From the Utica Observer Dispatch: Ceremony remembers Battle of Oriskany
ORISKANY — The echoes of gunfire again punctuated the fields in Oriskany on the Aug. 6 anniversary of what many historians refer to as the bloodiest battle of the American Revolution.
Representatives from more than a dozen organizations and families with ties to the Battle of Oriskany met Saturday in a steady drizzle to commemorate the event that lead to the eventual retreat of Britain’s troops from the Fort Stanwix area. Those groups laid 13 wreaths and an offering inside the monument’s gates Saturday evening.
For George Gydesen, the battle remains deeply personal — members of his mother’s and father’s sides of the family participated in the 1777 event.
“We’re here really to honor the more than 800 men that participated – and some of which sacrificed their lives — for their independence,” said Gydesen, who is president of the Oriskany Battlefield Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.
The National Park Service conducts a ceremony each year to remember the battle between American militia forces en route to aid troops being attacked at Fort Stanwix and the British troops that ambushed the approaching convoy.
“There are groups that regularly mark this on their calendar to attend because they have descendants that fought in the battle in 1777, so it’s very important to them,” said Debbie Conway, superintendent of the Fort Stanwix National Monument.
Robert Gang, of Syracuse, stood near the monument in a linen garment that would have been worn by privates in the First Virginia Regiment..
“I’ve been to the battlefield before, although this is the first time I’ve been to this event,” he said. “It’s something I enjoy and it helps me to tell the story of the war.”
