As you may remember from the last article, Wyoming Valley, once known as Wyomink by the original owners, was part of the state of Connecticut. The valley was wracked by the Yankee/Pennamite Wars, which pitted Pennsylvania against Connecticut in a grab for the valley. Eventually, the land became part of Pennsylvania. But this came later. In 1775, the two protagonists stopped killing each other in order to fight the British in the War for Independence.
Simmering tensions set the stage for a confrontation
It is now the summer of 1778, the British want the Wyoming Valley because they know it is the place that provides much of the food for General George Washingtonâs Army. They have an alliance with the Native Americans, mostly Seneca, who believe they were cheated out of this land by both Pennsylvanians and the Connecticut Yankees. The British have told them that if they fight for them, they will regain their land. The choice is simple. The British also have Loyalist (Americans fighting for King George III) Rangers, and Tories (those civilians loyal to the king) fighting with them. Major, later to be Colonel John Butler, the assistant head of the Indian department, now commanding this force, has assembled somewhere between 800 and 1,000 at Fort Niagra in upstate New York and will begin to follow the Susquehanna south to the valley for the attack. The force also includes some British regulars.