The Shot Heard ‘Round the World did not, at first, resound loudly in the Adirondacks. Local independent historian and educator Marie D.A. Williams, in her new book, The Revolutionary War in the Adirondacks: Raids in the Wilderness (History Press, 2020), notes, “…the people of the Adirondack Mountains, Mohawk Valley and Hudson Valley regions tended to be either staunch Loyalists or apathetic to either side of the Revolution’s cause.”
That changed when British General Burgoyne led his armies from Canada through the region in a campaign to capture control of New York State. Burgoyne’s 1777 defeat at Saratoga, Williams writes, was followed by a series of British raids in Upstate New York designed to interrupt supply lines and terrorize the people that lived in the region. These wilderness raids are the focus of her work.
Williams grew up in Lake Luzerne and says her interest in local history was piqued as a student in the fourth grade. Her class took walking tours of historic sites in town and visited Fort William Henry in Lake George. Her own ancestry traces back to a British Lieutenant who served under Burgoyne during the 1777 campaign, so while it may be true that much of history is written by the victors, Williams, in the writing of this book, tells the often hidden stories of the Loyalists in these lesser-known wilderness engagements — “I wanted to make sure that everyone’s story gets told.”
From the stories of the Jessups, Loyalist land barons that fled to Canada then returned to lead raids on their former neighbors, to Mohawk leader Joseph Brant who early on allied with the British, Williams chronicles the years of destruction. Farms, mills and entire villages were burned; crops were destroyed, livestock commandeered, and civilians were taken prisoner.
Beyond identifying dates, places, actions and actors, she discusses the impact these raids had on the people who lived in these mountains and valleys, including the Native Americans, who found they could not remain neutral. The wilderness raids are not extensively covered in most textbooks, but “For people who inhabited those areas,” Williams writes, “…those raids shaped their perspectives on the war and would shape the war, as people were forced to choose sides, whether they wanted to do so or not.”
Williams’ fans know her better as Marie Frankson, author of The Half-Pint Historian Blog, which she founded nearly a decade ago. Going forward, she plans to return to her roots and the Frankson name for future publications. She currently is preparing an article to commemorate the 240th anniversary of the raid on Ballston Spa (Formally Ball’s Town) and is continuing her research on the American Revolution wilderness raids with a focus on Upstate New York Patriots for a possible book.
Williams is a contributor to New York History Blog and Adirondack Almanac. The Revolution in the Adirondacks: Raids in the Wilderness is scheduled for release Aug. 18, 2020.