A mass civilian evacuation during the American Revolution that directly triggered Sullivan's Expedition and the destruction of over 40 Iroquois villages.
Key Facts
- Period
- June–July 1778
- Destination
- Fort Augusta, near modern Sunbury, Pennsylvania
- Iroquois villages destroyed (retaliation)
- More than 40 villages
- Follow-up evacuation
- The Little Runaway, 1779
- River confluence
- North and west branches of the Susquehanna River
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Loyalist troops and British-allied Native Americans conducted a series of raids against settlements along the northern and western branches of the Susquehanna River in North Central Pennsylvania, creating widespread fear among White frontier settlers and prompting Patriot militia commanders to call for evacuation.
In June and July 1778, White settlers fled the frontier regions of North Central Pennsylvania in a mass evacuation known as the Big Runaway, relocating primarily to Fort Augusta near present-day Sunbury. Their abandoned homes and farms were burned under a scorched earth policy to deny resources to the enemy.
Some settlers returned shortly after, but renewed Loyalist and Native American raids in 1779 forced a second evacuation called the Little Runaway. These events prompted retaliatory campaigns by the Continental Army, most notably Sullivan's Expedition, which destroyed more than 40 Iroquois villages and killed thousands of non-combatants.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent