By Matthew Avitabile
SCHOHARIE — We spoke to the Old Stone Fort’s Site Administrator and Lead Interpreter to follow up on the recent article regarding the expansion of access and programs at the Old Stone Fort. In particular, Mr. Edmunds discussed a number of topics related to the coming 250th anniversary of events during the American Revolution.
He described the upcoming reenactment of the Battle of the Flockey, which will happen Aug. 2027. The “Revolutionary War came to Schoharie Aug. 13, 1777,” he said. The event was the first cavalry charge of what would become the U.S. Army. He said that this is “another claim to fame” for local history.
The battle was significant in part because it sparked the fortification of the Schoharie Reformed Church, transforming it to the Old Stone Fort. Several other private residences were fortified alongside the Schoharie site to create the Upper, Lower, and Middle Forts in the Schoharie Valley.
The battle was an American victory between loyalists, Natives, and patriots. Col. John Harper led the Schoharie Militia and the 2nd Continental Light Tragoons against Capt. John McDonell, Capt. George Mann, and Adam Crysler alongside Mohawk allies. The fight at the Crysler farm was in a swampy area known as "die Flache," or later the Flockey.
The battle took place as part of the wider campaign by the British to split the colonies in half through New York, including the Mohawk, Hudson, and Lake Champlain Valleys. The battle took place after Harper aided Fort Defiance in Middleburgh.
The victory was a portion of the wider campaign that peaked at Saratoga in the same year, which included Middleburgh's Timothy Murphy killing British Gen. Simon Fraser, which threw the British into confusion, helping to lead to an American victory. The win at Saratoga would play a pivotal role in convincing France to aid the colonies in their quest for independence.
Edmunds and several volunteers from the Old Stone Fort met with Don Rittner from the Albany250 organization to work together. The Albany group will be marking the Battle of Normanskill the same month.
There will likely be another reenactment to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Cobleskill in 2028. Following the battle, many Cobleskill-area residents took refuge in the three forts, including the Old Stone Fort. The residents built huts within the stockade of the Fort.
The events are done in conjunction with other efforts of local groups, including the Revolution250 group in Schoharie County, the Schoharie DAR, and others. Schoharie County has committed to helping with the different events and commemorations of the anniversary of the American War of Independence. We will report on future plans as they develop.
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