January, 1777, British General John Burgoyne is suggesting a plan to divide and conquer the American colonies; a plan which would bring him into the state of New York.  The proposal is basically valid, though quite complex in timing and coordination. His proposal is approved by the Crown, and in May, 1777, his ship arrives in Montreal.  With a strong force, Burgoyne will sweep south from Canada, capture Fort Ticonderoga and lead a drive on Albany.  Any significant American military presence in the colony of New York will be decimated, and New England, considered the hotbed of the Revolution, will be sealed off from the rest of the revolt.  In Albany he will come under the command of General William Howe, then based in New York City.

       Burgoyne's plan also calls for a second column composed of British regulars, Hessians, Loyalists and Indians to come down the Mohawk River from the base at Oswego on Lake Ontario.  This secondary force will capture the rich farmland of the Mohawk Valley in New York and link up with Burgoyne in Albany.  By 1777 the Mohawk Valley, where Oriskany NY is, was considered the "Breadbasket of the Revolution", a main supplier of food for George Washington's army.

     To command the western wing of his invading army, Burgoyne chooses Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger who had gained a reputation during the French and Indian War as a solid leader in frontier fighting.  On June 2, 1777, St. Leger took command of his soldiers, including Sir John Johnson.  They were joined by 100 Tory rangers under the leadership of Colonel John Butler.  Around June 21, St. Leger's command began its movement down the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario.  Upon reaching Fort Oswego, St. Leger's troops were met by about 1000 warriors of the Six Nation Confederacy, who were to join the British on its eastward march against the colonists.  On August 3, 1777 St. Leger and nearly 2000 fighting men reached Fort Stanwix in what is now Rome, NY.

     At three o’clock in the afternoon, Sunday, August 3, 1777, Barry St. Leger formally invades Fort Stanwix, sending Captain Gilbert Tice to visit the garrison’s commandant, the young Peter Gansevoort.  On the same day, 40 miles away at Fort Dayton, another soldier is also answering his country’s call.  It is here that Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer has mustered 800 men of the patriot Tryon County Militia to march to the relief of their compatriots at Fort Stanwix.

            On the morning of August 4 the rebel militia sets out on their mission.  Most of the men are farmers, and most are descended from the original Palatine settlers of the Mohawk Valley.