Fort Stanwix (Rome, New York)
Rome · New York · French and Indian War, American Revolutionary War
History & Significance
Fort Stanwix guarded the Oneida Carry, a portage linking the Mohawk and Hudson rivers flowing to the Atlantic with Wood Creek and Oneida Lake flowing to Lake Ontario. In 1768, the site hosted an important treaty conference between British and Iroquois leaders arranged by William Johnson, which renegotiated the boundary between Native American lands and white settlements established by the Proclamation of 1763.
By the time of this treaty, the fort had become dilapidated and inactive. The fort was reoccupied by Continental troops under Colonel Elias Dayton on July 12, 1776, and was renamed Fort Schuyler, though many continued calling it Fort Stanwix.
On August 3, 1777, the fort was besieged by The King's 8th Regiment of Foot, Loyalists, and Native Americans under Brigadier General Barry St. Leger, and Gansevoort refused the British surrender terms. After successfully defending against the British in August 1777, Fort Stanwix became the only American post never to surrender to the enemy throughout the entire American Revolution. Representatives of the newly formed United States met at Fort Stanwix to sign a treaty with the Six Nations Confederacy in 1784.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Reconstructed 1758 star fort with authentic bastions and palisades
- Siege artifacts and period documents in onsite museum
- Strategic portage route control point connecting Lake Ontario to Hudson River
- 1777 Revolutionary War siege defense crucial to Saratoga campaign
- Visitor center with interactive exhibits on military and diplomatic history
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Stanwix
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/ftstanwix.htm
- https://www.battlefields.org/visit/battlefields/fort-stanwix
- https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/forts/stanwix
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fort-Stanwix-National-Monument
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Fort-Stanwix
- https://revolutionarywar.us/year-1777/battle-fort-stanwix/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Stanwix
- https://www.nps.gov/fost/