It Happened Here -- Tryon County's Women in War (Continued)
the Mohawk owned by her husband. When the raiders struck the town a few days later, she must have watched with mixed feelings of horror and relief when her neighbors' houses went up in flames while her own stone house was spared. Her husband, Martin J. Van Alstyne had been friends with the Johnsons before the war, although he became active in rebel politics and had hosted meetings of the town's Committee of Safety in their house. Because of his former connections to the Johnsons the raiders were under orders not to disturb his property.
In the fall of 1780 the raiders returned. This time the Van Alystynes were not so lucky. Indians ransacked the house, but did not burn it. Gone were many of the family's possessions, including cooking utensils and most of the family's horses. After the raid, Johnson, the Tories and many of the Indians accompanying them returned to winter quarters in Canada, but a few Indian bands decided to over-Winter in their old homelands along the Mohawk valley. Building fortified encampments, they settled in for the winter. The location of one of these camps, within two dozen miles of Canajoharie became common knowledge and Nancy urged her husband to mobilize the local militia to attack it. But local residents still reeling from the summer's raids, were in no mood to incur further losses. By mid-winter still no action had been taken and Nancy obsessed with recovering her lost things decided to take matters into her own hands. Taking her sixteen year old son with her, she harnessed a horse to the family's wagon. Ignoring the pleas of her family to be reasonable, she set out down snow choked trails to the Indian encampment. After a difficult trip of some twenty miles she arrived at the door of a large hut in the encampment. The camp was nearly deserted as most of the warriors were out hunting. She found only an old Indian woman tending a fire, who looked up and demanded to know what she wanted. Numb and exhausted from the cold. she mumbled "Food." As the woman set about preparing her a portion, Nancy realized she was using her cooking utensils. When the woman was distracted, Nancy snapped up the utensil and threw them in her wagon. Outside, in a stable, she saw her family's horses and they recognized her. Cutting their halters she gave them a slap, sending them down the trail toward home. Her mission accomplished, she and her son made a hasty escape. Later, when a group of Indians returned to the Van Alystyne home to reclaim their spoils she turned them away with a fierce show of defiance and by reminding them of the protection Johnson had given them.
Based on family legends these stories of Tryon County women in war can never be documented, but how plausible are they? Certainly, the independence and determination of Dutch women in colonial America borders on legendary. From the wives of patroons (see my post of 6/30/13) to the common Vrouw Dutch women ran their households and often partnered in their husband's enterprises. They often managed servants and slaves and regularly had business with Indians that frequented frontier towns (and generally didn't have a very high opinion of them.) The Iroquois, for their part, were raised in a matrilineal society, where the matriarchy controlled most domestic affairs. Clan matriarchs that spoke with authority were given a great deal of deference. Additionally, warriors were brought up to respect both bravery and bravado. Given these sets of cultural factors it is easy to see how these exchanges could have occurred and played out as they were reported.
Marker of the Week--If you think "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"...
Traveling along today's roads the trip from
Plattsburgh to Sackett's Harbor is
about 176 miles. However, if you have to come by way of Johnstown, its a bit longer.
In 1814 General George Izard had been assigned to the Northern Army defending Lake Champlain. What he found was an army of 4000 poorly trained volunteers and 7000 raw recruits and almost non-existent defenses. Over a period of months he worked to train his men and build defenses around Plattsburgh. In a masterstroke of poor planning and terrible timing Izard was reassigned to take 4000 of his men and take over command of facilities at Sackett's Harbor to begin operations on the Niagara Frontier. (Meanwhile, the British were in the process of sending 30,000 battle hardened veterans of the Napoleonic Wars to attack Plattsburgh!) But there were no roads across the New York north country, and of course sailing up the St. Lawrence was out of the question.The alternative was a 400 mile march over bad roads, down the Champlain/Lake George corridor, across to Johnstown, before heading up the Mohawk, portaging to Oneida Lake and on north to Sackett's Harbor.
It's no wonder that after peace was restored President Monroe issued a directive in 1817 for a road to be built across the northern part of the state that became known as "the Old Military Highway." Constructed with military labor, the project dragged on until 1826, beginning in Port Kent and ending up east of Potsdam.
Last week's post told the stories of two women of Tyron County, who despite their losses acted with courage and determination to protect their families and to carry on in the aftermath of the Tory/Indian raids of 1780. This week's post tells the stories of two women, who in the same raids, with cold fury faced down armed Indian invaders of their homes to prevent the theft of, or to recover their prized possessions.
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| NY 29 and Halles Mills Rd., Johnstown |
Southeast of Johnstown was the homestead of Lodowick Putnam and his family. In May 1780 Sir John Johnson with a force of 500 Tories and Indians came down through the Champlain Valley, Lake George and Sacandaga to attack the eastern end of the Mohawk Valley. Around midnight some Indians from Johnson's force entered the Putnam home and began to ransack it, grabbing clothes off of their wall hooks. Putnam's wife Elizabeth, threw herself at one of the Indians declaring she needed those clothes for her daughter Hannah. The two wrestled over the garments* until the Indian gave up the fight. The Indians killed and scalped Lodowick Putnam and their son Aaron but left Elizabeth unharmed. They set fire to the house and Elizabeth and her younger children made their way the several miles through the darkness to alert the garrison at Fort Johnson.
Up river in Canjoharie, Nancy Van Alstyne led her neighbors in hiding their most valuable possessions on an island in the center of
Up river in Canjoharie, Nancy Van Alstyne led her neighbors in hiding their most valuable possessions on an island in the center of
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| Moyer St., Canajoharie |
In the fall of 1780 the raiders returned. This time the Van Alystynes were not so lucky. Indians ransacked the house, but did not burn it. Gone were many of the family's possessions, including cooking utensils and most of the family's horses. After the raid, Johnson, the Tories and many of the Indians accompanying them returned to winter quarters in Canada, but a few Indian bands decided to over-Winter in their old homelands along the Mohawk valley. Building fortified encampments, they settled in for the winter. The location of one of these camps, within two dozen miles of Canajoharie became common knowledge and Nancy urged her husband to mobilize the local militia to attack it. But local residents still reeling from the summer's raids, were in no mood to incur further losses. By mid-winter still no action had been taken and Nancy obsessed with recovering her lost things decided to take matters into her own hands. Taking her sixteen year old son with her, she harnessed a horse to the family's wagon. Ignoring the pleas of her family to be reasonable, she set out down snow choked trails to the Indian encampment. After a difficult trip of some twenty miles she arrived at the door of a large hut in the encampment. The camp was nearly deserted as most of the warriors were out hunting. She found only an old Indian woman tending a fire, who looked up and demanded to know what she wanted. Numb and exhausted from the cold. she mumbled "Food." As the woman set about preparing her a portion, Nancy realized she was using her cooking utensils. When the woman was distracted, Nancy snapped up the utensil and threw them in her wagon. Outside, in a stable, she saw her family's horses and they recognized her. Cutting their halters she gave them a slap, sending them down the trail toward home. Her mission accomplished, she and her son made a hasty escape. Later, when a group of Indians returned to the Van Alystyne home to reclaim their spoils she turned them away with a fierce show of defiance and by reminding them of the protection Johnson had given them.Based on family legends these stories of Tryon County women in war can never be documented, but how plausible are they? Certainly, the independence and determination of Dutch women in colonial America borders on legendary. From the wives of patroons (see my post of 6/30/13) to the common Vrouw Dutch women ran their households and often partnered in their husband's enterprises. They often managed servants and slaves and regularly had business with Indians that frequented frontier towns (and generally didn't have a very high opinion of them.) The Iroquois, for their part, were raised in a matrilineal society, where the matriarchy controlled most domestic affairs. Clan matriarchs that spoke with authority were given a great deal of deference. Additionally, warriors were brought up to respect both bravery and bravado. Given these sets of cultural factors it is easy to see how these exchanges could have occurred and played out as they were reported.
*This story bears a remarkable similarity to one from Greene County--see my post of 12/17/13
Marker of the Week--If you think "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"...
Traveling along today's roads the trip from
Plattsburgh to Sackett's Harbor is
 |
| Rt. 30A, Gloversville |
In 1814 General George Izard had been assigned to the Northern Army defending Lake Champlain. What he found was an army of 4000 poorly trained volunteers and 7000 raw recruits and almost non-existent defenses. Over a period of months he worked to train his men and build defenses around Plattsburgh. In a masterstroke of poor planning and terrible timing Izard was reassigned to take 4000 of his men and take over command of facilities at Sackett's Harbor to begin operations on the Niagara Frontier. (Meanwhile, the British were in the process of sending 30,000 battle hardened veterans of the Napoleonic Wars to attack Plattsburgh!) But there were no roads across the New York north country, and of course sailing up the St. Lawrence was out of the question.The alternative was a 400 mile march over bad roads, down the Champlain/Lake George corridor, across to Johnstown, before heading up the Mohawk, portaging to Oneida Lake and on north to Sackett's Harbor.
It's no wonder that after peace was restored President Monroe issued a directive in 1817 for a road to be built across the northern part of the state that became known as "the Old Military Highway." Constructed with military labor, the project dragged on until 1826, beginning in Port Kent and ending up east of Potsdam.
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