#geneseeriver

[yatescountyhistorycenter]

Thinking about the Sullivan Expedition

By Jonathan Monfiletto

During its reign over its North American territory, Great Britain attempted to keep peace with the Native Americans who already lived here. Following the French and Indian War, as the North American theater of the Seven Years’ War was known, the British government adopted the Proclamation of 1763 to declare its colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains.

The western portion of British-claimed territory was considered to be Native American land. In New York, the boundary between the colony and indigenous land lay around the modern-day Utica-Rome area. After the American Revolution, however, the proclamation was nullified and the newly ordained American citizens began to explore and settle their new country.

That brought the Public Universal Friend – the person – and the Society of Universal Friends – the group – into what they called the Genesee Country, as the first permanent, non-native settlers of what is now Yates County. It also brought Levi Benton and his family – the first settlers of the county aside from the Friends – and many other Pennsylvanians and New England Yankees to the area.

The Genesee Country became a focal point for white settlement in the early years of the American nation. That’s because of an event that happened a decade before the Friends arrived, in which soldiers who took part returned home with stories of a wonderful and bountiful land.

In 1779, General George Washington dispatched General John Sullivan and his forces to march up the Susquehanna River in eastern Pennsylvania to the Genesee River in western New York. The goal was to harass the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy who lived in that area and had allied with the British.

What became known as the Sullivan Expedition occurred after what the Continental Army considered massacres by Iroquois warriors in Wyoming Valley (along the Susquehanna in Pennsylvania) and Cherry Valley (south of the Mohawk River in New York). In secondary accounts of the expedition, these events read more like raids in which Iroquois forces took part alongside, and under the direction of, British forces. The Continental Army nevertheless decided it needed to specifically target the Iroquois with an offensive in response.

The expedition did not result in a large loss of life – there were a few casualties on both sides in scattered skirmishes – as thousands of Iroquois fled their villages toward British strongholds ahead of the approaching troops. The Army did not take any Iroquois captives, though that had been a goal of the expedition, and the main result was troops destroyed Iroquois villages and decimated homes and crops.

In 1929, during the 150th anniversary of the Sullivan Expedition, Herbert D. Winters – the head of the history department of Keuka College – wrote a series of 11 articles for The Chronicle-Express that offered a detailed and extensive history of the expedition. He discusses the planning of the expedition and its beginnings and then charts Sullivan’s course. I used Winters’ writings – along with an essay by Seneca County Historian Walter J. Gable, a webpage from the National Park Service, and the Historical Marker Database website – to inform this article.

Following the course of the Susquehanna, Sullivan and his forces staged the Battle of Newtown – in present-day Elmira – against, again, a mix of British and Iroquois forces. From there, the expedition entered the Finger Lakes region through Catherine’s Town at the southern end of Seneca Lake. The expedition marched northward up the east side of Seneca Lake.

Once Sullivan’s forces reached the northern end of Seneca Lake, at the Seneca village of Kanadesaga, he sent detachments down both the west side and east side of Cayuga Lake. Though the expedition did not travel the entire length of the west side of Seneca Lake, it did reach present-day Yates County. A detachment was sent to the Seneca village of Kashong to destroy it.

As Winters documents, a force of 400 men, and later an additional 200 reinforcements, went to work destroying the crops they found there – potatoes, apples, peaches, cucumbers, watermelons, and corn. The village, like many the expedition encountered, was already deserted of people. This force joined up with the main body to continue to the Genesee River, but upon their return eastward they visited Kashong once again to inflict further destruction on the houses and buildings there.

The sesquicentennial celebration in 1929 saw the establishment of numerous monuments to the Sullivan Expedition. These consist largely of stone-and-metal monuments depicting the route of Sullivan’s forces and standard blue-and-yellow markers recalling where Iroquois villages once stood and other aspects of the expedition. There are at least 10 such monuments in Seneca County alone, with four in Cayuga County, three in Ontario County, and one each in Schuyler County and Tompkins County.

According to HMDB, there are a total of 72 historical markers dedicated to the Sullivan Expedition; other markers are located elsewhere throughout New York and Pennsylvania, along the route Sullivan traveled. There are none in Yates County that I am aware of, although one of the monuments listed in Ontario County is located at Kashong, a hamlet on the border of Ontario and Yates counties.

The markers denoting the trail of the Sullivan Expedition refer to it as a campaign “against the hostile Indian nations” that resulted in “extending westward the dominion of the United States.” A stone obelisk in Waterloo even states it is meant “to commemorate the destruction of the Indian village Skoi-Yase.” We should certainly commemorate the Sullivan Expedition, but how to commemorate it without such harmful language is a difficult question.

The Sullivan Expedition has been celebrated in the Finger Lakes region for clearing the way, figuratively and literally, to settlement of the land after the war. On the one hand, the expedition was indeed a military campaign against an enemy during wartime. On the other hand, it was a genocide, as the Continental Army sought not just to attack the Iroquois but to wipe them and their livelihood from their land. I’m wondering how we should discuss the Sullivan Expedition and place it in historical context.

The Sullivan Expedition resulted in the settlement of the Finger Lakes region, and people of white European descent would not be here without it. Yet, such a tragic and horrific event probably should not be celebrated the way it is on so many historical markers around the region.

[roctownlive]

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[nylandquest]

70 acres Hunting Land with House, Garage and Jeep in Scio NY. This would be perfect for a hunting and family get-away. The acreage consists of mainly hardwoods such as red and white oak, and shagbark hickory, along with a mix of pines. This is a great hunting and recreational property, and also a nice investment property for a future timber harvest. A select timber harvest was done a few years ago. There are established trails for hiking and ATVs. The 2 bedroom mobile home is in fair condition and is being sold as-is. This property is located just a short drive to a designated fishing and canoe launch area on the Genesee River. $134,900. Contact Girard Kelly 585-466-3446 for more information. @nylandquest #hunting #secluded #nylandforsale #timberland #garage #trails #geneseeriver #sciony #alleganycountyny #westernny https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpBPe9goIv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[agentsmj]

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[jaquandor]

Adventurers! #Cane #dogsofinstagram #greyhound #greyhoundsofinstagram #LetchworthStatePark #ilovenewyork #geneseeriver #wny #autumn #nature #hiking #trees #waterfall #overalls #dungarees #biboveralls #carhartt #carharttoveralls #overallsarelife https://www.instagram.com/p/CGgXdMTA3l5/?igshid=v1rp9dxsqk3n

[noreasterbackcountry]

Hit the trail again this morning. Started in the Genesee Valley and took a right at Rochester onto the Eire Canal trail. Felt good all day so I just kept going. Now I need to figure out if it was the switch to a gravel bike, ditching my backpack or all the downhill that kept me going. Nice to have my grade school buddy @bdtremblay join me for the first part. Easy day tomorrow. I might actually get to use that fishing pole I always bring. . . . . #biketouring #bikepacking #gravelbike #pannierlife #ny #rochesterny #geneseevalleygreenway #hundo #centuryclub #eirecanal #eirecanalbike #letchworthstatepark #geneseeriver (at Macedon, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDVJuS2l_wY/?igshid=1h7v7o945a9xy

[familyadventuresinnewyorkstate]

This is a gorgeous destination at any time of year but it is especially fantastic in in the fall. Explore more here…https://familyadventuresinnewyorkstate.com/indian-fort-nature-preserve-geneseo-ny/ #indianfort #indianfortpreserve #thisisroc #roctopshots #geneseony #hiking #hikingadventures #exploreny #explorenewyork #hike #tunnel #autumninnewyork #waterfall #waterfallsofupstateny #geneseeriver #outside #fallhike #greathike #hikingtrails #hiddengems #hiddengem #explore (at Indian Fort Nature Preserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CViSPItAgS5/?utm_medium=tumblr

[justjoephoto]

Great #view on my way to #work yesterday. #ROC #downtown #freddiesuebridge #clouds #geneseeriver #fordstreetbridge (at Genesee Riverway Trail) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnXBU0_Hlcw/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mngnr5aswc3y

[rochesterny]

Sailing up the Mighty Genesee ⛵️⚓️ Photo by Nick. #thisisroc #geneseeriver #genesee #roc #rochester #wny #ispyny (at Charlotte Pier)

[pilot-katsuragi]

Genesee River Bed #Atumn🍁 #Genesee #GeneseeRiver #Bridge #Abandoned #Rochester #ROC https://www.instagram.com/p/CHdzMg4hjZ6/?igshid=1c9jtpaiwmdht

[ldantearts]

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[essgeewhy]

Forgot to post these over the weekend. I took these Friday evening @jettyattheport during a Happy hour. #jettyattheport #charlotteny #geneseeriver #lakeontario #happyhour #portofrochester #shotonpixel3xl #momentsuperfish #momentlens #momentgear (at Jetty at the Port) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1peVhpBY76/?igshid=t8enbqr86f6t

[roctownlive]

📷📸📷 from • @la_clay_photography_art Bridge Over Genesee II. #roc #rochester #rochesterny #newyork #ny #nys_landscapes #thisisroc #roctopshots #frederickdouglasssusanbanthonybridge #bridge #river #geneseeriver #legacytower #innovationsquare #themetropolitanbuilding #cityscape #skyline #reflection #water #canon #canonphotography (at Rochester, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiNjInCO87k/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[nylandquest]

70 acres House with Event Center and In-Law Suite in Scio NY. This property is ideal for your permanent residence, and an investment opportunity for an event venue, Airbnb, or bed and breakfast. Situated on 70 acres and located on a quiet road, this property is tucked back far enough to give you privacy. Well-manicured grounds have a park-like setting and offers niches for relaxing, nooks for planting, and paths to meander. The picturesque, maintained trails are lined by hardwoods, softwoods and wildflowers that will lead you down to a private rocky beach on the Genesee River perfect for campfires, swimming and fishing. Gorgeous setting for weddings, events or camping. $549,900. Contact Girard Kelly 585-466-3446 for more information. @nylandquest #houseforsale #eventcenter #inlawsuite #investment #barn #geneseeriver #weddingvenue #sciony #alleganycountyny #westernny https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf6IGHBOC5W/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[agentsmj]

Letchworth in 2018 #throwback #letchworthstatepark #geneseeriver #statepark #fall #autumn #bridge #waterfall #colorful #newyork #hiking #roadtrip #roadtrippin (at Letchworth State Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CF3umttjmEl/?igshid=tinhdg7png97

[jaquandor]

Upper falls #letchworthstatepark #ilovenewyork #geneseeriver #nature #hiking #waterfall https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx8OAawgy__/?igshid=fykzjlb51phd