Resource Sheet U3-29
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Native Americans During the American Revolution
Introduction:
Native Americans were in a difficult position during the American Revolution. It was ironic to Native Americans that the colonists and British were waging a war over land that the indigenous people considered theirs.
Indians knew that the Revolution was a contest for Indian land as well as for colonial liberty. At first,Native Americans remained uninvolved in the conflict between the British and colonists. As one Iroquois stated, “It is true I am tall and strong but I will reserve my strength to strike those who injure me.” However, Native Americanswere drawn into the fighting.
The Colonists:
The colonists originally encouragedthe Native Americans to remain neutral in the war. However, the colonists were also the first to include Native Americans in their fighting forces. In 1775 colonists enlisted the Stockbridge tribe, Algonquins who lived in Massachusetts, as additions to the Minutemen. General Washington later sought to employ indigenous people for scouting operations.
The Oneidas and Tuscaroras, both members of the Iroquois Confederacy, sided with the Americans while the rest of the members of the Confederacy sided with the British. This split was the result of American missionary Samuel Kirkland’s influence. The Catawbas of South Carolina and several Native American groups inMaine and Nova Scotia also sided with the Patriots.
About fifty of the Oneidas took part in Lafayette’s expedition from camp to Barren Hill, Pennsylvania on May 19, 1778. Although the action at Barren Hill never developed into a full-scale battle, the Oneidas who were acting as advance scouts suffered some casualties. There is a marked grave for the scouts who died in this action at St. PetersChurch, located on Park Avenue between Germantown and Ridge Pikes in Barren Hill, Pennsylvania.
One of the bloodiest battles involving the Oneidas, the Battle of Oriskany, proved to be decisive to the outcome of the war. On August 6, 1777, a large group of Oneidas and colonial militia were able to stop the advance of a British military force moving from the Great Lakes to join General Burgoyne and his forces who were marching south from Canada. If the two forces had united they could have defeated the colonial force. The Oneidas and the colonists prevented the British from combing their forces, which contributed to Burgoyne’s loss at the Battle of Saratoga.
Resource Sheet U3-29
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Some Native Americans did fight face to face with British regulars as they were part of the regular Continental Army, particularly in the New England regiments. An account of just how many served in the Continental Line has not and probably cannot be determined. The muster rolls do not specifically list soldiers as Native Americans. However, other primary sources give a clue that Native Americans were fairly common in New England regiments.
The British:
Many tribes gave their support to the British. The British had numerous advantages over the Americans in maintaining tribal allies. First and foremost, the Indian nations knew that an American victory would lead to an opening of territory and a subsequent increase in the number of settlers. After the French and Indian War, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763 in order to protect Native American land from colonial invaders. Many Native Americanssaw the British as the best hope of protecting their homelands from the advance of American colonists.The British also had much deeper pockets with which to purchase tribal loyalty through trade gifts.
Joseph Brant, also known as Thayendanega, was a Mohawk leader who led several tribes of the Iroquois Nation in the fight against the colonists. Brant had converted to Christianity and was well educated by European standards. He held a captain's commission in the British Indian Department. Brant feared that the Indians would lose their lands if the colonists achieved independence. Brant led the Native Americans on many battles against the colonists. After an attack on a colonial fort at CherryValley, Brant won a fearsome reputation in cooperation with loyalists and BritishArmy, he brought fear and destruction to the entire MohawkValley, southern New York, and northern Pennsylvania. Brant embodied the Iroquois fight for sovereignty and struggled well past the end of the Revolutionary War for his people.
2006-07U3-1