After a terrible conflict, and many bloody battles the Eries
were finally overthrown about the year 1655, and a remnant
incorporated with the league. They were permitted to live by
themselves, to have a separate council fire and keep up a show of
tribal rites, but were really vassals to do the bidding of their
masters. Boyd and his party reached this town about at the break of
day on the morning of the 13th, and found it abandoned. He sent two of
his men to report to Gen. Sullivan and concealed his force in the
adjacent woods. Soon after four Indians on horseback entered the town,
one of whom, Sah-nah-dah-yah, was killed and scalped by Murphy, when
Boyd set out for camp. As Sullivan approached the town about dark on
the 13th, he found the enemy, both Indians and rangers drawn up in
battle array apparently intending to dispute the further advance of
the army; but as the advancing columns assumed their positions in line
of battle, and the flanking divisions moved to the right and left,
threatening their lines of retreat, a few shots from the howitzers
caused them to abandon their position, and retreat across the
Canaseraga. The army were engaged until noon of the 14th in destroying
the cornfields which were very extensive in the vicinity of the town.

[94] CHENUSSIO.--This town, though not in existence at the time of
Sullivan's campaign, is intimately connected with its history. It was
located on the site of ancient Williamsburg, near the confluence of
the Canaseraga and the Genesee, on the east side of the latter river.
It appears on the Guy Johnson map of 1771 as Chenussio, on the Pouchot
map of 1758 as Connecchio, in both cases at the point described and
where Mary Jennison's narrative says it was in her day. In 1750 it was
visited by Cammerhoff and Zeisberger, two Moravian missionaries, who
called it Connesschio and describe it as then containing forty houses.
All of these names are dialectical and orthographical variations of
the modern word Genesee, signifying _the beautiful valley_. Gaustarax,
a celebrated Seneca Chief, was for many years a leading spirit of this
town, and during the French and Indian war, being thoroughly in the
interests of the French, it required all the diplomatic ability of Sir
William Johnson, and the influence of the other nations of the league,
to neutralize his efforts. It was in existence as early as 1750, and
as late as 1770, but in 1768 it had ceased to be the western door,
which honor