07/31/2026
Sullivan’s March was a major American Revolutionary War campaign in 1779 led by General John Sullivan to destroy the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy’s ability to attack frontier settlements. After devastating raids by British-allied Iroquois and Loyalists in 1778, especially in Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley and New York’s Cherry Valley, General George Washington ordered Sullivan to strike deep into Iroquois territory.
Sullivan gathered about 4,500 troops from multiple states, including New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, plus riflemen and artillery. The plan was to march from Easton, Pennsylvania, up the Susquehanna River Valley, link with James Clinton’s force from the Mohawk Valley, and then move into the heart of Haudenosaunee lands. The goal was a scorched-earth strategy — burn villages, destroy crops, and drive the Haudenosaunee into British-held Fort Niagara, hoping they would lose their ability to fight and rely on British support.
The expedition passed through the Wyalusing area in early August of 1779, and the diaries of soldiers on the expedition provide a fascinating glimpse into the landscape of the area in the late 1700s. We will be sharing excerpts from these diaries over the next week.
