dian affairs, preferring in-
stead to pursue the life of
a country gentleman. In
the aftermath of Sir
William’s death in 1774,
Johnson relocated to
Johnson Hall and inher-
ited a baronetcy of
200,000 acres. He thus as-
sumed responsibility for
several hundred Scottish
tenants living on his
property and also func-
tioned as a major general
of the district militia.
Johnson’s economic
and political fortunes de-
clined precipitously fol-
lowing the outbreak of
the American Revolution
in April 1775. Loyal to the
Crown, he began fortify-
ing Johnson Hall, arming his Scottish tenants,
and enthusiastically offered to organize Loy-
alists throughout the Mohawk Valley for Gov-
ernor William Tryon. These moves brought
him the suspicion and ire of nearby rebel
communities, and the Continental Congress,
wishing to circumvent a large Loyalist en-
clave in western New York, authorized Gen.
Philip Schuyler to arrest him. Johnson ini-
tially negotiated with Schuyler and agreed to
disarm his tenants, but in May 1776 he aban-
doned his pregnant wife and fled to Canada.
An act of attainder was then issued against
him by the state legislature, by which his mas-
sive property and wealth were confiscated.
Johnson arrived penniless in Montreal and
immediately sought a military commission.
Governor-General SirGuy Carletonthen ap-
pointed him lieutenant colonel of a ranger for-
mation called the King’s Royal Regiment, more
commonly referred to as the “Royal Greens.”
This was a hard-hitting unit of expert marks-
men who were well versed in the ways of In-
dian-style warfare. Johnson found filling the
ranks difficult, however, at one point even
contemplating recruits from prisoners of war.
At length the regiment
was brought up to
strength, and Johnson ac-
companied Lt. Col. Barry
St. Leger’s expedition
against Fort Stanwix,
New York. A lengthy siege
developed before a relief
force under Col. Nicholas
Herkimer was ambushed
and defeated at Oriskany,
New York, on August 6,- When an even larger
force under Gen. Bene-
dict Arnoldadvanced to
relieve the fort, the Brit-
ish withdrew, and John-
son’s Royal Greens were
roughly handled in a last-
minute American sortie
from the fort.
For the next three
years, Johnson became busily occupied with
the arduous task of resettling hundreds of dis-
placed Loyalists and their families. Commenc-
ing in 1779, he subsequently gained notoriety
by leading several raids against his formerly
beloved Mohawk Valley, often in concert with
Col. John Butlerand Mohawk Chief Joseph
Brant. His men did considerable damage to
areas surrounding his home at Johnson Hall
and, at one point, even recaptured it from the
rebels. The neighboring settlements of
Schoharie, Caughnawaga, and Fort Hunter
were similarly laid to waste in 1780. These
tactics, though ruthless, were vital, for they
denied vast quantities of food and other sup-
plies to Continental forces, and regional mili-
tias became tied down to thwart future incur-
sions. Most military operations ceased
following the American victory at Yorktown
in 1781, so the following year Johnson de-
parted for England to renew his ties with the
government and to press for compensation.
Johnson returned to Montreal as a
brigadier general in the English army. More-
over, in light of his excellent service to the
king, he was also given large tracts of land as
JOHNSON, JOHN
John Johnson
National Archives of Canada