Wyoming Massacre

(July 3, 1778) Killing of American settlers by the British in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania.

In the American Revolution, British Col. John Butler led a force of 1,000 loyalists and Iroquois allies against 5,000 settlers in the valley, many of whom were gathered at Forty Fort. A band of men and boys left the fort to meet the attackers and was defeated; 360 settlers were killed, and others who escaped to the woods died of starvation. Butler's forces continued their raids on frontier settlements in New York, which led to American action against the Iroquois. See also Iroquois Confederacy.

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▪ United States history

      (July 3, 1778), during the American Revolution, the killing of 360 American settlers in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, part of the stepped-up British campaign of frontier attacks in the West.

      In early June, Colonel John Butler led a force of 1,000 loyalists (loyalist) and Iroquois allies against the 5,000 inhabitants of the valley—mostly American women and children gathered at Forty Fort. About 300 men and boys left the protection of the fort to meet the attackers. In the massacre that followed, 360 men, women, and children lost their lives, and many others who escaped to the forests died of starvation or exposure. Butler's forces then moved northward to continue the raids along the frontier settlements of New York, eventually leading to a more aggressive American action against the Iroquois.

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