Warriors and Refugees

About 300 Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and Wapának (Abenaki) people camped nearby alongside the river. At its peak, Burgoyne's army had 1,000 warriors from communities as far away as the Great Lakes. By the end of August most had started their long journeys home to prepare for winter, and only St. François Abenaki and Kahnawá:ke Mohawk warriors from the Seven Nations of Canada remained. Some 150 Haudenosaunee Mohawk men, women, and children arrived in early September as refugees after their homes in the Mohawk River Valley had been recently laid waste by the rebels. The Saint Lawrence River Valley was home to the confederacy called the Seven Nations of Canada. These warriors had fought against the British and Haudenosauncee during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), but now they were allies. These warriors painted their bodies black and red to terrify enemies in battle, and most Northeast Woodlands people wore soft deerskin moccasins.

Stillwater, New York · United States