The military road and the ravine

— 12th stop on the walking tour —

Photographed By Bryan Olson,

1. The military road and the ravine Marker

Inscription. The military road On August 6, 1777, the Tryon County militia marched down a wilderness road that entered this ravine. A “corduroy” road, made of logs, it was the only means by which General Herkimer and his men could reach Fort Stanwix other than by boat.

and the ravine The Military Road dipped more than fifty feet into this marshy ravine. A small stream, barely three-feet wide, meandered along the bottom. It was a splendid spot for an ambush. While 50 of Sir Johnson’s Royal Greens waited behind a rise, 400 Iroquois, led by Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, concealed themselves on both sides of the ravine. It was into this trap that General Herkimer’s militiamen advanced, with Herkimer at the head of the column.

Erected by New York State Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical year for this entry is 1777.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 43° 10.505′ N, 75° 22.08′ W. Marker was in Oriskany, New York, in Oneida County. This marker is located inside Oriskany Battlefield Park on a walking path that runs thru the ravine where the initial ambush took place. Touch for map

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. Marker was in this post office area: Oriskany NY 13424, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. General Herkimer's Troops (within shouting distance of this marker); Ambush Started Here (within shouting distance of this marker); To The Unknown Patriotic Soldiers of Tryon County (within shouting distance of this marker); The Military Road (within shouting distance of this marker); Preserving a Memorial Park (within shouting distance of this marker); The Ambush: August 6, 1777 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Aftermath of a Tragedy (about 400 feet away); Near This Spot (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oriskany.

More about this marker. This marker has two images on. The first image is of Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant. The second image is of the old Military Road.

This historical marker is the 12th stop in a walking tour of the Oriskany Battlefield.

Regarding The military road and the ravine. The Battle of Oriskany is one of the bloodies battles of the American Revolution. To learn more about the battle I recommend the book: Liberty March, The Battle of Oriskany by Allan D. Foot.

Also see . . .
1. Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 15, 2010

2. The military road and the ravine Marker

View of the historical marker with the number twelve on it's support stand, indicating that this marker is the 8th stop on the Oriskany Battlefield walking tour.

. New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website entry (Submitted on February 13, 2009, by Bryan Olson of Syracuse, New York.)

2. The Battle of Oriskany. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on February 13, 2009, by Bryan Olson of Syracuse, New York.)

Additional commentary.
1. Removal of weathered historical markers
I stopped by this historic site on my journey to visit with my daughter's family in Connecticut. Upon arriving at in the parking area I noticed that there were some new markers, so I took the full walking tour and noticed several changes to this park site.

First, when I made my original trip here the signs indicated that it was a state park that had fallen victim to state budget cuts. This year however the park seemed to have somehow been incorporated into the national park system and I had the opportunity to speak with a national park ranger. The ranger told me that members of the National Park Service staff from neighboring Fort Stanwix rotate service over at the Oriskany Battlefield Park on a daily basis.

Second, it appeared that the National Park Service had made some improvements to the park, including changing the course of the steep walking trail through the ravine at the ambush site, removing

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 15, 2010

3. The military road and the ravine Marker

View of the footbridge crossing the creek where the ambush takes place. Just beyond the footbridge and partially up the old military trail there is a view of the historical marker that is featured on this page.

some old and faded markers, and added some new and different markers.

From talking with the park ranger it would appear that this marker was one of the old and faded historical markers that was removed and that there is no intention of replacing this specific historical marker.

— Submitted April 14, 2012, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2009, by Bryan Olson of Syracuse, New York. This page has been viewed 1,210 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 13, 2009, by Bryan Olson of Syracuse, New York. 2. submitted on June 21, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 3. submitted on June 22, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.