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Year of the Hangman: George Washington's Campaign Against the Iroquois
Winner of the 2005 Thomas Fleming Award for the Best Book in American Revolutionary War History
Finalist for the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award
After two years of fighting, Great Britain felt confident that the American rebellion would be crushed in 1777, the "Year of the Hangman." Britain devised a bold new strategy. Turning its attention to the colonial frontiers, especially those of western New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, Britain enlisted its provincial rangers, Tories, and allied warriors, principally from the Iroquois Confederacy, to wage a brutal backwoods war in support of General John Burgoyne's offensive as it swept southward from Canada in an attempt to cut the colonies in half, divert the Continental Army, and weaken its presence around British-occupied New York City and Philadelphia. Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga sent shock waves through the British command. But the efforts along the frontier under the direction of Sir John Johnson, Colonel John Butler, and the charismatic Mohawk leader, Joseph Brant, appeared to be impairing the American ability to conduct the war. Destroying Patriot settlements and farms across hundreds of miles of frontier, the British and Indian forces threatened to reduce Continental army enlistment, and more importantly, precious food supplies. Following the massacres at the well-established colonial settlements of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Valley, New York, the Continental Congress persuaded General George Washington to conduct a decisive offensive to end the threat once and for all. Brewing for years, the conflict between the Iroquois and colonists would now reach its deadly climax. Charging his troops "to not merely overrun, but destroy," Washington devised a two-prong attack to exact American revenge. The largest coordinated American military action against American Indians in the war, the campaign shifted the power in the east, ending the political and military influence of the Iroquois, forcing large numbers of loyalist to flee to Canada, and sealing Britain's fateful decision to seek victory in the south. In Year of the George Washington's Campaign Against the Iroquois , historian Glenn F. Williams recreates the riveting events surrounding the action, including the checkered story of European and Indian alliances, the bitter frontier wars, and the bloody battles of Oriskany and Newtown.
Finalist for the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award
After two years of fighting, Great Britain felt confident that the American rebellion would be crushed in 1777, the "Year of the Hangman." Britain devised a bold new strategy. Turning its attention to the colonial frontiers, especially those of western New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, Britain enlisted its provincial rangers, Tories, and allied warriors, principally from the Iroquois Confederacy, to wage a brutal backwoods war in support of General John Burgoyne's offensive as it swept southward from Canada in an attempt to cut the colonies in half, divert the Continental Army, and weaken its presence around British-occupied New York City and Philadelphia. Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga sent shock waves through the British command. But the efforts along the frontier under the direction of Sir John Johnson, Colonel John Butler, and the charismatic Mohawk leader, Joseph Brant, appeared to be impairing the American ability to conduct the war. Destroying Patriot settlements and farms across hundreds of miles of frontier, the British and Indian forces threatened to reduce Continental army enlistment, and more importantly, precious food supplies. Following the massacres at the well-established colonial settlements of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Valley, New York, the Continental Congress persuaded General George Washington to conduct a decisive offensive to end the threat once and for all. Brewing for years, the conflict between the Iroquois and colonists would now reach its deadly climax. Charging his troops "to not merely overrun, but destroy," Washington devised a two-prong attack to exact American revenge. The largest coordinated American military action against American Indians in the war, the campaign shifted the power in the east, ending the political and military influence of the Iroquois, forcing large numbers of loyalist to flee to Canada, and sealing Britain's fateful decision to seek victory in the south. In Year of the George Washington's Campaign Against the Iroquois , historian Glenn F. Williams recreates the riveting events surrounding the action, including the checkered story of European and Indian alliances, the bitter frontier wars, and the bloody battles of Oriskany and Newtown.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 30, 2005
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April 26, 2016
The trouble with blind dates – as I recall from my wild* single days – is that what looks good on paper often does not work in reality. Blind dates are based on certain matchup points. Perhaps both of you are paranoid revolutionaries. Maybe you both love pugs dressed in Halloween costumes. It might be you both prefer Segway tours of industrial parks to long walks on the beach. A match made in heaven. But then when you meet at the bar or a restaurant or a dimly lit corner, there is no chemistry.
*By “wild,” I mean drinking a bunch of Busch light in my dorm room, watching Before Sunrise, and weeping softly with the lights off.
I’m going to have to plead a lack of chemistry for my reaction to Glenn Williams’ Year of the Hangman.
On paper, we seemed like a really good match. I love history. One of my main topics of study are the American Indian Wars. To be sure, most of my reading has focused on the Plains Tribes, but over the last few years I’ve broadened my horizons to include the Eastern Woodland Tribes.**
**My wife is terrified that I’m going to follow through on my threats of a Mohawk Valley vacation in which we find all forgotten battlefields and roadside markers of the French & Indian War and the American Revolution.
Unfortunately, Year of the Hangman and I got off on the wrong foot. It started when Year of the Hangmanposted an overly flattering picture of herself misrepresented itself with an inaccurate title.
The term “year of the hangman” refers to 1777, the three 7s resembling gallows. Students of the Indian Wars or anyone who grew up reading YA histories of Daniel Boone will recall 1777 (also known as “the year of the bloody sevens”) as a time of explosive violence on the frontier. A lot happened that year. American militia blundered into a Tory/Iroquois ambush at Oriskany, leading to the one of the most violent battles of the Revolution. British General John Burgoyne lost control of his Indian levies, and then lost the battle of Saratoga to a pre-traitorous Benedict Arnold. And in Kentucky, Simon Kenton saved the life of the aforementioned Boone outside the walls of Boonesborough.
Despite the title (and it’s a cool title), Williams’ book is not about 1777. Moreover, despite its subtitle, “George Washington’s Campaign Against the Iroquois”, it’s not really about George Washington’s campaign against the Iroquois. To be sure, those two ingredients are part of the book. The year 1777 gets its own chapter, while General John Sullivan’s proto-genocidal campaign of village burning and crop destroying gets another.
Neither of these events – despite the title and subtitle – are the main focus of the book. In fact, the book doesn’t really have a main focus, and that’s part of its problem. It is a short (less than 300 pages) overview of the vicious frontier war pitting American colonists and Continentals against (most of) the Iroquois confederacy and their Loyalists (or Tory) allies.
Once I got over the fact that the arresting title had – to an extent – snookered me, I tried to accept Year of the Hangman on those terms. Even then, I still found the book to be a mild disappointment (or a bland success, if we’re being positive).
Year of the Hangman spans the years 1774 (Lord Dunmore’s War) to 1779 (the Sullivan Expedition). Among the highlights – or, more accurately, the tomahawk-to-the-skull lowlights – were the Battle of Wyoming, the Cherry Valley Massacre, and the Battle of Newtown.
I have no criticism of the facts, research, or preparation that went into this book. It is a very credible account of what happened, laid out in chronological fashion, with several helpful appendices (a dramatis personae, a timeline, and the American orders of battle).
My criticism – or rather, my tepid reaction – is in the telling of this tale. It was really quite blah. Not dry or pedantic, per se, but a bit uninspired. The characters never quite come alive. The action is never made visceral. You never quite become engulfed in the drama in the way you should be engulfed in this drama. (It is, after all, really quite engulfing).
Year of the Hangman is also a bit uneven. Certain chapters pop more than others; conversely, others tend to drag. I did like his telling of the Battle of Oriskany, as well as the Battle of Wyoming. On the other hand, I found his narrative of the Cherry Valley Massacre to be forgettable (and Cherry Valley shouldn’t be forgettable).
This is a book I wanted to love, tried to like, and ended up accepting (and agreeing to part as friends). I think it’s quite possible that someone who’s never read up on the role of the Iroquois in the American Revolution, or the merciless civil war between Loyalist and Patriot neighbors, will find this a good means of learning a lot (and will probably want to learn more).
Having read several books covering this same ground, I was looking for something different.
This material has already been covered by talented authors such as Alan Eckert (and in novel form by Walter D. Edmonds). For my taste, this book doesn’t add to what’s already been written, either substantively or artistically. Year of the Hangman covers a period of time so gripping, so violent, that people looked at the numbers of a year and decided, "Hey, that looks like three gallows!" Williams' book never captures that bloody, apocalyptic tenor, and that is a failing.
The facts are all here. The feeling of it is not.
*By “wild,” I mean drinking a bunch of Busch light in my dorm room, watching Before Sunrise, and weeping softly with the lights off.
I’m going to have to plead a lack of chemistry for my reaction to Glenn Williams’ Year of the Hangman.
On paper, we seemed like a really good match. I love history. One of my main topics of study are the American Indian Wars. To be sure, most of my reading has focused on the Plains Tribes, but over the last few years I’ve broadened my horizons to include the Eastern Woodland Tribes.**
**My wife is terrified that I’m going to follow through on my threats of a Mohawk Valley vacation in which we find all forgotten battlefields and roadside markers of the French & Indian War and the American Revolution.
Unfortunately, Year of the Hangman and I got off on the wrong foot. It started when Year of the Hangman
The term “year of the hangman” refers to 1777, the three 7s resembling gallows. Students of the Indian Wars or anyone who grew up reading YA histories of Daniel Boone will recall 1777 (also known as “the year of the bloody sevens”) as a time of explosive violence on the frontier. A lot happened that year. American militia blundered into a Tory/Iroquois ambush at Oriskany, leading to the one of the most violent battles of the Revolution. British General John Burgoyne lost control of his Indian levies, and then lost the battle of Saratoga to a pre-traitorous Benedict Arnold. And in Kentucky, Simon Kenton saved the life of the aforementioned Boone outside the walls of Boonesborough.
Despite the title (and it’s a cool title), Williams’ book is not about 1777. Moreover, despite its subtitle, “George Washington’s Campaign Against the Iroquois”, it’s not really about George Washington’s campaign against the Iroquois. To be sure, those two ingredients are part of the book. The year 1777 gets its own chapter, while General John Sullivan’s proto-genocidal campaign of village burning and crop destroying gets another.
Neither of these events – despite the title and subtitle – are the main focus of the book. In fact, the book doesn’t really have a main focus, and that’s part of its problem. It is a short (less than 300 pages) overview of the vicious frontier war pitting American colonists and Continentals against (most of) the Iroquois confederacy and their Loyalists (or Tory) allies.
Once I got over the fact that the arresting title had – to an extent – snookered me, I tried to accept Year of the Hangman on those terms. Even then, I still found the book to be a mild disappointment (or a bland success, if we’re being positive).
Year of the Hangman spans the years 1774 (Lord Dunmore’s War) to 1779 (the Sullivan Expedition). Among the highlights – or, more accurately, the tomahawk-to-the-skull lowlights – were the Battle of Wyoming, the Cherry Valley Massacre, and the Battle of Newtown.
I have no criticism of the facts, research, or preparation that went into this book. It is a very credible account of what happened, laid out in chronological fashion, with several helpful appendices (a dramatis personae, a timeline, and the American orders of battle).
My criticism – or rather, my tepid reaction – is in the telling of this tale. It was really quite blah. Not dry or pedantic, per se, but a bit uninspired. The characters never quite come alive. The action is never made visceral. You never quite become engulfed in the drama in the way you should be engulfed in this drama. (It is, after all, really quite engulfing).
Year of the Hangman is also a bit uneven. Certain chapters pop more than others; conversely, others tend to drag. I did like his telling of the Battle of Oriskany, as well as the Battle of Wyoming. On the other hand, I found his narrative of the Cherry Valley Massacre to be forgettable (and Cherry Valley shouldn’t be forgettable).
This is a book I wanted to love, tried to like, and ended up accepting (and agreeing to part as friends). I think it’s quite possible that someone who’s never read up on the role of the Iroquois in the American Revolution, or the merciless civil war between Loyalist and Patriot neighbors, will find this a good means of learning a lot (and will probably want to learn more).
Having read several books covering this same ground, I was looking for something different.
This material has already been covered by talented authors such as Alan Eckert (and in novel form by Walter D. Edmonds). For my taste, this book doesn’t add to what’s already been written, either substantively or artistically. Year of the Hangman covers a period of time so gripping, so violent, that people looked at the numbers of a year and decided, "Hey, that looks like three gallows!" Williams' book never captures that bloody, apocalyptic tenor, and that is a failing.
The facts are all here. The feeling of it is not.
July 31, 2022
Excellent and well researched book about the military alliance of Great Britain and Iroquois against American Continental forces in rebellion beginning in 1777--- or "The Year of the Hangman".
The book begins by explaining how Great Britain instigated and convinced the Iroquois, already loyal to the British, but preferred neutrality between "quarreling brothers", to take up arms against the American rebels and their interests.
Through 1777 and 1779 the British deployed, encouraged, funded and otherwise facilitated uninterrupted attacks by Iroquois war parties and Tory Loyalist forces (Americans remaining loyal to Great Britain) upon weak and/or undefended homesteads and communities on the NY and PA frontier. For two years these war parties committed the worst kinds of atrocities imaginable, took captive countless civilians and destroyed everything in their path virtually unimpeded. By using the Indians the British hoped to distract and redirect American resources to the defense of the frontier thereby weakening their forces fighting in the main Continental Army.
Finally following the infamous Battle of Wyoming (Wyoming Massacre) in July of 1779 and later Cherry Valley, George Washington authorized, planned and directed that a campaign be led into the heart of the Six Nations and end the Iroquois threat forever.
What became known as the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign successfully suppressed and chastised the Iroquois by taking the war into their homeland. They burned and destroyed everything in their path eliminating not only their ability to survive in their current settlements, but put the Iroquois on the defensive for a change and force them into further dependence on the British, further straining their resources.
I really enjoyed this book. The only thing I didn't care for was the long chapters and no midchapter breaks.
The book begins by explaining how Great Britain instigated and convinced the Iroquois, already loyal to the British, but preferred neutrality between "quarreling brothers", to take up arms against the American rebels and their interests.
Through 1777 and 1779 the British deployed, encouraged, funded and otherwise facilitated uninterrupted attacks by Iroquois war parties and Tory Loyalist forces (Americans remaining loyal to Great Britain) upon weak and/or undefended homesteads and communities on the NY and PA frontier. For two years these war parties committed the worst kinds of atrocities imaginable, took captive countless civilians and destroyed everything in their path virtually unimpeded. By using the Indians the British hoped to distract and redirect American resources to the defense of the frontier thereby weakening their forces fighting in the main Continental Army.
Finally following the infamous Battle of Wyoming (Wyoming Massacre) in July of 1779 and later Cherry Valley, George Washington authorized, planned and directed that a campaign be led into the heart of the Six Nations and end the Iroquois threat forever.
What became known as the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign successfully suppressed and chastised the Iroquois by taking the war into their homeland. They burned and destroyed everything in their path eliminating not only their ability to survive in their current settlements, but put the Iroquois on the defensive for a change and force them into further dependence on the British, further straining their resources.
I really enjoyed this book. The only thing I didn't care for was the long chapters and no midchapter breaks.
October 15, 2023
A probing reconstruction of a little-known theater of the American Revolutionary war. The classroom version of Redcoats vs. Blues with waving banners crumbles before the grim reality of war on the American frontier. Between Canada and Virginia yawned a vast wilderness claimed only by the most fierce, and in that quarter it meant the battle-hardened Iroquois Confederacy. Betrayed for two generations by encroaching settlers, the Iroquois threw their arrows in with their Great Father, the King, to force the United States back to the Proclamation Line across North America.
To this end British Regulars, Loyalist partisans, and most especially native forces under Joseph Brant hoped to sever the American reach into the Alleghenies and Great Lakes at the shoulder. A bloody frontier war - captured partially in the old Henry Fonda film, "Drums Along the Mohawk" - left settler communities burned and littered with dead women and children. A frustrated Washington ordered his troops to "not only overrun, but to destroy" the native villages and sanctuaries deep into New York.
And so they did, with a ferocity by American forces not seen again on the continent until Sherman's March. Villages were torched, croplands and stocks destroyed, and their inhabitants sent in flight to shelter at Fort Niagara or continue to Canada. The term "ethnic cleansing" had yet to be invented, but not its practice. Williams recounts the story of Chief Cornplanter appearing at Washington's inauguration, and remembering the First President as "Town Destroyer."
Glenn Williams is a US Army historian and his book is thus more concerned with operations tactics than political or social history. But the story is still compelling, and even he acknowledges the lineal ancestry between this operation and its search-and-destroy descendants in Vietnam and Iraq. Ironic also in that, as I type, a similar Old Testament reprisal is being enacted. Although Washington is not involved in this one, the old "Town Destroyer" stands by to offer well-honed tactical guidance.
To this end British Regulars, Loyalist partisans, and most especially native forces under Joseph Brant hoped to sever the American reach into the Alleghenies and Great Lakes at the shoulder. A bloody frontier war - captured partially in the old Henry Fonda film, "Drums Along the Mohawk" - left settler communities burned and littered with dead women and children. A frustrated Washington ordered his troops to "not only overrun, but to destroy" the native villages and sanctuaries deep into New York.
And so they did, with a ferocity by American forces not seen again on the continent until Sherman's March. Villages were torched, croplands and stocks destroyed, and their inhabitants sent in flight to shelter at Fort Niagara or continue to Canada. The term "ethnic cleansing" had yet to be invented, but not its practice. Williams recounts the story of Chief Cornplanter appearing at Washington's inauguration, and remembering the First President as "Town Destroyer."
Glenn Williams is a US Army historian and his book is thus more concerned with operations tactics than political or social history. But the story is still compelling, and even he acknowledges the lineal ancestry between this operation and its search-and-destroy descendants in Vietnam and Iraq. Ironic also in that, as I type, a similar Old Testament reprisal is being enacted. Although Washington is not involved in this one, the old "Town Destroyer" stands by to offer well-honed tactical guidance.
April 17, 2021
An outstanding book telling the story of the war on the frontiers of Pennsylvania and New York against the British, Loyalists, and bands of Native Americans that sided with the king.
Can be a bit difficult to digest sometimes. There is a lot of information, names of peopke, names of places, regiments, etc. However, the overall story and the reasons for the events is easy to follow.
The author does an outstanding job of explaining why many of the battles encountered the difficulties they did. Modern Americans struggle to grasp the amount of work that these undertakings required. After reading this book, the reader should more appreciate the hardships and struggles involved.
A great, well written book.
Can be a bit difficult to digest sometimes. There is a lot of information, names of peopke, names of places, regiments, etc. However, the overall story and the reasons for the events is easy to follow.
The author does an outstanding job of explaining why many of the battles encountered the difficulties they did. Modern Americans struggle to grasp the amount of work that these undertakings required. After reading this book, the reader should more appreciate the hardships and struggles involved.
A great, well written book.
July 20, 2025
This book is a must read for anyone who has a strong interest in the revolutionary war. All too often forget about the importance of the war wage against the combined forces the British regulars, Tories and natives in the New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont areas. The struggles the frontiersman and pioneers of this area, and the terror that was subjected to them by the savages is an important part of the war then we all too often don’t pay enough attention to. My only criticism of the book, is that it needs more maps.
October 16, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyable look at a little known part of the American Rebellion - the frontier wars.
Brutal, cruel and devastating with no clear ‘goodies or baddies’, for my money. Brings home just how devastating war can be.
Happy to recommend.
PS
Journal of the American Revolution Podcast brought me here.
Brutal, cruel and devastating with no clear ‘goodies or baddies’, for my money. Brings home just how devastating war can be.
Happy to recommend.
PS
Journal of the American Revolution Podcast brought me here.
July 12, 2025
I highly recomend this book, I never knew what the folks in New York had gone through during the Revolutionary War. In fact, it's one of my favorite historical research books. It is expertly researched and written. Great for layman or expert on the topics. .
July 17, 2019
Interesting read.
January 8, 2010
The Year of the Hangman (1777) ended in the first third of this very dry book. While true that the Iroquois' semi-alliance with the British started this year, the main focus of this book is the Battle of Wyoming (1778) and the punitive Sullivan Expedition (1779) that followed. While the latter was under George Washington's orders, I hardly agree with the cover subtitle "George Washington's Campaign Against the Iroquois".
The text was factually complete but very dry, illustrations (always on the upper right hand page) inserted sparsely, and the chapters unbroken except into paragraphs. Further breaking into sections (even one blank line) would have facilitated transitions between the British and Continental points of view, which were difficult to follow - especially since each side had Butlers and Clintons. Maps were unremarkable and scarce.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
The text was factually complete but very dry, illustrations (always on the upper right hand page) inserted sparsely, and the chapters unbroken except into paragraphs. Further breaking into sections (even one blank line) would have facilitated transitions between the British and Continental points of view, which were difficult to follow - especially since each side had Butlers and Clintons. Maps were unremarkable and scarce.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
July 12, 2010
A very good description of the Sullivan Campaign and surrounding events.
The Sullivan Campaign was a large expedition that laid waste to significant parts of the Seneca homeland. It was intended to punish the Iroquois for their many and very effective raids against Patriot Settlements in New York and Pennsylvania. The Sullivan expedition, coupled with Iroquois war fatigue and better militia response probably greatly decreased the Indian raids for several years thereafter. It was also a factor in driving the Mohawks from their homelands in the eastern part of the Iroquois homeland.
The Sullivan Campaign was a large expedition that laid waste to significant parts of the Seneca homeland. It was intended to punish the Iroquois for their many and very effective raids against Patriot Settlements in New York and Pennsylvania. The Sullivan expedition, coupled with Iroquois war fatigue and better militia response probably greatly decreased the Indian raids for several years thereafter. It was also a factor in driving the Mohawks from their homelands in the eastern part of the Iroquois homeland.
December 3, 2012
I could not get into this book and put it down about 30 pages in. Perhaps it was me--the book is very well documented and seems to grasp the nuances of the period--but I'm not particularly interested in this time in history. I gave the book to a friend who is, and I'm looking forward to learning his reaction to it.
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August 13, 2018The Year of the Hangman: George Washington’s War against the Iroquois. Glenn Williams. (Author) 2005. 320 Pages.
I am re-reading this very good book for a project I am working on (A question of military effectiveness using the Sullivan Campaign of 1779 as a case study.). This time I am taking notes! An excellent book all around.
I am re-reading this very good book for a project I am working on (A question of military effectiveness using the Sullivan Campaign of 1779 as a case study.). This time I am taking notes! An excellent book all around.
March 10, 2009
The book was factual. Needed better maps and placement of the maps in the front of the book to be able to understand exactly where the events took place.
November 2, 2015
I thought this book was well written and it showed a lot of interesting historic facts in it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews