Guyasuta (c. 1725–c. 1794; , "standing crosses", or , "he stands up to the cross" or "he sets up the cross") was an important Native American leader of the Seneca people in the second half of the eighteenth century, playing a central role in the diplomacy and warfare of that era. Although he became friends with George Washington in 1753, he sided with the French against Britain during the French and Indian War and fought against the British in Pontiac's War. He later supported the British during the American Revolutionary War. In his final years, he engaged in peacemaking to end the Northwest Indian War.
Early life and family
Born in a Mingo community in upstate New York, probably on the Genesee River,Thomas S. Abler, "KAYAHSOTAˀ," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 4, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 20, 2024 he and his family migrated along the Allegheny River and after 1725 they settled in Logstown, a mostly-Haudenosaunee village in Pennsylvania.Brady J. Crytzer, Fort Pitt: A Frontier History, Arcadia Publishing, 2014 Guyasuta was a maternal uncle to CornplanterAbler, Thomas S. Cornplanter: Chief Warrior of the Allegany Senecas. Syracuse University Press, 2022. and Handsome Lake.Wallace, Anthony. Death and Rebirth of Seneca. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2010. He was distantly related to Governor Blacksnake and Red Jacket.
Guyasuta married twice and had six sons, of whom very little is known. He is reported to have sent one of his sons to Philadelphia "to learn English, to be an interpreter." In August 1762 the boy was returned to his family.Christopher Gist's Journals, with Historical, Geographical and Ethnological Notes, William Darlington, ed. Pittsburgh: J. R. Weldin & Co, 1893
Journey with Washington, 1753
Guyasuta first appears in colonial records when he met the 21-year-old George Washington, who had been assigned to deliver a message to the French commandant at Fort Leboeuf. In late 1753, Virginia Governor Dinwiddie appointed newly-commissioned Major Washington as a special envoy to demand that the French vacate the Ohio Country, which the British had claimed.Hale, Edward Everett. The Life of George Washington Studied Anew. G.P. Putnam's sons, 1887. Arriving with Christopher Gist in Logstown on November 23, Washington held council with Native American leaders, including Shingas, Scarouady, and Tanacharison.Crytzer, Brady. Major Washington's Pittsburgh and the Mission to Fort Le Boeuf. History Press, 2011. Washington explained his mission and received assurances that the Indians and the English "were brothers." Tanacharison told Washington that "he cou’d not consent to our going without a Guard, for fear some Accident shou’d befall us," and volunteered to accompany Washington, along with Kaghswaghtaniunt (White Thunder),William A. Hunter, "Kaghswaghtaniunt," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 3, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 20, 2024 Guyasuta, and Jeskakake. Their purpose was to return three belts of wampum sent by the French as a symbol of friendship. Returning the wampum was a gesture intended to show that the sachems at Logstown were allied with the English. Washington wrote in his diary that "I knew that returning of Wampum was the abolishing of Agreements; & giving this up was shaking of all Dependence upon the French." Guyasuta referred to George Washington as "Tall Hunter," and is referred to as "The Hunter," and "one of their best Hunters," in Washington's journal, Journey to the French Commandant.George Washington, "Journey to the French Commandant: Narrative," Founders Online, National Archives. The Diaries of George Washington, vol. 1, 11 March 1748 – 13 November 1765, ed. Donald Jackson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1976, pp. 130–161.C. Hale Sipe, The Indian chiefs of Pennsylvania, or, A story of the part played by the American Indian in the history of Pennsylvania: based primarily on the Pennsylvania archives and colonial records, and built around the outstanding chiefs. Ziegler Printing Co., Inc. Butler, PA, 1927; pp 371-408
Washington and his men left Logstown on November 30 and reached Venango at French Creek on December 4, where they were warmly greeted by Philippe-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire, who was in command of the French troops at Venango. Joncaire provided Washington's men with wine and brandy, and when intoxicated, Washington's Native American companions, including Guyasuta, declared their loyalty to the French. It took Washington three days to persuade them to move on to Fort Le Boeuf, where they met the French commander Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre. Tanacharison tried to return the wampum to Saint-Pierre, "who evaded taking it, & made many fair Promises of Love & Friendship; said he wanted to live in Peace & trade amicably with them; as a Proof of which, he wou’d send some Goods immediately down to the Logstown for them. As they prepared to leave, White Thunder was injured, and Tanacharison decided to stay with him, sending Guyasuta to accompany Washington and Gist, but as Washington's horses were slowed down by baggage, Washington and Gist left them with Guyasuta and a driver and proceeded on foot. Guyasuta returned with Tanacharison to Logstown on January 15, 1754.William A. Hunter, "Tanaghrisson," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 3, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 20, 2024
French and Indian War
Battle of the Monongahela
In July 1755, as the Braddock Expedition marched towards Fort Duquesne, the French recruited Native American warriors, including Odawas, Ojibwes, Mississaugas, and Ohio Valley Indians including Guyasuta, to assist in its defense. General Claude-Pierre Pécaudy de Contrecœur felt that the warriors would be less effective in or near the fort, and instead deployed them in the open forests south of the fort, where their rifles could hit targets at long range while the Indians fired from behind rocks and trees. The British were unable to employ traditional volley fire tactics and were routed.Holton, Woody. Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution. Simon & Schuster, 2021. When Guyasuta met Washington again in Ohio in October 1770, the warrior described how he had attempted to shoot Washington twice on the field of battle, and both times something had mysteriously deflected his bullet.Ed Wolf, "Braddock’s Campaign," Bridgeville Area Historical Society, August 30, 2018Beirne, Logan. Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency. Encounter Books, 2014.
Delegation to Montreal
Guyasuta was recognized for his participation in the victory, and in late 1755 was selected to lead a party of twenty Senecas to visit Montreal accompanied by Philippe-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire, who served as interpreter. At the Château Vaudreuil the Indians were received in the council chamber with much ceremony by the Governor General of Canada, the Marquis de Vaudreuil. Guyasuta, chief and orator of the Senecas, addressed Vaudreuil, seeking a formal alliance with the French. The delegation remained in Montreal until the following spring.
Adoption of Simon Girty
In August 1756, Guyasuta participated in the capture of Fort Granville, taking captive 22 soldiers, 3 women, and 5 or 6 children, among whom were 15-year-old Simon Girty, his three brothers, and his mother and stepfather. Simon Girty was adopted by Guyasuta and lived with him until 1764, when by arrangement with Colonel Henry Bouquet, over 200 white captives were handed over to British authorities. On November 14 1764, Guyasuta took Girty to Bouquet's camp on the Muskingum River and handed him over directly to Lieutenant Alexander McKee, assistant deputy agent for the British Indian Department. Having learned nine Native American languages during his years with the Seneca, Girty became an interpreter for the British Army and, in this role, encountered Guyasuta frequently during negotiations.Butts, Edward. Simon Girty: Wilderness Warrior. Canada: Dundurn, 2011.
Battle of Fort Duquesne
In September 1758, Guyasuta was again called to defend Fort Duquesne when the Forbes Expedition arrived. A reconnaissance force under Major James Grant had gone ahead, and Grant decided to attack the fort, thinking that the garrison would be easily overcome. Instead, in the ensuing Battle of Fort Duquesne, French marines and Native American warriors overwhelmed Grant's troops, capturing him. James Smith described the battle: "The French and Indians knew not that Grant and his men were there until they beat the drum and played upon the bagpipes, just at daylight. They then flew to arms, and the Indians ran up under cover of the banks of Allegheny and Monongahela, for some distance, and then sallied out from the banks of the rivers, and took possession of the hill above Grant; and as he was on the point of it in sight of the fort, they immediately surrounded him, and as he had his Highlanders in ranks, and in very close order, and the Indians scattered, and concealed behind trees, they defeated him with the loss only of a few warriors; most of the Highlanders were killed or taken prisoners."
Guyasuta's warriors decapitated the bodies of Grant's highlanders and impaled the heads on stakes in front of the fort.Baldwin, Leland D. Pittsburgh: The Story of a City, 1750-1865. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1937.
Battle of Loyalhanna
In October 1758, Guyasuta led a force of warriors in the Battle of Loyalhanna, together with 450 French troops under the command of Charles Philippe Aubry and 150 Lenape led by Keekyuscung,Hunter, William Albert. Forts on the Pennsylvania Frontier: 1753–1758, (Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited, 2018; pp 330-340 but the British, under the command of Colonel James Burd, repulsed the attack.
Peace conference at Fort Pitt, 1759
In July 1759, Guyasuta, two other chiefs and sixteen warriors of the Six Nations, along with a number of Lenape, Shawnee and Wyandot leaders, attended a conference at Pittsburgh with George Croghan, William Trent, Colonel Hugh Mercer, and the officers of Fort Pitt. At this conference the terms of the 1758 Treaty of Easton were reaffirmed, and the tribal leaders promised to hand over captives taken during the French and Indian War. Guyasuta became close friends with George Croghan at this conference, a relationship which they maintained for many years.Wainwright, Nicholas B. George Croghan: Wilderness Diplomat. Omohundro Institute and UNC Press, 2012. Croghan once referred to Guyasuta as "a Sencable good Tempered Indian."
Pontiac's War