The American Revolution - Video Presentation


"The First Indian War: The Continental Army's Campaign Against the Iroquois (Audio)"

Historian Joseph R. Fischer presents The First Indian War: The Continental Army's Campaign Against the Iroquois on February 10, 2010, at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., Kansas City, MO.

Fischer is the author of A Well-Executed Failure: The Sullivan Campaign Against the Iroquois, July-September 1779. Major General John Sullivan's expedition was intended to punish the Iroquois Confederacy for raids in western New York. While it succeeded in destroying much of the Iroquois land, the expedition is widely considered to have failed because it did not prompt the Iroquois to abandon the conflict.

Fischer suggests that the historical focus on the campaign's failure has overshadowed its importance as a vehicle for understanding the continental Army at a turning point in the Revolutionary War. He says the expedition provides exceptional insight into the growing professionalism of George Washington's military.