The Battle of Oriskany and General Nicholas Herkimer: Revolution in the Mohawk Valley (Military) Paperback – November 12, 2013

Was a great book to read about a small but very significant battle during the Revolutionary War

I have ancestors who died at the battle according to casualty lists. This is a good narrative and I felt a special connection reading it. I have been to the battlefield and plan on going back in the near future.

Probably no battle of the American Revolution is more open to interpretation based on whether you're an American or a Canadian/ British reader than Oriskany. Gavin Watt provides what is probably the definitive Canadian perspective on the battle. If you buy one book portraying the American perspective it should be Boehlert's. He doesn't accept sources that are credulous without a caveat, e.g. "It is said..." or "According to legend...", etc. His account of the fight is direct and well-pared. These alone are enough to recommend the book to the casual reader. But Boehlert goes further. A fine example is his observation that there would have been very little English spoken on the battlefield. On the American side the militia were mostly German-speakers and of the British forces many of the Tories spoke German as did the Hessian chasseurs. The Seneca, Mohawks and Oneidas spoke their own dialects. Boehlert drives this point home wonderfully.One of the criticisms of the book I have seen is that it doesn't center enough on the battle. Accordingly, there's too much provided on the lives of the German-Americans of the Mohawk Valley. I think in order to understand how Oriskany unfolded the reader should be aware of the fact that the Tryon County Militia were very culturally different from, and primarily spoke a different language than, the men who stood at Lexington and Concord. Yet, they were just as American. How fitting.

I was always a fan of the movie "Drums Along the Mohawk" and was surprised how much it adhered to the real events as presented in this book. I don't think that the Battle of Oriskany typically gets the attention it deserves in Revolutionary War history. Perhaps this book will partially remedy that shortcoming.

A most excellent book, well researched and very well written. The only thing that didn't agree with family lore is that it was always told from generation to generation that his leg was removed on the kitchen table and not the chest. He thereafter bled out as described in the book.

I went to grade school in Herkimer, New York. I saw Drums Along the Mohawk. I lived in Mohawk. Been to the general's home a few times. Spent over two decades in German Flatts (Ilion). I even went to Oriskany battlefield as a kid. Now I have to thank Paul. He did all the scholarly work to round out this story and make it accessible to even a nascent history buff like myself. I find it quite exciting to have many of my questions answered. But Paul sets the stage in a way that makes the people involved in this unique place and time breathe. Hats off Paul. Thanks.

Good little book on the battle of Oriskany. There have been untold numbers of books on the battle of Saratoga but little published on Oriskany. Nice to see someone publish on this very important battle.

The author delivers an honest and informative presentation of a little-known chapter of the American Revolutionary War: the fight for control of New York's strategically significant Mohawk Valley.