he Hudson river. Meanwhile another body of
troops, under Lieutenant-Colonel St Leger, would make a
long detour by way of Lake Ontario and the western part
of the colony of New York. The object of this latter
movement was to rally the Indians, collect a force of
loyalists, and fight through the heart of the country
with the hope of forming a junction with Burgoyne's army
at Albany.

St Leger reached Oswego about the middle of July. There
he was joined by a regiment of loyalists, the famous
Royal Greens, and a company of Tory Rangers under Colonel
John Butler. Brant was present with two hundred Mohawks,
while a large band of Senecas were also grouped under
the king's standard. In all there were seventeen hundred
men, fully one thousand of whom were Indians under the
supreme command of Captain Brant.

On starting out, St Leger, who knew that a surprise might
be attempted, outlined his order of march with great
care. A detachment from one of the battalions was sent
on ahead, and this was later joined by Captain Brant with
a party of his warriors. Five columns of Indians went in
front, in single file; the flanks also were protected by
Indians at a distance of one hundred paces from the
central column.

It was intended that the first blow should be struck at
Fort Stanwix, on the head-waters of the Mohawk. This was
an old English stronghold that had fallen into decay,
but was being repaired and defended in the interest of
the revolting colonies by Colonel Peter Gansevoort. It
lay on the traffic-road to Oneida Lake, and was considered
a strong point of vantage. Its garrison was made up of
about seven hundred and fifty colonials. They had provisions
enough to last for six weeks and a goodly supply of
ammunition, and hoped to be able to withstand attack
until help should arrive.

The English leader reached this fort on August 3, and
immediately began to invest it. A demand was sent in
under a flag of truce calling upon the garrison to
surrender. St Leger said it was his desire 'to spare when
possible' and only 'to strike where necessary.' He was
willing to buy their stock of provisions and grant security
to all within the fort. The offer was generous, but the
garrison rejected it with a good-tempered disdain and
the siege went on with renewed earnestness. The Indians,
hiding in the thickets, poured their fire upon those who
were working on the walls. The presence of the savages
lent a weird fury to the scene, made it