USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Brant’s sister Molly was the wife of the British superintendent for northern Indian affairs, Sir William Johnson, whom he followed into battle at age 13. He fought for the British in the last French and Indian War (1754–63), and in 1774 he was appointed secretary to Sir William’s successor, Guy Johnson.

Detailed explanation-2: -This made her an ideal representative not only for her Colonial community, but for her Haudenosaunee community especially. In approximately 1759, Molly married the British superintendent of Indian Affairs (and close friend of her step-father) Sir William Johnson.

Detailed explanation-3: -He saw the Crown’s presence as the principal safeguard against colonial incursions into Native American land. While still in his teens, Brant led war parties against French troops in Canada during the Seven Years’ War.

Detailed explanation-4: -Johnson was eventually adopted into the Mohawk Nation and took Molly Brant, a Mohawk Clan Mother, as his second wife in a common law marriage. With start of the French and Indian War, English political and military leaders recognized Johnson’s talents in working with Indians.

Detailed explanation-5: -During the American Revolution she sheltered and fed loyalists and supplied them with arms and munitions. In 1777, it was Molly that sent word to Sir John Johnson’s and Joseph Brant’s forces that Herkimer was marching to rescue the besieged Fort Schuyler.