Smithsonian Curriculum Calls Washington 'Town Destroyer' In Revolutionary War Unit
Chapter 4, titled Invasion, teaches that Washington's 1779 campaign burned at least forty Haudenosaunee towns.
- Troops burned the Cayuga town Chonodote, known as Peach Town, among dozens destroyed.
- Washington's orders called for the 'total destruction and devastation' of Haudenosaunee settlements.
- Chief Cornplanter told Washington in 1790 his people still call him Town Destroyer.
Why it matters: The name did not come from Washington's critics; it came from the people whose towns he burned.
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Native Knowledge 360° (American Revolution: Haudenosaunee Perseverance, Chapter 4) ↗ · Sep 15, 20269/15/26