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Mohawk Baronet: A Biography of Sir William Johnson
William Johnson was among the most powerful and romantic figures in early American history. Beginning as an impoverished eighteenth century Irish immigrant, he became the wealthiest and most influential Indian leader on the North American continent. Married to Molly Brant, sister of the celebrated Mohawk Joseph Brant, Johnson served as a mediator in the evolving clash of the European and Native American cultures. This new edition brings back into print a classic work that will be welcomed reading for all those interested in early American history and American-Indian relations.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
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About the author
James Thomas Flexner
73 books27 followersJames Thomas Flexner was an American historian and biographer best known for the four-volume biography of George Washington that earned him a National Book Award in Biography and a special Pulitzer Prize. A cum laude graduate of Harvard University, Flexner worked as a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune from 1929 until 1931, after which he worked as an executive secretary for the New York City Department of Health before leaving the job the following year in order to devote his full energies to writing.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 27, 2012
Sir William Johnson, the greatest frontiersman of the American Colonial period, defied all of the stereotypes that we typically associate with the term. Rather than a rough hewn log cabin, he inhabited a feudal manor. In place of the proto-democratic individualism of our mythologized frontiersmen, he epitomized the clannish feudalism of his native Ireland. And rather than being a noted Indian slayer, he was an adopted Mohawk sachem, a chief both in war and peace, and one of the Native's greatest friends among the whites.
Johnson ranks among the most important men of the entire Colonial period, rivaled in fame and influence only by Benjamin Franklin. He earned honor and respect from two worlds; made a Baronet for his service to England as the Crown's Indian Superintendent, and made a chief of the Mohawk nation of the Iroquois Confederation. His keen understanding of the strategic importance of the Natives to the balance of power in North America and his mastery of Indian diplomacy made him the single most important man to the victory of British Arms in America during the French and Indian War. Had he not died in 1774, on the eve of the American Revolution, he likely would have been a crucial, if not deciding figure in that conflict as well.
James Thomas Flexner, who is best known for his outstanding, four volume biography of George Washington, here handles the fascinating life of Sir William Johnson just as brilliantly. From his prologue to his final sentence he grabs and holds the readers attention, weaving a gripping tale that is also illuminating history. He makes a strong case for Johnson's preeminent importance to the development of Colonial America and even to the eventual formation of The United States. Anyone with an interest in Colonial America, The French and Indian Wars, or The Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederation should consider this book a must read. It receives my very highest recommendation.
Johnson ranks among the most important men of the entire Colonial period, rivaled in fame and influence only by Benjamin Franklin. He earned honor and respect from two worlds; made a Baronet for his service to England as the Crown's Indian Superintendent, and made a chief of the Mohawk nation of the Iroquois Confederation. His keen understanding of the strategic importance of the Natives to the balance of power in North America and his mastery of Indian diplomacy made him the single most important man to the victory of British Arms in America during the French and Indian War. Had he not died in 1774, on the eve of the American Revolution, he likely would have been a crucial, if not deciding figure in that conflict as well.
James Thomas Flexner, who is best known for his outstanding, four volume biography of George Washington, here handles the fascinating life of Sir William Johnson just as brilliantly. From his prologue to his final sentence he grabs and holds the readers attention, weaving a gripping tale that is also illuminating history. He makes a strong case for Johnson's preeminent importance to the development of Colonial America and even to the eventual formation of The United States. Anyone with an interest in Colonial America, The French and Indian Wars, or The Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederation should consider this book a must read. It receives my very highest recommendation.
September 21, 2016
A careful, balanced biography of Johnson, vividly portrayed here as an Indian leader.
Flexner does a fine job describing Johnson’s complicated personal life, and his involvement in and diplomacy with the Iroquois Confederacy. The term “frontiersman” evokes images of log cabins, fringed buckskin shirts and marksmanship with a rifle. While a frontiersman, Johnson was not one in this sense, and Flexner describes the aspects of Johnson that defied the stereotype: his feudal manor, his status as a Mohawk sachem, and his political alliances and personal friendships among the Iroquois. Flexner also portrays Johnson as a successful military commander.
While readable, Flexner’s biography does not describe Johnson’s business activities or his role as a landlord and landowner in much detail (perhaps because they clash with his frontier image) Also, he seems to exaggerate Johnson’s role in the demises of Shirley and Amherst. We never really get a real glimpse into Johnson’s character, and Flexner often portrays him as unprincipled, although this doesn’t appear to have been a dominant trait.
A gripping, engaging, and interesting biography.
Flexner does a fine job describing Johnson’s complicated personal life, and his involvement in and diplomacy with the Iroquois Confederacy. The term “frontiersman” evokes images of log cabins, fringed buckskin shirts and marksmanship with a rifle. While a frontiersman, Johnson was not one in this sense, and Flexner describes the aspects of Johnson that defied the stereotype: his feudal manor, his status as a Mohawk sachem, and his political alliances and personal friendships among the Iroquois. Flexner also portrays Johnson as a successful military commander.
While readable, Flexner’s biography does not describe Johnson’s business activities or his role as a landlord and landowner in much detail (perhaps because they clash with his frontier image) Also, he seems to exaggerate Johnson’s role in the demises of Shirley and Amherst. We never really get a real glimpse into Johnson’s character, and Flexner often portrays him as unprincipled, although this doesn’t appear to have been a dominant trait.
A gripping, engaging, and interesting biography.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews