NORTON, JOHN
Norton, John
(1760–1831)
Mohawk War Chief
N
orton was an influential Native Ameri-
can leader during the War of 1812. He
rendered useful service while cam-
paigning along the Niagara frontier, then bro-
kered a truce between British and American
tribesmen.
John Norton was born probably in Scot-
land around 1760, the son of a Scottish
mother and Cherokee father. In 1784, he
joined the 65th Regiment of Foot as a private
and the following year was dispatched to
Quebec and Fort Niagara in western New
York. There Norton deserted in 1787 and
struck up cordial relations with the nearby
Mohawk tribe of the Six Nations, or Iroquois.
From there he served as a schoolmaster at the
Mohawk settlement near the Bay of Quinte,
Ontario, until 1791, when he relocated to join
the fur trade at Detroit. He remained so em-
ployed until 1794, when the victory of Gen.
Anthony Wayne over the western tribes in-
duced him to return to Niagara. At length Nor-
ton joined the British Indian department as an
interpreter for the Mohawk nation, and he
caught the attention of Chief Joseph Brant.
Brant was impressed by the young man,
adopted him as his nephew, and employed
him as an interpreter. He eventually acquired
the rank of war chief within the tribe. It was
while in Brant’s service that Norton acquired
the name Teyoninhokarawen (Snipe), and he
began asserting authority within the Indian
Department as a tribal spokesman. This
brought him into direct conflict with William
Claus, the deputy superintendent, who re-
jected Norton’s claim of solely representing
the Grand River settlement. Their dispute ini-
tiated a bitter competition that persisted for
nearly two decades.
Norton continued working on behalf of the
Grand River Iroquois but, despite his obvious
affiliation for Native American language and
culture, remained a devout Anglican. Conse-
quently, he became closely associated with
Christian missionary work and was responsi-
ble for translating parts of the Bible into the
Mohawk tongue. In 1809, he ventured south-
ward into the United States to visit his Chero-
kee ancestors and returned the following
year. When war between the United States
and Great Britain broke out in June 1812,
Norton worked assiduously to raise a body of
warriors on England’s behalf. Having accom-
panied Gen. Isaac Brockto Detroit in Au-
gust 1812, he returned to the Niagara frontier
with a mixed party of Mohawk and western
Indians as part of the Fort George garrison.
In October 1812, Brock was killed at the Bat-
tle of Queenston Heights, but Norton arrived
just in time to shore up flagging British posi-
tions. That done, he led his warriors on a cir-
cuitous route around and behind the Ameri-
can right flank where, from behind the
treeline, they opened up a heavy fire upon
soldiers commanded by Gen. Winfield Scott.
This attack caused confusion in the already
disorderly ranks, and the Americans quit
their strong position just as Gen. Roger Hale
Sheaffearrived with British reinforcements.
This last attack routed the surviving Ameri-
cans, who ran down the nearby cliff with
Norton’s Indians in hot pursuit. Cut off from
the American side of the Niagara River and
facing annihilation, Scott surrendered nearly
900 soldiers to Sheaffe. The general then
lauded Norton’s contribution to the victory
and appointed him to the rank of captain of
confederate Indians, the exact title Joseph
Brant held during the American Revolution.
But Claus, meanwhile, resented Norton’s
newfound popularity and worked clandes-
tinely among other chiefs to undermine his
authority. To the Mohawks of Grand River,
however, his star was on the ascent.
Throughout the summer of 1813, Norton
and his warriors were closely engaged in spo-