All Forums  OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL  Inside the Longhouse  Iroquois Invasion of New York- Monemin's Castle

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Screensize: 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 UserName: Password: Format Mode: Basic  Help  Prompt  Format: Videos: Font Andale Mono Arial Arial Black Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Georgia Impact Lucida Console Script MT Bold Stencil Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana   Size 1 2 3 4 5 6   Color Black Red Yellow Pink Green Orange Purple Blue Beige Brown Teal Navy Maroon LimeGreen Message Icon:                             Message: Smilies [quote][i]Originally posted by MoneminsCastle[/i] [br]On or about the beginning of the 15th century, the Iroquois were driven out of the Ohio Valley and fell into New York and Pennsylvania. In New York the Iroquois were easily able to overtake the older roaving Alogonkin tribes and sieze their lands. No doubt the Iroquois thinking that the land was theirs for the taking continued eastward until they met the Muhhekunneuw, the Mahicans of the Hudson River. The Muhhekunneuw repulsed the invaders advance. The Iroquois invaders were pushed back to the west of the Schoharie Creek and north of the Mohawk River. I confine my interest and illustration to the area where the Mohawk and Hudson River's meet, the land of Bear tribe of the Muhhekunneuw, who council fire burned at Schodac. You have to draw your own conclusions as to what exactly happend. To me it is quite clear. There is plenty of evidence that the Iroquois occupation of New York State is no older than 600 years and that there are many more ancient Algonkin sites in the state. Also, the Iroquois were agricultural and the lands along the Hudson were the most rich and fertal in the state. If the Iroquois could have taken them during their advance they would have. I don't think the Mahicans and their kin tribes had the resources to drive the Iroquois out of the state altogether so as long as they could keep them at bay to the west of the Schoharie and North of the Mohawk and out of their hunting or fishing grounds, they had no choice to be settle for a stale-mate. From here I believe that the western trails that were used to trade with the older Algonkin tribes became war paths. The western most Iroquois tribe, the Mohawks, and the Mahicans became hereditary enemies and no doubt warred for much of the 15th century sending war parties up and down the Mohawk River. Although dangerous, the Mohawks posed no direct threat to the Mahican as a nation. The Iroquois of the state were busy fighting wars amongst themselves, butchering each other and obliterating and consuming entire tribes. Then about 1450 a funny thing happend. They united into a confederation. Their Iroquois threat to the Mahicans was greater than it ever was. The Mahican sachem and his war chiefs at Schodac met to formulate a strategy of defense against invasion. Judge for yourself whether it was before or after the Iroquois confederation. It was decided to build a series of fortifications along the path of invasion and to setup a permanent military district there. Schodac was fortified, as it's name today is Castleton; a fortification on the eastern side of the Hudson was erected, referred to as Unwat's Castle; and a fortification was built on an island at the mouth of the Mohawk where it empties into the Hudson River, referred to as Monemin's Castle. Monemin's castle is the subject of my most intense fascination and interest, mainly because the huge mounds of earth that were moved there to erect the fortress on still exists. The Island is today called Peebles Island, but in colonial times it was called Haver Island. The reason the base of Monemin's Castle still exists is because the island was used as a military base during the American Revolution and is preserved as a historical landmark. Thaddeus Kosciuszko, engineer mercinary for the colonial forces built three earthwork redoubts there to repulse the English invasion of New York by Gen. John Burgoyne. The western most redoubt was built right on the mound of earth that 15th century Mahicans used to build Menomins Castle. The trenches that connected the redoubts was the originally the trenches that held Moenomin's stockade fence. Kosciuszko also built Bemis Heights in Schylerville and Burgoyne was defeated there in the Battle of Saratoga. He never reached Haver Island and the earthworks are almost perfectly preserved. Of course they're still there because of their importance to American History. Had the island had only Mahican historical value it's lands would have been put to the plow years ago. [b]Image Insert:[/b][br][img]http://www.mohicanpress.com/messageboard/../uploads/moneminscastle/20081127125444_980068385605_0_ALB.jpg[/img][br][size=1] 79.41 KB[/size=1] [b]Image Insert:[/b][br][img]http://www.mohicanpress.com/messageboard/../uploads/moneminscastle/20081127125514_106278385605_0_ALB.jpg[/img][br][size=1] 78.85 KB[/size=1] [b]Image Insert:[/b][br][img]http://www.mohicanpress.com/messageboard/../uploads/moneminscastle/20081127125623_989358385605_0_ALB.jpg[/img][br][size=1] 75.65 KB[/size=1] [/quote]    Upload an Image File From Your PC For Insertion in Your Post    -  HTML is OFF | Forum Code is ON   Check here to include your profile signature. Check here to subscribe to this topic.