Editing Cornplanter (section)

==War chief==

When the [[American Revolutionary War]] began in 1775, Cornplanter urged the Seneca to remain neutral.<ref name="Graymont">{{Cite book|last=Graymont|first=Barbara|title=The Iroquois in the American Revolution|year=1972|publisher=Syracuse University Press|location=Syracuse, N.Y.|page=171 |isbn=9780815600831 |url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/iroquoisinameric00gray}}</ref> He is reported to have said, "War is war. Death is death. A fight is a hard business."<ref name="Abler 1989" />

Initially, both the British and the Americans also wanted the Iroquois to remain neutral. As the war progressed, however, the British began encouraging the Iroquois to "take up the hatchet," while the Americans sought their continued neutrality. In July 1777, the Seneca met with [[John Butler (Ranger)|John Butler]], a deputy superintendent in the [[British Indian Department]] at [[Irondequoit, New York|Irondequoit]] to discuss whether to abandon their neutrality. Although Cornplanter strongly opposed becoming involved, the Seneca eventually agreed to actively support the British against the Americans. Cornplanter honoured that decision.<ref name="Graymont" />

Because of the status of the Seneca as "elder brothers" among the Iroquois, most of the [[Iroquois Confederacy]] followed suit. The [[Oneida people|Oneida]] and the [[Tuscarora people|Tuscarora]], however, strongly influenced by the missionaries such as [[Samuel Kirkland]], resolved to support the Americans instead.<ref name="Crytzer">{{cite web |last1=Crytzer |first1=Brady J. |title=Longhouse Lost: The Battle of Oriskany and the Iroquois Civil War |url=https://allthingsliberty.com/2020/07/longhouse-lost-the-battle-of-oriskany-and-the-iroquois-civil-war/ |website=Journal of the American Revolution |date=30 July 2020 |access-date=15 March 2023}}</ref> Cornplanter and [[Sayenqueraghta]] were named as war chiefs of the four nations that allied with the British: the [[Mohawk people|Mohawk]], [[Seneca people|Seneca]], [[Onondaga people|Onondaga]] and [[Cayuga people|Cayuga]].

During the [[Siege of Fort Stanwix]] in August 1777, Cornplanter played a significant role in the ambush of a column of Patriot militia and Oneida at the [[Battle of Oriskany]].<ref name="Crytzer" /> In 1778, he joined forces with John Butler and [[Butler's Rangers]] at the 1778 [[Battle of Wyoming]] in what is now [[Northeastern Pennsylvania]]. Roughly 300 Patriot militia and [[Continental Army|Continentals]] were killed in what is commonly known as the Wyoming Massacre. The battle was followed by widespread looting and burning throughout the [[Wyoming Valley]] but non-combatants were not harmed.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Glenn F. |title=Year of the Hangman: George Washington's Campaign against the Iroquois |date=2005 |publisher=Westholm Publishing |location=Yardley, Pennsylvania |isbn=9781594160134 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/yearofhangmangeo0000will}}</ref>

In November 1778, Cornplanter led the Seneca at the [[Cherry Valley Massacre]]. During this raid many non-combatants were killed or taken captive.

In 1779, [[George Washington]] ordered Major General [[John Sullivan (general)|John Sullivan]] to invade Iroquois territory and destroy their villages. Cornplanter, along with [[Joseph Brant]], Sayenqueraghta, and Butler, fought a desperate delaying action in order to allow the escape of refugees to [[Fort Niagara]]. They were brushed aside at the [[Battle of Newtown]] by Sullivan's army of 4,500 men.

The [[Sullivan Expedition]] caused great destruction during the subsequent [[scorched earth]] campaign. They methodically razed villages, burned fields, and destroyed stored foodstuffs throughout the Seneca and Cayuga homeland.<ref name="sullivan">{{cite web |last=Adamiak |first=Stanley J. |url= http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/1998/sullivan.html |title=The 1779 Sullivan Campaign: A Little-Known Offensive Strategic To The War Breaks The Indian Nations' Power |website=Archiving Early America |access-date=2006-11-11 }}</ref> The Seneca suffered terribly during the following winter. Many froze or starved to death. Cornplanter and his warriors, however, continued to raid American settlements in 1780.<ref name="Graymont" />

In May 1780, Cornplanter and Joseph Brant led an attack on Canojaharie on the [[Mohawk River]]. During this raid, Seneca warriors captured Cornplanter's father John Abeel and burned his house. Cornplanter, who had once gone as a young man to meet his father, recognized Abeel and offered apology. Cornplanter invited Abeel to go with him or return to his European family. When his father chose the latter, Cornplanter had Seneca warriors accompany him in safety.<ref name="Graymont" />

A few months later Cornplanter participated in the large scale raid on the Schoharie Creek and Mohawk River valleys that culminated in the inconclusive [[Battle of Klock's Field]].<ref name="Abler 2007" /> He was relatively inactive for the remainder of the war.