New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CIR WILLIAM JOHNSON,

.xrfT
SIR MAwsui sm Elliot Grifhs. 1emo. PIP. XII. 22''
p'' ,,s,orv Of the Mohawk Valley must always
AEON interest to the people Of this State
DC .,oIJv and with that history in its most i'm
espV ,s,iod the life of Sir William johnson is
po..,r allied The work he did was of
in' ..h;oh could have been done by no other
XIV" .ra IL was invaluable. II he gained his
"s" .oo,hold in the Mohawk Valley through the
~" - n kinsman who had sympathy with
s'u whcrty-loving Dutchmen and Germans who
.'sr,cd the greater part Of it's population In the
''s..sr,h century. and if he himself was stanch
80. these facts in 20 way hindercd his nsc-
80 or diminished his popularity. The young
- oavpnturer who came across the ocean 10
-. AZ arent for his kinsman was man who couid
hove been kept from advancing under any
,..nmstapc,s, and he was of character so frank
o va ,onial that he was sure TO recommend himself
I'll u,ho came in contact with him. But he was
". merely a thrifty and warm-hearted young
I he had ia him the elements of true great
-. Thousands began life in similar circum-
....os Most Of his neighbors on the Mohawk
~, like him. with the Indians. But he alone
~. advantage Of acquiring thorough knowl-
',r. Of the red men, and he alone showed his
'Sn,v 70 turn this knowledge. when acquired. to
Sorost NJ the community and the progress
n civilization.
:" :, was the time when France and England were
icing for the mastery of North America. The
-, ouestion was then a burning one, for upon
-. o.ti,nde of the nomads the ability of the
Ne. s,ttlcrs to retain their bold on the Mohawk
Valley depended directly. 1hS Nahey iornico
,Io most fertile portion Of the domain of the
,-~ouois 1t was divided among the Six Nations,
naI,ed and II the Six Nations could be persuaded
- ;o;r the French there would be no peace or Sc
.v,;,r between Albany and Lake George. john
,.r Was the one man who proved capable OF deal
a., With this vital problem. He had so ingra-
.i.tsd himself with the Indians that in few years
W acouired greater influence than any OF their
o,yn chiefs could exercise over them. With rare
r.,.,tiI,tr and. one would think. no little self
..crhce he became as good an lroQuols as any
a, them. He hestatcd at scarcely anything in his
,.sove to gain their confidence. Wearing their
Aress adopting their customs learning to excel In
,beir sports. their woodcraft and their methods OF
u,or eating their food. speaking their language,
u.inU their rhetoric, he became not only FRIEND
comuanion and intimate in their eXtern"l life,
br, a mower in their councils. In his business
dealings with them he had adopted integrity as
his first principle He never cheated them and ne
mayer lied to them. In short, his methods afford
,bc strongest possible contrast to those upon which
Indian affairs throughout the country have TOO
uniformly been conducted. The issue of his policy
Is worth bordering. 1t gave him prestige and an
influence which enabled him for the rest of his
life to control the Iroquois. to battle the ncessant
iutrigues of the French. and TO secure for the
defence of the Americans in the Mohawk valley
a band of warriors whose hands. but for his wis
dom and energy, would almost certainly have
BEEN turned against them.
This was a priceless service, and it entities Sir
William johnson to rank as one OF the Makers
Of America. Nor was the good work done once
and for all Events and the perverseness and
stupidity of royalist governors and military com
nanders repeatedly jeopardizcd the good under
standing which johnson had established with the
Iroouois. Again and again the league of friend
ship and alliance was threatened, sometimes from
within, sometimes from without. Again and
again johnson sent out bis runners or went him
self brought the sullen or recacitrant chiefs TO-
gether tn council, and dissuaded them from con.
templated ruptures of their relations with the
Americans. This was, in fact, the work of his
life, though side by side with it he was building
his own fortune and amassing great estate.
The English Government appreciated and re-
warded him, bestowtng upon him q baronetcy and
B gift Of five thousand pounds In recognition Of
his eminent services at the BATTLE Of Lake George
when Dieskau was defeated and made prisoner.
Chat engagsmsm showed that johnson was
burn soldier end no was to confirm that impression
tter and to share with Olive the title of a
z heaven-sent general" In truth, he was
tnAny.sded mani not only man Of action, but q
jtudent, for his literary tastes were cultivated
ct Q tine and In = region when end where
literature was scarcely q factor in the general
Me
In the GUNNER johnson traded and tourneyed
and entertained bis Indian friends. In the win
sr be enjoyed his library at johnson HalE or
Mount Johnson as 1t came to be called. His
public life soon grew very full. Superintendent
Of the Indian Department, Member of the
Executive Council! Colonel, and later Major.
General in command on the frontier-he
devoted himself to his manifold and arduous
duaes with ceascleSs energy and ZEAL There can
@ no question that Sir William Johnson was for
many years the most important. useful and active
nsn engaged in frontier affairs. lie fairly domi-
mated the Mohawk Valley; and if his reputation has
snnered it is because the existing events of the
revolution and the Tory affiliations Of his sue
ocSSorS caused his name to be associated with
ueeus Tor which he could not be held
accountable. He died just before the outbreak Of
.ne hevolution His children played Tory part
IN IT, Hence the prejudice which, together with
'ne caiumnies Of the New-England militia, served
70 depreclate his well-earned fame.
on William Johnson filed place and accom-
piisnea work Of the highest responsibility and
consequence. He held the Six Nations TO a
poncS either OF neutrality or of active alliance
WIN bne English at time when the hostility of
"iS formidable league might have meant final
run 10 England. He thus defended, too. the
se"' 'iohawk Valley. He destroyed the most
~ french army that had crossed the
Nauauian frontier. At the same time he advanced
s'1"eice' agriculture and the breeding Of fine
s"eep ana cattle. Even in his death he was self
u.'o'ed' for he incurred it by rising from bed