(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 loyalist s 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 .