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From: "Sally Rolls Pavia" <>
Subject: [GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES] The rest of the story on the CherryValleyMassacre
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:13:18 -0700


From our member, Marilyn Bess

Chapter 8 - Revolution
Running Battle of West Canada Valley

(The following is an excerpt from the book Kuyahoora - Discovering West
Canada Valley.)

Near the end of the Revolutionary War a 600-man army of British regulars,
Loyalists (Tories) and Iroquois, commanded by Major John Ross, left the
British Fort at Oswego and marched to the Mohawk Valley. The 150 Rangers and
130 Indians in this army were commanded by Captain Walter Butler.
Butler had led an attack on Cherry Valley three years before that
resulted in the death and mutilation of 47 men, women and children. Word of
the attack spread throughout New York. The Cherry Valley Massacre was the
worst atrocity of the war and Walter Butler its worst villain.
When the British army marched into the Mohawk Valley on October 24,
1781, it bypassed the western outposts at Fort Herkimer and Fort Dayton
(Fort Stanwix had been damaged by fire and abandoned.) and attacked
settlements further down the valley, taking prisoners and foraging for
supplies.
When Colonel Marinus Willet heard of these attacks, he rushed with his
command at Fort Rensselaer (Fort Plain) to meet the enemy, gathering
additional troops from other forts along the way. They met Ross's army at
Johnstown on October 25, 1781 and won the day.

Butler's Ridge: a British army camped here in 1781.
Ross with much of his army intact and some prisoners, left the field at
Johnstown after dark and moved out of the area. Escaped prisoners reported
that Ross was planning to attack settlements near Stone Arabia to replenish
supplies. Willet marched to that area where he stayed until he learned the
enemy was moving west into the wilderness.
On the 27th, Willet marched his troops to Fort Herkimer and remained in
the area for two days procuring provisions and additional fighting men for a
five-day pursuit of the enemy. On the 29th, 400 hand-picked troops and 60
Oneida warriors marched up West Canada Valley to a trail north of the
present village of Middleville, traveled northeast to Jerseyfield Road, and
then north through a hardwood forest towards the Jerseyfield Patent.
That evening after a forced march of 20 miles, snow falling throughout
the day, they camped on high ground overlooking Black Creek Valley, some
three miles from Black Creek.
Ross's army entered West Canada Valley that same day on the Mount's Trail
west of Salisbury, heading northwest to the Jerseyfield. The trail for much
of its length passed through a very wet forest of giant spruce, balsam and
hemlock, mixed with hardwood ridges of maple, beech and cherry. One of these
hardwood ridges offered a well-drained and defensible campground for more
than 500 men . . . and there was a rushing brook nearby. (The campsite was
henceforth called Butler's Ridge)
That evening---for the fourth day in a row---Ross's army ate its
allotment of a half-pound of horsemeat per man. A mile away, Willet's army
ate full rations. Willet sent out scouts that located the enemy. Ross
probably did the same.
Both armies broke camp around daybreak on October 30th and marched a
collision course. Each army moved through the wilderness with a party of
scouts well in front of the main body and a rear guard well behind. On a
narrow trail through the wilderness the rear guard could effectively delay
the progress of a pursuing army.
Butler's Rangers fired on the Continentals when they came down this hill to
West Canada Creek. Today Butler's Crossing is under Hinckley Reservoir.

When Willet's advance party reached Black Creek they collided with
Ross's rear guard. The ensuing skirmish resulted in the capture of an enemy
officer and the death or capture of most of his command.
For the rest of the morning a running battle ensued. The retreating army
discarded their packs and other gear to increase their speed through the
conifer wilderness. Many of the pursuers did likewise in an attempt to
overtake them.
They ran north on Mount's Road, crossed the North Branch of Black Creek,
Mount's Brook and Mount's Clearing before turning west towards West Canada
Creek. At every opportunity the rear guard fired on their pursuers to give
Ross's army enough time to cross the West Canada and set up a defensive
position further down the trail on the other side of the river.
After the main body crossed the river, Captain Walter Butler and some of
his rangers lined the riverbank and waited for their pursuers to descend the
steep hill leading to the crossing before firing on them. Except as a
delaying tactic, their fire was ineffective.
During the ensuing skirmish Butler was shot in the head and fell to the
ground near some shoreline trees. When the rear guard fled into the woods,
an Oneida warrior ran across the river, killed the wounded Butler with a
tomahawk to the head and then scalped and stripped him. Waving the scalp in
the air, the Oneida and the other warriors chorused a war cry that could be
heard by all. When the action was over the British had five men killed,
three wounded and four taken prisoner. (This ford on West Canada Creek was
henceforth called Butler's Crossing.)
Willet's army chased the enemy a few more miles before calling off the
pursuit. In his report of the action he included the following:
"We have lost but one man in the pursuit. Our Indians were very useful,
and behaved with their usual alertness upon such occasions. Your Lordship
knows they are the best cavalry for the service of the wilderness. Strange
as it may appear it is true, that not withstanding the enemy had been four
days in the wilderness with only half a pound of horse-flesh per man per
day. Yet in this famished situation, they trotted 30 miles before they
stopped. Many of them indeed fell sacrifice to such treatment. Their packs
and blankets were strewed through the woods. All their horses, except five
which were sent a considerable distance forward in their van, with their
wounded and a few prisoners fell into our hands.
"In this situation, I left the unfortunate Major Ross; unfortunate I
call him, for he was surely so in taking charge of so fine a detachment of
men to execute so dirty and trifling a piece of business as he was sent on
at such immense hazard and exquisite toil. To fatigue the brave troops any
longer, appeared unnecessary. The enemy, who continued their flight great
part of the night, had got greatly the start of us, and almost certain
destruction appeared before them. -- A seven days march, rivers passable but
upon rafts, a barren wilderness, in an inclement season of the year, to be
encountered with, before they can obtain provisions; besides, our situation,
had we pursued them a day or two longer, might become little better than
theirs; for our Indians, and many of the troops, in order to pursue them
with greater vigour, had thrown aside their blankets and provisions, which
were now 20 miles or more in the rear; in fine, we left them in a situation,
perhaps, more suited to their merit than a musket ball, a tomahawk, or
captivity."

And another death Glenny, William (N. Y.). Served as a Sergeant in 3d New
York, June, 1775, to January, 1776; Ensign 2d New York, 21st November, 1776;
2d Lieutenant, 21st June, 1777; 1st Lieutenant, 5th April, 1780; killed at
West Canada Creek October 30, 1781 William Glenny's brothers James and John
who were administrator of his estate came to New York state to take up his
bounty land and other assets

A petition of John and James Glenny, of the State of New York, brothers and
administrators of William Glenny, deceased, was presented to the House and
read, praying a commutation of pay due the deceased for services rendered by
him as a Lieutenant in the army of the United States, during the
Revolutionary war with Great Britain.

John Glenny's son, William Glenny, the father of William Glenny who was a
Brevet Brigadier General of the 64th Regiment, New York State Volunteers,
said in his naturalization papers that he along with a whole boat load of
family and friends arrived in June of 1795. The part of this family that
we know about comes as a result of the following "on July 6, 1812 an Act of
Congress required every British subject residing in the United States to
report to a government representative in each state their residence,
occupation, compilation of family and whether he had made application for
citizenship. Following are those names that appeared in Immigration and
Naturalization Records 1802-1859, Onondaga County, Syracuse, New York. The
name is followed by the date the British subject appeared, his age, duration
of residence in the U.S., family composition, occupation, and residence.

Carson, Samuel 11/28/1812; 4816 y in US; Mary, James,Abraham,John,
Stephen,Otis W.,Nancy,William, Margaret; farmer; Virgil,Cortland Co..
Cavert, John 1/29/1813; 37y; 17y in US; self and four children; farmer;
Homer, Cortland Co.
Glenny, John 11/28/1812; 67y; 16y in US; self, Susanna, William, Margaret;
farmer; Virgil, Cortland Co.
Although we have no proof that John Cavert belongs in this family, we
think that he might be connected by marriage or friendship. We do know that
James and Abraham Carson were born Ireland We found James baptism in
Ireland. We know Stephen and later Carson children were born in Virgil and
baptized there. John who is our ancestor, appears in the 1830 and 1840
Hector, Tompkins County, Ny census. There is a journal that tells about his
daily
labor in Hector. All of his sons were in the Civil War.. Interesting
sidelight but very essential in my family research
Marilyn Bess email
Researcher Bradford, Potter, Tioga, PA
Chemung,Tioga,Tompkins,Schuyler,Steuben, NY



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