Oneidas gathered at the Oriskany Battlefield on Aug. 6 to mark the 231st anniversary of the battle with a feast to remember the fallen.

“We feed the spirits of those who are gone; it’s a good thing that makes them happy,” said Kathy Patterson (Bear Clan). “We prepared the food at home and then shared it here with our people, saving a plate for those who have passed.”

That plate was later laid before the monument along with the myriad wreathes presented by other descendents of those who fought at the battle.

“The blood that was shed Aug. 6, 1777, flowed into the ground to help nurture the United States as it evolved and became the country we know today – a country that, like the Haudenosaunee Confederacy before it, stands for freedom and self-determination,” said Brian Patterson, Bear Clan Member to the Nation’s Council, who was one of the guest speakers at the event.

“The Oneida have continued to ally themselves with the United States in every war since the Revolution, with our Members fighting in every conflict in which the United States has engaged, up to and including the war in Iraq.”

Oneida warriors fought beside the colonists on that sultry day in 1777, one of the bloodiest battles of the War for Independence. The Oneidas and the colonial militia, commanded by Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, were able to stop the advance of a British expeditionary force marching from the Great Lakes under Gen. St. Leger, who was attempting to move east and join Gen. Burgoyne and his forces, who were marching south from Canada. If the two forces had united, they could have successfully divided the colonies in half.

Hundreds died during the battle, and Gen. Herkimer was fatally wounded. The Oneidas and colonists, however, prevented the British forces from joining, an event that contributed to Burgoyne’s loss at the Battle of Saratoga.

Several Oneidas distinguished themselves, among them Han Yerry. This Oneida man fought valiantly, even after being injured. With the aid of his wife, Two Kettles Together – who loaded his gun – Han Yerry continued to shoot at the enemy. His wife, one of his sons and his half-brother also fought with valor.

Remembering the importance of the battle and the freedoms it helped to establish drew a sizable crowd on the mild mid-summer evening. Charlie Patterson (Bear Clan) found the number in attendance gratifying, but, he said, he was really on hand to support his sister, Kathy, at the feast and offering.

“It is important for us to share in the ceremony, in the memory of the battle,” said Patty Welch (Bear Clan), Kathy’s daughter. “It is an Oneida way of remembering.”