Editing Livingston County, New York (section)

=== Sullivan Campaign of the Revolutionary War ===
In 1779, [[George Washington|General George Washington]] ordered [[John Sullivan (general)|General John Sullivan]] to organize the largest American offensive movement of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] to displace the Iroquois and gain control of New York's western frontier. Sullivan's army of approximately 5000 men trekked into the heart of the [[Seneca Nation of Indians|Seneca]] territory with orders to destroy all settlements.

On September 13, 1779, hundreds of Indians and [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] ambushed roughly 25 of Sullivan's scouts on a hill overlooking [[Conesus Lake]] at a site now known as the [[Boyd and Parker ambush|Ambuscade]] in the town of Groveland. At least 16 Americans were massacred including an [[Oneida Indian Nation|Oneida]] guide. Scout leader Lt. Thomas Boyd and Sgt. Michael Parker were captured and their mutilated remains were discovered a day later when the army reached Little Beard's Town in Cuylerville, a hamlet in the town of Leicester. This site was the largest Indian settlement in western New York and the western limit of the Sullivan Campaign. Sullivan's army found the village deserted as most of the Indians and Loyalists had retreated west to [[Fort Niagara]] to avoid confrontation.

The army buried Boyd and Parker then burned the village and thousands of surrounding acres of crops. Upon retreat, the army discovered the bodies of the soldiers of Lt. Boyd's scouting party at the Ambuscade and buried them with [[Military funeral|military honors]].

After fulfilling General Washington's instructions to destroy more than 40 Indian settlements and food supplies throughout the [[Finger Lakes]], Sullivan's army returned to [[Easton, Pennsylvania]]. The mission was considered successful and helped to lessen the threat to white settlers across the state.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Sullivan Campaign of the Revolutionary War: the Impact on Livingston County, New York, 1779–2004|last=Alden|first=Amie|publisher=Pioneer Print and Copy|year=2006}}</ref>[http://www.sullivancampaignlivingstoncounty.com/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616113955/http://sullivancampaignlivingstoncounty.com/ |date=June 16, 2017 }}

The enthusiasm generated by soldiers of General Sullivan's army prompted the rapid development of the Genesee Valley and the area that now comprises Livingston County. Within five years following the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1783, ending the Revolutionary War, [[Settler|colonists]] branched out from well-established settlements in [[New England]] and the [[Mid-Atlantic states]], with visions of reaping the benefits this vast wilderness land had to offer. News of the beauty and fertility of the area spread as far as Western Europe.