July 3, 1778 — Today, the Battle of Wyoming occurred in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Known as the “surpassing horror of the American Revolution,” this gruesome battle began on July 1, when about 1,000 regular British troops, Loyalist irregulars, and Indians, marched into the Wyoming Valley and seized control of Yankee forts Wintermoot and Jenkins, on the western banks of the Susquehanna River above Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Shortly before noon today, on July 3, Butler and his 386 militiamen marched out of Forty Fort to do battle. They came within 100 yards of their position and fired three times. The Iroquois then rushed out from the woods and attacked. The battle is said to have only lasted 45 minutes, with American Patriots frantically retreating after defeat.

British forces then pursued the fleeting Patriots, and spent the rest of the day killing, torturing and scalping 227 Americans; only 60 men survived the attacks and 5 were taken prisoner. The following morning it was reported, “carcasses floated down river, infesting the banks of the Susquehanna.”

Sources: explorepahistory, wikipedia