"Brothers, your resolutions are very surprising. Where is there any one or body of men to be compared to the King? As for General Schuyler, (and the other Commissioners,) of whom you boast so much, what is he? He was born but yesterday; just now, as it were, started up out of the ground, and tomorrow will return into the earth whence he came. It will not be the space of a month before you hear him cry. He has no men, guns, cannon and ammunition, or clothing; and should he survive the summer, he must perish by the cold next winter for want of blankets. But the King wants neither men nor money; there is no computing his numbers. As to theCaughnawagas claiming seven tribes as under their jurisdiction, it is false; they tell a lie. The Caughnawagas are by themselves alone, and they are become Bostonians. But the other six tribes in that vicinity, with all the back nations, are at the King' s command and will take his side. And as for Canada, they are all (except twelve persons) returned to the King' s side.
"Brothers, you had better recall your resolutions, and determine to keep the King' s peace, and the King will then be glad to hear from you. What a wretched situation must you be in when the King attacks all the seaports ofAmerica, and comes in earnest to sweep off the Americans, if he finds you supporting the Americans!"
This is a letter from colonel butler in reply to a letter from s.kirkland- a New England missionary among the Oneidas. The Oneidas are Native American people who originally inhabited the area of central New York. The Oneidas, along with the five other tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, initially maintained a policy of neutrality in the American Revolution. This policy allowed the Confederacy increased leverage against both sides in the war, because they could threaten to join one side or the other in the event of any provocation. However neutrality quickly crumbled.
In this letter colonel butler seems annoyed that the Oneidas are maintaining peace with the new settlers, and is warning them of the repercussions if they were to take the side of the new settlers over that of their king.
This extract shows the wide opposition in both America and Canada against the new settlers and the pressure for tribes not to maintain peace with them. The colonel seems adamant that the new settlers, with their lack of resources are highly unlikely to survive the winter, ‘’he must perish by the cold next winter for want of blankets.’’ This shows how the tribes saw the new settlers. They were unprepared for the weather and didn’t have the same experience as the tribes to survive in the wilderness.
This extract gives us an insight into the views of the tribes towards the new settlers and how they didn’t believe they stood a chance of survival and shows how most were unwilling to be accommodating to the settlers and didn’t appreciate the invasion of their land.
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