Why did the Native American tribes side with the British in the Revolutionary War?

Indigenous People in the Continental Army

At Valley Forge, a select number of individual soldiers in Connecticut regiments had either Black, Pequot, or a combined Black and Pequot heritage. The two groups began intermarrying in the eighteenth century. Unfortunately, muster rolls did not include soldiers' race or ethnic identity, and pension records or other documentation do not exist for each individual soldier. Therefore, it is difficult to gauge an exact number of American Indians serving in the Continental Army during the encampment, since many had been integrated into colonial society.

American Indian Allies to the Continental Army

During the American Revolution, the majority of American Indian Nations allied themselves with the British in order to preserve their culture and stop encroachment upon their lands. However, some supported the Patriots and their cause because of personal ties, shared religious beliefs, or mistreatment by the British in the past. These allies included large numbers from the Oneidas, Tuscaroras, Mohicans, and the Stockbridge-Munsee Nations.

The Oneida and Tuscarora at Valley Forge

In the spring of 1778, General George Washington asked to have a delegation of Oneida and Tuscarora warriors with his army at Valley Forge. Washington and the Congressional Committee wanted these allies to counter the British raids in the area, which were confiscating supplies, seizing stragglers, acquiring intelligence, and harassing civilians. These American Indians could help capture enemy soldiers to gain important information and discourage attempts of desertions from the Continental Army. These warriors had repeatedly proved themselves as exceptional scouts, and superb small-unit fighters. Washington praised these warriors by writing to General Philip Schuyler saying that, "The Oneidas and Tuscaroras have a particular claim to attention and kindness, for their perseverance and fidelity."

Close to fifty warriors from these nations would be sent to Valley Forge. On May 15, 1778 they arrived at the encampment. On May 18, they were directed to participate in a reconnaissance in force numbering 2,200 troops under the command of Marquis de Lafayette to an area called Barren Hill. On May 20, British forces appeared trying to capture Lafayette and the army. The Oneida warriors ambushed some the British soldiers and provided some delaying action as the army started retreating back to the Valley Forge Encampment. They were the last to cross the Schuylkill in the army. It is thought that six Oneidas were killed during this engagement and they are buried at St. Peter's Church Cemetery in Barren Hill. In the middle of June, thirty-four of the original fifty returned home. Their reason for their quick return was threats from the British and British American Indian Allies on their families and homes. The warriors would continue to fight for the patriotic cause and their own survival in upstate New York for the rest of the war.

Citations

Glatthaar, Joseph T., and James Kirby Martin. Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. Print.

Graymont, Barbara. The Iroquois in the American Revolution. Syracuse University Press, 1972. Print.

Jackson, John W. Valley Forge: Pinnacle of Courage. Gettysburg: Thomas Publications, 1992. Print.

Levinson, David. "An Explanation For The Oneida-Colonial Alliance In The American Revolution." Ethnohistory 1976. Print.

Reed, John. "Barren Hill." Valley Forge Journal. Print.

Native Americans’ participation in the Revolutionary War – and particularly George Washington’s Delaware River crossing – is a sometimes overlooked topic. And it has a complex answer.

“It’s convenient to think of everyone from that time falling into two basic camps, the Americans and the British (Loyalists), but there were lots of different groups caught in the middle, with Native Americans being one of them,” says Katherine Becnel, Washington Crossing Historic Park’s volunteer coordinator and a former gallery educator at the Museum of the American Revolution.

Native Involvement in the Conflict

Initially, Native Americans were discouraged from getting involved in the fighting, Becnel says. Both sides perceived the war in its early days as a “family squabble.” But as the war dragged on, outside help became necessary on both sides. Native Americans seemed a natural ally to both: the colonists traded with them, and the British fought alongside them in the French and Indian War (1754-1763).

“At a certain point, the Native Americans began trying to figure out which side was best positioned to protect their land, or whether it was in their best interest to remain neutral,” Becnel says. “If they remained neutral, there was no guarantee it would be respected by either side.”

Some Native Americans featured prominently in the war. One of the most notable was Colonel Joseph Louis Cook (Akiatonharónkwen), who became the highest-ranking Native American in the Continental Army.

“Based on the parts of his timeline that we know, it’s possible that he was part of the crossing, but we can’t say for sure. There’s nothing to confirm it,” Becnel says.

Although there is no known record of a Native American participating in the crossing or fighting during the Ten Crucial Days, that doesn’t mean none did. We do know that Native Americans lived in Bucks County at that time. But they were hiding in plain sight.

Indigenous People in Colonial-Era Pennsylvania

The Walking Purchase was a highly questionable land transaction negotiated between agents for the sons of William Penn and the Lenape Nation in 1737. It resulted in a huge swath of southeastern Pennsylvania (along the Delaware River) being opened to European settlement. In the process, the indigenous Lenape were forced to leave.

“The Walking Purchase was absolutely devastating,” says Adam Waterbear DePaul, M.Ed., the storykeeper for the tribal council of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. “Our intent was to give some land to William Penn’s sons for a small family settlement. We ended up losing the equivalent of Rhode Island.”

According to DePaul, almost immediately after the agreement was signed, bounties were issued for Lenape scalps, children included.

“There were many things going on, but it’s safe to say that was our single largest awakening to the reality that our relationship with the colonists had changed,” he says. “Following the Walking Purchase, and not necessarily because of it, we as a people felt threatened and frightened and saw the colonists as enemies.”

The Lenape Nation in Pennsylvania

Not every member of the Lenape Nation was forced to flee. Women could remain as the wives of colonists. “The colonists valued their skill and arduous work ethic in farming the local land, which was still somewhat foreign to them,” DePaul explains.

To be allowed to remain, the Lenape women needed to publicly disavow their heritage. They couldn’t speak the language, dress traditionally, or practice any ceremonies. On the census, they had to identify as white.

“They developed a system of hiding and assimilating into colonial culture and passing traditions through families in secret,” DePaul says. “They survived by doing everything they could not to be on the government’s radar.”

The ramifications continue to this day. In order for a Native American nation to be federally recognized, it must have maintained a continuous relationship with the federal government since the country’s inception. Because the Lenape who remained in Bucks County did not, the tribes that eventually resettled in Oklahoma are considered the last remnants of the Lenape Nation. A reality, DePaul says, that has further fractured the Lenape.

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