In August 1780, Major General Frederick Haldimand, Governor of the Province of Quebec authorized a large-scale raid against the Schoharie and Mohawk River valleys of New York.

Also participating were Brant's Volunteers, Leake's Independent Company, a detachment of Hesse Hanau Jägers, and Seneca warriors led by Sayenqueraghta and Cornplanter.

As his artillery had little effect, and as the garrison of Middle Fort refused to surrender, Johnson abandoned the siege after a few hours and continued north.

After briefly attacking Lower Fort, Johnson's forces encamped on the west side of Schoharie Creek a few miles south of the Mohawk River.

[3] The following morning Johnson dispatched Joseph Brant with his Volunteers and a company of Butler's Rangers across the Schoharie to destroy houses and barns in the vicinity of Fort Hunter.

Meanwhile, several hundred militiamen from Albany County had assembled at Schenectady under the command of Brigadier General Robert Van Rensselaer.

Papers found on the body of Colonel Brown included a letter from which Johnson learned that Van Rensselaer's column had been at Fort Hunter the day before.

Despite protests from Lieutenant Colonel John Harper of the 2nd Regiment of New York Levies, Van Rensselaer did not immediately ford the river as the Albany militia were exhausted, having marched for 26 hours with only short breaks.

The right column, however, composed of the New York Levies, the Tryon militia and the Oneida, dislodged the Jägers and Brant's Volunteers from their positions, threatening Johnson's left.

[1] Van Rensselaer attempted to rally the Albany militia but decided he needed to withdraw rather than try to pursue Johnson in the dark.

The following morning his forces set off in pursuit and had reached Fort Herkimer opposite the mouth of West Canada Creek by mid-afternoon.

A few days later a detachment from Fort Stanwix that was sent out to destroy the bateaux that Johnson had left at the south end of Lake Onondaga was captured virtually intact by Leake's Independent Company.

[2] Governor Clinton reported to the Continental Congress that 150,000 tons of grain and 200 dwellings had been destroyed, and that "Schenectady may now be said to become the limits of our western Frontier.

"[6] Van Rensselaer's delay in crossing the river and his decision to not immediately pursue Johnson led to a formal inquiry the following spring.