The Journal of Lieut. John L. Hardenbergh of the Second New York Continental Regiment from May 1 to October 3, 1779, in General Sullivan's Campaign Against the Western Indians: With an Introduction, Copious Historical Notes, and Maps of the Battle-field of Newtown and Groveland Ambuscade

In Short

The Journal of Lieut. John L. Hardenbergh is an authentic day-by-day record of an officer serving in General John Sullivan's 1779 campaign against the Western Iroquois nations during the American Revolutionary War. Enhanced by modern historical introduction, biographical sketches, and supplementary excerpts from fellow officers, the volume documents the systematic clearing of roads, movement of supplies, tactical maneuvers, and systematic destruction of Indian settlements across upstate New York. It has lasted as an indispensable, primary-source window into the logistical grit and controversial devastation that helped secure the state's western frontier.

The Story

The campaign opens in the late spring of 1779 as Lieutenant John L. Hardenbergh of the Second New York Continental Regiment sets out to join General Sullivan's offensive. Beginning in Ulster County, New York, Hardenbergh and his fellow Continental troops march along rugged frontier paths, cutting roads over treacherous terrain, and navigating rivers toward the gathering points at Wyoming and Tioga Point. The initial months consist of exhausting labor: hauling commissary stores, guarding riverboats loaded with flour and beef, and enduring hazardous river rapids where supply vessels overset.

By late August, General James Clinton's brigade joins Sullivan's main army, forming a powerful force aimed directly at the heart of the Iroquois confederacy. The army advances along the Chemung and Genesee valleys, encountering steep wilderness trails where livestock stumble down precipitous cliffs. The major tactical engagement occurs at the Battle of Newtown, where Sullivan's artillery and infantry brigades turn the enemy's flank, routing the combined Indian and Loyalist forces. Following this victory, the expedition moves relentlessly forward, burning abandoned villages, destroying vast fields of corn, and cutting down ancient orchards.

Hardenbergh's sparse, unvarnished entries record the daily marches through key settlements including Canandaigua, Honeoye, and the great Seneca stronghold at Genesee Castle. Detachments under officers like Colonel William Butler and Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dearborn branch off to systematically lay waste to towns along Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. Interspersed with the destruction are moments of military ceremony—a fifteen-gun salute and a extra ration of rum to celebrate news of Spain declaring alliance with America—and brief, stark human encounters, such as the recovery of a white captive woman and her child.

The primary objectives achieved and the Seneca towns laid to ashes, the army retraces its steps southward. The journal concludes in early October as the regiment completes its long march back to Easton and ultimately moves into winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey, leaving behind a devastated frontier and a legacy that cleared the path for post-war American expansion.

How It Unfolds

The march to the frontier Lieutenant Hardenbergh decamps from eastern New York in May 1779, heading west toward Pennsylvania across rugged terrain. His initial entries log grueling labor, including clearing roads through the dense "Shades of Death" wilderness and guarding vulnerable commissary boats navigating treacherous river falls.

Assembly at Tioga Point The New York troops join Sullivan's larger army along the Susquehanna and Chemung rivers. The troops prepare for the push into Iroquois territory by building posts, gathering stores, and conducting scouting patrols into enemy territory.

The clash at Newtown The expedition encounters a fortified enemy position along the Chemung River. Sullivan’s artillery enfilades the works while flanking divisions maneuver through dense brush to break the resistance, forcing the defending Loyalist and Native forces to retreat.

Destruction of the Western Castles Advancing deep into the Finger Lakes region and Genesee Valley, the army carries out a systematic campaign of destruction. Hardenbergh logs the daily burning of substantial log-cabin towns and the clearing of thousands of acres of standing corn and vegetables.

Sub-expeditions along the lakes While the main force turns back, specialized detachments under Colonel Butler and Colonel Dearborn circle Cayuga Lake. They burn outlying hamlets, destroy extensive peach orchards, and eradicate remaining settlement centers.

The return to winter quarters The army retraces its path south through Chemung and Easton under heavy autumn conditions. The campaign draws to a close in early October as the troops prepare for their winter encampment at Morristown.

The People

• John Leonard Hardenbergh: An officer in the Second New York Continental Regiment who serves as the core observer. Driven by military duty and patriotic resolve, he endures the rigorous physical demands of river transit and frontier combat, eventually using his knowledge of the region to survey and settle the town of Auburn after the war.
• General John Sullivan: The commander of the expedition whose overriding mandate is to neutralize the frontier threat by destroying Iroquois infrastructure. He directs complex multi-column army movements through unfamiliar wilderness, balancing severe supply challenges with aggressive offensive action.
• Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dearborn: An energetic field commander who leads key flanking maneuvers at the Battle of Newtown and later commands a detached force along the west side of Cayuga Lake, methodically destroying villages like Coreorgonel.
• Colonel William Butler: Commander of the Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment tasked with leading the sweeping expedition around the north and east sides of Cayuga Lake to ensure the total destruction of the Cayuga settlements.

In Its Own Voice

"The path followed the north bank of the Chemung, passing the first narrows, near present Waverly, and the second along the steep hill-sides and precipices west of present Chemung."

This observation underscores the extreme geographical perils faced by the marching columns as they advanced through narrow mountain paths.

"The whole army (except the guards to which I belonged) were employed in destroying corn from 6 o'clock in the morning till two in the afternoon."

Hardenbergh records the sheer operational scale and primary objective of the campaign's scorched-earth strategy.

"A fu-de-joy was held in consequence of the arrival of the news of Spain declaring us Independent with 13 rounds of cannon was discharged, followed by two round of musketry..."

This entry captures a brief moment of celebration and military pomp deep in the wilderness upon receiving news of global diplomatic triumphs.

What It's Really About

Beneath the terse routine of camp life and daily mileage, the volume exposes the raw mechanics of total warfare on the American frontier. It is fundamentally about the logistical effort required to project regular military power through an untamed wilderness, and the deliberate economic destruction used to break a adversary. The journal and accompanying historical notes reveal how the campaign acted not merely as a defensive punitive strike against Native raids, but as a systematic campaign to displace indigenous populations, extinguish Indian land claims, and open up millions of acres of fertile western New York soil for post-war American survey, settlement, and land speculation.

Why Read It Today

This volume will deeply satisfy military historians, Revolutionary War enthusiasts, and readers drawn to original primary sources. Reading Hardenbergh’s journal feels like sitting over an authentic field desk; the entries are brief, pragmatic, and unvarnished by grand post-facto narrative. It provides an immediate, unmediated sense of time and place, where losing a hat in a river during a night transport is recorded with the same matter-of-fact tone as burning an enemy village.

The historical reality of the text presents clear difficulties for modern readers. The terse, repetitive nature of diary entries—frequently recording little more than weather, distance, and encampments—demands patience. Furthermore, the casual narrative surrounding the total destruction of Native American homes, crops, and orchards presents a stark, unsparing look at the harsh moral realities of eighteenth-century warfare. Yet it is precisely this raw authenticity, combined with rich modern annotations, maps, and supplementary officer accounts, that makes the book a lasting and vital historical document.