Battle of Cobleskill The Battle of Cobleskill ( also known as the Cobleskill massacre ) was an American Revolutionary War raid on the frontier settlement of Cobleskill , New York on May 30 , 1778 . The battle , having taken place in the modern - day village of Warnerville , NY near Cobleskill - Richmondville High School , marked the beginning of a phase in which Loyalist s and Iroquois , encouraged and supplied by British authorities in the Province of Quebec , raided and destroyed numerous villages on what was then the United States western frontier of New York and Pennsylvania . A small party of Iroquois entered Cobleskill and drew the local defenders into a trap set by a much larger party of Iroquois and Loyalists under the command of Joseph Brant . After killing a number of the militia and driving off the remainder , Brant ' s forces destroyed much of the settlement . New York ' s defenders retaliated against Brant ' s actions against Cobleskill and other communities by destroying Iroquois villages later in the year , and Continental Army forces destroyed more Iroquois villages in a major 1779 expedition . Background . With the failure of British General John Burgoyne ' s campaign to the Hudson after the Battles of Saratoga in October 1777 , the American Revolutionary War in upstate New York became a frontier war . British leaders in the Province of Quebec supported Loyalist and Native American partisan fighters with supplies and armaments . During the winter of 1777 – 78 Brant and other British - allied Indians developed plans to attack frontier settlements in New York and Pennsylvania . In February 1778 Brant established a base of operations at Onaquaga ( present - day Windsor , New York ) . He recruited a mix of Iroquois and Loyalists estimated to number between two and three hundred by the time he began his campaign in May . One of his objectives was to acquire provisions for his forces and those of John Butler , who was planning operations in the Susquehanna River valley . In 1778 the settlement of Cobleskill , New York consisted of twenty families living on farms spread out along Cobleskill Creek . It was part of the Schoharie Creek area which was a significant source of food for the Patriot war effort . Its principal defense was the small local militia under Captain Christian Brown . When attacks by the Iroquois were rumored to be coming in the spring of 1778 , the militia appealed for additional defenses . Continental Army Colonel Ichabod Alden sent a company of thirty to forty men from his 7th Massachusetts Regiment under Captain William Patrick to reinforce the militia . Battle . On the morning of May 30 Brant laid a trap for Cobleskill ' s defenders . He sent forward a small number of natives as a lure . Captain Patrick ' s force and the local militia spotted them near the southern edge of the settlement . Despite Captain Brown ' s warning that the Indians might be setting a trap , Patrick pressed forward as the natives withdrew , engaging them in a running battle . After about one mile ( 1 . 6 km ) Brant sprung his trap , and Patrick ' s company was engulfed by Brant ' s larger force . Both Patrick and his second in command were killed in the battle , as was about half of their force . Brown organized the remaining forces into a fighting retreat back into the settlement . Five men took refuge in the house of George Warner which the attackers set on fire , killing all five men . A total of 22 settlers were killed , eight were wounded , and five captured by Brant ' s men , while Brant ' s force suffered an estimated 25 casualties . Aftermath . Brant and his men burned ten houses and associated outbuildings before withdrawing , killing any cattle they could not take . Brant took five prisoners , to whom he offered two choices : to be dispersed among Indian families , or to be sent to Fort Niagara as prisoners of war . The captives chose the latter . Brant continued to build his forces and raid frontier communities in the Mohawk valley . He considered following up the attack on Cobleskill with one on Cherry Valley , but because the militia was on high alert , he instead withdrew back to Iroquois territory . Cherry Valley was the scene of a massacre the following November by forces led in part by Brant . New York Governor George Clinton , who had been considering operations against Onaquaga , enlarged those plans after the raid on Cobleskill and Brant ' s attack on German Flatts in September . In October 1778 Continental and militia forces destroyed Onaquaga and Unadilla , another Indian village that supported Brant and Butler . The settlers of Cobleskill who were rendered destitute by the action received £200 in compensation for their troubles . Settlers from many area communities began withdrawing to larger , better fortified communities like Cherry Valley ( which began construction of a fort after the raid ) and Schenectady . This action and later ones by Brant and Butler contributed to the decision by the Continental Congress to authorize a major Continental Army expedition into Iroquois territory . Commanded by Generals John Sullivan and James Clinton , the 1779 expedition systematically destroyed the villages of Iroquois tribes fighting for the British , but did little to stop the frontier war .