The Rangers of the Mohawk

# Catalog Note

The Rangers of the Mohawk: A Tale of Cherry Valley (1886) by Edward S. Ellis is a historical fiction serialized in Beadle's Dime Novels. Set in 1777 northern New York, the narrative follows the siege of Fort Schuyler (Fort Stanwix) by British General St. Leger and his allied forces of Tories and Native Americans from the Six Nations. Colonel Gansevoort defends the fort while General Herkimer's militia is defeated at Oriskany. The story introduces Captain Butler, a Tory officer, and various characters including a half-witted scout named Honyost Schuyler and Captain Heath, a patriot officer attempting to reach the fort. The plot focuses on Butler's mission circulating Colonel Butler's proclamation in Cherry Valley to recruit Tories while pursuing patriot officers who escaped the fort. A covered carriage traveling the Mohawk Valley road becomes an object of pursuit, with the narrative combining military action, period dialogue, and frontier conflict during the American Revolution.