THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Sir William Johnson to
the Lords of Trade
(Fort Johnson, May 28, 1756)
Johnson, William, Sir in: New York
Colonial Docs. (London
Docs.:
XXXIII):VII, pp. 86-91.
Sir William Johnson to the Lords of Trade.
[New-York Papers, Ll., 41.]
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Fort Johnson 28th May 1756 |
My Lords
My last letter to your Lordships, bore date the 6th March, therewith I had the honor, to transmitt a copy of my proceedings in Indian affairs from the time of my arrival from Lake George to that date
I have since received Mr Secretary Pownalls letter bearing date the 2d December, which your Lordships did me the honor to direct him to write me.
General Shirley's interfering in Indian affairs, and that with so much personal resentment, and such prejudices against my management, was a matter of as much surprize, as it was mortification to me. I had many reasons to think I stood high in that Gentlemans opinion which I had always endeavored to deserve and to strengthen
If my sense of duty to that part of His Majestys Service which his Royal Orders had entrusted to my management, had not unfortunately obliged me, to have differed with Mr Shirley in opinion, I should not have troubled your Lordships with a detail on that disagreeable subject, but as it did affect that part of His Majestys Service, I thought I could not consistent with my duty be silent to your Lordships thereon. Tho' I have reason to beleive, I have lost General Shirleys friendship and confidence, which I wish myself honored with for the good of His Majestys Service, so far as it is connected with my department, yet he hath of late silenced those Agents, he set up in opposition to me, and of whose conduct I complained to your Lordships
I have the honor herewith to transmitt to your Lordships a copy of my proceedings, since the date of the last I sent
The Slaughters and devastations, which have been committed on the Frontiers of His Majestys Southern Provinces, I doubt not your Lordships have received particular accounts of from their respective Governors, it is certain that the Delawares, and Shawanese Indians have been concerned in these Hostilities
Till very lately those Indians were faithfull friends to us & lived in a peaceful and harmonious Intercourse with His Mtys Subjects what are the several and real causes of their defection, I can not take upon me at present precisely to ascertain
I beg leave to offer to your Lordships my general opinion from all I can as yet gather on the subject
I would premise, that the Defection of the Delawares and Shawanese Indians is not general, many I beleive yet remain if not firm to our Interest, not wholly lost to it
These Indians were settled in the neighbourhood of the French encroachments on the Ohio, some were settled where the French have now actually built, Forts; when His Majestys Troops under the late General Braddock were defeated, it gave the French who remained Masters of all that part of the Country, an opportunity to strengthen and increase their Indian Interest and influence, they flattered they boasted, and by persuasive and intimidating arts they won over several of those Indians, who were before in our Interest, and some who held themselves as it were neutral till they saw how the event of that expedition would turn out; of those latter were the Twightwees the Jenundadees, and some Chickasaws Indians, who are as (page 87) I am lately informed fallen in with the French Interest, but I apprehend more from fear than choice
Those Delaware and Shawanese Indians who lived nearest to the Ohio, being seduced by the French, went among their bretheren who dwelt on the Susquehanna and propagated those prejudices against the good intentions of the English, which the French had furnished them with at the same time making them offers and promises from the French and magnifying their prowess, kindness and generosity, by these means they won over some, and spread a general prepossession amongst the rest against the English.
The great Patents of Land which had been purchased and taken up in those parts and our extended scattered settlements beginning to crowd upon the Indians, had been a long eye sore to them, infected them with jealousy and disgust towards the English, and thus prepared them to be more easily influenced, by the prosperity of the French affairs, and the ill success of our arms, and when they saw after Mr Braddocks defeat and death, our military operations ended as it were to the Southward and carried to the Northward, they joined the French and their Indians in their depredations, upon the open and defenceless Frontiers of those Provinces
The third and last cause I shall suggest, is my suspicion that these Indians, who used to be more immediately under the direction of the Southern Provinces had been either neglected or injudiciously treated at that critical time when the greatest address was requisite; something of this kind is hinted in the last proceedings which I transmitted to your Lordships
These hints I humbly submit to your Lordships consideration as this is a very important affair, I apprehend I might with propriety offer my thoughts thereon; there are some other particulars relative to this subject for which I beg leave to refer your Lordships to the Papers herewith. In those your Lordships will perceive a Meeting at Onondaga was proposed by the Southern Indians in consequence of a deputation sent to them at my ernest request by the Six Nations at which I agreed to be present and named the day, but as I was from informations very doubtfull whether the Southern Indians were come to Onondago, according to their appointment, and the two Mohawk Castles with some other Indians of all the 6 Nations (except the Onondagas) were so averse to my attending this meeting at this critical juncture, I thought it would be prudent to be certain whether those Indians were actually at Onondago before I undertook my journey thither, as the meeting them was my cheif Inducement for promising to go there, Messengers were accordingly dispatched and your Lordships will see the answer they have brought from the Onondaga Indians, and that they are so extreemly pressing for my coming up, and give such cogent reasons for it that I apprehend the good of his Majestys service will not dispence with my refusal. I am therefore preparing to set off, so as to be there by the time appointed, and I have General Shirleys concurrence therein. I hope to meet some of the Delaware and Shawanese Indians there and if so to talk over and settle matters with them on such a footing as may be very beneficial to His Majestys service in General, and the tranquility of the Southern Provinces in particular. Besides this General meeting appears to be necessary on account of the uneasiness and jealousies which the Onondagas make mention of, and which I find more or less prevails at present amongst most of the Indians of the Six Nations. One cause of which is from the Deserters of General Shirleys and Sir Wm Pepperils Regiments, in which are I apprehend a great number of Irish Papists and Transports who were enlisted from the back parts of Pensylvania and Mary Land, they desert from Oswego and other Garrisons up the1 River, shelter themselves among the (page 88) Indians of the six Nations or pass through their country in their way to the back parts of those provinces from whence they were enlisted, and where they have acquaintances and confederates, from Malice and Policy, they pretent a great affection for the Indians, and invent lying stories to justify their quitting the Service and ingratiate themselves with the Indians, who seeing they are surrounded by our present armaments, being naturally prone to suspicion, and the french continually working upon this their disposition by false and artful Representations of our views and measures, render these Reports of the Deserters more credible and pernicious. I am informed there are great numbers of them amongst the Delaware and Susquehanna Indians, who have done a world of prejudice to our Interest. I have represented this matter to General Shirley, and proposed to him to empower me to offer the Indians hand some Rewards for taking up and delivering such deserters, as may be, or may come, amongst them
Governor Morris has published a declaration of War against the Delaware and Susquehanna Indians and a small body of men are raised in that Government and marched to build a Fort at Shamokin a Branch of the Susquehanna Tho Mr Morris has worded this Declaration with Restrictions in favor of our Friend Indians, yet as it is published and this Fort building without previous notice & explanation given to our Indians it hath circulated amongst them, in a confused manner and put in a bad Light by the Ignorance and probably malice of the Reporters, and tho I am fully sensible that the horrible cruelties and Devastations which the Southern Provinces & Pensylvania [in particular], have suffered call for the most united and vigorous Resentments,yet I can not but humbly be of opinion, that Mr Morris' declaration of War, backed with so small a Force as the 400 men he hath raised, was premature, and that it would have been more adviseable [if] he had allowed me first to have acquainted the six Nations and our friend Indians living on the Susquehanna with his Intentions especially as Mr Morris in behalf of Pensylvania had applied to me to lay the hostile behavior of the Delawares and Shawanese before the Six Nations at the Meeting last winter and he was apprized of the deputation which the Six Nations had sent, yet before he knew the result of their Ambassy he published this Declaration of War which as a friendly meeting was agreed upon at Onondaga with a prospect of accommodating all matters with the Delaware and Shawanese at least such of them as had not left the Settlements and absolutely engaged themselves to the French I beg leave to observe to your Lordships that while affairs were thus circumstanced I think Mr Morris Declaration of War had better been postponed, till the Meeting at Onondaga had been over, when a better judgement might have been formed to regulate his Proceedings
By perusing the papers herewith, I conceive your Lordships will find there is a foundation for the observations I have made on Mr Morris's Conduct, my sentiments on this matter I have communicated to General Shirley & Sr Charles Hardy who have transmitted them to Governor Morris
I have reason to beleive Mr Morris's Declaration of War by misrepresentations, has not only alarmed the Six Nations but will prevent the Southern Indians from coming to Onnondaga & throw fresh difficultys in the way of bringing about an accommodation, with the remainder of those Indians, who were yet in a retreivable State
An other thing before I finish this interesting subject, seems toe of sufficient Importance to mention to your Lordships
The half King and some other Indians of the Six Nations were lately at Philadelphia, Governor Morris had a conference with them, acquainted them with the2 Declaration of War,
An other cause of the Six Nations standing in so much awe of the French is the great number of Western and Northern Indians in their alliance, and which hath been greatly strengthened since our unhappy Defeat at Ohio
These Prejudices my Lords are not the only disadvantages we have to contend with in endeavoring to raise & keep up in their minds a respectable opinion of our Power & consequence. The Cayouga and Seneca Nations are near neighbours to Niagara, the Onnondagas, and Oneidas, are in the neighbourhood of Swegachee a french settlement on the river St Lawrence, to which numbers of those two Nations have of late years been debauched and gone there to live. Tho our Indians do not now resort to those Places as frequent and familiarly as they formerly did, yet some among them do occasionally visit there, when the French and the Indians in their Interest poison the minds of ours with Stories not only to the disadvantage of our good Intentions towards them, but endeavor to frighten them with pompous accounts of the superior Prowess and martial abilities of the French. These things are propagated amongst them, and the truth really is they have had more reason to think highly of the French this way than of us
But, my Lords, notwithstanding all these drawbacks upon the Zeal & attachment of the Six Nations towards us, I am persuaded at this instant, and I hope I shall have when the approaching meeting at Onnondaga is finished stronger reasons to be persuaded that if we were now ready to go upon Action from Oswego, and things were a formidable and favorable appearance, that the six Nations would join us with a cheerfulness & vigour which at present does not so visibly appear And I must beg leave to give it to your Lordships as my fixt opinion upon the most deliberate consideration, that the 6 Nations will never be thoroughly fixed to the British Interest and arms, untill we strike some grand stroke, and thereby convince them that we have ability to protect them and humble the French, without asserting our dignity & consequence in some such way as this; Presents and Treaties, a diligent & skillful managemt may keep the Six Nations friends & allies, but will not destroy the French Influence and attachment amongst them Could we but give such a convincing proof of our Prowess, I will take upon me to answer for the hearts & the hands of the Six Nations, and to turn them with such destructive Rage upon the French, as would soon give a new face to our affairs, for of this I am confident that the 6 Nations allmost to a man which we had the upper hand of the French when they would not only I am persuaded exert themselves, but bring over many great & powerful Nations to the Southward and Westward, which might be facilitated by our management that way
My Lords
It would not become me to animadvert upon our military conduct here, and to take upon me to advise therein might be going beyond my Tether, but what I have said I hope comes from me in Character, and permit me my Lords to say in general, that speedy spirited and active measures are absolutely necessary, to support strengthen and extend our Indian Interest provided the sword is to be kept drawn
I have in the former part of this letter mentioned to your Ldps that I am informed the Twightwees, the Jenundadies and some of the Chickasaw Indians have been obliged to submit themselves to the French, since our defeat at the Ohio, and your Lordships will see that the Missisagas, who were invited by & promised Mr Shirley to meet at Oswego this summer, will not meet there, but will at any of the settlements of the 6 Nations. As the (page 91) former Indians I fear dare not and the Missasagas will not meet at Oswego, I suspect the intended meeting of the Western Indians there will not take effect.
It happens very unluckily that by our ships from England not arriving in the usual time this Spring, a sufficient quantity of Indian Goods, and things proper for Presents are not to be purchased I have sent to New York, Philadelphia, and Boston for several things, but can not get them
Sir Charles Hardy has consented I shall give some of the arms 600lb of Powder, and Lead in his name out of His Majestys present, sent by him to the 6 Nations. I heartily wish I had the rest of it, I wrote him there would be scarce a more favorable opportunity of giving that Present than at this Meeting
I would humbly propose to your Lordships that if His Majesty is pleased to continue me in the superintendancy of Indian affairs that I may be allowed to order such assortments of Indian Goods from England as are proper for the Service I am convinced this will be a saving method to the Crown, and that the Indians will be much better supplied- The Presents which Governors have brought from England have been ill sorted, many articles bad in their kind, and some useless, particularly that essential article of arms
On my return from Onnondaga, I shall transmitt your Lordships Copy of my Proceedings there and give you such further intelligence as may occur
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My Lords |
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most respectfully yr |
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Lordships |
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most obedient most |
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humble Servant |
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Wm JOHNSON |
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PS
Forts are now building in the Senecas country, at Onnondaga, Oneida, & Schohare. The Cayuga Indians have not yet applied The Fort for the Oghguagees is upon the acct of the disturbances to the Southward deferred till the meeting at Onondaga is over.
[The words within brackets in the preceding letter, are from the copy in New-York Colonial Manuscripts, LXXXII.- ED.]
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Journal of Sir William Johnson's Indian Transactions. March-May, 1756.
[New-York Papers, Ll., No. 42]
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March the (?) (illeg. copy) 1756. |
As the Bunt and several of the Onnondaga Nation returned from Albany they made the following short speech
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Canadock Speaker |
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William Printup Interpreter |
Brother Warraghiyagey
As you were so good the other day to promise we should have a Fort in our
Country we were thankful to you for it, since that time we have considered the
benefit it may be to us,
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1 this. New-York Colonial Manuscripts, LXXXII.- ED.
2 his. New-York Colonial Manuscripts, LXXXII.- ED.
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