Battle of Newtown
Southern Tier
August 29, 1779
American victory
The Battle of Newtown was the only major battle of the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, a scorched-earth campaign against British-allied Haudenosaunee communities. The Continental Army destroyed more than 40 Haudenosaunee villages, causing dispersion, widespread famine, and further reliance on the British by the Haudenosaunee people.
The Battle of Newtown occurred in present-day Elmira, New York. On this map, it is above Chemung and slightly west.
"Map of Gen. Sullivan's march from Easton to the Seneca & Cayuga countries,” 1779. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
A stone monument was dedicated at the centennial remembrance of the Battle of Newtown in 1879. The present granite monument was erected in 1912. Courtesy of Newtown Battlefield State Park.
With views of the Chemung River Valley below, the Haudenosaunee planned a defense to protect their families, homes, crops, and culture from the invading campaign in August of 1779. Courtesy of Newtown Battlefield State Park.