“The Oneidas and Tuscaroras have a particular claim to attention and kindness for their perseverance and fidelity.”
–George Washington to General Philip Schuyler
Tewahangarahken (Han Yerry Doxtader) was a formidable Oneida war chief of the patriot-allied Oneida at Oriskany and Saratoga. It was also the Oneida that the Marquis de Lafayette trusted to scout along the primary route to and from British-occupied Philadelphia, which Han Yerry now hid on.
Five days earlier, the Continental Army welcomed Han Yerry to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. At the behest of General George Washington, the Oneida agreed—despite needing men at home to mitigate attacks by the British and their Native allies—to send 47 warriors to the encampment. Upon entering the barracks, Han Yerry watched troops practice formations in springtime mud. Tasked as camp scouts, the Oneida delegation taught the encampment how to forage and cook corn between Baron Von Stueben’s drills.
When news of British departure from Philadelphia to New York surfaced, Washington assembled 2,200 men to patrol the capital’s outskirts. On May 19, 1778, the Oneida joined the detachment under the Marquis de Lafayette and left Valley Forge. They were stationed at Barren Hill—12 miles outside of Philadelphia.
On May 20, as Han Yerry hid, he sensed suspense as dawn reflected off the murky Schuylkill River. After an all-night march, an enemy force four times larger than the Continental detachment encircled the hamlet. Lafayette sent troops north as decoys and the Oneida and some Frenchmen south to engage. The marquis knew of a secret but wet route that guaranteed safety.
The Continental Army plunged into the Schuylkill River as the sun warmed its surface. They trudged across, locking their arms to prevent drowning downstream. When the men finally crawled up the Schuylkill’s slick embankment, undetected and on higher ground, they readied their weapons.
Meanwhile, Han Yerry listened for movement as he hid behind a tree. Once they heard the oncoming cavalry, the Oneida ambushed them with gun and arrow fire. During this delaying action, they seized equipment, and the British rejoined their central column. The warriors kept the retreat heated, weaving through the wilderness and engaging wherever possible. The posse soon waded through the Schuylkill, Han Yerry, and the Oneida, reuniting with Lafayette last.
Louis de Tousard, a French artillerist, attributed the bravery of two Oneida and two Frenchmen to his survival. When he fell from his horse, the warriors refused to leave his side—even in retreat.
