300:(1887) where he asserted that an exhumation of her body revealed only bullet wounds and no tomahawk wounds. Salem, New York historians wrote in 1896, "Jane McCrea made her visit to Mrs. McNeill, of Fort Edward. While at the home of Mrs. McNeill the house was attacked by a band of Indians. Jane and Mrs. McNeill were violently seized and carried off, Jane being placed upon a horse Mrs. McNeill being dragged along on foot. The Indians were hotly pursued by a band of Americans from the fort, who occasionally discharged their rifles at the flying fugitives. Jane was shot through the body by one of these stray bullets, and, falling from her horse, she was scalped by one of her captors and left dead upon the ground." McCrea's death was also reported by American surgeon John Bartlett, who claimed McCrea and McNeil were taken by the Native Americans to Burgoyne's camp, where McCrea was shot and scalped.
44:
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America to scalp europeans and the descendants of europeans, nay more, that he should pay a price for each scalp so barbarously taken, is more than will be believed in
England. Miss McCrae, a young lady lovely to the sight, of virtuous character and amiable disposition, engaged to be married to an officer of your army, was carried into the woods, and there scalped and mangled in the most shocking manner
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were united in the image of Jane McCrea's murder. And the meaning of McCrea's murder had changed by the 1830s. As historian Robin
Bernstein discusses, "No longer a call for retribution, the story had become a celebration of past white heroism in the face of atrocity. Jane McCrea may have perished, the tale suggested, but white civilization endured and triumphed."
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again in 2003 in hopes of solving the mystery of how she died. Unexpectedly, two bodies—those of McCrea and Sara McNeil—were found in the grave. The 1822 move had placed McCrea's remains atop the burial vault of McNeil (who died in 1799 of natural causes). Both skeletons were largely complete, though
432:
presented a series of oil paintings, one including the murder of Jane McCrea, in his traveling shows across upstate New York. By the time of Mastin's traveling shows, the
Revolution had been long over, yet his shows' themes celebrated "New York, the Revolution, and white resistance to Indians," which
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News accounts of her death elaborated on McCrea's supposed beauty, describing her as "lovely in disposition, so graceful in manners and so intelligent in features, that she was a favorite of all who knew her", and that her hair "was of extraordinary length and beauty, measuring a yard and a quarter".
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her, and Le Loup ended up with the scalp. Anburey also claimed that she was taken against her will, though he noted that there were also rumors that she was being escorted at her fiancé's request. A second account of her death, given by Le Loup while he was questioned by the
British, was that McCrea
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Upon receiving word of the incident, Burgoyne attempted to punish the culprit but was dissuaded from doing so. Her death was widely reported on throughout the
Thirteen Colonies; historians and journalists frequently embellished the incident. The killing of McCrea also inspired American resistance to
368:
That the savages of
America should in their warfare mangle and scalp the unhappy prisoners who fall into their hands is neither new nor extraordinary; but that the famous Lieutenant General Burgoyne, in whom the fine gentleman is united with the soldier and the scholar, should hire the savages of
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and killed
Lieutenant Tobias Van Vechten (who was serving under John McCrea) and four others in the vicinity of Fort Edward. What happened next is the subject of dispute; what is known is that Jane McCrea and Sarah McNeil were abducted by the Native Americans and separated. McNeil was eventually
355:
were being perpetrated by Native
Americans. Burgoyne's campaign had intended to use Native Americans as a means to intimidate the colonists; however, the American reaction to the news was not what he had hoped for. Patriot propaganda efforts received a boost after Burgoyne wrote a letter to
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informed
Burgoyne that such an act would result in the defection of all Native American warriors from his expedition and might lead them to take revenge as they travelled back north. Burgoyne relented, and no action was taken against the Native Americans with regards to this incident.
338:
Although McCrea had been a loyalist, and was believed to have been killed by a loyalist warrior, the murder and mutilation of an
American young woman inflamed both outrage and anxiety among the colonialist population. News of McCrea's death travelled relatively quickly around the
378:, who described her as "a country girl of honest family in circumstances of mediocrity, without either beauty or accomplishments". Later accounts frequently embellished details; historian Richard Ketchum notes that the color of her hair has been described as everything from
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When Burgoyne received news of McCrea's death, he went to the camp of Native American warriors accompanying his expedition and ordered that the culprit be delivered to him, threatening to have him executed. Simor Fraser and interpreter
287:. Anburey claimed that two Native American warriors, one of them Le Loup, were escorting McCrea to Burgoyne's camp when they started to quarrel over an expected reward for bringing her there. One of the pair then killed and
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McCrea's remains have been moved three times. The first time was in 1822, and the second was in 1852, when they were moved to the Union Cemetery in Fort Edward. Her body was
192:, one of the younger children in the large family of Rev. James McCrea. After her mother died and her father remarried, McCrea moved in with her brother John who lived near
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taken to Burgoyne's camp, where either she or David Jones recognized McCrea's supposedly distinctive scalp being carried by a Native American warrior.
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397:. The effect expanded as reports of the incident were used as propaganda to excite Patriot sympathies later in the war, especially before the 1779
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on August 22. The accounts of her death become increasingly exaggerated as they travelled, claiming that indiscriminate massacres of Loyalists and
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Her death, and those of others in similar raids, inspired American resistance to Burgoyne's expedition, contributing to his defeat at the
413:. An anonymous poet wrote "The Ballad of Jane McCrea", which was set to music and became a popular folk song. In Philadelphia in 1799,
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was killed by American forces stationed at Fort Edward firing at the attacking Native Americans while they were retreating. Historian
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in the 19th century. The bodies were exhumed again in 2005 for further analysis, and were subsequently reburied in separate graves.
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painted a depiction of her death in 1805. There are several markers in and near Fort Edward commemorating her death.
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the British, contributing to the failure of the Saratoga campaign. McCrea's life and death eventually became part of
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Around the same time, McCrea left her brother's home to join her fiancé at Fort Ticonderoga. She eventually reached
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Reactions to, and artistic recreations of, McCrea's death extended into the 1830s as showman George Mastin from
1160:
Leffler, Christopher T.; Schwartz, Stephen G.; Wainsztein, Ricardo D.; Pflugrath, Adam; Peterson, Eric (2017).
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One of the few contemporary accounts of the incident by someone who actually saw her personally was that of
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on July 1777. McCrea stayed at the home of Loyalist Sara McNeil, who was a cousin of British Army officer
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where she became engaged to David Jones, a Loyalist. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Jones fled to
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Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection
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while McCrea's brothers divided their loyalties between the British and the Patriots. During the
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1205:"The Mystery of the Second Body: A forensic investigation of Jane McCrea's final resting place"
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325:' response to a letter from Burgoyne, which mentioned McCrea's death, was "widely reprinted".
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warrior known as Le Loup or Wyandot Panther - killed a settler and his family, then
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401:. David Jones, apparently bitter over the incident, never married and settled in
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Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit
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Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit
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Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit
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With Musket and Tomahawk: The Saratoga Campaign and the Wilderness War Of 1777
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by the standards of the time. News accounts of her death were published in
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of 1777, McCrea left her brother's home to join Jones who was stationed in
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officer serving under Burgoyne, her death led to widespread outrage in the
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27:
American woman killed by Native American warrior during Revolutionary War
891:
War and American Popular Culture: a Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1998
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109:(c. 1752 – July 27, 1777) was an American woman who was killed by a
1047:
Chronicles of the American dance: from the Shakers to Martha Graham
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212:, which was under British control. During the summer of 1777, as
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performed "The Death of Miss McCrea", a pantomime co-written by
196:, where she eventually became engaged to David Jones. When the
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One account of McCrea's death was given by British explorer
1162:"Ophthalmology in North America: Early Stories (1491-1801)"
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accompanying Burgoyne's expedition, and was stationed at
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Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War
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People of New York (state) in the American Revolution
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McCrea's skull was missing, possibly due to reported
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The first American civil war: first period,1775–1778
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on August 17. Gates' response was widely reprinted:
760:. The University of Chicago Press. p. 157-158.
730:. The University of Chicago Press. p. 153-168.
82:
60:
34:
1121:
1044:
947:
859:
1070:. Minneapolis, MN: Hillcrest Publishing Group.
1023:The Life and Times of Philip Schuyler, Volume 2
745:. The University of Chicago Press. p. 154.
271:fighting on the side of the British - led by a
792:Travels Through the Interior Parts of America
496:
240:. Jones, on the other hand, was serving as a
8:
1095:Battles of the American Revolution, Saratoga
893:. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.
1097:. Pelham, NY: Benchmark Education Company.
918:A Revolutionary War Road Trip on US Route 4
200:broke out, two of her brothers joined the
42:
31:
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977:Lamphier, Peg A.; Welch, Rosanne (2017).
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296:supported the second account in his work
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409:. The story eventually became a part of
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267:. On the morning of July 27, a group of
172:by a group of Native American warriors.
866:. New York: Syracuse University Press.
862:The Iroquois in the American Revolution
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228:, John (who by now was serving as a
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298:The British Invasion from the North
238:13th Albany County Militia Regiment
1279:People from Bedminster, New Jersey
168:, McCrea was abducted, killed and
25:
1274:American Revolutionary War deaths
826:. Albany, NY: J. Munsell's Sons.
794:. Carlisle, MA: Applewood Books.
1289:Women in the American Revolution
1068:In Search of America's Heartbeat
889:Holsinger, M. Paul, ed. (1999).
347:on August 11 and as far away as
117:expedition under the command of
1304:People from colonial New Jersey
1166:Ophthalmology and Eye Diseases
254:captured it from the Americans
137:as part of their anti-British
1:
1026:. New York: Sheldon. p.
916:Houghton, Raymond C. (2004).
1299:18th-century American people
1043:Magriel, Paul David (1978).
113:warrior serving alongside a
1093:Rushworth, Vitoria (2005).
1066:Mottram, Robert H. (2007).
1051:. New York: Da Capo Press.
998:Logusz, Michael O. (2010).
208:, while her fiancé fled to
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1120:Ward, Christopher (1952).
920:. Delmar, NY: Cyber Haus.
858:Graymont, Barbara (1972).
304:Reaction to McCrea's death
198:American Revolutionary War
123:American Revolutionary War
1124:The War of the Revolution
820:; Digby, William (1887).
756:Bernstein, Robin (2024).
741:Bernstein, Robin (2024).
726:Bernstein, Robin (2024).
497:Lamphier & Welch 2017
356:Continental Army officer
314:Portrait of Horatio Gates
236:) took up service in the
41:
1238:The Last of the Mohicans
1203:Starbuck, David (2006).
1178:10.1177/1179172117721902
954:. New York: Henry Holt.
204:and three others became
188:Jane McCrea was born in
49:The Death of Jane McCrea
1128:. New York: Macmillan.
1002:. Casemate Publishers.
839:Belcher, Henry (1911).
1241:. New York: Appleton.
1233:Cooper, James Fenimore
1153:Journals and magazines
407:United Empire Loyalist
371:
326:
190:Bedminster, New Jersey
146:Bedminster, New Jersey
845:. London: Macmillan.
818:Baxter, James Phinney
470:Sometimes spelled as
403:British North America
366:
311:
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246:Loyalist militia unit
234:Albany County militia
604:Williams 1896, p. 73
362:Battle of Bennington
294:James Phinney Baxter
1211:on 16 December 2013
944:Ketchum, Richard M.
615:Leffler et al. 2017
594:, pp. 235–236.
540:, pp. 273–274.
399:Sullivan Expedition
395:battles of Saratoga
164:. While staying at
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252:after the British
194:Saratoga, New York
150:Saratoga, New York
148:, McCrea moved to
1309:Saratoga campaign
1135:978-1-61608-080-8
1104:978-1-4108-5109-3
1077:978-1-934248-36-2
961:978-0-8050-6123-9
927:978-1-931373-09-8
900:978-0-313-29908-7
873:978-0-8156-0116-6
801:978-1-4290-0015-4
716:, pp. 78–77.
411:American folklore
341:Thirteen Colonies
178:American folklore
158:Saratoga campaign
131:Thirteen Colonies
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345:Pennsylvania
337:
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312:
297:
282:
265:Simon Fraser
258:
226:Hudson River
214:British Army
187:
174:
143:
115:British Army
106:
105:
88:(1777-07-27)
86:27 July 1777
48:
29:
1269:1777 deaths
592:Baxter 1887
437:Exhumations
419:John Durang
261:Fort Edward
224:neared the
166:Fort Edward
121:during the
107:Jane McCrea
36:Jane McCrea
1258:Categories
454:References
242:lieutenant
222:expedition
141:campaign.
139:propaganda
72:New Jersey
68:Bedminster
1235:(1889) .
1144:601103884
1113:275184643
1086:213296453
909:237327285
882:258209951
810:148816820
790:(2007) .
666:Ward 1952
514:Ward 1952
485:Citations
421:; artist
206:Loyalists
1196:28804247
1172:: 1–51.
1020:(1872).
970:41397623
946:(1997).
936:69658776
832:14246422
353:Patriots
349:Virginia
277:ambushed
216:officer
144:Born in
135:Patriots
127:Loyalist
94:New York
1247:9088008
1187:5533269
1036:2571605
851:1940460
476:MacCrae
443:exhumed
289:scalped
273:Wyandot
232:in the
230:colonel
170:scalped
64:c. 1752
1245:
1215:15 May
1194:
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472:McCrae
384:blonde
210:Quebec
154:Quebec
55:, 1804
780:Books
459:Notes
405:as a
380:black
244:in a
1243:OCLC
1217:2009
1192:PMID
1140:OCLC
1130:ISBN
1109:OCLC
1099:ISBN
1082:OCLC
1072:ISBN
1053:ISBN
1032:OCLC
1004:ISBN
985:ISBN
966:OCLC
956:ISBN
932:OCLC
922:ISBN
905:OCLC
895:ISBN
878:OCLC
868:ISBN
847:OCLC
828:OCLC
806:OCLC
796:ISBN
184:Life
83:Died
61:Born
1182:PMC
1174:doi
1028:250
474:or
388:red
386:to
382:to
317:by
220:'s
51:by
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