Brant, Joseph (1742-1807), was a Mohawk leader. His Mohawk name was Thayendanegea. He led the Iroquois forces that fought on the side of the British in the American Revolution (1775-1783). Brant became a colonel in the British Army, and his raids on settlements in the Mohawk Valley caused great damage.
Brant was born in what is now Ohio. Brant’s stepfather befriended the British colonel and Indian agent Sir William Johnson. As a result of this friendship, Brant attended the Eleazer Wheelock Academy in Lebanon, Connecticut, and became a Christian. As a young man, Brant sided with the Iroquois who fought for the British against the French.
Prior to the American Revolution, Brant helped to translate the Episcopal prayer book and part of the New Testament into Mohawk. After the war, Brant continued to be a Mohawk leader in Canada. He died on Nov. 24, 1807.
See also Oriskany, Battle of .
