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JOHNSON, William. Autograph letter signed ("Wm Johnson") to Major Jacob Glen in Schenectady, [Oswego], 24 July 1746. AN INDIAN SPY WARNS OF A FRENCH ATTACK ON THE FRONTIER SETTLEMENTS
A fine letter of Johnson, a key colonial figure, at the height of King George's War. Written in perceptible haste, probably from Fort Oswego, it warns of a reported French invasion of the New York settlements: "This is to acquaint you that there is an Onondaga Indian now come from Canada, in four Days, who travelled Day & Night and says that as he came away, there was an Army of the french etc. ready to march towards those parts, in order he says to cut off & destroy the people & settlements of Burnetsfeild, and also all the Mohawk River down to Schenectady. There is an Express come from thence with a string of Wampum abt this News wh[ich] I believe may be realy true, and soon wherfore I thought proper to Acquaint his Excelly theof; and you likewise..."
Sir William Johnson (1715-1774), from Ireland, settled in the Mohawk Valley in 1738 and became a frontier figure of considerable influence with the Iroquois and Mohawks. Johnson was largely responsible for keeping the tribes of the Six Nations allied with the English, and took over the role of intermediary with the native tribes. During the French and Indian War Johnson commanded British troops and provincial militia, defeated the French at Lake George, where he built Fort William Henry, and subsequently captured Niagara and Montreal. In 1768 Johnson presided over the council which drafted and signed the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, by which the Indians relinquished claims to vast lands in New York, Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley.
A fine letter of Johnson, a key colonial figure, at the height of King George's War. Written in perceptible haste, probably from Fort Oswego, it warns of a reported French invasion of the New York settlements: "This is to acquaint you that there is an Onondaga Indian now come from Canada, in four Days, who travelled Day & Night and says that as he came away, there was an Army of the french etc. ready to march towards those parts, in order he says to cut off & destroy the people & settlements of Burnetsfeild, and also all the Mohawk River down to Schenectady. There is an Express come from thence with a string of Wampum abt this News wh[ich] I believe may be realy true, and soon wherfore I thought proper to Acquaint his Excelly theof; and you likewise..."
Sir William Johnson (1715-1774), from Ireland, settled in the Mohawk Valley in 1738 and became a frontier figure of considerable influence with the Iroquois and Mohawks. Johnson was largely responsible for keeping the tribes of the Six Nations allied with the English, and took over the role of intermediary with the native tribes. During the French and Indian War Johnson commanded British troops and provincial militia, defeated the French at Lake George, where he built Fort William Henry, and subsequently captured Niagara and Montreal. In 1768 Johnson presided over the council which drafted and signed the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, by which the Indians relinquished claims to vast lands in New York, Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley.