Barry St. Leger

St. Leger, Barry, 1737–89, British officer in the American Revolution. In the French and Indian Wars he served at Louisburg (1758) and with Gen. James Wolfe at Quebec. He was given (1777) command of the Mohawk valley wing of the British attack that was ended by the Saratoga campaign. St. Leger's force, composed mostly of Native Americans and Tories, was intended to come down the valley to meet General Burgoyne at Albany. St. Leger laid siege to Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler), where Continental troops barred his way to Albany; meanwhile a relief force led by Nicholas Herkimer was ambushed at Oriskany Creek. However, when St. Leger's Native American allies heard that a Continental force under Benedict Arnold was moving to relieve Fort Stanwix, they deserted the British, and St. Leger was forced to make a retreat to Canada.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.