Henry Fonda in John Ford’s Drums Along the Mohawk (1939). The patriot militia of Tryon County New York under General Nicholas Herkimer fought one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution on August 6, 1777 at Oriskany. They were marching to the relief of besieged Fort Stanwix when they were ambushed by a Tory and Indian column. Showing commendable fortitude for militia, they rallied and held their ground while taking heavy casualties. The British claimed a victory by stopping the American relief column but it was a hollow boast. The Indian auxiliaries of the British were dismayed by the casualties they took at Oriskany, and began to desert, a crucial factor in the ultimate failure of the British attempt to take Fort Stanwix, an important part of the pivotal Saratoga campaign. The patriot dead of Oriskany, including General Herkimer who died in the aftermath of the amputation of a leg wounded in the battle, all 385 them, deserve to be remembered this Memorial Day weekend along with all our other patriot war dead.
Three years later Henry Fonda enlisted in the Navy in 1942. He was almost rejected because at age 37 he was at the maximum age for a new enlistee. At his insistence he served as an enlisted sailor before earning a commission as a Lieutenant JG. He served in combat in the Pacific as an air support officer and earned a Bronze Star. No doubt this helped give realism to his performance as Mr. Roberts in the Fifties:
Thanks for the reminder about these films, especially Drums. I think I’ve got my Memorial Day weekend movie schedule done now. 😁
God Bless John Ford.
I watch that movie every time it’s aired.
And, in “:Mr. Roberts” the Fonda character finally gets his wish to serve on a combat vessel and is KIA.
God Bless our valiant war dead on this 2022 Decoration Day.
I have a book on the Brit and Tory evil strategy to employ Iroquois, etc. tribes to terrorize that general area which was the bread basket of the Continental Army.
The Brits believed that 1777 would be the year of the hangman.
American Independence was won at great cost by men like General Herkimer, the Continental soldier and militia, and with much Divine Assistance.
Our homeschool group toured Fort Stanwix many years ago. It was very informative and eye opening in many ways. The American Revolution effectively split and eventually marked the end of the Iroquois confederacy as part of the tribes sided with the colonists while the others fought alongside the British troops.
Plus Sullivan’s Campaign in NYS which destroyed their villages. It was very brutal fighting all around.
May their souls rest in peace