on the New York frontier
The careful reader will note that this web site does not make use of footnotes(although this may change in the near future). This is not lazy scholarship on my part; this page is meant to be informational, and is not to be taken as a research paper. Those wishing to check my sources, or to read in depth on various subjects, should use this bibliography as a starting point. Works with annotations indicate that I have actually read and used this material for "Drums".
Brant, Joseph
Kelsay, Isabel Thompson. "Joseph Brant: 1743-1807; Man of Two Worlds". Syracuse University Press, 1984.
The modern definitive life of Brant; also useful to reference the activities of Claus, Guy and Sir John Johnson, Gilbert Tice, and others.
Willett, Marinus
Thomas, Howard. Marinus Willett, Soldier-Patriot.
Prospect Books, Prospect NY 1954
Apparently Willett didn't feel the reader would be interested in his post war career,as his 'narrative' focuses on military activities. Thomas paints a much more complete picture of Willett as war hero, celebrity, and would-be politician-fascinating material.
Wager, Daniel E. "Col. Marinus Willett; The Hero Of Mohawk Valley. An Address Before The Oneida Historical Society." Oneida Historical Society,1891. Utica. NY.
Willett, William M. A Narrative of the Military Actions of Colonel Marinus Willett, Taken Chiefly from his own Manuscript. New York: G. & C. & H. Carvill, 1831.
You can't get a flavor for the personalitites involved unless you learn about Willett. His autobiography,written near the end of his life, modestly details his amazing military career. Wager's phamplett was probably one of the earliest analyses of Willett's accomplishments. Thomas covers more ground, and reveals Willett's post-war political career in New York City, which shows the esteem Willett must have commanded with the public. All three worth finding.
Raids and Battles
Campbell, William W. "Annals of Tryon County, or, The Border warfare of New York, during the revolution". 3rd ed. Cherry Valley, N.Y. : The Cherry Valley Gazette Print, 1880.
There are later editions available. Covers such notables as William Harper of Harpersfield and family.
Gould, Jay. History of Delaware County, and border wars of New York. Roxbury [N.Y.] Keeny & Gould, 1856. xvi, 426 p. front. (port.) 20 cm.
Also available online from Delaware County RootsWeb. Useful for details on the Harper family; also notable in that Gould had access to some living frontiersmen and their descendants.
Gott, Joseph W. "Orange County in the Revolution." Quarterly Journal of the New York State Historical Association, 12 (October 1931), pp. 366-374.
The Bicentennial book of the Schoharie and Mohawk Valley raids, 1780-1980. Klock's Churchyard Preservation Group, 1980.
Contains many useful articles written by historian James F. Morrison.
Hanson, Lee H. "Casemates and cannonballs: archeological investigations at Fort Stanwix,Rome, New York". Washington: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service,1975.
Lossing, Benton J. The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution. Vol. 1. Charles E. Tutle Co, Rutland VT 1972 reprint of 1859 edition .
Although Lossing, like Stone and Simms, seems to have accepted folklore as fact, his work is extremely valuable for it's 19th century illustrations of various sites.
The Middleburgh Gazette(?) Life and adventures of Timothy Murphy, the benefactor of Schoharic, [Middleburgh, N.Y.] The Middleburgh gazette, 1912. 32 p. 7 pl., map. 23 cm. (incomplete citation)
Morrison, James F. The Mohawk Valley in 1781 : 3rd Regiment Tryon County Militia : a brief history of the battles, skirmishes and raids.
Morrison, James F. The Battle of New Dorlach, Tryon County, July 10, 1781 : now known as Sharon Springs, Schoharie County : Col. Marinus Willett's Regiment of 1781 / James F. Morrison. : Third Battalion of Tryon County Militia, c1991.
Morrison, James F. The Battle of Johnstown, October 25th, 1781 : Third Battalion of Tryon County Militia, 1991.
Timothy Murphy, hero of the American revolution, New York, Eire publishing company [c1941] (incomplete citation)
Pancake, John S. 1777: The Year of the Hangman. The University of Alabama Press. Tuscaloosa AL 1977.
Well written account of events prior to and following Burgoyne's ill-fated 1777 campaign in New York. Pancake delves into the reality of the three pronged NY attack, Howe's motivations, and the impact of Jane McCrea on the militia. Use it in tandem with Richard Ketchum's "Saratoga" for a complete picture of Burgoyne's campaign.
Reid, W. Max, editor. "A Diary of the Siege of Fort Schuyler." Magazine of History, 3 (February 1906), pp. 90-104.
Also appears in "Fort Johnson" by the same author (pub. 1905), and on this web site! Just how complete this version of the Colbraith diary is I need to determine. A modern transcription of Colbraith, with other primary sources interwoven, is now available at selected NPS sites.
Roberts, James A., compiler. New York in the Revolution as Colony and State. 2d Edition. Albany: New York State, 1898.
Published in various editions, as well as in two volumes. A good account of Johnson's valley campaigns (along with beautiful pull-out maps)can be found in the 1898 ed. Useful primarily for those trying to establish patriot military service of ancestors. Users should be aware that the books are an amalgamation of various muster rolls for different points in time; thus, one man may seem to be serving in several different regiments simultaneously. Useful to cross reference with Berthold Fernouw's work on New York in the Revolution.
