Author A. Lynn Smith Hosts Book Reading at Akwesasne Cultural Center Library

AKWESASNE - Renowned author and professor A. Lynn Smith, best known for her work, "Memory Wars, Settlers and Natives Remember Washington's Sullivan Expedition Of 1779," enthralled a captivated audience at the Akwesasne Cultural Center Library this week. Smith read excerpts from her book and engaged in a robust Q&A session, providing deeper insight into this significant yet often overlooked episode in American history.

The event attracted a diverse crowd of local Akwesasronon community members, that included history aficionados, and individuals eager to delve into the lesser-known narrative of Native American history. The gathering led to productive conversations about the complex and frequently unspoken experiences of the Native people in American lore.

Smith's book offers an unflinching look at the Sullivan Expedition of 1779. Ordered by General George Washington, Major General John Sullivan led three brigades through Pennsylvania and one through New York with the explicit instruction to obliterate every Indian village they encountered. By Sullivan's account, they demolished 40 villages, annihilating crops and orchards, thus achieving their grisly objective by the expedition's conclusion at Fort Sullivan.

However, Smith offers a divergent perspective on the Sullivan Expedition. As a professor of anthropology at Lafayette College in Eastern Pennsylvania, her interest in this topic was sparked in 2013 when a student questioned a campus marker referencing a nearby massacre. Smith's inquiry into this marker led her down a path of discovery, revealing a series of markers that outlined the "Sullivan Trail," points of significance to the natives who placed them. This journey fueled years of research, culminating in the book she presented at the Akwesasne Cultural Center.

Smith's book discusses the horrific atrocities committed against the Native allies of the British during the Sullivan Expedition in the Revolutionary War. She pointed out that while these acts of genocide are more readily acknowledged in New York as disgusting, they are often overlooked as such in Pennsylvania. She attributes this discrepancy to the resounding activism and vocal advocacy of the Native Nations within what is now called New York.

The author also fielded questions about historical events not covered in her book, expressing a keen interest in exploring the history of Akwesasne and its surrounding area. Justin Cree, Director of the Cultural Center, told Indian Time, "Andrea reached out to us a year ago when she was doing some final research on this book. We met and ideas were exchanged. She got back in touch when the book was completed. She said she would be happy to come to Akwesasne and we were very honored to have her."

In a generous gesture, free copies of Smith's book were distributed to community members, via an anonymous and generous donation, with the author taking the time to sign them personally. "Memory Wars" is available for purchase at numerous outlets.