Sir William Johnson - F & I Conference
Sir William Johnson and the Wars for Empire Conference
October 20-22, 2023
2023 - Sir William Johnson Conference Schedule - Please Click Here
Candlelight Reception at Old Fort Johnson - Saturday, October 21, 2023 (5:30 PM) - Wine & hors d'oeuvres - $15 per person (not included in conference fee and will be collected at the door) - Space is Limited to 50 - Old Fort Johnson is the 1749 limestone house built by William Johnson on the Mohawk River in colonial New York. It was fortified for protection during the French & Indian Wars from 1755-63. Johnson convened many Native American conferences on this site as the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Northern Department.
David L. Preston, the Award-Winning Historian of American Military History and Author of Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution, is Back as the Conference’s Head of Faculty.
We Welcome Back Bruce M. Venter as Conference Master of Ceremonies.
The Conference Speakers and Topics Include:
David L. Preston - Head of Faculty - Sir William Johnson and the Struggle for Land and Empire
George Bray - Thomas Davies, Soldier and Artist
Brady J. Crytzer - War in the Peaceable Kingdom: The Kittanning Raid of 1756
Scott Haefner - Defense in Depth: Soldiers, Planters and Manors. Sir William Johnson and the Security of the Northern Frontier
James Kirby Martin - Joseph Brant & Han Yerry: How the French and Indian War Started to Divide the Haudenosaunee Nation
Arthur L. Simmons III and Brian Grills - As to not be discovered: Exploring the Battle of Fort Bull
Timothy J. Todish - Going Beyond Robert Rogers' Journals: New Findings About the Rangers and Their Famed Leader
Len Travers - Our Fortune Depends on Intelligence:” Scouting the Lake George No-man’s Land, 1756
Glenn F. Williams - Not one platoon in the whole army gave way a single step during the whole action: The Battle of Minden, 1759
Thank you Lorna Hainesworth (Ambassador/National Traveler) for Sponsoring Lunch on Saturday - Lunch is included in the registration fee. Lunch will consist of sandwiches, sides and beverages. There will also be Coffee/Beverage Breaks throughout.
We are now running two 38 passenger buses and have 10 seats left, thank you.
The Oswego Campaign of 1756 - Tour Led by George Bray and David Preston
In 1756, French and Native forces collapsed Britain’s Ontario and Mohawk frontiers with a stunning attack against Fort Bull and a siege of Fort Oswego led by the Marquis de Montcalm.
Our tour will explore sites associated with this important campaign that became a strategic disaster for Great Britain: the Oneida Carrying Place, Fort Bull on Wood Creek, Fort Oswego on Lake Ontario, and Fort Brewerton near Lake Oneida.
Lunch is included with the tour. This is a rain or shine tour. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring your own beverages and snacks.
Registration:
Lodging (Due to another large event in the area, please check out lodging in Schenectady or Albany) - 2023 Conference - Hotel/Lodging Information
Conference Location - The Fulton-Montgomery Community College's Theater - The Visual Arts & Communications Building (Campus Map Building #2) - 2805 NY-67, Johnstown, NY 12095 - Please Park in Lots 5, 4 or Visitor's Lot - Please Click Here - FMCC Campus Map
Conference Sponsors - Please Click Here for Sponsor Information
Sir William Johnson was a larger than life character who dominated the Mohawk Valley and beyond during the 18th century in warfare, politics, trade and diplomacy. This conference will address aspects of Johnson’s historical impact as well as the larger scope of the great wars for empire. This new Fort Plain Museum conference will offer a look at the colonial era when major personalities, like Sir William, dealt with overlapping cultures and the impact of war on society.
2022 Sir William Johnson Conference Speakers and Bus Tour:
David L. Preston – William Johnson's Shaping of the Operational Environment in 1755
Darren Bonaparte – Wampum: Sir William Johnson and the Haudenosaunee
Robert Emerson - Sir William Johnson and the Siege of Fort Niagara, 1759
Ian Macpherson McCulloch - Warrighiyagey and Brother Bradstreet: The Operational Friction of the 1758 Fort Frontenac Raid
James McIntyre - With Sword in Hand: Johann Ewald and the Small War in the Seven Years' War
Jon-Eric Nelson – Connecticut Provincials at the Battle of Lake George
Jon W. Parmenter – The End of an Atlantic Life: The Death of Sir William Johnson (1774) in Imperial Context
Tim J. Todish – A Most Troublesome Situation: The British Military and the Pontiac Indian Uprising of 1763-1764
Glenn F. Williams – William Johnson and King George’s War (1744-1748)
Bus Tour - Major General William Johnson's Victory, September 8, 1755 - Tour Leaders, David L. Preston and Bruce M. Venter