[4][5] In 1777, British general John Burgoyne tried to gain control of the Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War, but was forced to surrender after the Battles of Saratoga in October.

The British recruited Loyalists and Indigenous allies to conduct a frontier war along the northern and western borders of the Thirteen Colonies.

Although Butler and the Iroquois were planning a major attack on the Wyoming Valley, it was agreed that Brant would return to Onaquaga and prepare to raid settlements in New York.

Most of the Indigenous warriors were Seneca and Cayuga led by Sayenqueraghta, Cornplanter, and Fish Carrier, but contingents of Lenape (Delaware), Onondaga, and Tuscarora were also present.

Meanwhile, the Patriot militia assembled at Forty Fort under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Zebulon Butler, an officer of the Continental Army home on leave.

Following a devastating volley from the Rangers and their Indigenous allies, the Seneca and Cayuga broke cover and attacked the Americans with maul, tomahawk and spear.

An attempt to reform the American line quickly turned into a frantic rout, as the inexperienced militiamen panicked and ran.

[18] In his report to the commanding officer of Fort Niagara, Major Butler stated that his Indigenous allies had taken 227 scalps and five prisoners, while Colonel Denison informed him that 302 had been killed.

[19][20] Lieutenant Colonel Butler and the surviving Continental soldiers left the Wyoming Valley on the morning of July 4 rather than being taken as prisoners of war.

Major Butler paroled them on their promise to take no part in further hostilities, and gave his assurance that "the lives of the inhabitants [would be] preserved entire and unharmed.

Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, who was in the Wyoming Valley a few weeks after the battle, wrote: "Happily these fierce people, satisfied with the death of those who had opposed them in arms, treated the defenceless ones, the woman and children, with a degree of humanity almost hitherto unparalleled".

Since he was an officer of prominence, dressed in a new uniform, with new sword and equipment, he had been spared death under the belief that more could be obtained for his ransom than could be made from his slaughter.

[30] In the aftermath of the battle, the settlers who had fled the Wyoming Valley spread harrowing stories and rumors about the American defeat that contributed to a general panic across the frontiers of New York and Pennsylvania.

Some American newspapers picked up on these stories and went even further, producing unsubstantiated accounts about the burning of women, children, and wounded soldiers inside Forty Fort on the day after the battle.

Coupled with anger at militiamen who ignored their paroles, such accusations led the Seneca to attack civilians at Cherry Valley in November 1778.

[35][36] The Battle of Wyoming and the Cherry Valley Massacre encouraged American military leaders to strike back against the Iroquois.

In the late summer of 1779, the Sullivan Expedition, commissioned by General George Washington, methodically destroyed 40 Iroquois villages and an enormous quantity of stored corn and vegetables throughout the Finger Lakes region.

The Iroquois struggled to recover from the damage inflicted by Sullivan's soldiers, and many died of starvation that winter, however, they continued to raid frontier settlements until the end of the war.

[44] During the 100th anniversary commemoration, the people of Wyoming Valley used the motto "An honest tale speeds best when plainly told" in an effort to promote the historical account of the battle.