Thayendanegea

The text panel in front of you reads:

Native Americans fought on both sides of the American Revolution. But when British and American representatives met in Paris to negotiate the treaty that would end the war, they excluded their Native American allies.

Thayendanegea, also known as Joseph Brant, was a Mohawk leader who served as an officer in the British Army. A charismatic and complex figure fluent in multiple languages and cultures, he sought to unify his people against settlers encroaching on their land.

Thayendanegea traveled to London in 1775 and 1785 to meet with his ally King George III. In 1792, he met with President George Washington, his former enemy, in Philadelphia. Neither satisfied his requests. Thayendanegea ultimately left the United States for Canada, where he died in 1807.

The display case to your left contains three objects:

1. Thayendanegea Visits London

In November 1775, Thayendanegea traveled to London to make a case for the preservation of Mohawk land. He aroused great interest in the city, where George Romney painted his portrait and James Boswell interviewed him for this issue of the London Magazine. He returned home in June 1776.

Exhibit Item(s)

• James Boswell. “An Account of the Chief of the Mohock Indians, who lately visited England,” London Magazine, vol. 45, July 1776 (reproduction). Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (072.01.00). A two-page spread from The London Magazine from July 1776 including a black-and-white portrait of Thayendanegea on the left.

2. The Book of Common Prayer Translated into the Mohawk Language

Thayendanegea became a Christian while attending an Indian charity school in Connecticut. Later, he worked with missionaries to update previous Mohawk translations of the Book of Common Prayer and added his own translation of the Gospel of Mark. This edition was published in London after his trip there in 1785. The book’s frontispiece shows his meeting with George III and Queen Charlotte.

Exhibit Item(s)

• The Book of Common Prayer . . . Translated into the Mohawk Language by Capt. Joseph Brant. London: C. Buckton, 1787. Frontispiece (reproduction). © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust (075.01.00). A two-page spread from a printed book with a black-and-white print on the left showing Thayendanegea meeting with King George III and Queen Charlotte at court.

3. “The celebrated Captn. Joseph Brant”

In this letter, Washington describes his negotiations with Native American leaders, including Thayendanegea. He writes: “I have brought the celebrated Captn. Joseph Brant to this City, with a view to impress him also with the equitable intentions of this government towards all the nations of his colour. He only arrived last night, and I am to give him an audience at twelve this day.”

Exhibit Item(s)

• George Washington to Gouverneur Morris, June 21, 1792 (reproduction). George Washington Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (076.01.00). A page from a handwritten letter including the words “I have brought the celebrated Captn. Joseph Brant to this City.”

“The Great Captain of the Six Nations”

Above the display case is a framed portrait. The label reads:

While Thayendanegea was in London from 1775 to 1776, the Earl of Warwick commissioned a portrait of him by George Romney. This print was made from Romney’s portrait.

Exhibit Item(s)

• John Raphael Smith, after George Romney. Joseph Fayadaneega, called the Brant, the Great Captain of the Six Nations, ca. 1776 (reproduction). Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (073.01.00)

A quote on the wall next to the portrait reads:

“General Washington is very cunning, he will try to fool us if he can—he speaks very smooth, will tell you fair stories, and at the same time want to ruin us—We must be all at it, as we are all united as one man.”
—Thayendanegea, address to the Shawnees and Delawares at a meeting at the rapids of the Miami River, Ohio, October 28, 1792