Events

The American Revolution Round Table (ARRT) of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys proudly presents, Joseph Brant’s 1780 Attack on Canajohary by Wayne Lenig. This session will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 6:30 PM at the Van Alstyne Homestead, located 42 Moyer St, Canajoharie, NY 13317.

There will be time allocated to networking, socializing and to discuss prior topics. This is a great opportunity for history enthusiasts, historians, reenactors, historic site/museum personnel and all to get together to share ideas or to discuss the American Revolution and related topics. There will also be tours of the 1730 Dutch Van Alstyne Homestead.

Original accounts of the August 2nd raid began appearing in major newspapers about two weeks after the attack. A newspaper account dated September 9, 1780 stated the following: “At the fort now called fort Ransalaer (Fort Plain), Sir John Johnson and Captain Brant have burnt 51 houses, 42 barns, 17 killed, and 52 prisoners.”

The incursion had been more than just a raid however. Research has shown that the Mohawk Valley attacks of 1780 were part of a deliberate British strategy to depopulate the area so that the lands could be retained after the war and thus make the Mohawk the new border between the United States and Canada.

Wayne Lenig is the museum’s Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He has had a 50-year long interest in the interplay of Native Americans, European and African cultures in the Mohawk Valley region. He holds a BA from the University of Buffalo and he is an alumnus of the Cooperstown Graduate Program.

There are no fees and no membership requirements, donations are great appreciated to cover related costs. Please RSVP to the email address provided. For further information, email arrthudsonmohawkvalleys@gmail.com or call 518-774-5669.