Sullivan Expedition Strikes Deep into the Heart of the Iroquois Nation

American Revolution
Written By Tom Hand

In spring of 1779, General George Washington developed a plan to strike deep into the heart of the Iroquois Nation. Washington recognized he must destroy the bases that the American Indians were using to launch their raids, or the depredations would never cease, and the settlers would never return to the Mohawk Valley. On August 26, General John Sullivan and his force of 4,000 men began their trek up the Susquehanna River from the Wyoming Valley into the Iroquois homeland, destroying any American Indian settlements they encountered.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses how the Sullivan Expedition broke the back of the Iroquois Nation, and why it still matters today.

Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The New York Public Library, Library of Congress, National Portrait Gallery – Smithsonian Institution, American Art Museum, Wikipedia. 

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Tom Hand
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