﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  353 
  

  

  wished 
  Indian 
  aid, 
  and 
  in 
  May 
  resolved 
  that 
  Washington 
  might 
  

   employ 
  2000 
  Indians 
  in 
  Canada 
  and 
  elsewhere, 
  with 
  rewards 
  of 
  

   $100 
  for 
  each 
  officer 
  and 
  $30 
  for 
  each 
  private 
  captured. 
  It 
  favored 
  

   employing 
  the 
  Six 
  Nations 
  " 
  on 
  the 
  best 
  terms 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  

   procured," 
  and 
  furnished 
  12 
  blank 
  commissions 
  for 
  as 
  many 
  

   Indian 
  officers. 
  Washington 
  wished 
  General 
  Schuyler 
  to 
  employ 
  

   them, 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  averse 
  to 
  it. 
  

  

  In 
  November 
  1776 
  Col. 
  Guy 
  Johnson 
  wrote 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  " 
  lately 
  

   dispatched 
  in 
  disguise 
  one 
  of 
  my 
  officers 
  with 
  Joseph, 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   chief, 
  to 
  get 
  across 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  the 
  Six 
  Nations," 
  and 
  hoped 
  

   they 
  would 
  do 
  this 
  undiscovered, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  prepare 
  " 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   to 
  co-operate 
  with 
  our 
  military 
  movements." 
  Brant 
  reached 
  

   Oquaga 
  and 
  raised 
  the 
  British 
  flag. 
  On 
  this 
  alarm 
  the 
  Campbell 
  

   house 
  was 
  fortified 
  at 
  Cherry 
  Valley, 
  where 
  a 
  company 
  of 
  rangers 
  

   had 
  been 
  sent 
  in 
  the 
  summer. 
  Cherry 
  Valley 
  had 
  asked 
  aid 
  a 
  

   year 
  earlier, 
  when 
  many 
  Mohawks 
  went 
  to 
  Oquaga, 
  " 
  as 
  the 
  

   inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  England 
  District 
  and 
  Unadilla 
  are 
  daily 
  

   flying 
  into 
  our 
  settlement, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  shall 
  immediately 
  in 
  all 
  

   appearances 
  have 
  an 
  open, 
  defenceless, 
  and 
  unguarded 
  frontier." 
  

  

  Efforts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  Indians 
  bring 
  in 
  salt 
  from 
  Onon- 
  

   daga 
  in 
  1777, 
  as 
  the 
  need 
  was 
  great. 
  Mr 
  Stone 
  quoted 
  a 
  speech 
  

   of 
  the 
  Oneida 
  chiefs 
  at 
  Fort 
  Stanwix, 
  Jan. 
  19, 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  

   news 
  had 
  come 
  that 
  the 
  grand 
  council 
  fire 
  at 
  Onondaga 
  was 
  

   extinguished. 
  Death 
  had 
  taken 
  90 
  out 
  of 
  that 
  town, 
  among 
  

   whom 
  were 
  three 
  principal 
  chiefs. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  customary 
  way 
  

   of 
  announcing 
  notable 
  deaths, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  mystery 
  to 
  Mr 
  Stone. 
  

  

  In 
  February 
  1777, 
  just 
  after 
  he 
  had 
  conditional 
  permission 
  to 
  

   return 
  to 
  Canajoharie, 
  which 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  do, 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  pro- 
  

   vincial 
  council 
  thought 
  it 
  " 
  necessary 
  to 
  provide 
  means 
  for 
  appre- 
  

   hending 
  Joseph 
  Brant." 
  This 
  was 
  modified 
  to 
  negotiations 
  

   between 
  him 
  and 
  Col. 
  John 
  Harper, 
  who 
  reached 
  Oquaga 
  Feb. 
  

   27, 
  with 
  two 
  men. 
  He 
  had 
  soldiers 
  on 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  ready 
  to 
  

   aid 
  him 
  if 
  required, 
  and 
  met 
  the 
  Indians 
  in 
  a 
  friendly 
  way, 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  a 
  feast, 
  wore 
  the 
  Indian 
  dress 
  and 
  made 
  a 
  speech. 
  They 
  

   said 
  they 
  were 
  still 
  neutral, 
  and 
  he 
  thought 
  they 
  meant 
  to 
  be. 
  A 
  

   little 
  later 
  he 
  heard 
  that 
  Brant 
  intended 
  to 
  settle 
  at 
  Onondaga. 
  

  

  