16174
W. Britain
This is an Oneida Indian who is allied with the Patriots during the Saratoga campaign. Records show General Gates issued his Oneida with red woolen caps to differentiate them from British allied Natives. Some, including the Stockbridge Tribe, were also issued new Charleville muskets, shot bags, powder horns, and a few even with cartridge boxes. At the Battle of Oriskany the small contingent of Oneida warriors allied with the Patriot forces, carried themselves with distinction and courage. The American relief column under General Nicholas Herkimer was ambushed near Fort Stanwix, New York by a combined force of Loyalists and Indians. The Americans barely held off the British in one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution.