Nicholas Herkimer | |
|---|---|
 Herkimer at theBattle of Oriskany | |
| Born | c. 1728 |
| Died | August 16, 1777 (aged 48–49) German Flatts, New York |
| Allegiance | New York (1758) United Colonies (1775–1776) United States (1775–1777) |
| Branch | New York Militia |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles / wars | |
Brigadier GeneralNicholas Herkimer (also known asNikolaus Herchheimer;c. 1728 – August 16, 1777) was an American militia officer who served in theFrench and Indian War andAmerican Revolutionary War. He died in 1777 from wounds suffered during theBattle of Oriskany.[1]
Herkimer was born in the vicinity ofGerman Flatts in theMohawk Valley of theProvince of New York, the eldest of five sons of Catherine Petri and Johann Jost Herchheimer. He was the elder brother ofLoyalist officerJohan Jost Herkimer. His grandfather wasPalatine immigrant Georg Herchheimer or Hirchemer fromSandhausen in the parish ofLeimen south ofHeidelberg.[2] Nicholas was of slender build, with a dark complexion and black hair; he was not quite six feet tall. He could speak German, English and Mohawk.
During the 1757attack on German Flatts in theFrench and Indian War, he was involved in its defense. He was made a captain in theNew York Militia on January 5, 1758, and repelled a second attack on German Flatts that April. He built his new house in 1764 on the south shore of the Mohawk River, near the falls and the present-day city ofLittle Falls; the estate utilized the forced labour ofIrish indentured servants andBlack slaves. Herkimer was one on the largest slaveholders in his region of New York, owning between 11 and 33 slaves, who forcibly worked in his household, farm and portage business.[3][4][5] Herkimer joined theScottish Rite Freemasonry, being initiated in the St. Patrick's Lodge inJohnstown, New York.[6][7]
In July and August 1775, Herkimer headed theTryon County Committee of Safety, and became colonel of theTryon County militia. After the split in which Loyalist militiamen from the area withdrew to Canada, he was commissioned a brigadier-general in the county militia by the Provincial Congress on September 5, 1776. In June 1776, he led 380 men of the Tryon County militia to meet with the Mohawk chiefJoseph Brant atUnadilla, New York. Herkimer asked the Mohawk and five otherIroquois nations to remain neutral, while Brant countered that the Indians owed their loyalty toGeorge III.
When Herkimer learned of the British siege ofFort Schuyler to the west in late July 1777, he ordered the Tryon County militia to assemble atFort Dayton. He marched them out to Fort Schuyler, about 28 miles to the west. His force marching in column was ambushed on August 6 by a mixed force of Loyalist andHessian regulars and Indian warriors in theBattle of Oriskany. Herkimer's horse was shot, and he was seriously wounded in the leg. It is alleged that, in spite of his injuries, he sat propped up against a tree, lit his pipe, and directed his men in the battle,[1] rallying them to avoid two panicked retreats. When they withdrew, they carried him home.
The brigade surgeon, William Petrie, dressed Herkimer's wound in the field and placed him on a litter. The wound quickly became infected, but the decision to amputate the leg was delayed for about ten days after the battle. The operation was performed by an inexperienced surgeon, Robert Johnson, because Petrie had also been wounded in the battle and was not available. The operation went poorly, the wound bled profusely, and Herkimer died of the injury on August 16, at around the age of 49.
Herkimer's home, in what is nowLittle Falls, New York, is preserved as theHerkimer Home State Historic Site and is open to the general public for free tours. The village ofHerkimer andHerkimer County, New York, are named in his honor,[8] as are General Herkimer Elementary School andHerkimer County Community College.[9]
His nephew,John Herkimer, later became a U.S. Congressman. A street inNew York City, Herkimer Place in theBronx, is named for him.[10]
Herkimer was played byRoger Imhof in the 1939 filmDrums Along the Mohawk, directed by John Ford. It is based on the 1936 historical novel byWalter D. Edmonds ofthe same name, about theColonial era, settlements in the valley, and theAmerican Revolutionary War.
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Municipalities and communities ofHerkimer County, New York,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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