The American War for Independence has numerous iconic warrior-types such as the Minute Men and the Continental Line. Still, the most particular warrior types of the war were those who mastered the Pennsylvania long rifle – the one weapon that struck fear in the hearts of British, Hessians, and their native allies. This edition provides another profile of a character in my upcoming novel, The North Spy. Our American rifleman is famed sniper Timothy Murphy. Although Timothy Murphy receives only a short mention in the book, his role is pivotal.
Frontier Youth
Born in 1751 in the Delaware Water Gap region near Minisink, New Jersey, Timothy Murphy was the son of Irish immigrants – most likely hailing from Donegal. His parents moved with eight-year-old Tim to Shamokin Flats, now Sunbury, Pennsylvania, in 1759. Young Murphy apprenticed to a Mr. Van Campen and moved with him to the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. The valley was a rugged wilderness region full of hardscrabble backwoods farmers, hunters, trappers, and native tribes. Living among them, the short, dark-haired, but tough Murphy quickly became an expert woodsman and marksman.
Young Rifleman
Sometime after the onset of the Revolutionary War, Murphy joined the Pennsylvania Battalion of Riflemen with his brother John and marched to join the main American Army at Boston. As part of this elite band of sharpshooters, he fought at the battles Long Island, Harlem, and White Plains, and he was tested in countless skirmishes in between.
Holding the Line
Murphy transferred to the 12th Pennsylvania Line, where he was promoted to sergeant. He led his file at the pivotal battles of Trenton and Princeton, gaining particular renown for his shooting and stalking skills. By this time, Murphy was recognized as an expert marksman – able to hit a seven-inch target at 250 yards with his long rifle. Traditional smoothbore muskets could barely hit the mark at less than half that distance.
Morgan's Rifles
In July 1777, Murphy's skills led to his transfer to Colonel Daniel Morgan's Rifle Corps, composed of 500 hand-picked men noted for their marksmanship. Armed with the Pennsylvania long rifle and tomahawk or knife, these riflemen fought from a distance, relying on firepower and avoiding hand-to-hand combat against bayonet-armed regulars. Tim Murphy would emerge as their best sniper.
War in the North
With a significant British invasion from Canada threatening the Hudson Valley, Morgan's Rifles were immediately sent to reinforce General Horatio Gates's Northern Department. The rugged hills and thick woods of upper New York were not unlike his home in the Wyoming Valley. Murphy's marksmanship rendered invaluable assistance at the battles of Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights against British forces commanded by General John Burgoyne.
Battle Sniper
Murphy entered the history books, and American rifleman lore, on 7 October 1777 during the struggle at Bemis Heights. General Benedict Arnold had summoned Dan Morgan to find someone to take out the British officer rallying his troops under the heat of American fire. General Simon Fraser was the best British officer on the field, and Arnold reckoned he was worth a regiment. Morgan tapped Murphy for the grim mission. The area was thick with trees and heavy with smoke so Murphy slung his Dickert rifle on his back and climbed a tree for a better field of fire. Placing his rifle in the fork of a tree, he zeroed in on the general from the extremely long range of 300 yards. Let's pause here to discuss the weapon used by the patriot sniper on that fateful day.
The Rifle
The Dickert rifle was nicknamed the widow-maker by the British – because of its deadly use against officers. It was also called the long rifle, the American Rifle, the Dickert Rifle, and the Pennsylvania Rifle. But it is curiously and widely known by a designation bestowed considerably later – the Kentucky Rifle. Based on a design by Moravian settler Jakob Dickert, the rifle was some 42 inches long and fired a .50 caliber or larger bullet.
Fatal Shot
Murphy squeezed off his first shot but missed cleanly. Ramming home another bullet with his mallet, he adjusted his aim and squeezed off another shot, grazing the general's horse.
Most officers would have cleared the field with a near miss but not Fraser, who refused the blandishments of his aides and continued to steady and direct his men. Reluctantly, Murphy zeroed in on the general, and his final shot struck the general's midriff, mortally wounding him.
One of General John Burgoyne's aides, Sir Francis Carr Clerke, was shot dead during the battle. Murphy is also credited with killing him with a mortal shot as he galloped across the field with a message.
With the Continental Army
Morgan's Rifles soon marched south to join the main Continental Army. Thus Murphy was at Valley Forge for that famous winter cantonment. When the British Army evacuated Philadelphia in June 1778, General Washington pursued their rear guard. Murphy was not on the field during the 28 June 1778 Battle of Monmouth. However, the next day, David Elerson and two other riflemen captured the ornate coach of a retreating British general.
Frontier War
While things were improving for the Americans in the mid-Atlantic, the situation in the north had grown unstable. After Burgoyne's defeat, the British resorted to raiding New York and Pennsylvania frontiers with bands of Loyalists and Mohawk Indians. The situation called for rugged frontier fighters to meet the threat. Murphy was assigned to one of the companies of riflemen dispatched to the region.
Mohawk Valley
Moving north with three companies of Morgan's Riflemen to the Mohawk Valley, Murphy tracked down and killed the notorious Loyalist leader, Christopher Service. He also took part in the action at Unadilla in November 1778 in the pursuit of the Iroquois, Seneca, and Loyalist raiders under Chief Joseph Brant, who had sacked Cherry Valley. He partook in many bloody skirmishes – many of which remain enshrouded in myth and are thus difficult to verify – but Murphy excelled as a ruthless Indian fighter.
Punitive Expedition
In response to the Loyalist and Iroquois depredations on New York settlements, General Washington ordered a punitive expedition. In August 1779, General John Sullivan's army marched into the heart of Iroquois Territory. In this campaign, Murphy was part of a company of scouts commanded by Lieutenant Thomas Boyd. Many actions followed as the riflemen patrolled, raided, and ambushed. On 13 September, an Iroquois war party ambushed Boyd's company. The resourceful Murphy narrowly escaped death, but Boyd and 22 of Murphy's fellow riflemen were massacred.
Capture and Escape
But Murphy's luck ran out in 1780 when he and another rifleman fell into the hands of an Iroquois war party, which dragged their captives back to their village to be ritually tortured and killed. Desperate, Murphy gathered all his resourcefulness for a last chance to survive. During the evening, he and his companion slipped from their bonds. They seized knives from their sleeping captors and silently killed eleven warriors before escaping.
War in the Valley
The following September, Murphy was assigned to help defend Middle Fort in the Schoharie Valley. On 16 October, the fort came under siege by a force of Loyalists and Indians led by Major John Johnson, Chief Joseph Brant, and Cornplanter. The fort's commander, Major Melanchthon Woolsey, decided to surrender, but Murphy – knowing the fate that awaited him in the hands of vengeful Indians – stridently refused to capitulate. He then fired on several flags of truce and threatened to gun down Woolsey if he raised the white flag. Eventually, Johnson pulled back and left the garrison intact. Murphy and the riflemen pursued and sniped at Johnson's force all the way back to Canada.
Sniper in Virginia
In April 1781, Murphy joined the 3rd Pennsylvania Continental Infantry and fought under General "Mad" Anthony Wayne – himself a badass of the war. Murphy fought at the engagement at Green Springs on 16 July 1781 and was later present at the siege and Lord Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown in October 1781.
Skirmishing to the End
Six years carrying a rifle had come to an end. Or had it? Following Yorktown, Murphy mustered out of the Continental Army as it slowly disbanded in anticipation of a peace treaty. He returned to the Schoharie Valley but did not put down the gun. Instead, he spent the rest of the war skirmishing with hostile tribesmen allied to Britain. In recognition of his legendary feats and prowess, he was formally introduced to General Washington on 3 August 1783.
Yankee Farmer
After the war, Murphy returned to a life of relative obscurity while farming in upstate New York. Exchanging the gun for the plow, Murphy became a farmer and family man. He married twice. First, to Margaret (Peggy) Feek, daughter of a Dutch farmer. They had five sons and four daughters.
After Peggy died in 1807, Murphy married Mary Roberston. The couple soon moved to Charlotteville, New York, and raised four more sons. Although he never learned to read or write, Tim acquired several farms, a grist mill and became a local political leader.
Sniper's Legacy
On 27 June 1818, patriot sniper Tim Murphy died in Fultonham, New York, of throat cancer. Like contemporaries Sam Brady and Daniel Boone, he was among the most famous frontiersmen of the Revolutionary War.
