This is the audio only described version of the Fort Stanwix National Monument brochure. Fort Stanwix National Monument was a French and Indian and American Revolutionary War site, originally built in 1758. It was built to protect the Oneida Carry, which stood on the westernmost border of the original thirteen colonies.
Color and black and white illustrations, a map in the background and text present the park’s history on side one. Side two focuses on the fort’s structure and information to help you plan your visit. It includes an annotated illustration of the fort, a color photograph of soldiers with raised weapons behind the fort’s walls, a map and text.
The print brochure is laid out in a typical National Park Service style with a long horizontal black band, about an inch wide, that borders the top. It says in bold letters "Fort Stanwix National Monument, New York, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior." There is a small National Park Service arrowhead logo next to the words.
The lower half of side one of the brochure details the history of Fort Stanwix. Within this described version of the brochure, history segments are presented under their own titles. This section of the brochure is primarily text, but the text is placed on top of a map which details the terrain of the area. At the very bottom a series of images and artifacts annotated with text highlight the Fort’s history. They are described under the title “The Fort’s History in Images and Artifacts.”
The top half of side one of the brochure is mostly visual in nature and includes illustrations of many of the significant individuals involved in Fort Stanwix’s history. These images are also placed on top of the portion of the map that details advances and battles. These images and associated text are described under their own titles.
For thousands of years the ancient trail that connects the Mohawk River and Wood Creek served as a vital link for people traveling between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Ontario. Travelers used this well- worn route through Oneida Indian territory to carry trade goods and news, as well as diseases, to others far away. When Europeans arrived they called this trail the Oneida Carrying Place and inaugurated a significant period in American history, a period when nations fought for control of not only the Oneida Carrying Place, but the Mohawk Valley, the homelands of the Six Nations Confederacy, and the rich resources of North America as well. In this struggle Fort Stanwix would play a vital role.
The struggle began in the summer of 1754, when French and Virginia colonial troops clashed in southwestern Pennsylvania and set off what came to be called the French and Indian War. By 1756 the fighting had spread to Europe, where it was known as the Seven Years War. That same year, the French and their American Indian allies invaded the Mohawk Valley and began destroying British forts along the Oneida Carrying Place and German Flatts (Herkimer, New York). In response, British Brig. Gen. John Stanwix was ordered to build a fort at the Oneida Carrying Place in 1758. Fort Stanwix ended French army invasions and provided a staging ground for British campaigns.
The American Revolution encompassed an 8 year span from Lexington and Concord in 1775 to the Treaty of Paris in 1783. In 1776, as the Continental Congress debated national independence, they ordered General George Washington to have Fort Stanwix rebuilt to protect the emerging nation’s northwest border and to secure a foothold for future westward expansion. The fort was renamed Fort Schuyler in honor of Major General Philip Schuyler, commander of the Army’s Northern Department.
In the summer of 1777 British Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger (bearing the temporary rank of brigadier general) led an army into the Mohawk Valley as part of Maj. Gen. John Burgoyne’s plan to control New York state. This army consisted of about 800 British, German, and Canadian soldiers; loyalists; and 800 American Indian warriors from New York and the Great Lakes region. Finding Fort Stanwix strongly garrisoned by almost 800 Continental soldiers commanded by Col. Peter Gansevoort, St. Leger laid siege to the fort on August 3. On August 6 the Tryon County Militia under Brig. Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, en route to aid Fort Stanwix, was ambushed by loyalists and Indians near the Oneida village of Oriska. The Battle of Oriskany, which forced the militia to withdraw, was fought between family members, friends, and neighbors. The people of the Six Nations Confederacy also fought against one another, upending a peace that had bound them together for centuries. During the battle, Lt. Col. Marinus Willett, Gansevoort’s second in command, led a sortie from the fort and captured a number of enemy prisoners, destroyed their camps, and brought 21 wagonloads of supplies into the fort. The siege ended on August 23 when Continentals under Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold arrived to reinforce the fort’s garrison. The victory at Fort Stanwix, coupled with Burgoyne’s defeat and surrender at Saratoga, led directly to the alliances between the United States, France, and the Netherlands.
Image description: A continuing series of images set on top of a purple and white beaded wampum belt. This image is of Nicholas Herkimer, a middle aged man, sitting in front of a tree. He wears a blue and red uniform jacket and a large gold epaulet on his shoulder. He points purposefully into the distance. One leg is outstretched, a bloody bandage covering it. A man looks to where Herkimer points. Other men, in the wooded background, ring the tree with muskets pointed outward.
The American Revolutionary War ended in 1783, but the United States and American Indians continued fighting. To end the war in New York, the United States negotiated the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix with the Six Nations Confederacy. The United States dictated the terms of this treaty, took American Indian hostages until all prisoners of war were returned, and coerced representatives from the Six Nations into signing the treaty. The Six Nations were also forced to cede land claims to Ohio and western Pennsylvania, which renewed westward expansion. Additionally, American Indian people were recognized as belonging to sovereign nations within the boundaries of the United States. The 1784 treaty led directly to Ohio’s American Indian War of the seventeen eighties and nineties.
The Saratoga Campaign was the brainchild of Major General John Burgoyne, who believed the American Revolution could be ended by splitting the colonies along the Hudson River. His plan was to advance south from Canada, up Lake Champlain, capture Fort Ticonderoga, and then march south along the Hudson to Albany. There he would join Sir William Howe, advancing north from New York City, and Barry St. Leger, coming east along the Mohawk River. How, however, became engaged in a campaign to capture Philadelphia and never reached Albany, and St. Leger became entangled in the futile 21-day siege of Fort Stanwix and was forced to return to Canada. After capturing Ticonderoga with an ease and speed that shook patriot morale, Burgoyne continued his march south, defeating American troops at Hubbardton and forcing the evacuation of Forts Anne and Edward. Then his luck began to run out. A column of Hessians (German troops) he sent to raid Bennington was defeated by troops under Brig. General John Stark and Lieutenant Colonel Seth Warner. Continuing southward, Burgoyne crossed the Hudson and halted his troops near present-day Stillwater, where the Americans under Horatio Gates, who had replaced Philip Schuyler as American commander, had taken their position on Bemis Heights. Burgoyne tried to break through the American lines at Freeman’s Farm (Sept. 19) and at Bemis Heights (Oct. 7). Both attempts failed, and the British commander, finding himself outnumbered and surrounded and unable to retreat, surrendered on Oct. 17, 1777.
After the American Revolution the state of New York used the site of Fort Stanwix for its dealings with American Indians. New York negotiated four land deals here with the Oneida, Onondaga, and Cayuga without the approval of the federal government. These land deals were later acknowledged in the federal Treaty of Canandaigua of 1794. Every June 1 for years afterward the Oneida, Onondaga, and Cayuga people came to Fort Stanwix with representatives from New York to receive their annual payments for the land. The land opened by the American Indian-New York state deals allowed canals to be dug, ultimately leading to the opening of the Erie Canal in 1827.
At the bottom of side one of the brochure is a collection of six images that include two paintings, two artifacts and two historic documents. Five of these images are laid on top of a purple and white beaded wampum belt. The belt and its text are presented first. The five objects are then described left to right.
The top half of side one of the brochure includes text and a series of images related to the people involved in the history of Fort Stanwix. This content is on top of an illustrated map that outlines the advances and battles that occurred. The map is described under its own title as are the people portrayed in this section of the brochure.
Image DescriptionNine oval-shaped, hand drawn, black and white portraits stand against a drawing of a grey-brown pointy picket fence with green grass behind. The men in them are all framed from their shoulders to the tops of their heads. Some look to the side, others straight forward. Most wear formal suits or fancy clothing. One wears a large black wool "cocked" hat. Another wears a large feathered head-dress. The rest have their hair neatly combed back from their faces.
Under the portraits, each man is identified. From left to right, they are:
Portrait credits: Johnson: National Archives of Canada; Brant: Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York/Richard Walker; St. Leger: National Archives; Gansevoort: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute Museum of Art, Utica, New York; Willett: Art Commission of the City of New York Herkimer: Oneida County Historical Society; Arnold: National Archives; Burgoyne: New York Historical Society; Gates: Independence National Historical Park
Painting caption: The Oneida and Tuscarora nations, part of the Six Nations Confederacy, supported the Americans during the Revolution. The other four nations, Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca, allied with the British. Mohawk warriors under Joseph Brant played a major role in the Battle of Oriskany. Painting description: A tall Six Nations Confederacy Warrior with brown skin stands. His arms are clasped together. He cradles a musket in his arms and wears a long red and white shirt, a blue cloak, yellow leather leggings, bright red and black face paint, feathers on the back of his head and lots of silver jewelry. His chin is chiseled and his face has a quiet look. Painting credit: From the painting “Eastern Woodland Indian," Don Troiani.
Painting caption: Elements of the 34th Regiment of Foot accompanied St. Legers little army and fought well during the siege of Fort Stanwix. Several companies were also with the Burgoyne expedition and surrendered at Saratoga. After the siege, parts of the regiment participated in raids throughout the Mohawk Valley. Painting description: A man, who is the Private, wears a bright red wool jacket with bright yellow facings, tight, form fit, white pants and black shoes. He has a small pointed, black leather hat with a tuft of red feathers on top. His face is narrow and he looks at something in the distance. His long hair is pulled neatly behind him. He wears a black leather bag with a golden star emblem on his side. He leans forward with his left leg bent and in front of him. He grasps a musket in his hands. Painting credit: Don Troiani.
Painting caption: Dutch traders out of Albany offered the Six Nations tribes a variety of trade goods, including iron tomahawks, knives, axes, awls, fish hooks, cloth of various colors, woolen blankets, linen shirts, brass kettles, assorted jewelry and beads, guns, and powder. Painting description: A man sits on a pile of red and white striped Hudson Bay Company wool blankets. He is focused on a large, flat, circular beaver pelt that he holds. He wears a black round wool hat and grey, plain jacket. At his feet is a plain golden colored bucket. There is a knife with a wooden handle sitting at his side. Painting credit: Don Troiani.
Painting caption: The 3rd New York Regiment, raised and trained by Colonel Peter Gansevoort, had garrisoned Fort Stanwix (then called Fort Schuyler) since spring 1777. The regiments stalwart defense of the fort, assisted by elements of the 9th Massachusetts Regiment and New York militia, won Gansevoort the thanks of Congress and a promotion. Painting description: This tall man who is a Private holds a French Charleville musket with a bayonet at his right side. The musket handle rests on the ground. With the bayonet attached, the entire weapon is about a foot taller than he is. His left hand is on his left hip. He wears a black "cocked" hat and his long hair is pulled to the back. His jaw is square and there is a stern look on his face. He wears a blue wool jacket with red facings and white leather equipment belts crossed over his chest. Under his coat and belts is a white vest. White pants are fastened below his knees and white sock are pulled up under his pants. His black leather shoes each have a large buckle on top. Painting credit: Don Troiani.
Map caption: Colonel Barry St. Leger, advancing east toward Albany from Fort Oswego on Lake Ontario, laid siege to Fort Stanwix (then called Fort Schuyler) on August 3, 1777. He abandoned the siege on August 23 upon the approach of an American army under Benedict Arnold. Map description: "The Campaign of 1777" map shows much of Upstate New York and covers approximately 36,000 square miles. Blue rivers and lakes stretch across the area with the Hudson River labelled and running north to south. The map is oriented with north at the top and Crown Point at the furthest northeast location. New York City sits at the far southwest. Fort Oswego sits furthest west by Lake Ontario. Lines show the advances and retreats of the British and American armies during the American Revolution. Yellow stars highlight battles. The following battles and advances on the map are noted.
In the Lake Champagne area and Fort Crown Point in the northeast British General Burgoyne departs St. Johns, Canada on June 17 and travels south to Fort Ticonderoga, close to Lake George, where there is a battle on July 6. He continues southeast to Hubbardton, where there is a battle on July 7 and, further south where there is another battle at Fort Anne on July 8. Continuing south and then veering slightly east from Fort Edward, another battle occurred at Bennington on August 16. Also at Fort Edward but travelling south, another battle occurred at Saratoga (Stillwater) on September 19 and Oct. 7. At Saratoga, American General Gates, who has traveled north from Albany, engages in the battle with British General Burgoyne.
Also from Albany, but travelling west and slightly north, is American General Arnold. He follows the Mohawk River past Schenectady and Fort Hunter (Caughnawaga), Fort Johnson, Fort Plain (Canajoharie), Fort Klock, and the home of Militia General Herkimer, which is close to Fort Dayton. There Militia General Herkimer travels west and engages in a battle at Oriskany on August 6. Meanwhile, American General Arnold continues to Fort Stanwix where he engages in the battle from August 3 to August 23 with British General Saint Leger. St. Leger has travelled from the northwest, departing from Fort Oswego on July 26.
A large portion of side two of the brochure includes a large color illustration from above of the fort and its surroundings. The illustration is annotated. Additional text explains the terminology of fort structures. Each of these topics is covered under its own title.
Fort Stanwix appears much as it did during the Revolutionary War. The City of Rome and the National Park Service worked as partners to build a faithful replica of the original fort in 1976, using many original plans and documents. The headquarters building, guardhouse, sallyport, necessary, and ravelin, however, have not been reconstructed. Numbers on the illustration, keyed to the numbered text blocks below, identify principal parts of the fort; labels identify technical elements explained in the following glossary.
Image description: This is an aerial photo illustration looking to the northwest. In a green field, the star shaped walled fort with no roof sits. It has a wood fence that surrounds it and four pointed corners. Inside this fence and the pointed corners, the fort is sunken. The very center is sunken further and is a square open area with a dirt floor. Small buildings surround the center. To the east, a small trail borders the fort. To the north past the fence and a green grassy area is a series of brick and wooden buildings. A busy street with traffic frames to the park to the east.
Nineteen numbers are labelled on different points of the map and within the Fort with the exception of the Willet Center, which is outside of the fort.
Photo caption: From time to time the park invites French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, and American Indian organizations or units to garrison the fort and participate in park encampments and living history programs. This group of reenactors portraying American soldiers is seen firing a volley during the park’s 225th commemoration of the Siege of Fort Stanwix in 2002. The flag is a replica of the flag flown over the fort during the siege as described by Lt. Col. Marinus Willett. Photo description: A photo of ten men standing behind a wall made of large grey logs. They wear different shades of white and light brown clothing, and most have black wool hats. Some are "cocked," some are round. They hold muskets and point them over the wall. White smoke lingers near the muzzle ends. One holds a tall spear. A flag waives alternating white, blue, and red horizontal stripes behind them. A clear blue sky is in the background. Photo credit: National Park Service.
Text: All Fort Stanwix is in downtown Rome New York, at the corner of James Street and Erie Boulevard. The Willett Center and the fort are open daily 9 am to 5 pm except Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. All major state routes through Rome (26, 46, 49, 69, and 365) pass within sight of the monument. To get to Rome from the New York State Thruway, take exit 32 at Westmoreland to New York 233 north to New York 365 west and follow the signs to downtown Rome. City parking is available within sight of the monument. The bus terminal on Liberty Street is within two blocks of the site. The Amtrak railroad station at Martin Street and Route 233 is within a mile of the site. The nearest commercial airport is in Syracuse New York.
Map description: A small map is in the bottom left corner of side two of the brochure. It is of the greater Rome, New York area and covers approximately 20 square miles. It is oriented facing north. It shows the location of historic sites with arrows, such as Fort Stanwix National Monument, Oriskany Battlefield, and the Oneida Carry Landings. It also details main routes on which to traverse the area as described in the preceding text.
Text: All Fort Stanwix is in downtown Rome New York, at the corner of James Street and Erie Boulevard. The Willett Center and the fort are open daily 9 am to 5 pm except Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. All major state routes through Rome (26, 46, 49, 69, and 365) pass within sight of the monument. To get to Rome from the New York State Thruway, take exit 32 at Westmoreland to New York 233 north to New York 365 west and follow the signs to downtown Rome. City parking is available within sight of the monument. The bus terminal on Liberty Street is within two blocks of the site. The Amtrak railroad station at Martin Street and Route 233 is within a mile of the site. The nearest commercial airport is in Syracuse New York.