End of the Mohawk Valley War

Despite the Sullivan Expedition in 1779, which greatly weakened the Iroquois Confederacy, more heartache was in store. With the British southern campaign ramping up and with a virtually bankrupt Congress, the Continental Army could offer little assistance to the Mohawk Valley. Aware of this, in October 1780, Sir John Johnson led 1,000 men, many trained British regulars, on a sweeping raid and destroyed several hundred thousand bushels of wheat, slaughtered 3,000 head of livestock, and burned countless homes and farms, with over 300 civilians killed or taken captive. The following year, desperate to bring stability and security back to the Mohawk Valley, New York Governor George Clinton appointed Colonel Marinus Willett to lead the militia.