Cherry Valley Massacre

Cherry Valley was a village surrounding Fort Alden, constructed in 1778 and named after its commander Ichabod Alden. 

On November 11 1778, Cherry Valley was invaded by 500 Seneca and Mohawks and 200 Loyalists under the command of Joseph Brant and Walter Butler. 

A prominent leader of the Mohawk, Brant led Seneca and Mohawk forces during the assault on Cherry Valley. He previously gained an undeserved reputation for brutality at the Battle of Wyoming, although he was not present. Primary documents indicate that his goal was actually to contain the carnage at Cherry Valley.

A leader of the Loyalist forces of the attack, it is theorized that Butler had a personal motive for the attack on Cherry Valley. He may have sought retribution for his treatment at an Albany prison 8 years prior, where he was imprisoned for several months in horrible conditions.

The Wyoming Massacre occurred several months before the attack on Cherry Valley. During this battle Indian forces were accused of excessive brutality through the torture and killings of fleeing soldiers, accusations that they resented. In this battle, Brant gains his reputation for brutality despite his absence from it. This will later result in him, rather than Butler, taking most of the blame for the atrocities at Cherry Valley.

The attacks on Indian settlements in Unadilla, Onaquaga, and Tioga also served as a motivation for the Seneca and Mohawk forces to join the assault on Cherry Valley.

"He was present at a great meeting of Indians and Tories at that place and their result was to attack Cherry Valley, and that young Butler was to head the Tories. I send you this information that you may be on your guard." - Letter from Robert Cochrane to Ichabod Alden on November 8, 1778

Ichabod Alden received a warning that the attack would take place. However, believing it to be a rumor he only ordered more scouts and did not prepare for an attack. On November 9, a group of scouts were captured by the approaching forces and questioned until Butler and Brant gathered significant information about the layout of Cherry Valley and distribution of forces.

"I was never before a spectator of such a scene of distress and horror. The first object that presented was a woman lying with her four children, two on each side of her, all scalped" - From Letter by M. Richey, surveying the aftermath on November 12, 1778

The attack resulted in extreme violence against the non-combatants, particularly the women and children. Many harrowing tales were recorded from the survivors of this day. The inhabitants were reported as being scalped and tomahawked. Most of the village and the residences were destroyed, burned completely sometimes with their residents inside.

Many escaped to the surrounding woods, however the extreme cold and lack of provisions made it difficult to survive. Some braved the winter to find relatives that lived nearby, others stayed hidden until the assault was over.

Of the inhabitants of Cherry Valley, 30 non-combatants were killed in the attack as well as 16 soldiers.

Of the survivors, 70 were taken as prisoners, and of this number 40 were released at the urging of Brant. Brant was horrified at the treatment of the innocents at Cherry Valley and pushed for fairer treatment, given especially that some of the families were those that he knew personally.

Ultimately Fort Alden was not captured during this attack, but 2 years later in 1780. Therefore the main result of this attack was the deaths of the non-combatants and destruction of the village.

The Cherry Valley Massacre is widely regarded as one of the most violent frontier battles of the American Revolution. Joseph Brant took much of the blame for what occurred, evidence that contributed to him being known as "the Monster Brant." The contribution of Butler and his possible motivation for committing the atrocities was not theorized until years later.

The deaths of the innocents at both the Cherry Hill and Wyoming Massacres served as motivation for the Sullivan Expedition in 1779, a campaign against the Iroquois. This resulted in many Iroquois establishments to be destroyed, including 40 villages. This forced many of its inhabitants into refugee camps, and added fuel to the ongoing conflict throughout New York.

Americanwarsus. “Battle of Cherry Valley (Massacre).” American Revolutionary War. American Revolutionary War, January 14, 2018.  https://revolutionarywar.us/year-1778/battle-cherry-valley-massacre/ .

Willett, William M, Publisher G. & C. & H. Carvill, and Jay I. Kislak Collection. A narrative of the military actions of Colonel Marinus Willett, taken chiefly from his own manuscript. New York, G. & C. & H. Carvill, 1831. Web..  https://lccn.loc.gov/13026832 .

Swinnerton, Henry U., and Cherry Valley. "THE STORY OF CHERRY VALLEY." Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association 7 (1907): 74-93.  http://www.jstor.org/stable/42889875 .

"A List of the Inhabitants that suffered at Cherry Valley." Revolutionary War Document Listing Survivors of Cherry Valley Massacre, Nov 11, 1778. Cowan's Auctions, 2010.

Sawyer, John. History of Cherry Valley from 1740 to 1898. Cherry Valley Editions, 2003.