The Clandestine Challenge
The difficulty with any espionage study is the lack of unclassified sources — since clandestine work must remain secret by nature. This is especially true when looking back to the time of the Yankee Doodle spies, when nearly all espionage activity was "off the books," with few reports or records kept. Spies operated in all theaters throughout the war, but identifying who they were and what they did is difficult, requiring lots of "fill in the blank" and connect-the-dots analysis.
Savage War of Peace
The American Revolution in the Mohawk Valley involved years of internecine conflict and small-scale combat that often reached a fever pitch. Patriot Whigs and Loyalist Tories went head to head in battles ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred fighters, rarely involving large-scale clashes with thousands. Add six Iroquois tribes, Canadians, Continentals, and British regulars into the mix, and you get a stew of conflict and chaos. But unlike many other areas of the war, the central New York region was never quiet. Instead, a relentless savage war of peace raged on.
The role of the native tribes added an objective layer of complexity to the struggle in New York. The powerful Iroquois Confederacy was mostly aligned with the British, thanks to the outstanding efforts of the Crown's Indian Agent, Sir William Johnson, and his son.
Of the Iroquois nations, the most powerful, warlike, and pro-British were the Mohawks, who controlled the easternmost part of the territory. Our subject is one of those Mohawks, a woman born Konwatsi'tsiaiénni, but now known as Mary or Molly Brant, older sister to Joseph Brant, who became a Mohawk War Chief and British officer during the war for independence.
Youth in Two Worlds
Molly Brant was born around 1736 in the Ohio Valley, although her family's ancestral home was the village of Canajoharie, on the upper Mohawk near Little Falls, New York. Her parents were Margaret (Onagsakearat) and Peter (Tehowaghwengaraghkwin), who were Anglicans. When Peter died while the family lived on the Ohio River, Molly's mother returned to Canajoharie with her and her brother Joseph.
Both Brant children grew up in two worlds, becoming fluent in English and comfortable with English culture. Molly was educated in the Mohawk Valley, and because she spoke English well, she accompanied twelve Mohawk tribal elders on a delegation to Philadelphia in 1755. After that trip, Molly met the most powerful man in these two worlds, the renowned British Indian Agent Sir William Johnson — her beauty and grace deeply affected him. Johnson handled all the deals involving the tribes and was known to be an honest broker who cared for both the Iroquois and the white settlers in central New York. He was also quite wealthy.
Lady of the Manor
By 1759, the twenty-three-year-old Molly was officially listed in Johnson's records as his "housekeeper," but she was, in fact, his common-law wife—possibly married under Iroquois customs. She would have seven children with him and served in all respects as the powerful Johnson's partner.
Anglo visitors who visited Johnson's estate, Johnson Hall, remarked on her beauty, delicate features, olive skin, excellent manners, and understated but commanding presence. In all but name, Brant was the Lady of the Johnson Hall estate.
The Clan Mother
During her time with Johnson, she also rose to become a Clan Mother, receiving the Mohawk name Tekonwatonti (Many Opposed to One). Molly led a society of Six Nations (Iroquois Confederacy) matrons. In the matriarchal hierarchy of the Iroquois, Clan Mothers held great power and influence, traditionally choosing and dismissing leaders. They also had the authority to veto their decisions.
Clan Mothers wielded significant influence
Sir William died the year before Lexington and Concord erupted and plunged the colonies into open war with the Crown.
Loyal to the Crown
Molly Brant and her brother Joseph remained loyalists, dedicated to the British cause. Joseph became a well-known Loyalist commander and Mohawk War Chief whose actions frustrated the patriots.
His sister's role was more ambiguous but equally important. She provided food and ammunition to nearby Loyalist units. Most importantly, she passed valuable intelligence to her brother and other Loyalist and British leaders in central New York.
Spymaster
Although there's little recorded about this (for reasons mentioned above), she probably heard reports on American movements in the Mohawk Valley from travelers, hunters, and traders passing through her village.
The best example of this occurred in August 1777. British Lieutenant-Colonel Barry St. Leger's force, composed of British troops, Loyalists, Canadians, and Indians, had besieged the American garrison at Fort Stanwix (located in today5s Rome, NY). When the Tryon County militia learned of the siege, a brigade-sized force marched west along the river to relieve the post.
When Molly learned of their movement, she sent word to St. Leger, who dispatched a force of Loyalists and Indian allies that set a well-planned ambush in the dense cypress forests near Oriskany. The relief column was pushed back with heavy losses, and its commander, Colonel Nikolas Herkimer, was mortally wounded.
In retaliation, the American-Allied Oneidas attacked her village of Canajoharie, destroying it and nearby Fort Hunter.
On the Road
Molly moved her family through various Loyal Iroquois villages. Brant and her family lost most of their belongings. They sought refuge at Onondaga near Syracuse, New York, the capital of the Six Nations Confederacy, first going to Syracuse, then Cayuga, and finally Niagara.
At each of these, she proved to be a strong and effective supporter of the Loyalist cause, helping to keep most of the Iroquois aligned with the British. As a result, the British were able to use the Iroquois war bands to strengthen their diminishing Loyalist and British forces in New York.
Resilient Leader
As the war continued in New York, the British and their Indian allies were gradually pushed westward. The British asked Molly Brant to help lead the thousands of starving refugees fleeing the Americans to the safety of Fort Niagara — the last stronghold in the area. She proved to be a capable leader, organizer, and spokesperson for the tribes. Her influence and power grew among both the tribes and the British authorities.
One British officer remarked that her influence on the tribes was such that "their uncommon good behaviour in great measure to be ascribed to Miss Molly Brant's influence over them, which [was] far superior to that of all their Chiefs put together."
A Separate Peace
But when the Treaty of Paris was signed, the rug was pulled out from under the Iroquois and Loyalists in New York. The British made little effort to protect their ancestral lands, leaving the Iroquois to face their enemies alone — and it did not go well. Many of the Iroquois and all the Loyalists fled to Canada.
A Bitter Nation
The Iroquois who stayed behind became bitter toward Molly and her British masters. Molly left the home the British built for her on Carleton Island, as it was now on the American side of the border. The Clan Mother moved to a village called Cataraqui and, with other Loyalists, founded what later became Kingston, Ontario.
A Grateful Crown
The grateful British awarded her land and a pension large enough to turn down the Americans' offers to return to New York. They recognized her leadership's importance. But she was dismissive of the people who had destroyed the Iroquois lands during eight years of bloody warfare.
Founding Canadian
Molly Brant's family became well-known in Upper Canada. Five of her six daughters married Canadian men. George, her surviving son, got a position in the Indian department. Her older son died fighting for the British.
At age sixty, the Clan Mother died in Brantford, Ontario, in 1796. Her exact burial site is unknown, but many believe the good, lifelong Anglican rests somewhere beneath St. Paul's Church in today's Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Her legacy is that of a remarkable woman who cared for her family, clan, tribe, and nation in both peace and war.
Very interesting and intriguing.
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