318 HISTORY or In the fall of 1780, the enemy, about 800 strong, under Sir John Johnston, made preparations for destroying the val- leys of Schoharie and the Mohawk. The forces, consisting of British regulars, loyalists, tories and Indians, assembled on the Tioga, and marched thence up along the eastern branch of the Susquehanna, and crossed thence to Schoharie. On the 16th of October they encamped about four miles above the upper fort. It was their intention to pass the upper fort in ■the night, and to attack the middle fort* at day-break ; as it was expected that the upper fort would be the first object of attack, they hoped to surprise the middle fort by this unex- pected movement. Sir John had ordered his troops to be put In motion at four in the morning ; but from some mistake it was five before they began their march ; consequently, the rear guard was discovered by the sentinels of the upper fort, and the alarm-gun was fired, which was quickly answered from the other forts, and twenty riflemen, under the supervision of Murphy, were sent out from the middle fort to watch the motions of the enemy ; they soon fell in with an advanced party, and retreated back. At the firing of the settlement, houses, barns, and stacks of hay were burned, and cattle, sheep, and horses, were killed or driven away. The Indians, being in advance of the regular forces, were the first to approach the fort. Murphy, whose eye was ever watching the enemy, had stationed himself in a ditch a few rods south of the fort, that he might, unperceived, the better view the movements of the enemy. The Indians approached to within about eighty yards of the fort, when Murphy fired upon them ; ,and as he arose the second time to fire, a bullet ^- The remains of this fort are still to be seen, standing on the farm of Ralph Manning, in the town of Middleburgh. The Upper Fort was about five miles above, and the Lower Fort five miles below. The Lower Fort was built for a church, and is at present unoccupied. It stands about a mile north of the court-house.
