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Long before the name Benedict Arnold became synonymous with the word ‘traitor’ in the US lexicon, the slippery yet battle-tested general devised a clever subterfuge at the August 1777 Siege of Fort Stanwix during the American Revolutionary War. The ruse would play a crucial role in the country’s fight for independence and inspire the garrison’s well-earned moniker, ‘The Fort that Never Surrendered’.
These same grounds are home to an authentic reconstruction of the original bastion stronghold operated by the National Parks Service (NPS) in Rome, New York (300 miles west of the Big Apple). Featuring 17ft-tall timber walls, a dry moat, and a fraise (palisade), the fort offers both self-guided and guided tours, with re-enactments of 18th-century warfare and day-to-day life on the colonial frontier. Keep in mind that some events involve cannon- or musket-firing demonstrations, so the use of earplugs should be considered.
Visitors looking for a more tranquil experience will find several historic and heirloom species of vegetables within the fort gardens. Garrisoned soldiers were encouraged to grow plants, not only to supplement their daily meals but also to cultivate medicinal herbs. What little livestock they had was typically kept to produce milk, except when the garrison was under siege and facing starvation (more on that later).
The nearby Willett Visitors Centre provides a variety of other related attractions, such as dioramas, audio-visual presentations, and a gift shop. In addition, the facility houses more than 400,000 artefacts, the majority of which are archaeological objects that were recovered during excavations that occurred prior to the reconstruction of the fort.
These items include military weapons and accoutrements, clothing, utensils, hardware, and furniture. The park’s relationship with the Oneida Nation has led to the inclusion of ethnographic items such as a wampum belt and a traditionally crafted bow. Among these prized exhibits is an Orderly Book, which officers used to record daily events at the fort from 1779 to 1780. Entries cover all kinds of activities, ranging from muster roll-calls to the theft of rum and floggings.
Deceiving the British
First built by the British in 1758, during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the fort protected the Oneida Carry, a vital portage where boats and supplies had to be carried or dragged between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. This link allowed people to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes in the resources-rich Mohawk Valley, the ancestral homelands of the Six Nations Confederacy (also called the Iroquois or Haudenosaunee), which comprised the Oneida, Tuscarora, Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca, and Cayuga tribes. However, their alliance became increasingly splintered as a result of conflicts involving the European newcomers.
By early August 1777, the garrison had been renamed Fort Schuyler (in honour of American Major-General Philip Schuyler) and was defended by 750 Continental Army soldiers under Colonel Peter Gansevoort. The rebels would soon find themselves besieged by enemy forces commanded by Brevet Brigadier General Barry St Leger, numbering about 800 British, Hessian, and Loyalist soldiers — as well as 800 Indian warriors and several artillery pieces. The attack was part of Major-General John Burgoyne’s three-pronged Saratoga Campaign, intended to squash the rebellion by cutting off New York state from the other colonies.
Meanwhile, Gansevoort dug in and refused to surrender, despite dwindling supplies and having to slaughter dairy cows for food. He famously declared that he would defend the fort to ‘the last extremity’. But he soon benefited from a timely and daring gambit by General Arnold. The oleaginous senior officer, who would betray his country three years later by switching sides, revealed his talent for deception by planting an informant in the British camp tasked with spreading misinformation that a large contingent of American troops was approaching the fort. On 21 August 1777, St Leger wrote, Arnold was advancing ‘by rapid and forced marches, with 3,000 men’.
In short, he’d been had – hoodwinked by America’s Top Turncoat. Around the same time, the British saw a mass exodus of their Indian fighters, prompting St Leger to order a retreat and abandon the siege. Consequently, Burgoyne was left to fight without support and surrendered two months later, a crushing defeat that contributed to France joining the Americans’ cause.
Flying the flag
The landmark siege at Fort Stanwix also produced one of the earliest versions of the American flag flown in battle. But exactly which variant was unfurled is still a subject of heated debate. According to the National Park Service, ‘All that is known is from several accounts: it was made of blue, white, and red stripes, and it was flown “on behalf of These United States” and in defiance of the British, by the officers and soldiers inside the fort.’ A giant replica of the flag is now displayed near the fort entrance.
Although the American Revolutionary War ended in 1783, violent clashes between the United States and Native Americans would continue to rage for decades. Fort Stanwix was the site for several treaties between the Six Nations Confederacy and the United States – settlements that ultimately ceded vast tracts of lands in western Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, north-east Tennessee, and the future states of Kentucky and West Virginia.
Over time, the once-resilient fortress fell into disrepair, and the land was repurposed. But federal funding in the 20th century would eventually lead to its grand rebirth, opening to the public in 1976 to coincide with the celebration of the US Bicentennial.
Fort Stanwix National Monument Seasonal opening hours; see website for admission times, FREE 112 East Park Street, Rome, New York 13440 www.nps.gov/fost +1 315 338 7730 All images: National Park Service and Dan U.
WORTH CHECKING OUT… Upcoming Events and Exhibitions
EXHIBITION
Northern Ireland: living with the Troubles, Until 29 September 2024, IWM North, The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester, M17 1TZ, UK http://www.iwm.org.uk/events/northern-ireland- living-with-the-troubles-iwm-north , Free
For nearly three decades, Northern Ireland was engulfed in conflict, a bitter sectarian form of warfare that came to be known as ‘The Troubles’. More than 25 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, this exhibition, following a successful run at the Imperial War Museum in London, now moves north to Manchester, where visitors are invited to understand the conflict through witnesses and artefacts from the front lines.
FUNDRAISER
The Great Tommy Sleepout 2024, During March 2024, https://rbli.co.uk/rbli-events/the-great-tommy-sleepout/
The Great Tommy Sleep Out is a fundraising challenge hosted by the Royal British Legion Industries and designed to support an estimated 6,000 veterans experiencing homelessness in the UK. Although the annual challenge doesn’t replicate rough sleeping, it helps to raise awareness of a situation faced by far too many veterans across the country. For more information, see the website, where you can pick a location, plan the night, and get fundraising.
EXHIBITION
Witness to Revolution: the unlikely travels of Washington’s tent, Until 5 January 2025, Museum of the American Revolution, 101 South Third Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA http://www.amrevmuseum.org/exhibits/witness-to-revolution- the-unlikely-travels-of-washington-s-tent , Prices vary
George Washington’s headquarters tent has inspired generations of Americans down the centuries, ever since it was first packed up by the war-winning general at the end of the revolution in 1783. This newly expanded exhibition at the museum dedicated to that revolution explores the tent’s remarkable later life, including its confiscation during the American Civil War and the long campaign by Washington’s descendants to reacquire a famous family heirloom.
EXHIBITION
Re:loaded, Until 31 May 2024, Royal Armouries Museum, Armouries Drive, Leeds LS10 1LT, UK https://royalarmouries.org/leeds/whats-on/reloaded , Free
Throughout history, guns have been intricately decorated. Plated with gold and studded with diamonds, these weapons have become objects of art, tokens of love and desire, and gifts between nations on diplomatic missions. This exhibition, featuring some of the iconic objects from the Royal Armouries’ collection, asks us to reconsider the symbolism of guns: in other words, why attempt to beautify potentially deadly weapons?
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