 187(3, our own appeared, and united her efforts with those of 
 others in arousing the attention of our people to the important 
 military history of New York. 
 
 The approach of the Centennial years of the Republic gave 
 power to these eftbrts, and early in the year 1877, at the request of 
 citizens of Rome, this Society called a public meeting at Utica to 
 organize a proper celebration of the Battle of Oriskany, upon its 
 hundredth anniversary. 
 
 This celebration was instituted by our Society, and invitations 
 to it sent out broadcast, and such a response came up from every 
 direction as was never before heard in this section of the State. 
 Seventy-five thousand people appeared as by magic, and covered 
 these hills " to honor the courage and devotion displayed here one 
 hvmdred years ago." The speakers who addressed this great 
 crowd of people, appealed to them " to see that the graves of dead 
 patriots were marked by monuments." 
 
 In answer to these appeals and in compliance with the wishes of 
 our citizens, the Oneida Historical Society undertook to build the 
 Oriskany Monument, Brief as the time has been since our suc- 
 cessful undertaking commenced, there were those present at the 
 Centennial who were greatly interested, but who have now passed 
 
198 DEDICATION OF OEISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 away. I will mention two councilors of tbe Society, the venerable 
 Pomroy Jones, the Historian of Oneida County, who has died within 
 a few days — and the benevolent Theodore S. Faxton — who, imme- 
 diately after the Centennial, volunteered a contribution of -|200 to 
 the Pi-esident of the Society. Also, the lamented Senator Web- 
 ster Wagner, whose sad death is still fresh in the memory of our 
 people, and whose generoiis subscription of |250 is the largest of 
 the contributions obtained by the indefatigable Simms. 
 
 Through the efforts of our representatives and friends in and out 
 of Congress, the General Government finally honored the resolu- 
 tion of the Continental Congress of 1777, by appropriating |500 
 with interest, making $4,100, Avhich sum was placed in the hands 
 of this Society. The Legislature of our State seconded this move- 
 ment by appropriating i>3,000 conditional upon the raising of an 
 equal sum by private subscription, and added the gift of the lime- 
 stone in the Utica weigh lock. 
 
 There was collected by J. R. Simms, $1,024. Other private 
 subscriptions amounted to $3,743.37, making a total of receipts 
 paid][to the treasurer, $11,867.37, and there are some accounts not 
 collected. With this money your committee purchased and paid 
 for^the land upon which we are assembled to-day, including the 
 site of the monument. 
 
 We broadened the purpose and scope of this monument, as in 
 our subscription paper we had promised to do. It is not only a 
 monument to the memory of brave General Herkimer, but also to 
 the memory of his brave associates in the Battle of Oriskany. 
 And now when the morning sun gilds the church spire in the vil- 
 lage of Floyd, which you see on the hills across the valley, the 
 roster of men of the Battle of Oriskany salutes the memory of 
 General Floyd, and may well say you are justly immortal as one 
 of the signers of the declaration of independence ; we also are im- 
 mortal as among the makers of that independence.' Onr people 
 were not ungrateful ; they were poor, but they stamped upon their 
 homes the names of their benefactors — look beyond Floyd and you 
 will see the town of Steuben ; look south and you see the town of 
 Kirkland, and its college named after General Hamilton. 
 
 I dare not attempt to mention the names of those whose patriot- 
 ism and generosity have enabled us to build this monument. They 
 will be found in the recoi'ds of the Oneida Historical Society. To 
 all we return our sincere thanks ; but I am sure I shall be pardoned 
 if I make mention of the late Jeptha R. Simms, of Fort Plain, 
 who, before others had moved in this matter, commenced soliciting 
 
RESPONSE OF VICE-PRESIDENT EGBERTS. 199 
 
 dollar subscriptions, and with great pains and many steps gath- 
 ered one thousand and twenty-four dollars, and paid them over to 
 our treasurer, Mr. Robert S. Williams. A record of the names of 
 the dollar subscribers, with a statement of larger sums, was filed 
 by him in the library of the Historical Society. 
 
 And I must not fail to mention here that when we found our- 
 selves in want of monej^ to pay for the roster tablet and for the 
 bas-relief tablet of the combat between the Indian and the white 
 man, an appeal was made by your President to some of our Ger- 
 man citizens in New York. They at once sent him more than the 
 sum required. We no longer call those tablets bas-relief, but high 
 relief. 
 
 Before closing this imperfect account of our work, I desire to 
 thank the people residing in the vicinity of this monument for 
 their uniform kindness and interest, and I only make known the 
 wishes of you all when I express the hope that they may continue 
 their interest, and be with you the protectors of this monument. 
 
 And now, Mr. President, it only remains for us to commit to you 
 and to the Oneida Historical Society the sacred care and keeping 
 of this monument and these grounds. 
 
 Mr. Roberts in accepting the monument, spoke briefly as 
 
 follows: 
 
 ADDRESS OF HOX. ELLIS H. ROBERTS. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen : 
 
 A duty and privilege long since recognized are now consum- 
 mated. The battle of Oriskany is commemorated by a lasting 
 token on its historic site, and the heroism of those who fought and 
 fell on this ground, is told to all whose eyes shall turn hither 
 while time records the passing years. For a century the story 
 of the share of the Mohawk valley in the creation of the 
 Republic, was preserved chiefly in local tradition and in the 
 sybilline leaves of personal narrative or buried in ponderous 
 chronicles. Seven years ago the scenes of the bloodiest battle of 
 the Revolution were strongly drawn upon the original stage, and 
 the actors took their place forever as real and as enduring as the 
 river which flows yonder, as the valley which stretches beneath us, 
 as the hills which crown this landscape. 
 
 This monument stands at the gateway which nature has 
 provided on the pathway across the continent. It overlooks the 
 
200 DEDICATION OF OEISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 waters which mark the channel of traffic and of power. This is 
 our Thermopylae, our Marathon. No sturdier courage, no more 
 profound consecration, no nobler cause decorates the historic pass 
 of Thessaly, or that scene where 
 
 " The mountains took on Marathon 
 And Marathon looks on the sea." 
 
 Here are the gates where foreign invasion received its first vital 
 check when the fate of the continent was trembling in the balance. 
 This is the sacred altar where one of the earliest and bloodiest 
 sacrifices was made for American independence. Along this 
 valley the red men had kept their confederacy, born of their 
 necessities and their aspirations, and prophecy of a grander union 
 yet to be. Into this valley flowed the tides of migration from all 
 the chief countries of Europe. They formed the complex ranks 
 of the brave army which Herkimer held against the flower of the 
 British forces and their savage allies. The distinction of our 
 commonwealth has its roots just here. To its soil union as well as 
 freedom is native. Its population has always been the resultant 
 of various streams with the strongest qualities of diSerent races. 
 They gathered where the x\lmighty had placed the channels of 
 movement for traffic and for peoples, and the seat of commanding 
 pow'er. This was not Virginia and it was not New England, It 
 was the embryo of the Empire State. It was the natural key to 
 the original union, formed by its rivers and by its mountains. 
 Strife and battle followed its waters; victory perched upon its 
 hills and national life was nurtured in its valleys. 
 
 In the center of New York this monument rises, solid, 
 impressive, majestic in its memories and its teachings, in honor of 
 some of the earliest and most useful martyrs to national inde- 
 pendence, to blood precious both as sacrifice and as pledge of the 
 broad humanity which must include all races — English and 
 German, but also whatever else is best and richest in the old world 
 or the new. Yonder at its feet run the messengers of the com- 
 merce of this continent not only but of all lands. The industry 
 of millions passes daily along these channels. The lightning 
 flashes upon these wires whatever wealth or progress or prosperity 
 or power thinks or purposes or dreams. Nature laid deep founda- 
 tions, and drew its loveliest background, as if to make the place 
 and scenery befit the grand event which was here enacted, and add 
 to this granite structure rare comeliness and grandeur. 
 
 The battle of Oriskany was one of the turning points in the 
 
RESPONSE OF VICE-PRESIDENT ROBERTS. 201 
 
 military operations of the Revolution. St. Leger's defeat led to 
 the surrender of Burgoyne. Both together encouraged the French 
 to become our efficient allies. This proud shaft proclaims the 
 profound and far-reaching meaning of that original conflict in the 
 wilderness. It was a struggle, often hand to hand, for an 
 independent Republic, now by the grace of God, free, great, 
 continental, challenging the respect and admiration of mankind. 
 
 On far eastern plains great events have been commemorated by 
 like columns, by 
 
 " The tapering monument, the Egyptian's pride. 
 And wonder of tlie world, whose spiky top 
 Has wounded the thick cloud." 
 
 The waves of change have carried three of Egypt's imperial 
 obelisks to three chief cities of modern nations. Paris, London, 
 and New York study the strange characters traced upon the 
 historic monoliths. Tiie monuments survive the dynasties which 
 erected them. The events, the men, even the nation live anew in 
 alien lands in the records of the sculptured rock. 
 
 This imposing structui-e recalls the valor and the virtue of the 
 common people. It crystalizes an initial chapter in our national 
 life into this beautiful landscape. Like the event which it com- 
 memorates it is here the dominant feature. It rises above the 
 signs of industry and commerce and intercommunication. So may 
 patriotism, so may devotion to humanity, so may far-reaching 
 regard for the future to remote generations, stand supreme in the 
 breasts of the hundreds of millions who in and through the 
 Mohawk valley are to sustain the pillars of the Republic. 
 
 Not here and now can fitting thanks be rendered to the mem- 
 bers of the committee who have so diligently and wisely and 
 tastefully performed a task which has awaited a century for such 
 architects. They have well used the contributions of nation and 
 State and generous citizens. Their work is their best commenda- 
 tion. 
 
 And now, Mr. Chaii-man, on behalf of the Oneida Historical 
 Society, in the absence of that eminent statesman and beloved 
 citizen who has himself done so much towards the achievement we 
 now celebrate, it is my official duty, as it is a profound pleasure, 
 to accept the costly and precious gift which you commit to its care 
 and keeping. 
 
 " Time shall not sweep this monument away, 
 Time the destroyer ; no, nor dank decay. 
 This not alone heroic ashes holds ; 
 Our country's glory this earth-shrine enfolds." 
 
202 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 Mr. Roberts closed by reading tlie following letter : 
 
 Letter from Ex-Governor Seymour. 
 
 Cazenoyia, August 2, 1884. 
 Dear Sir: I am sorry I can not attend the meeting of the Oneida 
 Historical Society on Wednesday next, when the Oriskany monument will 
 be given over to its care, by the committee which has had charge of its con- 
 struction. It will be an object of great interest for many reasons. It will 
 be in full view from the great line of travel between the eastern and western 
 sections of our country. It will recall to a multitude of minds an event of 
 peculiar interest, not only on account of the character of the combatants, but 
 of its great importance, as it was the first check to the invasion of Burgoyne's 
 army, which threatened such disastrous results to our fathers in the 
 Revolutionary struggle. The defeat of the British in this campaign has 
 ever been regarded by historical and military writers as the turning point in 
 the Revolutionary war. It will excite hereafter other interests. It was 
 deep in the forests which overshadowed so much of our country when the 
 battle with savages was fought. Its scene could only be reached by toilsome 
 marches through a rude wilderness. Now the vast expanse between the 
 Atlantic and Pacific coast is traversed by thousands of miles of railroad, 
 which unite our great country by swift methods of intercourse. This 
 monument not only reminds our people of past events, but it will also be 
 suggestive with regard to their growth and greatness in the future. It will 
 quicken feelings of patriotism through many coming j^ears. I think there 
 are but few monuments in our laud which will recall more interesting 
 memories of the past, or which will excite more interest with regard to the 
 future. I congratulate the society upon the successful completion of the 
 monument. I am sure all of its members feel that they have been more 
 than repaid for their exertions to secure its erection. 
 
 I am respectfully yours, 
 
 Horatio Seymour. 
 To Hon. E. H. Roberts, vice-president of Oneida Historical Society. 
 
 The announcement was made that the only special invitations 
 issued for this gathering were to the President of the United 
 States and the Governor of New York. Mr. Cleveland's response, 
 which was read by S. G. Visscher, of I\ome, a member of the 
 committee, was as follows : 
 
 ExECDTTVE Mansion, Albany, July 24, 1884. 
 S. N. D. North, Esq., Secretary, dr. 
 
 Dear Sir : I have received your invitation to be present at the dedication 
 of the Oriskany monument on the 6th day of August next. 
 
 I should be very glad to be present, but expect about that time to leave 
 the city for a short and much needed vacation, and up to the time of leaving 
 I must be closely confined to the capital by official duties. 
 
 Yours, very truly, 
 
 Grover Cleveland. 
 
DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 203 
 
 Mr. Yisscher also read the following dispatch from Maurice J. 
 Power, contractor for the tablets of the monument: 
 
 New Yohk, August 6, 1884. 
 Hon. John F. Seymour : 
 
 I greatly regret my inability to be present at the dedication of tlie monu- 
 ment. Please present my congratulations to the committee on the successful 
 achievement of their undertaking which completes Governor Seymour's 
 long patriotic endeavor to erect an artistic and enduring memorial on the 
 ground made sacred by the infinite sacrifice of Herkimer and his men. 
 
 Maurice J. Power. 
 
 The Utica JMaennerchor then sang " Wo ist das Deiitschen 
 Vaterland?" (Where is the German's fatherland,) with good 
 eftect. 
 
 The dedicatory oration was then delivered by Hon. William 
 Dorsheimer, of New York, and evoked frequent and hearty 
 applause. 
 
DEDICATORY ORATION. 
 
 BV HON. WILLIAM DORSHEi:\[ER. 
 
 Mt. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
 
 .You have assembled here to day to witness the completion of 
 an undertaking long contemplated. On the 4th of October, 1777, 
 the Continental Congress, then in session at Yorktown, Pennsyl- 
 vania, passed a resolution in this language : 
 
 " Mesclved, That the Governor and council of New York be 
 desired to erect a monument at Continental expense, of the value 
 of five hundred dollars to the memory of the late Brigadier 
 Herkimer, who commanded the militia of Tryon county in the 
 State of New York, and was killed fighting gallantly in defense 
 of the liberty of these States." This resolution was transmitted 
 to George Clinton, Governor, and to the council of the State of 
 New York by John Hancock, President of Congress. In his letter 
 Hancock said : " every mark of distinction shown to the memory 
 of such illustrious men as offer up their lives for the liberty and 
 happiness of the country, reflects real honor on those who pay the 
 grateful tribute; and by holding up to others the prospects of 
 fame and immortality, will animate them to tread in the same 
 path." The resolution of Congress was not acted ujion by the 
 government of the State. 
 
 In 1827 Governor Dewitt Clinton in his annual message to the 
 legislature called attention to this matter. After reciting the 
 resolution of the Continental Congress he used the following 
 language : " At the most critical period of the Revolutionary 
 war, when the State was nearly surrounded with hostile 
 forces, and when destroying armies were penetrating it in 
 various directions, the gallant Herkimer fell on the field of 
 battle, at the head of his patriotic neighbors. This exhibition of 
 heroic virtue attracted the distinguished notice of Congress, but 
 the situation of the times presented obstacles to an immediate 
 compliance with their resolve. As there can be no reason for 
 further delay I hope that this subject will occupy your early 
 attention." 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 205 
 
 A bill was reported in accordance with the governor's sugges- 
 tion, but the legislature adjourned without taking final action 
 upon it. The following year, 1828, Governor Clinton renewed the 
 subject, but a number of similar projects wore suggested so that 
 probably the bill became loaded down, to use a somewhat tech- 
 nical phrase, and it failed to pass. 
 
 Here the matter rested until after the celebration of the centen- 
 nial of the battle of Oriskany. Soon after which event the 
 Oneida Historical Society was organized, and the work of collect- 
 ing the necessary funds was begun. As I understand it, some 
 assistance has been given by the federal government and some by 
 the State, and a considerable part has been subscribed by the 
 residents in the Mohawk valley, in whose history the battle of 
 Oriskau}^ is the most memorable event. Last autumn Mr. Horatio 
 Seymour, of whose connection with this and other patriotic under- 
 takings I shall have farther occasion to speak, wrote to a gentle- 
 man in New York, who, although not descended from the German 
 settlers in this region, was still of German origin, and asked him 
 to present the subject to the German citizens of New York, with 
 the view of obtaining subscriptions to complete the fund which 
 was needed. The suggestion of Governor Seymour was acted 
 upon and substantial subscriptions were promptly made by prom- 
 inent residents of New York. Among those to whom application 
 was made was Oswald Ottendorfer editor of the Staats Zeitung. 
 Mr. Ottendorfer at once exhibited a great interest in the matter. 
 He placed himself in direct communication with the committee 
 and gave all the additional money that was necessary to complete 
 the work. In this generous act Mrs. Ottendorfer took part. This 
 lady has since died, but she has left in New York the memory of 
 many acts of benevolence and patriotism. 
 
 It was appropriate that the Germans, now active in the life of 
 our State, should take part in the erection of this monument, for, 
 as has been before remarked, it was upon this field that the 
 colonists of German descent made their most important contribu- 
 tions to the cause of American independence. It is agreeable to 
 the pride of men to find that their kinsmen have wrought out 
 great deeds in the past. The acts done here ; the suffering here 
 endured; the deeds of valor here performed; the sacrifices here 
 comj)leted, are of an importance second in value to no other 
 achievements in the war of the Revolution. 
 
 It was the aim of the English cabinet to cut off New England 
 from the other colonies. The New England provinces were the 
 
206 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 most populous and the wealthiest. The settlers there had all or 
 nearly all been of the same race, and there was, perhaj)S, less 
 ditferenee of opinion there as to the merits of the controversy than 
 in New York and in some of the southern colonies. If Lake 
 Champlain and the Hudson couUl be seized, intercourse between 
 New England and New York and the regions to the south would, 
 considering England's command of the sea, be difficult, and for 
 the purpose of military operations, perhaps impossible. The plan 
 of campaign was that the main army should descend Lake Cham- 
 plain, and that an auxiliary force under Colonel St. Leger should 
 enter the Mohawk valley at its head and gather to it the warriors 
 of the Six Nations and the English sympathizers among the inhabi- 
 tants of the region. St. Leger was then to march to Albany and 
 make a junction with Burgoyne. It was a part of the plan that 
 Lord Howe should ascend the Hudson and unite his troops with 
 the other columns. Burgoyne swept in triumph through Lake 
 Champlain. Ticonderoga fell almost without a blow. He reached 
 the upper Hudson. All that was needed was a victory here. 
 
 It is now seen that the success of all the operations depended 
 upon the success with which St. Leger should perform his part of 
 them, for there was no way in which the British array could be 
 secure of its supplies unless it could draw upon the resources of 
 this fertile country. The British ministry, it appears, fully 
 realized this, and General Burgoyne afterwards indicated that he 
 might have succeeded if St. Leger had come to his aid. But 
 Congress and colonial generals seemed to have but a slight 
 appreciation of the importance of St. Leger's movements. No 
 reinforcements were sent to Fort Stanwix, which was the principal 
 defensive position in the valley. It had been permitted to fall 
 into decay. Its garrison consisted of seven hundred and fifty 
 men commanded by Colonel Peter Gansevoort, who was a native 
 of Albany and only twenty-eight years old, but who had served 
 with distinction in Montgomery's expedition to Quebec. This 
 force was stationed at Fort Stanwix with no reference to St. 
 Leger's expedition, for when it occupied the fort in April no one 
 in the colonies knew the British plan of campaign. Even after the 
 enemy's purpose was known. Congress took no further action to 
 defend the valley. General Schuyler understood the situation, 
 but when after the battle of Oriskany he sent Arnold here in 
 command of a considerable detachment, Ijis officers accused him of 
 treason. There was, however, inducement enough for the 
 patriots to defend their homes. They were threatened with the 
 
DEDICATOEY ADDEESS. 207 
 
 familiar horrors of Indian warfare and also with the hatreds of 
 civil strife. The greater part of the Indians sympathized with 
 England, and a large part of the settlers were either English or 
 of English descent. Sir William Johnson had passed his life here, 
 and had long exercised a potent sway over all the inliabitants, 
 both whites and Indians. Therefore, many of the people stood to 
 the British crown. But there was in the valley a body of men 
 who naturally were enemies to the English king. These were the 
 Germans. They had come from the Palatinate, and had been 
 driven from their homes by the armies of Louis the Fourteenth. 
 They settled here about 1725. It was thought desirable that 
 they should be located on the upper Mohawk, in the Indian 
 country, to defend the settlements at the east, because they were 
 accustomed to have their houses burned. 
 
 A leader among these emigrants was a certain John Jost 
 Herkimer. His name was properly spelled Herchheimer, the 
 ending of the name clearly showing its Rhenisli origin ; but it had 
 been anglicized, a process to which many oilier German names 
 have been compelled to submit. He was the father of General 
 Nicholas Herkimer. The year before, on the otli of September, 
 General Nicholas Herkimer had been appointed brigadier general 
 of the militia of the county of Tryou. This commission was 
 issued by the New York convention tten in session at Fishkill. 
 Upon Herkimer therefore depended the resistance which the 
 inhabitants were to make to St. Leger's advance. He was about 
 forty-eight years old. He was a man of substantial character, 
 sound judgment and of general popularity. He had no military 
 knowledge or experience whatever, but the event proved that he 
 had the valor and coolness which are the very foundations of 
 soldierly qualities. 
 
 As soon as St. Leger appeared at Oswego, Herkimer issued a proc- 
 lamation to the people of the Mohawk valley calling them to arms. 
 They gathered together at Fort Dayton near the mouth of West 
 Canada creek. When one reads the roster of Oriskany he learns 
 that most of those who obeyed the call were the children of the 
 German emigrants, but among them were men of English, Irish, 
 Welsh and French blood and a considerable number of Scotch- 
 men who lived in Cherry Valley. St. Leger invested Fort 
 Stanwix on the 3d of August. Under his command were Sir 
 John Johnson, a native of the valley; Colonel John Butler, 
 brother-in-law to Sir John ; and more important, Joseph Brant^ 
 chief of the Mohawks, and a man of remarkable endowments both 
 
208 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MOJNTUMEJS^T. 
 
 of mind and character. There was no dehiy in the patriot 
 camp, they icnew it was better to meet the savai^es at the gate. 
 On the 4th of Auo;ust, Herkimer began his march at the head of 
 eight hundred men. That day he crossed the Mohawk river, near 
 where Utica now is, and on the afternoon of the 5th he reached 
 Whitestown. An Indian woman, the widow of Sir William 
 Johnson, liad seen the gathering at Fort Dayton, and sent St. 
 Leger timely notice of Herkimer's expedition. He at once sent 
 forward the tories and Indians to arrest Hei'kimer's progress. 
 According to the method of Indian warfare they made an 
 ambuscade here in yonder ravine, and in the woods which then 
 covered these slopes. On the morning of the 6th, Herkimer's men 
 were marching in careless order, not apprehensive of peril, when 
 suddenly the forest was filled with savage shouts and ablaze with 
 the deadly flames of battle. One can imagine how dismayed 
 those farmers were. But they did not give way as Braddock's 
 regulars had done. Better that those shouts of hell should fall 
 upon men's ears ; here in the forest far away from the women and 
 children on the farms below. Better to fight here, to die here, if 
 only the tide of war could thus be stayed and those they loved 
 saved from torture, and a fate far worse than death, and so the 
 German farmers set themselves to work. It was well they had so 
 little knowledge of the usual methods of war. They knew no 
 discipline the loss of which could embarrass them. They took 
 post behind the trees and fought as their enemies fought. 
 Herkimer was wounded soon, his white horse was killed, and so he 
 told them to put his saddle across a fallen tree, and he sat upon 
 it and smoked his pipe and directed the fight. A few fled, a few 
 were captured, but most remained. For five long hours the con- 
 test lasted. In the midst of it a thunder storm burst upon the 
 struggling hosts. More than two hundred of the patriots were 
 wounded or dead, and still the Mohawk settlers held their ground. 
 At last the savages lost heart, and suddenly gave way, leaving 
 the field in Herkimer's hands. In truth those steadfast Germans 
 had wrought a noble deed. They had shown the qualities of their 
 race. They are brothers of those who have followed Gustavus 
 and Frederick and Blucher and Moltke. 
 
 The farms below were safe; safe w^ere wives and children, and 
 the land, too, was saved, for here a blow, fatal to the invader, had 
 been struck; a blow of far reaching and world wade consequences. 
 The battle was destructive to St. Leger's purpose. It excited the 
 enthusiasm of the country. The new^s came to Washington and 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 209 
 
 to Congress, giving them encouragement at a time of depression 
 and anxiety, and a strong column, under the command of General 
 Arnold, was dispatched to the valley to raise the siege of Fort 
 Stanwix. St. Leger did not wait long for Arnold's coming, and 
 on the 22d of August he raised the siege and retired to Oswego. 
 His expedition had ended in complete disaster. He lost his equip- 
 ment and most of his artillery. 
 
 1 have briefly and summarily brought to your minds events, the 
 details of which have been lately presented to you with complete 
 clearness and learning. I have done so in order that they may 
 appear in their proper relation to other events. 
 
 A few days after the battle of Oriskany, Bennington was 
 fought ; on the 6th of September at Stillwater, Burgoyne's ad- 
 vance was arrested, and on the 17th of October, at Schuylerville, 
 he surrendered. The capture of Burgoyne led to the most im- 
 portant results. Franklin had for some time vainly urged the 
 cause of the colonies at the French court ; but France was not too 
 eager to encounter England's power. These victories gave new 
 force to Franklin's diplomacy, and presently his persuasions and 
 the generous example of LaFayette prevailed. France became 
 our ally and sent both fleets and armies to our aid. The queen, 
 herself a German princess, was specially interested in our cause, 
 and under her patronage the first French fleet was fitted out. You 
 who live here, therefore, are thus associated with the history of 
 one of the greatest of the European states. 
 
 The American alliance brought grave consequences to France. 
 The Frenchmen learned from us lessons which they soon sought 
 to apply at home. Forces were introduced into the politics of 
 France which caused internal dissensions, overthrew the monarchy 
 and brought the king and queen and the chiefs of the nobility to 
 the scaffold. Just as the waters which flow from these hills con- 
 tribute to the floods of the Hudson and the sea, so have the his- 
 toric acts of your ancestors added to the mighty and destructive 
 tides of European revolutions and wars. 
 
 The people of this valley have ever since lived in the path of 
 memorable events. The Hudson and the Mohawk open the only 
 pass south of the St. Lawrence through the Alleghany mountains. 
 Here began the internal commerce of the covmtry. The statesmen 
 of New York soon realized the duty which their situation devolved 
 upon them. The future of the State could not be accomplished 
 through the imperfect channels of lakes and rivers, and so an arti- 
 ficial waterway was designed and constructed. Many of the men 
 
210 DEDICATION OF OEISKANY MONLTMENT. 
 
 who did this work lived here. Prominent among them was Henry 
 Seymour, the first of his family to win the distinction in our State 
 which the name has ever since worn. This enterprise was not con- 
 ceived in any narrow or in any merely utilitarian spirit. It was 
 announced in the act of the Legislature which called it into being, 
 as a work which would strengthen the union of the States and 
 contribute to their strength in war as well as to their commerce 
 in peace. 
 
 But the most hopeful imagination could hardly have foreseen 
 the results both material and moral which the construction of the 
 Erie canal produced. It has been a source of wealth to our cities. 
 As soon as it was finished New York sprang from the second to 
 the first place. It has ever since poured into her lap the har- 
 vests of the west. One might compare its waters to those fabled 
 springs which the Spanish adventurer sought and which were to 
 give mankind perennial youth. But the moral results have been 
 far more remai-kable. The Mississippi empties into the Gulf, and 
 when sectional divisions arose between the States and divided them 
 sharply into north and south by a line which ran from the Atlantic 
 to the Rocky Mountains, it was the common opinion in the rebel- 
 ling communities that the States of the northwest were firmly 
 bound by the Mississippi to a confederation with the south, which 
 could not be broken. But the Mississippi no longer flowed to the 
 Gulf. The genius of New York had turned it out of its channel, 
 and its waters found the seas through the highlands and the pali- 
 sades, and when the hour of trial came, the northwest was seen to 
 be bound to the east by bonds sti'onger than any which nature 
 had made. 
 
 Through this valley potent influences have gone out to all the 
 Western countries. Not only throngs of emigrants, Americans 
 and foi'eigners, but other forces more powerful perhaps than liv- 
 ing men. You have sent to them examples of government ; meth- 
 ods of creating great corporations and forms for their manage- 
 ment; new modes of legal procedure and new systems of judicial 
 organization. 
 
 There is now no English speaking community which has not 
 upon its statute books the very language of laws which were first 
 framed here. The most distinguished of your citizens is fond of 
 calling to mind that the waters which fall upon the hills of New 
 York flow into many States. Some into the St. Lawrence, 
 others into the Hudson, the Susquehanna, the Delaware and the 
 Mississippi. And so those living waters which carry civilization 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 211 
 
 and freedom with them, have gathered here and flowed forth to 
 remote lands and distant peoples. 
 
 New York has never been contented nor much occupied with in- 
 terests exclusively her own. Her representatives in the national 
 councils are never called upon to protect her interests, nor to ask 
 that her welfare shall be regarded at the expense of other commu- 
 nities. Siie has found her prosperity, as she has found her great- 
 ness, in the general good. No harvests will ripen upon the upper 
 Mississippi, no cotton will mature at its mouth, no herds of cattle 
 will grow fat in Colorado or Dakota without adding to her 
 wealth. No disaster can come upon the most distant of the sister- 
 hood without injury to her. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen: I will not conclude my observations 
 without reference to a topic which seems to me to be peculiarly 
 appropriate to this time and place. It used to be remarked that 
 New Yorkers were indifferent to the history of their State. Our 
 writers did not seem to be interested in our annals as the men of 
 letters in New England were in their history. This had not always 
 been the case. At the beginning of the century, Washington 
 Irving had delighted his countrymen by a humorous narrative of 
 early Dutch history, and he had afterwards peopled the banks of 
 the Hudson and the recesses of the Catskills, with quaint 
 characters and attached to the mountains and the river weird and 
 fantastic traditions. Cooper had found new fields for romance 
 Tipon Lake George and in the neighboring countj'- of Otsego. 
 Among the Indians of this region he had also found characters 
 new to letters, which have excited and which still excite, the 
 wonder of young imaginations in every civilized country. 
 
 But afterwards, there came a time when local interest seemed to 
 fade away. Whether this was because of the immigration of 
 strangers from New England and from Europe, or whether 
 because we were occupied with business, it is difficult to say. It 
 suffices for my purpose to point out the indifterence which New 
 York showed to her history, by far the most eventful of any 
 American community. Lately the public feeling has greatly 
 changed. There is no longer any reason to complain of a 
 lack of appreciation by the people of New York of the events 
 in which their ancestors took part. I think this change is mainly 
 due to the effi3rts of a gentleman who lives in this county, and 
 who certainly has been the leader in the revival of historic interest. 
 It is hardly necessary for me to mention the name of him whom I 
 have in mind. Horatio Seymour has in his own career perpetuated 
 
212 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 the inllucuce and the command which the people of the Mohawk 
 valley have always had. He has recounted with an eloquence and 
 learning which no one else possesses, the events of which this 
 comitry has been the theater. He has impressed the lessons of 
 them upon your minds by powerful and beautiful illustrations. 
 He remains among you to-day a sharer in the patriotic enthusiasm 
 wdiich he has done the most to evoke. God grant that he may 
 long be spared to enjoy the respect which is felt for him every- 
 where, but especially here where it has grown up despite the 
 adverse influences of party strife and political differences. Your 
 pride and aflections are not with the dead alone. You are inspired 
 by the eloquence and taught by the example of living men. 
 
 Gentlemen of the Oneida Historical Society : Your work is 
 completed. To-day you dedicate this structure to the memories 
 it perpetuiates and the lessons which it teaches. May it realize the 
 wish that Hancock expressed, and "by holding up to others the 
 prospects of fame and immortality animate them to tread the 
 same path." It will be for the people of the Mohawk valley to 
 remember the trials endured here, the triumphs won here, and to 
 emulate the example here wrought out. May this people be 
 always in the van as their fathers were, and may there always be 
 among them great leaders in the history of our land. 
 
 The Old ITtica band then played a medley of national airs, 
 "Hail Columbia," "The Star Spangled Banner," and "Yankee 
 Doodle." 
 
 The Utica Maennerchor followed in a pleasing selection, "Schlaf 
 Wohl." 
 
 Otto E. C. Guelich was then introduced as the representative of 
 the German societies of the Mohawk valley. He was cox-dially 
 received and spoke as follows: 
 
 ADDRESS OF O. E. C. GUELICH. 
 
 Supreme peace reigns now on these bills. From this monument 
 of the brave deeds of those who more than a century ago, laid 
 the foundation of the liberty, the symbols of whicli now tower at 
 our side, we now look down upon a scene of peaceful quiet and 
 thriving industry. 
 
 And these are the same hills and yon is the same romantic 
 Mohawk valley where once brother fought against brother, and 
 
ADDRESS OF O. E. C. GUELICH. 213 
 
 this brother in union with savage tribes. Here brother spilt the 
 blood of brother, and on this same spot pioneers of liberty broke 
 the yoke of the proud Briton, and if they had to purchase it with 
 their lives, still undaunted they fought, and the banner of liberty 
 which now protects these realms, was the glorious result. In vain 
 would it be, even if time permitted us, to repeat what history 
 tells us about the bloody feuds which commenced in the Revolution 
 in Tryon county. Let us only briefly refer to the declaration 
 which in the spring of 1775 was conceived at Johnstown and 
 widely distributed and circulated by the tories, in which their 
 opposition to the Continental Congress became evident; and how, 
 soon after, the committee of the Revolutionary party at Palatine 
 on May 18th, directed a letter and petition to Albany, in which 
 they expressed their fears and mistrust against the sentiments of 
 the declaration of the tories, referring in strong terms to the 
 spirit of strife and murder awakened by this declaration in the 
 breasts of their allies, the Indians — and requesting, nay begging, 
 urgently for ammunition and guns. 
 
 It is not our aim to describe the events, which in consequence of 
 this declaration crowded upon history: the bloody feuds, the 
 deeds of horror, murder and arson, the suiferiugs and endurances 
 of the heroes of the Revolution up to the time of the engagement 
 at Fort Stanwix and Oriskany. All these events we will have to 
 pass, and can onlj'' remember their actors in brief as the heroes of 
 libei'ty, animated by the highest impulses. 
 
 These men of the Mohawk valley, mostly Germans and Dutch, 
 or of German and Dutch descent, did not ask how great the 
 sacrifice. They knew the bloodthirsty, cunning and treacherous 
 deceit of the savage hordes. They knew of the union of their 
 chief Brant with Guy Johnson, whose deeds of horror hardly find 
 their equal in the annals of history. They were well aware of 
 the fact that England's powerful money, distributed by English 
 agents, tried to overpower the whole Six Nations. 
 
 They knew all this, and still their valor did not pale, but 
 with prophetic eye looking toward victory they overcame all 
 difiiculties. Therefore, we Germans born from these heroes, feel 
 our bosoms swell with just pride, and our hearts fill with glad 
 gi'atitude in remembrance of the brave deeds of our ancestors, 
 who were willing not only to sacrifice all their possessions but 
 their very lives on the altar of liberty. Their guiding star was 
 Justice and right ; and their actions showed that wise counsel and 
 good judgment were mingled wilh the enthusiasm of the heroes. 
 
214 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 Time does not permit us any attempt to describe the heroic 
 endurance of the champions for liberty during the next bitter two 
 years. Here were Sir John Johnson with his family, Colonel Claus 
 with his family, with VOO Indians, 400 regulars and 600 tories, 
 awaiting Butler's arrival from Niagara, to open the high council of 
 war, which in their estimation, should destroy the last ray of hope 
 for the Revolutionists. Already the arrival of General Burgoyne, 
 with his numerous army of 7,500 well disciplined men, a host of 
 Canadians and a great number of Indians from Ticojideroga, had 
 compelled the Americans, under General St. Clair, to forsake the 
 fort and to retire with their few 4,000 to Fort Edward. 
 
 It was the intention of General St. Leger to take possession of 
 this fort, as well as of Fort Stanwix, while both were protected by 
 only a small garrison, and from there to push on to Johnstown, 
 there to make his headquarters, and in unison with General Bur- 
 goyne to make flank movements, and thus to cut off the American 
 army. 
 
 This was the decree of the high council at Oswego, and the plan 
 of action was diligently and secretly communicated to those of the 
 inhabitants who favored the British caiise. Amidst these difficult 
 surroundings General Nicolaus Herchkeimer issued on July 17, 
 1777, his proclamation for calling out recruits to defend liberty's 
 sacred rights. 
 
 Every male of sound health between the ages of 16 and 50 was 
 called upon to take up arms for the good cause, and all weak and 
 aged to also eqiiip themselves and remain behind for the pro- 
 tection of the women and children, and those who did not 
 obey the proclamation were to be placed under guard, and arms 
 given to them, that they might be attached to the general 
 army and brought against the enemy. Not much time was to be 
 lost, because already on the 30th of July, Thomas Spencer wrote: 
 " Within four days the royal troops expect to be before Fort Stan- 
 wix. The time is short and precious ; rise and come to the de- 
 fense !" They knew not the regular training of a soldier, they had 
 no experience of war, but were full of love for liberty and animated 
 by the highest impulse to protect their homes and their loved ones. 
 Such were the warriors which General Herchkeimer led against 
 the enemy. Fraught with sutierings was the way he led them 
 through forests and ravines, through the Mohawk valley, which 
 we see down below us, up to the theater of war. Civilization had 
 not progressed so far yet, and all these fields and valleys were then 
 still in their original state of uncultivation, only well known to the 
 
ADDRESS OF O, E. 0. GUELICH. 216 
 
 Indians, They knew every nook and corner of the Mohawk val- 
 ley, every ravine and every hiding ph\ce from where they could 
 break in upon the unsuspecting, bringing death and destruction 
 with them. 
 
 Under these difficulties General Herchkeimer and his small body 
 of men traversed the valley before us, till he came to this spot. 
 
 Scarcely had the first division reached the hill, when from out 
 the surrounding thicket, as if ascending from the depths of the 
 earth, arose Brant's savage hordes. With their terrible war-cry, 
 which chilled the blood in the hearts of the bravest, these dusky 
 devils, in all their naked wildness, broke upon the army of Gen- 
 eral Herchkeimer, like a horde of demons broke loose from Satan's 
 kingdom. Armed with tomahawk and battle-ax, they fell upon 
 the unsuspectingly advancing body of our ancestors. 
 
 Colonel Visscher's regiment at the time of this attack, was still 
 on the east side of the hill, so that the army was divided into two 
 parte, and before the troops could be rallied together the Indians 
 were upon them. Their only alternative was to fight the best way 
 possible. And they did fight, the soldiers seeking protection behind 
 the trees in the thickets of the forest, from where they could reach, 
 the Indians with their bullets. But these, when they noticed that 
 their antagonists were all posted singly, waited their opportunity, 
 when the soldiers were loading their rifles, and broke upon them 
 unawares, cutting them down with their tomahawks. As soon as 
 General Herchkeimer noticed this, he ordered his men to go in 
 parties of two and alternately load and shoot. 
 
 This stratagem had soon the desired result, for already the 
 Indians began to fall back before the steady and well directed^ 
 fire of the soldiers, when suddenly Major Watts with a detach- 
 ment of " Johnson's Greens" appeared on the scene. The arrival 
 of these former fugitives from the country stirred up the blood in 
 the heart of each of our German heroes, and with renewed 
 strength and fresh valor, they seek vengeance, and as if inspired 
 by some heavenly power they throw themselves in the battle. 
 And now louder and louder roars the battle, hotter and hotter 
 waxes the strife, but above the howling and roaring, 
 God, the Almighty, hears the prayer of his children bleeding for 
 liberty and fighting to break the bonds of slavery's shame. 
 
 ' ' Urgeist des Lebens, des Welt balls Regierer, 
 Der die milliardea der Sterne schuf, 
 Du der Nationen Allmachtiger Fuehrer, 
 Hoer Dein Kinder Verzweiflungs-ruf." 
 
216 DEDICATION OF OEISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 This was the prayer of the poet who filled the hearts of our 
 forefathers with that spii'it of liberty, which led them to 
 overcome all difficulty, in liberty's sacred cause; and with sword 
 and fire to break tyranny's bonds, not caring, whether like 
 Samson, in its fall, it would crush thom also. Onward ! 
 Onward! was their cry, if to destruction! Liberty is dawning 
 through the cloud. Is it not true, that on the same spot where 
 we stand, brother had to fight brother in league with savage 
 hordes — and we, who are standing now on the ground where the 
 ashes and bones of our forefathers rest, slain in their struggle for 
 that liberty in which we glory, let us remember the blood that 
 flowed on these green fields, and while we glory in that supreme 
 feeling of liberty, let us think of those whose valor and spirit 
 saved us from bondage. Their names, engraved upon this monu- 
 ment, will live in the hearts of the thankful people of these 
 realms long after our own spirits have flowu to those unknown 
 grounds from whence there is no return. 
 
 The Spartans were ready to fight in the shadow of the arms of 
 their enemies — but was the valor of these warriors for liberty less 
 than that of the Spartans? 
 
 Can history show a braver man than General Herchkeimer, 
 when his horse having been shot from under him and his leg 
 shattered to pieces by a ball, he sits calmly on the saddle, which 
 from the back of his valiant charger has been transferred to the 
 ground, smoking his pipe and giving his orders to his little troop 
 of heroes, whose valor and bravery brought the turning point of 
 the great Revolution ? Let us therefore rememxber their endurance 
 and their victories, for they created for their children and iheir 
 children's children, for the oppressed of all the universe an 
 asylum of liberty. 
 
 Hiinmellioch set der erhoben 
 Der Beim Krachen eiuer Welt 
 Bei der elemente Toben 
 Wie em Gott sich aufreclit liaelt. 
 
 The exercises concluded with the singing of "The Star 
 Spangled Banner " by Williamson Spruce, whose ringing voice 
 was heard by,all. The crowd then slowly dispersed. 
 
EXTRACTS FKOM S. G. VISSCHER. 217 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM S. G. VISSCHER. 
 
 The following appropriate and suggestive passages by Mr. 
 Visscher, one of the niouument committee, are taken from an 
 article published at the time of the dedication, in the Roman 
 Citizen : 
 
 The monument which we have erected will speak to coming ages 
 a mass of useful truth, such as no other mode of transmitting 
 facts can furnish. Its foundation, laid deep in the soil, and 
 cemented with ingredients which, when applied, are as yielding 
 and pliable as man's generous nature, have become as hard and 
 unyielding as the stones which they unite; and furnish a fit 
 emblem of the government which is of the people, for the people, 
 and by the people; but which will resist any encroachments upon 
 its rights, as rocks resists the billows and the sky. 
 
 This is the first memorial in the Mohawk valley which is erected 
 to mark a battle field. Not far to the north of us is a pile, stand- 
 ing in the midst of the rocks and shades of its forest home, which 
 speaks with quiet but eloquent force to the upturned face, of one 
 who came to us from the army of Frederick the Great, with its 
 splendid equipage and matchless discipline, to partake of the hard 
 fare, and labor in the unequal conflict, which gave us our liberty. 
 Like a large proportion of the men who fought at Oriskany, he 
 was a German; and the modest mausoleum which covers his 
 remains is a fit companion of the one whose foundation is under 
 our feet. Green be the memory and honoi'ed the name of Baron 
 Steuben: 
 
 Away back in the distant ages, when the morning stars sang 
 together, some of the striking and important events of history 
 were commemorated in the land of the chosen race by the erection 
 of monuments. In the book of Genesis, we have two accounts of 
 Jacob erecting them, and subsequently Joshua and Samuel did the 
 same, to commemorate a signal victory over the Philistines. We 
 can very approprinteiy quote the language of Israel's Great 
 Judge, to show our warrant, if one is needed, for performing the 
 pious as well as patiiotic work which is before us this day. 
 "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpeh and 
 Shen, and called the name of the place Eben-Ezer, saying, hitherto 
 hath the Lord helped us." — Yst Samuel vii. 12. And Egypt, old 
 Egypt, the land of mystery and the cradle of the race, now a dis- 
 membered fragment of its ancient glory, and until quite recently 
 
218 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 held in the grasp of a rapacious and revengeful mob, how numerous 
 and stately are her landmarks, which everywhere rise in gloomy 
 grandeur in the land of the Nile. One of them, a stately old link 
 wiiich connects the present with the long past, has been brought 
 to our shores, and stands upon our own soil ; an imperishable 
 monolith, whose curious but interesting hieroglyphics reveal to us 
 something of the heart of the Pharaohs, and the polity of the 
 most remarkable people of antiquity. And over other lands, the 
 highest civilization, the broadest culture, and the truest patriotism, 
 are told us by the voiceless but stately sentinels, aroimd whose apex 
 the eternal sunshine settles, as the halo about the head of the 
 divinity whose sleepless eyes witnessed their erection. 
 
 The contemplation of this work animates anew the interest we 
 all feel, in the memory of the fathers of the Revolution. We can 
 never tire of the story which gave us our freedom, and established 
 a government which challenges the admiration of the world. We 
 love to think of the eight hundred who braved the dangers and 
 endured the sufferings which make the spot we stand upon so 
 sacred to us all. We will not sit in judgment upon their military 
 skill nor criticise mistakes which true hearted men may make, by 
 yielding to hasty and impulsive counsel ; nor recall the heated 
 colloquy which perhaps led to some disaster; but look back of all 
 that, to the patriotism which prompted, and the impetuous 
 chivalry of the commander who moved onward regardless of con- 
 sequences, at a critical juncture, to relieve the gallant little 
 garrison which was holding its own against the merciless horde of 
 savages, and tories worse than savages, which invested Fort 
 Stanwix. 
 
 The patriotic spirits who watched and waited for seven long 
 years for their enemies to withdraw from the land, did more by 
 patience, forbearance, and suffering, than by agressive violence on 
 hotly contested battle fields. Indeed there were very few 
 sanguinary conflicts, although the battle of Saratoga is classed as 
 one of the fifteen decisive battles of the world. It was Putnam 
 leaving his plow in the furrow, seizing his weapons, and jumping 
 upon his horse to take part in the erection of works upon Bunker 
 Hill; and Washington at Yalley Forge, with tracks of blood from 
 shoeless feet upon the snow crust ; and hunger and want on every 
 side, with a worthless currency, added to the constant appre- 
 hensions of treachery, which ended finally in the treason of 
 Arnold. It was Marion subsisting upon roots in the forests of the 
 
EXTRACTS FROM S. G. VISSCHEK. 219 
 
 Carolinas, aucl Sumpter bivouacking in the swamps of the Santee. 
 It was the spirit of the brave Herkimer, with Gansevoort and 
 Willett, and the families of Sammons, Klock, Fonda, Snell, 
 Veeder, Wagner, Wemple, Dievendorf , Vrooman, Starin, Bellinger, 
 Clyde, Clemmens, De Graff, Dunkel, Frey, Fox, Gray, Merkley, 
 Roof, Seeber, Woolover, and others, more than space will allow 
 me to mention, whose names, however diverse from modern 
 orthography, appear upon one of the tablets of this monument^ 
 furnishing imperfectly but substantially the Roster of Oriskany; 
 families who flew from one stockade fort to another, went to 
 church with their guns and ammunition ready for any emergency 
 which might call for their use, in a struggle hand to hand with 
 their oppressors, who finally achieved our independence. 
 
 And now, having achieved it, and for so long a time enjoyed its 
 blessings, what shall we do to perpetuate and strengthen it? 
 These stones laid one upon another will finally ci'umble to dust, 
 and the thousand memories of this and the years past, filled as 
 they have been with patriotic utterances, will be forgotten. But 
 the monument of Horace, who sang the praises of the golden age, 
 will live while time lasts. "I have builded a monument," he 
 wrote, "more lasting than brass, and more sublime than the regal 
 elevation of the Pyramids, which neither the wasting shower, the 
 unavailing north wind, or an innumerable succession of years and 
 the flight of seasons, shall be able to demolish."* Was he fore- 
 casting in this singularly prophetic language the destiny of our 
 Republic? If so, we have something to do to make good his 
 words and give practical shape to these stirring sentences. 
 
 *Exeg-i monumentum acre perennius, Regalique situ pyramiduin alius. Quod 
 non imber edax, non Aquillo impotens. Possit diuere aut innumerabilis, Annonim. 
 series et fuga temponim. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 THE ORISKANY ROSTER, 
 
 AS INSCRIBED ON THE BRONZK TABLET. 
 
 Brigadier Oeneral. 
 
 Nicolaus Herclilieimer. 
 Colonels. 
 
 Peter Bellinger, 
 
 Ebenezer Cox, 
 
 Jacob G. Klock, 
 
 Frederick Vissclier. 
 
 Lieut. Coloneh. 
 
 Friedrich Bellinger, 
 
 Samuel Campbell, 
 
 Peter Wagner, 
 
 Heinrich Walratb. 
 
 Brigade Major. 
 
 Joliann Frey. 
 
 Majors. 
 
 John Blevin, 
 
 John Eisenlord, 
 
 Enos Klappsattel, 
 
 John Newkirk, 
 
 "Wilhelm Sieber. 
 
 Harmanus Van Slyck. 
 
 Surgeons. 
 Dr. Wilhelm Petry, 
 Dr. Moses Younglove. 
 
 Captains. 
 Jacob Baumann, 
 George H. Bell, 
 Johaun Brodbeck, 
 Adam Copeman, 
 John James Davis, 
 Wilhelm Deichert, 
 ■ Johann Demuth, 
 Heinrich Diefendorf, 
 Andreas Dillenbach, 
 Christoph P. Fox, 
 Christoph W. Fox, 
 Jacob Gardinier, 
 Christian Haus, 
 Friedrich Helmer, 
 Qeorg Herchheimer, 
 
 Samuel Pettingall, 
 Nicolaus Rector, 
 Jacob Sieber, 
 John Visscher, 
 Robert Yates. 
 
 Lieutenants. 
 Josei)h Bailey, 
 Robert Campbell, 
 Samuel Clyde, 
 Samuel Gardinier, 
 Samuel Gray, 
 Peter Groot, 
 Jost Haus, 
 Georg Helmer. 
 Peter Loucks, 
 Daniel McMaster, 
 Dietrich M. Petrie. 
 Han Jost Petrie, 
 Wilhelm Petrie, 
 
 Richard Putman, 
 
 Abram D. Quackenbush, 
 
 Johann Jost Scholl, 
 
 Jeremiah Swart, 
 
 Heinrich Timmermann, 
 
 Martin C. Van Alstyne, 
 
 Jacob Voltz, 
 
 Peter Wagner, Jr. 
 Privates. 
 
 Jacob Alter, 
 
 Abram Arndt, 
 
 Melchert Bauder, 
 
 Jacob Baumann, 
 
 Adam Bellinger, 
 
 Johann Bellinger, 
 
 Wilhelm P. Bellinger, 
 
 George Henry Bell, 
 
 Joseph Bell, 
 
 Nicholas Bell, 
 
 Peter Berge, 
 
 Samuel Billington, 
 
ORISKANY ROSTEK. 
 
 221 
 
 Joliann Boyer, 
 Major Blauwaldt, 
 Naome Brooks, 
 Jacob Clemens, 
 Samuel Cone, 
 Peter Covenhoven, 
 Isaak Covenhoven, 
 John Cook, 
 William Cox, 
 Jacob Collier, 
 Andrew Cunningham, 
 Benjamin Davis, 
 Martinus Davis, 
 Thomas Davy, 
 Johann Dachstadter, 
 Heindrich Decker, 
 Emanuel DeGraaf, 
 Georg Deichert, 
 Johann Deichert, 
 Peter S. Deichert, 
 Johann Diefendorf. 
 Peter Dorn, 
 Garret Dunckel, 
 Nicolaus Dunckel, 
 Peter Dunckel, 
 Peter Ehle, 
 William Ehle, 
 Jacob Em pie, 
 Johann Eyster, 
 Jacob Fehling, 
 Heinrich Fehling, 
 Heinrich N. Fehling, 
 Conrad Voltz, 
 Peter Voltz, 
 Adam Fonda, 
 Karl Fox, 
 Christoph Fox, 
 Fried rich Fox, 
 Peter Fox, 
 Wilhelm Fox, 
 Valentin Froelich, 
 Samuel Gardinier, 
 Georg Goertner, 
 
 ■ Graves, 
 
 Nicholaus Gray, 
 Silas Gray, 
 Lorenz Gross, 
 Conrad Hahn, 
 William Hall, 
 
 Marcus Hand, 
 Heinrich Barter, 
 Johann A. Harter, 
 Johann Adam Helmer, 
 
 Hiller, 
 
 Christian Hufnagel, 
 Abel Hunt, 
 John Huyck, 
 Judah Jones, 
 Andreas Keller, 
 Jacob Keller, 
 Solomon Keller, 
 Adam Kessler, 
 Jacob Kessler, 
 Johann Kessler, 
 Conrad Kilts, 
 Peter Kilts, 
 Jacob Klapsattel, 
 John J. Klock, 
 Eichard Kopernell, 
 Georg Kraus, 
 Robert Kraus, 
 Francis Lighthall. 
 George Light hall, 
 Georcre Lindner, 
 Heinrich Lohnu.s, 
 Solomon Longshore, 
 Conrad Mauer, 
 
 Mauer, 
 
 Mauer, 
 
 Jacob Merkel, 
 Wilhelm Merkel, 
 Jacob Meyer, 
 Jost Meyer, 
 Adam Miiller, 
 Heinrich Miiller, 
 Jelles Miiller, 
 Johann P. Miiller, 
 David Murray, 
 Christian Nellis, 
 Johann D. Nellis, 
 Phillip Nellis, 
 Peter Nestel, 
 Garret New kirk, 
 Friedrich Eyer. 
 Isaak Paris, (Member 
 
 gress,) 
 Peter Paris, 
 Johann Petrie, 
 
 Prov. Cott- 
 
222 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Johann Mars Petrie, 
 Joseph Petrie, 
 Cornelius Philips, 
 Nicolaus Pickard, 
 Adam Price, 
 Martinus Put man, 
 Jacob Raduer, 
 Georg Raspnor, 
 Friedrich Rasbach, 
 Marx Rasbach, 
 Jacob Ritter, 
 Willard Rose, 
 Johann Roth, 
 Johannes Ruf, 
 Jacob Sammons, 
 Samson Sammons, 
 Henry Saanders, 
 Wilhelm Schaefer, 
 Johann Schell, 
 Christian Schell, 
 Christian Scherer, 
 Pedagogus Scherer, 
 
 Schimmel, 
 
 Heinrich Scholl, 
 Georg Schultz, 
 Johann Schultz, 
 Thomas Schumacher, 
 Heinrich Seitz, 
 Peter Seitz, 
 Adolph Sieber, 
 Adolph Sieber, Jr., 
 Rudolph Siebert, 
 Johann di. Silberbach, 
 George Smith, 
 Friedrich Schnell, 
 Georg Schnell, 
 Jacob Schnell, 
 Jacob Schnell, 
 Johann Schnell, 
 Johann Schnell, Jr., 
 Joseph Schnell, 
 Peter Schnell, 
 
 Sophronious Schnell, 
 
 Peter Sommers, 
 
 Thomas Spencer, (Indian,) 
 
 Heinrich Staring, 
 
 Frederick Stevens, 
 
 Philip G. Stowitz, 
 
 Henry Thompson. 
 
 Adam Thumb, 
 
 John Van Antwerp, 
 
 George Van Deusen, 
 
 Cornelius Van Horn, 
 
 Henry Van Horn, 
 
 Nicholaus Van Slyke, 
 
 Hendrick Veeder, 
 
 Harmon Visscher, 
 
 Georg Wagner, 
 
 Jacob Wagner, 
 
 Johann Wagner, 
 
 Johann Wagner, 
 
 Garret Walrath, 
 
 Jacob Walrath, 
 
 Georg Walter, 
 
 Jacob Weber, 
 
 Peter J. Weber, 
 
 Peter Westermann, 
 
 Michael Wiedrich, 
 
 Abram Wohlhoefer, 
 
 Johann Wohlhoefer, 
 
 Peter Wohlhoefer, 
 
 Richard Wohlhoefer, 
 
 Lorenz Wrenkle, 
 
 Robert Yates, 
 
 Nicholaus Yerdon, 
 
 Jacob Yonker, 
 
 Heinrich Zimmermann, 
 
 Jacob Zimmermann, 
 
 Conrad Zimmermann, 
 
 Capt. Han Yerry Tewahangaraglx- 
 
 kan, Indian officer, 
 Lt. Colonel Louis Atyataroughta, 
 
 Indian officer. 
 
C0NTEIBUTI0N8. 223 
 
 CONTRIBUTORS TO THE ORISKANY MONUMENT. 
 
 United States of America $4,100 00 
 
 Theodore S. Faxton, Utica, 200 00 
 
 Horatio Seymour, Utica, 150 00 
 
 John F. Seymour, Utica, 100 00 
 
 Charles W. Hutchinson, Utica, 100 00 
 
 Theodore S. Sayre, Utica, 100 00 
 
 Helen E. M. Williams, Utica, 100 00 
 
 Simon G. Visscher, Rome, 100 00 
 
 Bloomfield J. Beach, Rome, 100 00 
 
 John B. Jervis, Rome, 100 00 
 
 Samuel Campbell, New York Mills, 100 00 
 
 Remington Brothers, Ilion 100 00 
 
 Samuel and Robert Earl, Herkimer, 100 00 
 
 James Shanahan, Tribe's Hill 100 00 
 
 Peter Gansevoort's Estate, Albany, 100 00 
 
 J. Morris Childs, Utica, 50 00 
 
 Arphaxed Loomis, Little Falls, 50 00 
 
 D. H. Burrell, Little Falls, 50 00 
 
 Erastus Corning, Alliany, 50 00 
 
 Citizens of Johnstown, ... 50 00 
 
 William J. Bacon, Utica, 30 00 
 
 Samuel S. Lowery, Utica, 25 00 
 
 Truman K. Butler, Utica, 25 00 
 
 Henry D. Pixley. Utica 25 00 
 
 Robert S. Williams, Utica, 25 00 
 
 Daniel E. Wager, Rome, 25 00 
 
 Enoch B. Armstrong, Rome, 25 00 
 
 John M. Barton, Rome, 25 00 
 
 A. Ethridge, Rome, 25 00 
 
 John Stryker, Rome, 25 00 
 
 George A. Hardin, Little Falls, 25 00 
 
 L. Carryl. Little Falls, 25 00 
 
 William Smith, Little Falls, 25 00 
 
 Robert H. Pruyn, Albany, 25 00 
 
 J. G. Bissell, Rome, 20 00 
 
 J. S. Hovey, Rome, 15 00 
 
 Oeorge Westcott, Utica 12 50 
 
 Publius V. Rogers, Utica, 10 00 
 
 C. W. Darling, Utica, 10 00 
 
 J. Milton Butler, Utica, , 10 00 
 
 Gertrude M. Palmer, Utica, .... 10 00 
 
 Theodore F. Gardner, Bouffemont, France, 10 00 
 
 Lewis H. Shattuck, Utica, 5 00 
 
 John G. Brown, Utica, 5 00 
 
 Elon Comstock, Rome, 5 00 
 
 WiUiam Evans, Rome 5 00 
 
 Amount carried forward $6,372 5© 
 
224 APPENDIX. 
 
 Amount brought forward, $6,373 50 
 
 William Hovey, Oriskany, $5 00 
 
 Mr. Zimmerman, Dunliirk, 5 00 
 
 Ezra Graves, Herkimer, 4 87 
 
 . 14 87 
 
 $6,387 37 
 Jeptha B. Simms' Collection. 
 
 Webster Wagner, Canajoharie, $350 00 
 
 Jobn H. Starin, Fultonville, 100 00 
 
 Nathan D. Wendell, Albany, 50 00 
 
 Arkell & Smith, Canajoharie 50 00 
 
 Stephen Sanford, Amsterdam, 50 00 
 
 Joseph White, M. D , Canajoharie, 35 00 
 
 John F. Gray, M. D., New York, 25 00 
 
 Wm. B. Diefendorf, Root, . . 25 00 
 
 John Bowdish, Rural Grove 25 00 
 
 Davis W. Schuler, Amsterdam, 10 00 
 
 Warner, DeForest & Co , Amsterdam,.. . , 10 00 
 
 Jacob P. Fox, Palatine, 10 00 
 
 C. P. Snell, Palatine, 6 00 
 
 Enoch Snell, St. Johnsville, 5 00 
 
 Levi Snell, Minden, 5 00 
 
 Peter P. Snell, Mauheim, 5 00 
 
 Simeon Snell, Manheim, 5 00 
 
 Joshua Snell, Manheim, 5 00 
 
 Jehoram Snell , Manheim, 5 00 
 
 Jacob Sneil, Fonda 5 00 
 
 Peter B. Snell, Palatine, 5 00 
 
 Christian Snell, Palatine, 5 00 
 
 Eeuben Gramps, Palatinp, 5 00 
 
 Norman Timnierman, Little Falls, 5 00 
 
 James Spraker, Canajoharie, 5 00 
 
 C. W. Flutchinson. TItica, 5 00 
 
 John Winning, Fort Plain, 5 00 
 
 Adam L. Failing, Fort Plain, 5 00 
 
 John E. Lips, Fort Plain, 5 00 
 
 Catharine Diefendorf, Fort Plain, 5 00 
 
 Elizabeth Diefendorf, Fort Plain, 5 00 
 
 William H. Davis, Palatine Bridge, 5 00 
 
 Gardiner Blood, Amsterdam, 5 00 
 
 Jas. H. Schuyler, Amsterdam, 5 00 
 
 David D. Cassidy. Amsterdam, 5 00 
 
 Walter L. Vanderbergh, Amsterdam, 5 00 
 
 James A Miller, Amsterdam, 5 00 
 
 Gardner & Thomas, Amsterdam,. 5 00 
 
 John Kellogg, Amsterdam, 5 00 
 
 George Timmerman, St. Johnsville 5 00 
 
 Amount carried forward, $771 00 $6,387 37 
 
CONTRIBUTIONS. 
 
 225 
 
 Amount brought forward, $771 00 $6,387 37 
 
 Alfred DeGraff, Fonda 5 00 
 
 Jeptha R. Simms, Fort Plain, 3 50 
 
 Azariah Saltsman, Palatine 2 50 
 
 Mrs. Christopher Reed, Fort Plain, 2 00 
 
 Dr. Douglas Ayers, Fort Plain, 2 00 
 
 John Hand, Amsterdam, 2 00 
 
 Contributors of .$1 each, of whom about 200 were 
 residents of Montgomer}' county. The names of 
 nearly all these are given in Mr. Simms' record, 
 preserved in the Society's archives. But as the 
 list is not complete and would occupy much space, 
 it is omitted here. Doubtless many of these 
 contributors would have given a larger sum if 
 
 requested 236 00 
 
 1,024 00 
 
 The Fort Plain Bank allowed $48.94 for interest on the deposit of 
 Mr. Simms' collections, with which he canceled his expenses 
 in printing, traveling, postage, &c., (of which he rendered a 
 detailed account,) and he was thus enabled " to place in the 
 Monument fund every dollar collected " by him in his five 
 vears' effort. 
 
 State of New York, 3,000 00 
 
 Oswald Ottendorfer and Family, Anna Ottendorfer, Edward Uhl, 
 Emma Schalk, Annie Woerrishoffer, Nettie WoerrishofEer, 
 Henry Villard, George Wolfram, August Belmont, Wm. 
 Dorsheimer, Steinway & Sons, S. Schlesinger, and J. & L. 
 Sommerhofc, New York, per Oswald Ottendorfer and Wm. 
 Dorsheimer, 1,356 00 
 
 German Associations, of Utica, per O. E. C. Guelich, 43 50 
 
 Oneida National Bank, for Interest, 200 00 
 
 Received for Stone sold, 92 25 
 
 Total, $12,103 13 
 
226 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 RESIDENT MEMBERS, 
 
 OF THE ONEIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1885. 
 
 Bj^ Art. 4 of the Constitution. Resident Membership expires if the annual Dnefl, 
 $3, are unpaid on the second Tuesday of January in each year. 
 
 Adams, Charles D , Utica. 
 Bacon, William J., Utica. 
 Bagg, Moses M., Utica. 
 Bagg, Egbert Jr., Utica. 
 Bailey, E. Prentiss, Utica. 
 Batch elor, Daniel, Utica. 
 Barnard, Charles E., Utica. 
 Beach, Bloomtield J., Rome. 
 Benliam, Thomas L. , Utica. 
 Benton, James, Utica. 
 Bigelow, Horace P. , Waterville. 
 Bigelow, Dana W., Utica. 
 Bissell, John G., Rome. 
 Bulger, Patrick F. , Utica. 
 Butler, Charlers A., Utica. 
 Campbell, Samuel, New York Mills. 
 Clark, George A. , Utica. 
 Childs, J. Morris. , Utica. 
 Childs, Elias, Utica. 
 Christian, William H., Utica. 
 Conkling, Roscoe, Utica. 
 Cooper, G. Edward, Utica. 
 Cooper, Henry H., Utica. 
 Crocker, John G. , Utica. 
 Churchill, G. Clarence, Utica. 
 Curran, Edward, Utica. 
 Curran, George L. , Utica. 
 Darling, Charles C, Utica. 
 DeAngelis, Pascal C. J., Utica. 
 Dimon, George D., Utica. 
 Dorrance, Daniel G., Oneida Castle. 
 Dubois, George, Utica. 
 Earll, John L., Utica. 
 Egar, John H., Rome. 
 Fincke, Frederick G., Utica. 
 Foster, Abbott, Utica. 
 Foster, David S., Utica. 
 Grannis, Charles K., Utica. 
 Gray, John P., Utica. 
 Gray, Israel J., Utica. 
 Griffiths, T. Solomon, Utica, • 
 Goodwin, Alexander T., Utica, 
 Goodwin, Daniel B., Waterville. 
 
 Goodale, John A., Utica. 
 Guelich, Otto E. C, Utica. 
 Guiteau, Luther, Trenton. 
 Hartley, Isaac S , Utica. 
 Holbrook, Henry J., Utica. 
 Horsey, George F., Utica. 
 Hopper, Thomas, Utica. 
 Hoyt, John C, Utica. 
 Hunt, Ward, Utica. 
 Hunt, James G. , Utica. 
 Hurlburt, Frazier W., Utica. 
 Hutchinson, Charles W., Utica. 
 Hutchinson, Edwin, Utica. 
 Ingalls, Frederic C, Utica. 
 Jackson, William B. , Utica. 
 Jones, Morven M. , Utica. 
 Judton, Henry R., Utica. 
 Kernan, Francis, Utica. 
 Killgore, Charles, Utica. 
 Klock, George S., Utica. 
 McMillan, Andrew 
 McQuade, James, Utica. 
 North, Edward, Clinton. 
 North, S. N. Dexter, Utica. 
 Osborn, Amos O., Waterville. 
 Parker, Timothy, Utica. 
 Pratt, Frederick J., Utica. 
 Peckham, Merritt, Utica. 
 Peckham, S. Townsend, Utica. 
 Phelps. J. D., Utica. 
 Proctor, Thomas R , Utica. 
 Roberts, Ellis H,, Utica. 
 Roberts, John Evan, Utica. 
 Roberts, Alexander B., Utica. 
 Rogers, Publius V., Utica. 
 Roseboom, J. Livingston, Utica. 
 Rowlands, William R , Utica. 
 Rowley, Warren (\, Utica. 
 Sawyer, George C, Utica. 
 Sayre, Theodore S., Utica. 
 Sieboth, Joseph, Utica. 
 Seward, Alexander, Utica. 
 Seymour, Horatio, Utica. 
 
STANDING COMMITTEES. 
 
 227 
 
 Seymour, John F. , Utica. 
 Silsbee, William, Trenton. 
 Swan, Joseph R. , Utica. 
 Schreiber, John C, Utica. 
 
 Visscher, Simon G., Rome. 
 
 Wager, Daniel E., Rome, 
 
 Walcott, William D., New York Mills. 
 
 Waterman, Daniel, Utica. 
 
 Sherman, Richard U., New Hartford, Watson, William H., Utica. 
 
 Spencer, Thomas W. , Utica. 
 Btimson, William G., Utica. 
 Scovill, James V. H. , Utica. 
 Tourtellot, Louis A., Utica. 
 Tower, Charlemagne, Philadelphia. 
 Thomas, George R., Utica. 
 VanEmbergh, Thomas, Utica. 
 
 LIFE MEMBERS 
 
 Wells, Lucien B., Utica. 
 Williams, Robert S., Utica. 
 Williams, Rees G., Utica. 
 White, William M., Utica, 
 White, N. Curtis, Utica. 
 Wood, Frances G., Utica. 
 
 Darling, Charles W. 
 Guiteau, Frederick W. 
 Mclntyre, Donald 
 
 Thomson, Milton H. 
 Walker, George 
 
 STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 Committee on Finance. 
 Ellis H. Roberts, P. V. Rogers, Geo. D, Dimon, George H. Thomas.- 
 
 Committee on Library and Exchanges. 
 R. S. Williams, Abbot Foster, F. C. Ingalls. 
 
 Donations and Collections. 
 Wm. M. White, D. G. Dorrance, H. P. Bigelow. 
 
 Property and Fi.rtures. 
 A. McMillan, W. C. Rowley, W, H. Christian. 
 
 Addresses and Pxibiication. 
 
 Alex. Seward, S. N. D. North, G. C. Sawyer. 
 
 Geological and Natural History Cabinet. 
 
 E. Hutchinson, W. H. Watson, 
 
 Biography and Historical Material. 
 M. M. Bagg, Jas. McQuade, 
 
 Statistics. 
 A. T. Goodwin, 
 
 I. J. Gray. 
 
 G. C. Churchill. 
 
 Rees G. Williams. 
 
 E. P. Bailey. 
 
 Membership. 
 John L. Earll, ^ F. W. Hurlburt, David S. Foster. 
 
 Special Standing Committee on Oriskany Monument. 
 John F. Seymour, Alex. Seward. C.W. Hutchinson. 
 
 S. N. D. North, S. G. Visscher. 
 
 Special Standing Committee on Early Utica Publications. 
 Alex. Seward, Robert S. Williams, M. M. Bagg, D. E. Wager. 
 
228 APPENDIX. 
 
 PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 1. Centennial Celebration of the Battle of Oriskany : 1877. 
 
 2. Historical Fallacies regarding Colonial New York, by Douglas 
 
 Campbell. Annual Address : 1879. 
 
 3. The Men, Events, Lawyers, Politics and Politicians of Early Eome, by 
 
 D. E. Wager : 1879. 
 
 4. Articles of Incorporation, Constitution, By-Laws, Officers, Members and 
 
 Donors of the Society and Proceedings of Annual Meeting : 1879, 
 
 5. Early History of Oneida County, by William Tracy. Annual Address: 
 
 1880. 
 
 6. Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society, with Annual Address and 
 
 Reports for 1881, Paris Re-interment and Papers read before the 
 Society from 1878 to 1881 : 1881. 
 
 7. Semi Centennial of the City of Utica and Supper of Half-Century Club: 
 
 1882. 
 
 8. A Long Lost Point in History, by L. W. Ledyard. Annual Address: 
 
 1888. 
 
 9. Col. John Brown, by Rev. Dr. G. L. Roof : 1884. 
 
 10. Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society, 1881 to 1884, containing 
 Whitestown Centennial, Whitesboro's Golden Age, Wagner Re- 
 interment, Old Fort Schuyler Celebration, and Dedication of the 
 Oriskany Monument : 1885. 
 
 Addresses Before the Society Since April, 1881. 
 
 1881. May 31. — Early History of Mohawk Valley : Rev. Dr. Lintner. 
 
 Read by C. W. Hutchinson. 
 December 7. — Golden Age of Whitesboro : D. E. Wager. 
 
 1882. January 10. — New York Historical Society. Annual Address : Dr. M. 
 
 M. Bagg. 
 February to May. — Golden Age of Whitesboro : D. E. Wager. 
 
 1883. January 9. — A^Long Lost Point in History. Annual Address : L. W. 
 
 Ledyard. 
 
 April 10. — Extracts from Journal of a first Sandwich Island Mis- 
 sionary: Mrs. Maria S. Loomis. Read by A. Seward. 
 
 May 8.— Political Poem: John H, liOthrop. Read by M. M. Bagg. 
 
 June 5, — Antiquities of Ontndaga: Rev. W. M. Eeauchamp. 
 
 September 11. — Eulogy on George P. Marsh: Rev. Dr. S. G. Brown. 
 
 October 9. — Familiar Talk about Mexico: Dr. E. Hutchinson. 
 
 November 13.— The Streets of Utica: L. M. Taylor. 
 
 December 11 — Cannibalism: C. W. Darling. 
 
 1884. January 15. — Social System of our New York Indians. Annual 
 
 Address: Rev. Dr. Charles Hawlsy. 
 February 12, — Ardent Utica: Geo. C. Sawyer. 
 March 31.— Memorial of S. Wells Williams: T. W. Seward. 
 
 Extracts from Military Journal of Col. Frederick Visscher: 
 S. G. Visscher. 
 April 38.— Col. John Brown: Rhv. Dr. G. L. Roof. 
 November 24. — Fort Stan wix and other Forts at Rome : D. E. Wager. 
 
 1885. January 13.— The Greek Idea of the State. Annual Address: Prof. 
 
 Edward North. 
 
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