The Battle of Wyoming was an encounter during the American Revolutionary War between American Patriots and Loyalists accompanied by Iroquois raiders that took place in Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1778. More than 300 Patriots were killed in a battle followed by a massacre, in which the Iroquois raiders hunted and killed fleeing Patriots before torturing to death 30 to 40 who had surrendered.
In 1777, after a British Army surrendered at Saratoga in upstate New York, Loyalists and their Iroquois allies in the region turned to hit-and-run tactics, raiding American Patriot settlements and villages of American-allied Iroquois. On July 1, the British arrived to find that their approach had already been discovered and that the Americans were assembled in between eight and ten forts. Fort Wintermute was set on fire and the Americans thought this was a retreat and advanced rapidly. The Seneca came out of their positions and attacked the Americans in close combat.
The battle lasted 45 minutes and the Patriot line turned into a frantic rout when their inexperienced militia panicked. This ended the battle and triggered the Iroquois hunt for survivors. Only 60 Americans managed to escape and only five were taken prisoner. After the battle, approximately 1,000 homes and all of the forts in the area were burned.
