﻿354 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Messrs 
  Halsey 
  and 
  Ketchum 
  both 
  quote 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  Brant 
  

   in 
  1782 
  from 
  Capt. 
  Jeremiah 
  Snyder: 
  

  

  He 
  was 
  a 
  likely 
  fellow, 
  of 
  a 
  fierce 
  aspect 
  — 
  tall 
  and 
  rather 
  spare 
  

   — 
  well 
  spoken, 
  and 
  apparently 
  about 
  thirty 
  years 
  of 
  age. 
  He 
  

   wore 
  moccasins, 
  elegantly 
  trimmed 
  with 
  beads, 
  leggings 
  and 
  

   breech-cloth 
  of 
  superfine 
  blue, 
  short 
  green 
  coat, 
  with 
  two 
  silver 
  

   epaulets, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  laced 
  round 
  hat. 
  By 
  his 
  side 
  hung 
  an 
  

   elegant 
  silver 
  mounted 
  cutlass, 
  and 
  his 
  blanket 
  of 
  blue 
  cloth, 
  

   purposely 
  dropped 
  in 
  the 
  chair 
  on 
  which 
  he 
  sat, 
  to 
  display 
  his 
  

   epaulets, 
  was 
  gorgeously 
  decorated 
  with 
  a 
  border 
  of 
  red. 
  

  

  Some 
  time 
  after 
  Harper 
  met 
  a 
  party 
  at 
  Schenevus 
  creek, 
  and 
  

   learned 
  that 
  they 
  meant 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  Johnston 
  settlement. 
  

   With 
  17 
  men 
  he 
  surprised 
  the 
  party 
  at 
  night, 
  securing 
  all 
  

   unharmed. 
  Over 
  700 
  Indians 
  were 
  now 
  at 
  Oquaga 
  under 
  Brant, 
  

   and 
  in 
  May 
  he 
  went 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  with 
  nearly 
  80 
  warriors. 
  At 
  

   Unadilla 
  he 
  made 
  the 
  settlers 
  supply 
  him 
  with 
  provisions 
  and 
  

   took 
  some 
  cattle. 
  Those 
  not 
  loyalists 
  soon 
  removed. 
  He 
  burned 
  

   some 
  deserted 
  houses, 
  and 
  other 
  places 
  were 
  abandoned, 
  but 
  the 
  

   Tories 
  sought 
  Unadilla 
  as 
  a 
  refuge 
  and 
  base 
  of 
  operations. 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  of 
  Harpersfield 
  asked 
  aid; 
  and 
  Gen. 
  Nicholas 
  Her- 
  

   kimer 
  went 
  to 
  Unadilla 
  to 
  confer 
  with 
  Brant, 
  reaching 
  there 
  late 
  

   in 
  June. 
  The 
  conference 
  was 
  unsatisfactory 
  and 
  just 
  escaped 
  

   violence. 
  Herkimer 
  returned 
  to 
  Cherry 
  Valley 
  June 
  28, 
  and 
  the 
  

   next 
  day 
  Brant 
  put 
  Unadilla 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  Tories, 
  remain- 
  

   ing 
  near 
  by 
  himself, 
  and 
  committing 
  depredations. 
  He 
  soon 
  

   after 
  went 
  to 
  Oswego 
  with 
  300 
  Indians, 
  where 
  many 
  were 
  

   already, 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  English 
  in 
  council 
  there. 
  Colonel 
  Johnson 
  

   had 
  already 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  Six 
  Nations 
  had 
  called 
  in 
  all 
  their 
  

   people 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  diversion 
  on 
  the 
  frontier 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  had 
  

   made 
  successful 
  attacks 
  on 
  the 
  border 
  from 
  Fort 
  Stanwix 
  to 
  

   Ohio. 
  

  

  In 
  June 
  he 
  had 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  chiefs, 
  written 
  for 
  

   them 
  by 
  Brant. 
  They 
  had 
  met 
  in 
  May, 
  as 
  directed, 
  and 
  were 
  

   all 
  ready 
  but 
  the 
  Oneidas. 
  All 
  " 
  would 
  act 
  as 
  one 
  man." 
  They 
  

   had 
  cut 
  off 
  a 
  sergeant 
  and 
  12 
  men 
  at 
  Fort 
  Stanwix, 
  had 
  sent 
  

   parties 
  to 
  Pennsylvania, 
  and 
  had 
  defeated 
  a 
  party 
  with 
  50 
  head 
  

   of 
  cattle 
  for 
  the 
  American 
  garrisons 
  on 
  the 
  Mohawk. 
  The 
  700 
  

  

  