7648

Oneida Historical Society,
dedication of the Orlskan;
|:lMca,-1835,

raiment, 1894,

Gift of

191

August 6th, 1884.

With the Compliments of
Cen. CHAS. W. DARLING, A. M.,
(or. Sec'y, Oneida Historical Sooiety, Utica, N. Y.;
Hon. Sec'y, at Utica, Egypt Exploration Fund, London, England;
Member, American Historical Association, Washington, D. C;
" N. Y. Society of the Sons of the Revolution;
Associate Member, Victoria Institute, Lqndon, England;
Hon. Follow, Society of Science. Letters and Art, London, England;
Hon. member, Historical Society. Tuskaloosa, Ala.;
" Historical Society, Sitka, Alaska;
" Chautauqua Historical Society, Jamestown, N. Y.;
fct Historical Society, St. Paul, Iowa;
" Pioneer and Historical Society, Lansing, Mich.;
" Historical Society, University, Miss.;
fct _ Historical Society. Newark, N. J.;
ii • Historical Society, Rochester, X. Y.;
" Historical Society, Charleston, W. Ya.;
" Historical Society, Waterloo, N. Y.;
Cor. member, American Ethnological Society, New York;
th American Numismatic; and Archaeological Society, New York;
" Academy of Authropology, New York;
'* Historical SBciety, Buffalo, N. Y.;
" Cayuga County Historical Society, Auburn, N. Y.;
" Mohawk Valley Historical Society, Canajoharie, N. Y.;
'* Bangor Historical Society, Maine;
" Concord Historical Society, New Hampshire;
" Middlebury Historical Society, Vermont;
6fc New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass.;
" Old Colony Historical Society, Taunton, Mass.;
" Dedham Historical Society, Mass.;
" Ipswich Historical Society, Mass.;
" > ewport Historical Society, Rhode Island;
61 Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Conn.;
' ' New Haven Colony Historical Society, Conn. ;
'• Fairfield County Historical Society, Bridgeport, Conn.;
" Saugatuck Historical Society, Westport, Conn.;
" Lyceum of- History and Natural Sciences, Burlington, N. J.;
" Numismatic and Antiquarian Society, Philadelphia, Penn.;
u Wyoming Historical and Scientific Society, Wilkes-Barro, Penn.:
" Linnsean Historical and Scientific Society, Lancaster, -Penn. ;
tfc Archaeological and Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio;
" Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio;
" Historical Society, Baltimore, Md. ;
" Historical Society, Richmond, Va.;
" Historical Society, Nashville, Tenn. ;
" Historical Society, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;
" Historical society, Charleston, S. 0.;
" Historical Society. Savannah, Ga,;
" Geological and Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana;
" Historical Society, Madison, Wis.;
" Historical Society, St. Paul, Minn.;
" Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas;
" ' Historical Society, Lincoln, Neb.;
" Historical Society, Tacama, Washington;
" Historical Society, Walla Walla, Washington;
" Historical Society, San Francisco, Cal. ;
" Historical Society of Southern California, Los Angeles, Cal.;
Geographical Sooiety of the Pacific, San Francisco, Cal. ;
" Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, Canada.

The Oriskany Monument.

DEDICATION

OB" THE

ORISKANY MONUMENT,

AUG-UST 6, 1884.

ADDRESSES BY

JOHN F. SEYMOUR,
ELLIS H. ROBERTS,
WILLIAM DORSHEIMER,
OTTO E. C. GUELICH.

EIT10A, N. Y.
Ellis H. Roberts & Co., Puinteks, 60 Gehesee Street.
18&5.

DEDICATION OF
THE ORISKANY 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 the visitors by
numerous and profuse decorations of bunting and evergreen.
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 canal
steamboats, carryalls, hacks, carriages 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 described in the address of Hon. John
F. Seymour. It stands on a hill naturally' terraced, which 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

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 trams 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,1
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
stirring 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
monument. Two large American flags were 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 Herm," (It is the Lord's own day,) by the Utica Maennerchor;
under the direction of Professor C. Sutorius.
An appropriate prayer was offered by Rev. 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 JOHN F. SEYMOUR,
"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 building 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 Monument," from the
ipen of Mr. S. N. 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 that 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 efforts, 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.
Tlje 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 monument. It
is all laid in the best of Portland and Howe's Cave cement and

with Schoharie sand. The pedestal is of granite, from 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 ths 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 the conflict.*
These tablets are the work of the National Fine Art Foundry,
of the 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 A\oiks 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 Ringrose 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 under 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 1 ork. That resolution was in the following words :
Jiesolved, That the Governor and Council of New York, be
tZZZyZ7ZAZ^:7?2lsT the p,otorial tablets' ™"™ iQdebte^
American History. ' ' ^ aec0'»P"s1^ editress of the Vagc** °t

DEDICATORY INSCRIPTION ON BRONZE TABLET.
HERE WAS FOUGHT
THE BATTLE OF ORISKANY,
ON THE 6th 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.

11
desired to erect a monument 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 children, 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
1876, 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 efforts, 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
hundred 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

12
away. I will mention two councilors of the Society, the venerable*
Pomroy Jones, the Historian ol 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 President of the Society. Also, the lamented Senator Web
ster Wagner, whose sad death is still fresh in the memory of our
people, and whose generous 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, which sum was placed in the hands
of this Society. The Legislature of our State seconded this move
ment by appropriating $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. Our 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 records 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 K. Simms, of Fort Plain,
who, before others had moved in this matter, commenced soliciting-

13
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 money 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 HON. ELLIS H. ROBERTS.
TLadies 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

14
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 look 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 different races.
They gathered where the Almighty had placed the channels of
movement for traffic and for peoples, and the seat of commanding
power. 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

15
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 the 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. The 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 structure recalls the valor and the virtue of the
common people. It crystalizos 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. Chairman, 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 eaith-shrine enfolds."

16
Mr. Roberts closed by reading the following letter:
Lettek from Ex-Govern ob Seymour.
Cazenovia, 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 years. I think there
are but few monuments in our land 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 dedicatory oration was then delivered by Hon. William
Dorsheimer, of New York, and evoked frequent and hearty
applause.

DEDICATORY ORATION.

BY HON. WILLIAM DORSHEIMER.

Mr. 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 :
" Hesclved, 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 upon 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."

18
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 were 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
Oriskany is the most memorable event. Last autumn Mr. Horatio
Seymour, of whose connection with this and other patriotic under
takings I shall have further 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 l)y 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
completed, 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

19
most populous and the wealthiest. The settlers there had all or
nearly all been of the same race, and there was, perhaps, less
difference 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 could be seized, intercourse between
New England and New York and the regions to the south would,
oonsidering 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 army 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, his officers accused him of
treason. There was, however, inducement enough for the
patriots to defend their homes. They were threatened with the

20
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 inhabitants,
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 Rhenish origin ; but it had
been anglicized, a process to which many other German names
have been compelled to submit. He was the father of General
Nicholas Herkimer. The year before, on the 5th of September,
General Nicholas Herkimer had been appointed brigadier general
of the militia of the county of Tryon. This commission was
issued by the New York convention then 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

21
of mind and character. There was no delay in the patriot
camp, they knew it was better to meet the savages at the gate.
On the 4th of August, 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, had 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 Herkimer'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 bad 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 were 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 wide consequences.
The battle was destructive to St. Leger's purpose. It excited the
enthusiasm of the couutry. The news came to Washington and

22
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.
I 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 ajly 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 country. 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

28
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 remarkable. 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 stronger 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 foreigners, 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

24
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. She 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
upon Lake George and in the neighboring county 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 indifference 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 the1 people of New York of the events
in which their ancestors took part. I think this change is mainly
due to the efforts 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

25
the influence 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
country 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
which 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 affections 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 perpetuates 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.
Otto E. C. Guelich was then introduced as the representative of
the German societies of the Mohawk valley, and was cordially
received. He spoke in German. The following are translated
abstracts of his remarks :
ADDRESS OF O. E. C. GUELICH.
Supreme peace reigns now on these hills. From this monument
of the brave deeds of those who more than a century ago, laid
the foundation of the liberty, the symbols of which 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
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 vaiu

26
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 then-
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 sufferings 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 only remember their actors in brief as the heroes of
liberty, 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
difficulties. Therefore, we Germans born from these heroes, feel
our bosoms swell with just pride, and our hearts fill with glad
gratitude 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 with the enthusiasm of the heroes.
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 Claua
with his family, with 700 Indians, 400 regulars and 600 tories,
awaiting Butler's .arrival from Niagara, to open the high council of

27
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 Ticonderoga, 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 cause. 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
Galled upon to take up arms for the good cause, and all weak and
aged to also equip 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 sufferings 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
Indians. They knew every nook and corner of the Mohawk val
ley, every ravine and every hiding place from where they could
break in upon the unsuspecting, bringing death and destruction
with them.

28
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.
" TJrgeist des Lebens, des Weltballs Regierer,
Der die milliarden der Sterne schuf,
Du der Nationen Allmachtiger Fuehrer,
Hoer Dein Kinder Verz weiflungs-ru f ."
This was the prayer of the poet who filled the hearts of our
forefathers with that spirit 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

29
Samson, in its fall, it would crush them also. Onward I
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 flown 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 remember their endurance
and their victories, for they created for their children and their
children's children, for the oppressed of all the universe an
asylum of liberty. Himmelhoch sei der erhoben
Der Beim Krachen einer Welt
Bei der elemente Tobeu
Wie ein Gott sich aufrecht haelt.
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.