Post by Okwes on Nov 13, 2006 12:36:13 GMT -5
New book details Oneidas' role during Revolutionary War
11/03/2006
By CHRIS CAROLA / Associated Press
The stories of Oneida Indians fighting and dying alongside Americans during the Revolutionary War have been a source of pride for generations of Oneidas, including Ray Halbritter. The leader of the Oneida Indian Nation heard them often while growing up in central New York.
But Halbritter said when he told people outside the tribe about the contributions his ancestors made during the country's fight for independence, his words often prompted quizzical looks.
"People just sort of look at you like, 'what are you talking about?'" said Halbritter, the Oneida Nation's federally recognized representative.
Halbritter and other Oneidas hope a new book by a pair of college history professors will help shed light on an often overlooked aspect of the American Revolution, including the tribe's fighting in some of the most decisive battles.
"Forgotten Allies" was written by Joseph T. Glatthaar of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and James Kirby Martin of the University of Houston. While the authors relied for the most part on scholarly research, the Oneidas' oral tradition served as a guide.
"These stories were handed down by generation to generation, practically word for word," said Halbritter in a telephone interview earlier this week from Manhattan, where a news conference for the book's release was held.
The project started a decade ago when the Oneidas hired Glatthaar to collect documents and write a report on the tribe's experiences during the Revolution. Glatthaar soon realized he had too much material for a mere report. He suggested that he and a friend, Martin, instead write a book, under the stipulation that the Oneidas would have no editorial control over its content.
The Oneidas agreed.
"Forgotten Allies" details the Oneidas' unsuccessful efforts to remain neutral when the American colonies rebelled against British rule, the tribe's harrowing experiences during the long years of fighting, and the postwar loss of millions of acres of tribal lands.
It may come as a surprise to some Americans that the American Revolution involved more than minutemen, redcoats and the occasional Hessian. At two of the most significant battles of the war — Oriskany and Saratoga — Oneida warriors played key parts in the combat.
"They feel like they had a hand in the founding of the United States of America, which is true," Glatthaar said of today's Oneidas.
The book, Martin said, could help cure what he called the nation's "historical amnesia" when it comes to American Indians.
"Traditionally, we have had a rather narrow view of who participated in the Revolution," he said. "The cast of characters is much broader than what we've been willing to admit over the years."
The Oneidas, one of the six tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, decided to fight on the American side after attempts at neutrality failed. Some Tuscaroras joined them, but most of the rest of the Six Nations fought for the British.
In August 1777, at Oriskany, near present-day Utica, Iroquois fought Iroquois in what's considered by many historians to be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution. A contingent of Oneidas was with a force of Mohawk Valley militiamen marching to the aid of patriots besieged at a frontier fort by the British and their Indian allies.
The militia walked into an ambush. Hundreds were killed, along with some Oneidas and dozens of other Iroquois. Several Oneidas distinguished themselves in combat, including a husband, his wife and their son, who were credited with killing several of the enemy.
Just weeks later, Oneida warriors headed for the upper Hudson River where a large British force was marching toward Albany to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. Glatthaar and Martin write that the Oneidas proved valuable, using their forest fighting skills to scout for the Americans, harass the redcoats, pick off the enemy and take prisoners.
The defeat of the British at Saratoga brought the French into the conflict on the Americans' side, a deciding factor in the war's outcome.
The following year, Oneida warriors made the long trek to Pennsylvania's Valley Forge to serve with the Continental Army commanded by George Washington, who praised his Indian allies for their "perseverance and fidelity."
Most of the Oneidas back home, facing threats of destruction from fellow Iroquois and the British, eventually moved to the safety of Schenectady, 90 miles to the east. Three of the tribe's four principal villages would be destroyed in the bloody raids that devastated the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys until the end of the war in 1783.
"The Oneidas were refugees in Schenectady while their warriors were still fighting," Martin said. "It shows the realities as well as the complexities of the Revolutionary War."
A half-century after the Revolutionary War ended, the Oneidas' homeland had been reduced to 32 acres from a territory that once covered a swath of central New York stretching from the St. Lawrence River to Pennsylvania. The Oneidas have since reacquired some of their original land, and today they operate the highly successful Turning Stone casino near Utica.
The tribe's wartime service was later forgotten — or ignored — by everyone but the Oneidas, Halbritter said.
"These people are not just patriots of American Indian nations," he said. "They are America's patriots, and they have honored us with their bravery and sacrifice, and we must honor them with our remembrance."
___
On the Net:
Oneida Indian Nation: oneida-nation.net
11/03/2006
By CHRIS CAROLA / Associated Press
The stories of Oneida Indians fighting and dying alongside Americans during the Revolutionary War have been a source of pride for generations of Oneidas, including Ray Halbritter. The leader of the Oneida Indian Nation heard them often while growing up in central New York.
But Halbritter said when he told people outside the tribe about the contributions his ancestors made during the country's fight for independence, his words often prompted quizzical looks.
"People just sort of look at you like, 'what are you talking about?'" said Halbritter, the Oneida Nation's federally recognized representative.
Halbritter and other Oneidas hope a new book by a pair of college history professors will help shed light on an often overlooked aspect of the American Revolution, including the tribe's fighting in some of the most decisive battles.
"Forgotten Allies" was written by Joseph T. Glatthaar of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and James Kirby Martin of the University of Houston. While the authors relied for the most part on scholarly research, the Oneidas' oral tradition served as a guide.
"These stories were handed down by generation to generation, practically word for word," said Halbritter in a telephone interview earlier this week from Manhattan, where a news conference for the book's release was held.
The project started a decade ago when the Oneidas hired Glatthaar to collect documents and write a report on the tribe's experiences during the Revolution. Glatthaar soon realized he had too much material for a mere report. He suggested that he and a friend, Martin, instead write a book, under the stipulation that the Oneidas would have no editorial control over its content.
The Oneidas agreed.
"Forgotten Allies" details the Oneidas' unsuccessful efforts to remain neutral when the American colonies rebelled against British rule, the tribe's harrowing experiences during the long years of fighting, and the postwar loss of millions of acres of tribal lands.
It may come as a surprise to some Americans that the American Revolution involved more than minutemen, redcoats and the occasional Hessian. At two of the most significant battles of the war — Oriskany and Saratoga — Oneida warriors played key parts in the combat.
"They feel like they had a hand in the founding of the United States of America, which is true," Glatthaar said of today's Oneidas.
The book, Martin said, could help cure what he called the nation's "historical amnesia" when it comes to American Indians.
"Traditionally, we have had a rather narrow view of who participated in the Revolution," he said. "The cast of characters is much broader than what we've been willing to admit over the years."
The Oneidas, one of the six tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, decided to fight on the American side after attempts at neutrality failed. Some Tuscaroras joined them, but most of the rest of the Six Nations fought for the British.
In August 1777, at Oriskany, near present-day Utica, Iroquois fought Iroquois in what's considered by many historians to be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution. A contingent of Oneidas was with a force of Mohawk Valley militiamen marching to the aid of patriots besieged at a frontier fort by the British and their Indian allies.
The militia walked into an ambush. Hundreds were killed, along with some Oneidas and dozens of other Iroquois. Several Oneidas distinguished themselves in combat, including a husband, his wife and their son, who were credited with killing several of the enemy.
Just weeks later, Oneida warriors headed for the upper Hudson River where a large British force was marching toward Albany to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. Glatthaar and Martin write that the Oneidas proved valuable, using their forest fighting skills to scout for the Americans, harass the redcoats, pick off the enemy and take prisoners.
The defeat of the British at Saratoga brought the French into the conflict on the Americans' side, a deciding factor in the war's outcome.
The following year, Oneida warriors made the long trek to Pennsylvania's Valley Forge to serve with the Continental Army commanded by George Washington, who praised his Indian allies for their "perseverance and fidelity."
Most of the Oneidas back home, facing threats of destruction from fellow Iroquois and the British, eventually moved to the safety of Schenectady, 90 miles to the east. Three of the tribe's four principal villages would be destroyed in the bloody raids that devastated the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys until the end of the war in 1783.
"The Oneidas were refugees in Schenectady while their warriors were still fighting," Martin said. "It shows the realities as well as the complexities of the Revolutionary War."
A half-century after the Revolutionary War ended, the Oneidas' homeland had been reduced to 32 acres from a territory that once covered a swath of central New York stretching from the St. Lawrence River to Pennsylvania. The Oneidas have since reacquired some of their original land, and today they operate the highly successful Turning Stone casino near Utica.
The tribe's wartime service was later forgotten — or ignored — by everyone but the Oneidas, Halbritter said.
"These people are not just patriots of American Indian nations," he said. "They are America's patriots, and they have honored us with their bravery and sacrifice, and we must honor them with our remembrance."
___
On the Net:
Oneida Indian Nation: oneida-nation.net