Sunday August 5, 2012
August 6, 1777 - American forces are defeated at the Battle of Oriskany and are unable to lift the Siege of Fort Stanwix. Advancing to the Mohawk River in the summer of 1777, Brig. Gen. Barry St. Leger was tasked with clearing the area of American forces en route to uniting with Maj. Gen. John Burgoyne's main army which was pushing south from Fort Ticonderoga. Arriving at Fort Stanwix, he found his route east blocked by Col. Peter Gansevoort's (right) garrison. Laying siege, St. Leger was able to turn back an American relief force at Oriskany on August 6, though the casualties sustained weakened the resolve of his Native American allies. Unable to overcome the garrison, morale began to dip. On August 22, St. Leger was forced to abandon the siege in the face of an advancing American relief column led by Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold. Despite St. Leger's defeat, Burgoyne continued his advance and was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Saratoga that fall.
The Saratoga Campaign:
Photograph Source: Public Domain
Friday August 3, 2012
Seeking to capture Montreal in the fall of 1813, US Secretary of War John Armstrong devised a two-pronged plan for striking at the city. While Maj. Gen. James Wilkinson was instructed to advance down the St. Lawrence River towards Montreal, Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton was to move north up Lake Champlain. Uniting in Canada, the combined American force would attack the city. The plan almost failed to move forward as the two generals detested one another. Following Armstrong's intervention, both forces began moving forward. Advancing up the Chateauguay River, Hampton encountered a smaller Canadian force, led by Lt. Col. Charles de Salaberry, on October 25. Attacking the next day, his men were unable to break through during the Battle of the Chateauguay. Having received a letter from Armstrong which suggested that the attack on Montreal was off, Hampton elected not to press the matter and withdrew. Wilkinson's campaign ended a few weeks later following his defeat at the Battle of Crysler's Farm.
The War of 1812 - Battles:
Wednesday August 1, 2012
August 338 BC - Macedonian troops led by King Philip II and his son Alexander the Great defeat the Greeks at the Battle of Chaeronea. Following failures at Perinthus and Byzantium in 340 and 339 BC, Philip found his influence over Greece weakened. Advancing south to attack Athens, he was confronted by an Athenian-Theban army near Chaeronea. Giving command of the left wing of the army to his young son Alexander, Philip advanced into battle. Quickly becoming a stalemate, Philip used a false retreat to detach and defeat the Athenians. Turning the full might of his army on the Thebans, he was able to drive them from the field with Alexander playing a key role in shattering the enemy lines. With the battle won, Macedonian hegemony over Greece was firmly reestablished.
Monday July 30, 2012
July 31, 1667 - After two years of fighting, England and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands end the Second Anglo-Dutch War by signing the Treaty of Breda. Started by England, the Second Anglo-Dutch War was a failed attempt to end Dutch domination of world trade. Fought mainly at sea (right), the war nearly bankrupted English King Charles II and led to the destruction of part of his fleet during the Dutch raid on the Medway. As a result of the conflict, England acquired New Amsterdam (New York) and the Dutch gained Surinam.
Photograph Source: Public Domain
