Sir John Johnson
It is somewhat rare to run back-to-back profiles of Loyalists, but I have been meaning to profile a member of a family that defined British–native relations in the mid-to-late 18th century: Sir John Johnson. John Johnson's father was the famed Agent of the Crown to the Indians of New York. In that capacity, Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet of New York, was the key interlocutor for British interests and managed to establish pretty good relations between the settlers and the Iroquois nations in central New York. This was no easy undertaking as the migrants from New England and other points east had a thirst for land and the Iroquois had a thirst for, well, suffice it to say they were the most fearsome warriors of their day and not to be trifled with. William Johnson’s passing and the outbreak of the American Revolution ignited a final struggle between these forces.
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| Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet of New York |
Thrust into this frontier cauldron was Johnson’s heir and reluctant interlocutor, John Johnson, 2nd Baronet of New York. The younger Johnson was born 5 Nov. 1741 at Mount Johnson near New Amsterdam, New York. His mother was a local woman of Dutch extraction, Catherine Wysenberk.
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| Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet |
French & Indian Fighter
John Johnson spent most of his childhood at Fort Johnson on the Mohawk River. After briefly attending Benjamin Franklin’s College and Academy in Philadelphia in 1757, Johnson returned home to respond to the call of war drums. At the age of 13, Johnson joined his father as a volunteer in the French and Indian War. He went on expeditions to Niagara and Detroit with him. He also attended most of Sir William’s conferences with the Indians, including the one at Fort Stanwix (Rome), N.Y., in 1768 that established the boundary between encroaching white settlers and the Iroquois.
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| Sir William Johnson hosted Indian conferences at Johnson Hall |
Indian Fighter
The younger Johnson also performed well during Pontiac’s Rebellion in 1763 when he led a successful expedition into the Ohio territory. Two years later, his father sent him to England to broaden his horizons and establish himself as a man of means and social standing. The journey achieved its goals, and Johnson was knighted by King George III in preparation for inheriting his father’s impressive estates in America.
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| The younger Johnson distinguished himself during Pontiac's Rebellion |
Gentleman Farmer
Johnson came back from Britain as a strong supporter of the crown and disdained anyone who dared to disagree with royal policies. He settled at Fort Johnson and took Clarissa Putman as his common-law wife. But someone of Johnson’s status needed a proper match, and in 1773 he finally agreed to his father’s wish for him to marry into the New York aristocracy. Johnson left Clarissa Putman, but he still supported her and their two children. He was now able to marry Mary Watts and brought her to Fort Johnson.
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| John Johnson settled in at Fort Johnson after inheriting the Baronetcy |
The 2nd Baronet
In 1774, Sir William died. John became the 2nd Baronet of New York and inherited over 200,000 acres along with many tenants. However, he did not follow his father’s wish to become the next superintendent of northern Indians. Instead, John lived as a country gentleman in his grand home - Johnson Hall. Because of his social standing and wartime experience, Johnson was made a major general of the militia shortly before the Revolutionary War started.
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| At the outbreak of war, the NY militiamen would have to choose sides |
Loyalist Leader
In the lead-up to war, Johnson expressed Loyalist sympathies and began recruiting from his tenants, many of whom were Scottish and English war veterans. This formed a kind of personal militia. Johnson even approached the Royal Governor, William Tryon, with an offer to organize the entire Mohawk Valley in support of the crown. His actions alarmed the local patriots, and when the time came, he became a target.
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| Governor William Tryon was a key figure in the run-up to the American Revolution |
In January 1776, the Continental Congress authorized General Philip Schuyler, a prominent New York landowner, to assemble an army and attack Johnson to eliminate the threat he and his followers posed to the Albany region. Schuyler completed his mission. Johnson’s supporters and followers were disarmed, and Johnson pledged to stay neutral. However, the local patriots remained wary of his motives.
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| Fellow New York aristocrat led efforts against Johnson |
A King's Commission
Tensions increased and suspicions grew over the following months. Fearing arrest, Johnson fled with his family and supporters to Quebec in May 1776. Johnson then offered his services to the Governor-General of Canada, Guy Carleton. Carleton appointed him as a lieutenant-colonel of a new unit, the King’s Royal Regiment. Johnson was instructed to use his connections with the Indians to keep them neutral.
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| Soldier of the King's Royal Regiment |
A Failed Campaign
In the summer of 1777, Johnson joined Lieutenant-Colonel Barry St. Leger on his expedition up the Mohawk River. This was part of a three-pronged attack on Albany to control the New York waterways and split the colonies. Johnson’s men and Indian allies helped Saint Leger lay siege to Fort Stanwix (now Rome, NY). Saint Leger learned of a relief column marching west to lift the siege. This militia force was led by Colonel Nicholas Herkimer. Johnson’s Indian allies found the perfect ambush spot near Oriskany, and on August 6, a combined Indian-Loyalist force defeated Herkimer, who was mortally wounded.
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| The Battle of Oriskany |
But when news of another relief column, this time led by Benedict Arnold, reached them, Saint Lager’s forces retreated back to Canada, and Johnson went with him. In a fitting irony, the man who avoided taking over his father's role as Indian Superintendent ended up spending much of his time managing Indian affairs for the British, as many hundreds had fled their lands to escape the destruction caused by American settlers.
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| The failed siege of Fort Stanwix was a foretaste of the failed British strategy to split the colonies |
Guerilla Warrior
But Johnson also found time to wage an on-and-off guerrilla war in central New York. Over the next three years, he became notorious in the Mohawk Valley for his raids involving Loyalist and Native forces. Johnson often teamed up with Loyalist Colonel John Butler and Loyalist Iroquois Chief Joseph Brant. This formidable team of crown supporters caused chaos.
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| Chief Joseph Brant was a key ally of Johnson and tireless fighter for the Iroquois and the crown |
Perhaps his greatest success came in 1780 when Johnson’s strike force raided and burned settlements at Schoharie, Caughnawaga, and Fort Hunter. He even managed to retake his homestead, Johnson Hall. Johnson’s guerrilla actions caused significant economic hardship and lowered the morale of the American settlers in the region. However, overall, they failed to significantly influence the war.
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| Johnson's Raid was his major operation, but in the end, the mix of Loyalists and Iroquois could not hold central New York |
Superintendent General
In 1782, Governor-General Frederick Haldimand appointed Johnson as brigadier-general on the American establishment and, by a commission dated March 14, 1782, named him Superintendent General and Inspector General of the Six Nations Indians and those in the Province of Quebec. In accepting this role, he succeeded his cousin Guy Johnson, who was removed due to financial irregularities. This was a challenging position. The war was ending poorly, not just for the Loyalists who were forced to Canada. Johnson had to explain to the disgruntled Iroquois that much of their land was being surrendered to the Americans.
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| Johnson would not receive the one appointment he wanted in later life |
A Canadian Founder
After the war, Johnson returned to England like many Loyalists to file claims for compensation from the crown. When he came back to Canada, he became a leader in resettling Loyalists and Indigenous people at Cataraqui (now Kingston, ON). He did remarkable work for the refugees, to the point where he believed he would be appointed as the first governor-general of the new province of Upper Canada. However, when the position was awarded to the other Loyalist, John Graves Simcoe, Johnson was crushed.
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| Loyalist leader John Graves Simcoe would receive the appointment Johnson hoped for |
After spending several more years in England, Johnson settled in Quebec, where he was appointed to the Legislative Council of Lower Canada. He became a prominent figure among the United Empire Loyalists and a supporter of Indian rights.
A Last Tribute
Sir John Johnson died in Montreal on January 4, 1830. Johnson is regarded as one of Canada's founding fathers. He received a military funeral attended by a large crowd of friends, relatives, acquaintances, and fans. Additionally, over 300 Native Americans attended, and Chief Joseph Brant delivered the eulogy. During the ceremony, Brant called him the Indians’ “friend and fellow warrior.” Sir John's body was then taken to Mount Johnson for burial.
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| Sir John was interred in a family vault at Mount Johnson |
