ROME, a city of Oneida county, New York, U.S.A., 15 m. N.W. of Utica, on the Mohawk river, Wood creek and the State Barge canal; served by the New York Central and the New York, Ontario and Western railways. Pop. (1920 26,341 (20% foreign-born white) ; 1930 Federal census 32,338. The city lies at an altitude of 450 ft., on a level stretch between the river and the creek, which flow respectively into the Hudson river and through Oneida lake and the Oswego river into Lake Ontario. It is an important manufacturing city, with great brass and copper mills which employ three-fifths of the workmen of the city. About one-tenth of all the copper used in the United States is made here. The aggregate factory output in 1927 was valued at 007,881. The retail district of Rome' stands on the old portage which was used from time immemorial by the Indians and for nearly two centuries by the Dutch and English traders. To pro tect it Ft. Bull was built on Wood creek and Ft. Williams on the Mohawk, about 1725. The former was taken by French and Indians in March 1756, and the latter was destroyed by Col. Daniel Webb after the reduction of Oswego by the French in August of the same year. In 1758 Ft. Stanwix was erected by Gen. John Stanwix at a cost of L60,000, and permanent settlement began. Here in Oct.—Nov. 1768, Sir William Johnson and repre sentatives of Virginia and Pennsylvania met with 3,200 Indians of the Six Nations and made a treaty with them, under which, for L10,460 in money and goods, they surrendered to the Crown their claims to what is now Kentucky, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. The fort was dismantled immediately afterward. In 1776 it was rebuilt and renamed in honour of Gen. Philip Schuyler, but the old name clung to it in popular usage. On Aug. 2, 1777, Ft. Schuyler, containing about 75o men, under Col. Peter
Gansevoort and Lieut.-Col. Marinus Willett, was besieged by an advance party of Col. Barry St. Leger's forces coming from the west. On Aug 6, Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, with some Boo men, on his way to the relief of the fort, was attacked by the main body of St. Leger's troops, ambuscaded in a ravine near Oriskany (q.v.), 6 m. east. During the action Willett, with 25o men and a small cannon, made a sortie from the fort, drew off a part of the enemy from Herkimer (so that he, though mortally wounded, was able to conduct the remnant of his force in orderly retreat down the valley), and brought back much booty. On Aug. 23, St. Leger, hearing exaggerated reports of enforcements approach ing under Gen. Benedict Arnold, withdrew from the siege. The successful resistance to St. Leger contributed greatly to the Amer ican success at Saratoga. It was during the investment of Ft. Schuyler (or Stanwix) on this occasion that the Stars and Stripes was• first raised (early Sunday morning on Aug. 3, 1777) in the face of an enemy. The making of it (from various pieces of stuff taken from clothing of different members of the garrison) "taxed the invention of the garrison," Col. 'Willett records, but "a decent one was soon contrived." In 1779 Ft. Schuyler was the headquar ters of Col. Gozen Van Schaick when he destroyed the Onondaga villages; and on Oct. 22, 1784, a treaty was concluded here by three commissioners representing the United States and the chiefs of the Six Nations. In 1796 the township of Rome was organized, receiving its name "from the heroic defence of the republic made here." The village of Rome was incorporated in 1819 and in 1870 it was chartered as a city.