At the time of the battle of Oriskany, when
general Herkimer was advancing to the relief
of the fort, a diversion was made in his favor,
by a sortie of two hundred and fifty men under
the command of Colonel Willet. Such was the
impetuosity of Willet's movements, that sir
John Johnson and his regiment, who lay near
the fort with his Indian allies, sought safty in
flight. The amount of spoil found in the
enemy's camp was so great that Willet sent



burgoyne's campaign. 43

hastily for wagons to convey it away. The

spoil thus captured, twenty wagon loads, con-
sisted of camp equipage, clothing, blankets,

stores, &c., five British standards, and the bag-
gage and papers of most of the oflBcers. . For
this brilliant exploit, congress directed that
Colonel Willet should be presented with an
elegant sword in the name, of the United
States.
The siege of the fort still continued, and the
situation of the garrison, though not desperate,
began to be somewhat critical. Colonel Wil-
let and Major Stockwell readily undertook the
hazardous mission of passing through the
enemy's lines to arouse their countrymen to
their relief. After creeping on their hands and
knees through the enemy's encampment, and
adopting various arts of concealment, they pur-
sued their way through swampy and pathless
woods until they arrived safely at German
Flats, and from thence to the head quarters of
General Schuyler, then commanding the Ame-
rican army at Stillwater.
General Arnold was immediately despatch-
ed with a body of regular troops and volunteer
militia raised for the occasion, to the relief of
Col. Gansevoort. As he was advancing up the



.'*f''NiU.
44 boagoyne's campaign.
