Iroquois Civil War
How the American Revolution Divided the Six Nations
The American Revolution split the Iroquois Confederation and resulted in internal warfare that had devastating results.
The American Revolution divided the Iroquois Confederation and brought destruction into the heart of that union. The Iroquois (or Haudenonsaunee--meaning "people of the light") are an alliance of the Cayuga, Oneida, Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations now located in upstate New York and Ontario, Canada. During the colonial period, however, the Iroquois Confederation was the most powerful, politically cohesive federation of Northwest Indian nations. In fact, the Iroquois were arguably the strongest Indian government in North America. Through the machinations of Sir William Johnson, the Iroquois sided with the British during the Seven Years’ War and worked to avoid being drawn into a conflict between the colonies and empire. At a special council held in Albany in 1775, the Iroquois Confederation declared itself neutral in the coming conflict. How then did the Six Nations become embroiled in the American Revolution and what effect did that decision have on the coarse of their history?
First and foremost it should be stressed that the Iroquois Confederation as a political unit did not violate its original pledge of neutrality. As a league, the confederation could not enter into a state of war without the consent of the entire council. The council was divided at Albany and therefore the Iroquois Confederation declared itself neutral. However, in the absence of unanimity, the individual member states could also determine their own stance--which is exactly what occurred. This decision would reverberate throughout the entire alliance and create the first division with the Iroquois in over 200 years. By 1778, four nations (Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca) would side with the British while the remaining two (Oneida and Tuscarora) would support the American rebels. The consequences of these separate paths would be a civil war among the Iroquois and a brutal invasion at the hands of the Continental Army. In this sad story there are two figures whose influence determined the choice of sides among the divided Iroquois states--British ally Chief Joseph Brant of the Mohawk Nation and missionary Samuel Kirkland of the United States.
Chief Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) was a favorite of Sir William Johnson and through his patronage rose to prominence within British society. Brant felt that the British would protect the Iroquois from the expanding colonists and that an alliance with them meant prosperity for the confederation. He saw the strength of the British empire and envisioned a partnership in North America that would see the power of the Iroquois flourish. The thought of an independent America, however, gave him pause. The colonists were unruly, in his view, and highly untrustworthy. Their constant expansion into Iroquois territory had been the source of numerous conflicts and border wars in the years before the American Revolution. The first shots of the rebellion had already been fired by the time the Brant returned to America from an extended visit to England in July of 1776. He arrived in New York City just as rebel troops under General George Washington (American Commander-in-Chief) began their bombardment. Brant came into a scene of utter chaos, one that turned his warrior’s heart cold. Slipping through the American line, he returned to Iroquois territory and embarked on a personal mission to convince the Six Nations to join the British. Spending the following year traveling throughout the confederation, Brant convinced the leaders of the Seneca, Cayuga, Mohawk, and Onondaga nations to fight for the British. Chief Joseph was subsequently made War Chief of this new coalition. By August of 1777, Brant was at the head of an army of 800 Iroquois warriors, backing up 875 British troops in an attack on Ft. Stanwix. Though unable to bring the fort to heel, Brant and the warriors demonstrated their strength against the colonists and subsequently engaged their fellow countrymen in the first battle of the civil war among the Iroquois.
As Chief Joseph was solidifying his coalition against the colonies, the Oneida and Tuscarora nations struggled to maintain their neutrality. However, Presbyterian missionary Samuel Kirkland had other plans. Having lived among the Oneida for many years, Kirkland realized the value of having the Iroquois as allies. He trusted them and was as welcomed within the Oneida Nation as William Johnson had been among the Mohawk. Kirkland convinced the Oneida and the Tuscarora that the United States would respect their sovereignty and that to join the rebels would mean prosperity for the Iroquois. At the same time that Brant was forming his coalition, the Oneida and Tuscarora elected to lend their support to the Americans. The first engagement between Iroquois warriors on opposing sides of the rebellion was at the battle of Oriskany in August of 1778. Fought after Chief Joseph had been repelled from Ft. Stanwix, the battle at Oriskany resulted in devastating casualties for both sides and no clear winner. This was not a fight for territory, nor was it a fight for the sides they were supporting---this was a personal war among the Iroquois. In subsequent battles at Bennington and Saratoga, Iroquois warriors fought one another in a campaign of elimination that gave even their allies cause for concern. This was no longer a war for the political fate of North America, this was a bloody civil war that rent apart the Six Nations. The Iroquois were no longer players in a European drama but actors in their own epic. What followed next, however, would be a devastating blow as the Americans prepared their revenge on those Iroquois who dared support the British. The Sullivan-Clinton campaign would be the Iroquois winter of discontent.
