In late October 1781, British Maj. John Ross and Capt. Walter Butler led a raiding party across the Mohawk Valley. After the raiding party reached Johnson Hall on October 25, American militia under the command of Col. Marinus Willett arrived to counter the raiding party. Willett divided his forces trying to flank the British position. The British pushed the militia into retreat. However, militia troops under Maj. Aaron Rowley attacked the British right flank renewing the American advance and forcing the British to retreat to their original position. The British withdrew from the field that night pursued by Willett the next day.
The Mohawk Valley in upstate New York was the scene of much military action throughout the war. Being generally considered as the "backcountry," the highly-contested region was situated between established colonial settlements and Iroquois territory. As Colonel Marinus Willet successfully drove British, Tory, and Native American forces from the field at Johnstown, the upstate frontier was made secure from the devastating raids of Captain Walter Butler, Sir John Johnson, Joseph Brant, and others. Colonel Willet continued to push the enemy westward after his initial victory at Johnstown--a pursuit that resulted in the death of Captain Butler, a feared antagonist, at West Canada Creek on October 30.
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