Requirements


Chemung Chapter

National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution

Elmira, New York


The Chemung Chapter, NSDAR, was organized in 1897. The chapter has 95 members.

The name "Chemung" comes from the name of the river which flows from West to East through the county bearing the same name. "Chemung," of Indian derivation, signifies "Big Horn."

Meetings are the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise noted in the yearbook.
For membership information, please contact Kae Smith.


Sullivan’s Monument
Newtown Battlefield, Lowman, New York
The Battle of Newtown was part of a campaign by General George Washington to invade the Iroquois homeland, and erode support for the British among the Iroquois tribes.

Four of the six tribes of the Iroquois Nation had sided with the British.  Their attacks took a heavy toll on the white settlers in the region.

In the spring of 1779, Washington ordered Gens. John Sullivan, James Clinton, and Daniel Brodhead to commence a three-pronged offensive that became known as the Sullivan Expedition.
In August, Clinton and Sullivan joined forces at what is now Athens, Pennsylvania, and marched north into the Chemung Valley.

Warned by advance scouts of an ambush ahead, Sullivan and Clinton’s troops clashed with warriors, led by Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant, and British loyalists on August 29, 1779. The battle took place near the Indian village of Newtown, now known as Lowman, New York.

Both sides suffered casualties, but the outnumbered British and Indian forces eventually turned and fled.

After standing their ground in the Battle of Newtown, Sullivan’s forces swept through the Finger Lakes region, destroying numerous Indian villages and forcing the natives to flee to the British stronghold at Fort Niagara.

Many of the soldiers who fought at Newtown returned to the Chemung Valley after the war and permanently settled there. The Chemung Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, in Elmira, New York, is a few miles from the actual battle site and has members who are descended from patriots who fought in the Battle of Newtown.




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Site maintained by Jan Johnpier.  Last updated 11 March 2008.