The papers include descriptions of Brant's activities in the New York border area during the Revolution, including a chronology of Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) negotiations and military activities in 1776; American attempts to take Canada, including John Brown’s intelligence mission, the siege of Fort St. John (1775), and the Battle of the Cedars (1776); battles of Oriskany (includes maps), Sidney Plains, and St. Leger’s expedition against Fort Stanwix (1777); battles of 1778, including Wyoming (Pennsylvania), Cherry Valley (including maps), Cobleskill, Springfield, and Andrustown; John Sullivan's 1779 campaign against the Iroquois, including the battles of Newton and Minisink, John Wood's capture at Minisink and subsequent captivity, and the battle of Stone Arabia (1780); and Brant's peace and land negotiations in the U.S. and Canada. Also present are campaign journals of Richard Cartwright and Nathaniel Webb; a letter from Robert Van Rensselaer to George Clinton; and a manuscript article by Charles P. Avery concerning the Revolution in New York.
Also included is information on Brant's ancestry, family members (his sister Mary, also known as Molly; his brother-in-law, Sir William Johnson; his third wife, Catherine Croghan), and genealogy; on Indian education in Christian mission schools; descriptions of the Mohawk War against the Susquehanna Delawares in 1764, and the Devil's Hole Massacre (1764); descriptions of Upper and Lower Canada, 1792 and 1793; narratives of Indian captivities; Joshua Hathaway's 1793 diary describing his trip from Vermont to Niagara via Montreal and Kingston; genealogies of Moses Phillips and Daniel Claus; reminiscences of Eleazer Williams, the Oneida who claimed to be the “lost Dauphin”; a narrative of the founding of Belleville, Virginia (now West Virginia) by Joel and Joshua Dewey in 1784-1786; an autobiography (circa 1845-1846) of Governor Blacksnake; material concerning John Norton's leadership of the Mohawks in the War of 1812; and an account book, 1835-1846, of Solomon Pierce and James McCorry on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York, including legends detailed by Governor Blacksnake. Includes maps of New York areas; wood engravings of Brant, other chiefs, and John Sullivan; correspondence, clippings, interview notes, speeches, drawings, poems, and pension records.
NOTE: Descriptions of the volumes in contents list are copied from the Guide to the Draper Manuscripts by Josephine Harper.
