| Battle of Newtown | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSullivan Expedition | |||||||
 Illustration of the burning of the Delaware village of Newtown by Sullivan's forces on August 30, 1779 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |  Great BritainIroquois | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| John Sullivan James Clinton Enoch Poor Edward Hand William Maxwell | John Butler Walter Butler Sayenqueraghta Cornplanter Joseph Brant Fish Carrier | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,200Continental regulars 2 companies of militia 9 artillery pieces | 200–250Butler's Rangers 300–350Seneca,Cayuga,Mohawk, andMunsee Delaware 14 British regulars (8th Regiment of Foot) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 8 killed 31 wounded | 12 Iroquois & 3 Rangers killed 9 Iroquois & 3 Rangers wounded 2 Rangers captured | ||||||
 | |||||||
TheBattle of Newtown (August 29, 1779) was the only major battle of theSullivan Expedition, an armed offensive led by Major GeneralJohn Sullivan that was ordered byGeorge Washington to end the threat of theIroquois who had sided with theBritish in theAmerican Revolutionary War. Opposing Sullivan's four brigades were 250 Loyalist soldiers fromButler's Rangers, commanded by MajorJohn Butler, and 350Iroquois andDelaware (Lenape). Butler andMohawk war leaderJoseph Brant did not want to make a stand at Newtown, and instead proposed to harass the enemy on the march, but were overruled bySayenqueraghta and other Indigenous war leaders.
This battle, which was the most significant military engagement of the campaign, took place at the foot of a hill along theChemung River just outside what is nowElmira, New York.
The engagement occurred along a tall hill, now called Sullivan Hill and part of theNewtown Battlefield State Park. The hillside, running southeast to northwest next to theChemung River, was a mile long at its crest, which rose 600 feet (180 m) above the path at its base leading into the Delaware village of Newtown. The slope of the hill was covered with pine and a dense growth of shrub oak. Hoffman Hollow, amarshy area of small hillocks and thick stands of trees, was just to the east of the hill. A smallwatercourse, called Baldwin Creek, ran through the hollow and emptied into the Chemung River (referred to as the Cayuga branch in Sullivan's reports). The creek followed the hill northwest on the opposite side from the river and had steep western banks.
In May 1779, in response to rumours of a planned American invasion of Iroquois territory, Butler, accompanied by five companies of Butler's Rangers and a detachment of the8th Regiment of Foot, leftFort Niagara and established a forward operating base atKanadaseaga located near the northern end ofSeneca Lake.[1] In the middle of August, Butler accompanied by about 300Seneca andCayuga warriors led by Sayenqueraghta,Cornplanter, andFish Carrier moved south to the Chemung River where they were joined by Joseph Brant andBrant's Volunteers, as well as a number of Delaware.[2]
Butler and Brant suggested that, because of the size and composition of Sullivan's forces, harassment raids would be more effective than making a stand. They were overruled by Sayenqueraghta, Cornplanter and the Delaware who selected a position on the north side of the Chemung River for an ambush.[1]
The Rangers and their native allies hastily constructed a horseshoe-shaped camouflagedbreastwork of logs about 150 feet (46 m) up the southeast spur of the hill, within musket range of the path. The hill was used as both an observation point and a barrier to the approach of the Continental Army.
On August 26, 1779, Sullivan leftFort Sullivan, where the two columns of his army had converged, with an estimated 3,200 well-armed troops. They marched slowly up the Chemung River with the intention of destroying the towns and crops of theSix Nations in central New York. On the morning of Sunday, August 29, about ten miles upriver from Fort Sullivan, the advance guard, three companies of riflemen formerly with theProvisional Rifle Corps of ColonelDaniel Morgan, drew close to Butler's position. Suspecting an ambush, they halted and scouted the area. They discovered the hidden breastwork and immediately notified Brigadier GeneralEdward Hand. Hand dispatched his light infantry to take up firing positions behind the bank of Baldwin Creek. The defenders made several unsuccessful attempts at luring the Continentals into an ambush. As the extended army continued to arrive and assemble, Sullivan called a council of war with his brigade commanders. Together they devised a plan of attack.
The1st New Jersey Regiment, commanded by ColonelMatthias Ogden, was detached from Brigadier GeneralWilliam Maxwell's New Jersey Brigade and sent west along the Chemung River to a position on Major Butler's right flank. Similarly, the New York Brigade of Brigadier GeneralJames Clinton and the New Hampshire Brigade of Brigadier GeneralEnoch Poor were dispatched together eastward, along a circuitous route through Hoffman Hollow, with the mission of approaching the hill's northeastern flank. At the end of the first hour, the artillery of six three-pounders, twohowitzers, and acoehorn posted on a rise near the path, would open fire on the breastwork.[3] The guns would signal Hand to feint an attack upon the center of the horseshoe, at which time the brigades to the northeast would climb the hill and pivot left to attack the rear of the breastwork. When the guns of Poor's and Clinton's attack were heard by Hand, his brigade would storm the works, supported by Maxwell's brigade, putting the defenders in a crossfire.
The plan was complex and conceived on short notice but the ultimate result was a defeat for Butler's Rangers and their Indigenous allies. Crossing the swampy marsh (which Sullivan termed a "morass") in Hoffman Hollow slowed the advance of Poor's and Clinton's brigades, disrupting the timing of the plan, and this provided just enough delay to allow Butler and the Iroquois to escape along the crest of the hill. The artillery barrage opened well before Poor and Clinton were in position which forced the Rangers and Iroquois back from the breastwork before they could be encircled. While some of the defenders turned and ran, the main body of Butler's forces skirmished with the Americans as they withdrew.
Nearly all of the Continentals' casualties occurred during a counterattack on Lieutenant ColonelGeorge Reid's2nd New Hampshire Regiment.[4] Assigned to the extreme left of Poor's assault formation, the regiment climbed where the slope was steepest and lagged considerably behind the rest of the brigade. Joseph Brant led the assault and nearly encircled Reid. The next regiment in line, the3rd New Hampshire Regiment of Lieutenant ColonelHenry Dearborn, about-faced, fired two volleys and advanced back down the hill to assist Reid, as did two of Clinton's regiments. The counterattack was turned back, however, it allowed the bulk of Butler's forces to escape.[3]
After razing two Delaware villages and destroying all crops in the vicinity, Sullivan's army turned north and over the next three weeks destroyed at least 40 hastily abandoned Seneca and Cayuga villages before returning to Fort Sullivan.[3]
Sources differ as to the number of American casualties. Captain James Norris of the 3rd New Hampshire recorded three dead and 36 wounded during the battle.[5] In his report to George Washington, General Sullivan also reported three dead but increased the number of wounded to 39.[6] Five of the wounded died from their wounds within three weeks of the battle bringing the total to eight dead.[3][4]
Dead:
Wounded:
Major Butler reported five of his Rangers killed or taken and three wounded as well as five killed and nine wounded among the Iroquois.[2] American sources reported two prisoners taken, and twelve dead natives including a woman.[3]
In 1973 the Newtown BattlefieldNational Historic Landmark was established by the federal government, recognizing its significant history. The Landmark encompasses nearly 2,100 acres (850 hectares) in the towns ofAshland,Chemung andElmira. Today, the site of the battle is partially obscured by theWellsburg exit ofInterstate 86 andNew York State Route 17. Several roadside signs in the vicinity of the interchange mark various troop locations.
To commemorate the battle's 100th anniversary in 1879, a small parcel of land atop what is now known as Sullivan Hill was donated to create Newtown Battlefield Park. A 40 foot (12 m) fieldstone tower was built. This tower collapsed during a thunderstorm on August 30, 1911. That same year, 15 acres (6.1 hectares) of land including the park was deeded to the State of New York and named the Newtown Battlefield Reservation. A new 80 foot (24 m) granite obelisk monument was erected and dedicated in 1912. Further expansion eventually resulted in the creation of the 372 acres (1.51 km2)Newtown Battlefield State Park.[10]
TheAmerican Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved an additional 68 acres (28 hectares) of the battlefield adjacent to the Newtown Battlefield State Park.[11] In an effort to incorporate the Newtown Battlefield site into theNational Park System, Congressional resolution H.R. 6866, which directed Secretary of the InteriorDirk Kempthorne to conduct a special resource study to evaluate the significance of the Newtown Battlefield and the suitability and feasibility of its inclusion in the National Parks System, was put forth for consideration by CongressmanRandy Kuhl.[12] The bill stalled in January 2009 after being referred to theSubcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.[13]