The Revolutionary war was fought largely by, with or against Indians west of the Allegheny mountains.  Both the British and the Americans pretended to want only Indian neutrality but secretly they both tried to persuade the various Indian tribes to their individual sides.  The British were slightly more successful in persuading the Indians to assist them in the war.  This resulted in the British ft. at Niagara gaining in importance and becoming a major problem to the Revolution and General Washington since it was serving as a base of command used to organize Indian attacks.
 

By the spring of 1779 the Indian attacks could no longer be ignored.  Col. Danl. Brodhead took over at Ft. Pitt and immediately asked General Washington for permission to make a grand sweep up the Allegheny to Ft. Niagara.  Washington refused due to a lack of information about the Allegheny river and it's territories.  To remedy this situation Brodhead sent out numerous spies and small parties but they were seldom able to get as far as Franklin.  One of the early party members was Saml. Brady who is still remembered today among the Seneca as a notorious Indian killer.  A June 23, 1779 letter from General Washington finally freed Brodhead to decide on his own course of action while also stating that the main attack on Ft. Niagara would proceed from Easton Pa., up the Susquehanna, under Genl. Jno. Sullivan.  Brodhead, left to his own devices, began to assemble his troops.

He left Ft. Pitt with 605 common soldiers while arranging to have more troops and supplies meet them along the way.  Brodhead picked up troops and supplies at Mahoning and cattle and Packhorses at Ft. Armstrong which was 15 miles to the north and 3 miles below Kittanning.  After being detained for 4 days due to excessive rain Brodhead's troops eventually made it from Mahoning to Tionesta were they probably crossed Tionesta Creek at Nebraska.  Brodhead then crossed the creek at East Hickory where he and his troops began their struggle up the river banks and beds.  An advance party scouted the area ahead of the main group.
 

At Thompson's Island, located 4 miles below the mouth of Brokenstraw creek, the advance party consisting of 15 whites and 8 Delawares intercepted a small party of about 30 to 40 Indian warriors in the process of making a landing from canoes.  Lieut. Jno. Hardin of Brodhead's forces led the advance and a skirmish erupted between the two parties.  About 5 Indians were killed while the rest escaped upriver.  Some say that the party of Indians encountered was a simple hunting party while others contend that they were a band of Seneca and Munsee sent with express orders to stop Col. Brodhead and his forces.  Whatever their original intentions, Col. Brodhead pursued the Indians upriver.