“The history of Schenectady during the troublesome times of the Revolution is so closely linked with the affairs of the whole Mohawk Valley, and with the tides of the Border Wars that laid waste the surrounding country almost to her gates, that, in dealing with the history of the one, one must necessarily touch to a large extent upon the history of the other.”
The first half of this work consists of brief chapters, profusely annotated, providing a general history of Schenectady during the Revolution. These chapters cover the Mohawk Valley, the dominance of the Iroquois in the region, descriptions of homes and businesses in Schenectady, the rise of the Revolutionary movement, the Sons of Liberty, the first militia companies, Sir William Johnson, Joseph Brandt, efforts to maintain Indian neutrality, friction with Sir John Johnson, activities of local whigs and loyalists, the campaign of 1777, raids on German Flats and the Schoharie settlements, the Battle of Oriskany and more. The second half of the book contains individual records of service, noting date of enlistment and other information such as date of death, residence, reason for discharge, places of service, pension, etc. A list of manuscript sources, a bibliography, and an index to full-names, places, and subjects add to the value of this work.
