mittee of Safety voted several resolutions in
favor of the Continental Congress, an act that
enraged many neighboring Loyalists. John-
son’s court retaliated with a grand-jury decla-
ration against that body, which in turn excited
sympathies of the Mohawk Valley against him.
That May, Johnson, assisted by his brother-in-
law John Johnson, organized a 500-man mili-
tia force of tenants who forcibly broke up sev-
eral committee assemblies. Moreover, he
employed them to take control of all roads
leading in and out of Tryon County in order to
monitor and control Patriot activities. How-
ever, following the May 1775 capture of Ticon-
deroga, New York, by Col. Ethan Allen of the
Vermont militia, and by virtue of his own ob-
noxious behavior, rumors circulated of John-
son’s own impending capture. Taking the hint,
he fled with his family and several hundred
followers to Oswego, New York. There John-
son conducted an important conference with
the Iroquois, with more than 1,000 Indians in
attendance, and performed useful work con-
vincing them to remain loyal to England. This
was his principal and most enduring contribu-
tion to the British war effort.
Eventually, Johnson relocated with many
warriors and followers to St. John’s, where
they partially delayed the advance of an
American column under Gen. Richard Mont-
gomery. Soon after, he arrived at Montreal
and became engaged in a simmering dispute
with Gen. Guy Carleton. Johnson had
strongly represented to the general that his
Native American allies could be useful as
raiders, terrorizing the New York frontier and
tying down Americans supplies and forces.
Carleton, a consummate professional soldier,
would hear none of it and restricted the Iro-
quois to reconnaissance duties only. Disliking
Johnson, he also appointed Maj. John Camp-
bell to oversee Indian affairs in Canada. The
disgruntled acting superintendent departed
for England in November 1775, accompanied
by Mohawk chief Joseph BrantandWalter
Butler. He was determined to have his title
legitimized and, hence, exert greater influ-
ence over the employment of his charge.
Johnson returned to America in the spring
of 1776 with a royal commission from Lord
George Germainofficiating his position as
Deputy of the Six Nations and Neighboring In-
dians. The Native Americans of Canada re-
mained beyond his control to placate Car-
leton, but he did secure complete authority
over Iroquois matters. However, despite hav-
ing achieved the pinnacle of his authority,
Johnson chose to remain in New York City,
far away from the scene of military activity.
Nominal control of the Iroquois in the field
subsequently fell upon John Butler, who
wielded them with terrible effect. Further-
more, his commanding officer, Gen. William
Howe, had little use or patience for Indian
warfare, so Johnson lingered for several
months without employment beyond staging
and directing plays. He remained conspicu-
ously idle until the fall of 1778, when Gen.
Frederick Haldimand summoned him to
Montreal for a conference with the Iroquois.
There it was determined that the Indians, in
concert with Loyalist forces under John John-
son and the notorious Butlers, would begin a
systematic series of raids along the New York
and Pennsylvania frontiers. The arrangement
worked fine with Guy Johnson absent, but
once united, these three ambitious men
worked poorly together.
Johnson was present at Newtown in 1779,
when a retaliatory strike by Gen. John Sulli-
van dispersed the Indians, but he remained
in the rear. He subsequently established his
headquarters at Fort Niagara, where until the
end of the war he helped instigate various In-
dian raids against white settlements—with-
out ever participating in them. Largely for
this reason, as well as charges of corruption,
he was replaced as superintendent by John
Johnson in 1782. After the war ended in
1783, Johnson bore responsibility for feeding
and housing several thousand Indians and
their dependents who had been displaced by
the fighting. Johnson’s own New York prop-
erty had been confiscated by the American
government, and in 1784 he ventured back to
England to press for compensation. Penni-JOHNSON, GUY