Tewahangarahken – Han Yerry Doxtader

Han Yerry Doxtader fighting by his wife's side during the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777.

Oneida Indian Nation/Don Troiani

Quick Facts

Significance:

Hanyerry Doxatader was a Native American Warrior and ally of the new United States during the American Revolution. He fought at Oriskany and Saratoga, and dined with George Washington at Valley Forge. His leadership helped secure the Oneidas as America's "First Allies" in the history books.

Place of Birth:

Mohawk Valley, British Colony of New York

Date of Birth:

Circa 1724

Place of Death:

Mohawk Valley, State of New York

Date of Death:

1794

Han Yerry was born circa 1724, somewhere in the Mohawk Valley. It was believed that his mother was Mohawk and his father German (probably Palatine). Despite his Mohawk background, Han Yerry chose to live with the Oneida and was accepted as such, becoming a member and lead warrior of the Wolf Clan. He was called Han Yerry Tewahangarahken (“He Who Takes Up the Snowshoe”) by Oneida, and Han Yerry Doxtader by whites.

Sometime in the 1750s Han Yerry married Tyonajanegen (“Two Kettles Together”). They settled in the Oneida village of Oriska (near present day Oriskany, NY), and had three sons and a daughter; Jacob, Cornelius Dolly, and Peter. Prior to the American Revolution, Han Yerry was one of the wealthiest Oneidas and counted amongst his holding a frame house, a barn, a wagon and sleigh, and numerous horses, chickens, pigs, cattle, sheep, and turkeys.

Due to British encroachment on Oneida land and their attempts to stifle Oneida self-sufficiency, Han Yerry became drawn to the Patriot side of the coming American Revolution. When a British/Loyalist/Native army invaded Oneida land and laid siege to American Fort Schuyler (Stanwix) in August of 1777, Han Yerry and his family took up arms against them.Han Yerry, Two Kettles, and son Cornelius fought with Herkimer’s Patriot militia at the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777. Though wounded in the wrist, Han Yerry fought on with Two Kettles reloading his gun for him.

After the militia retreated, Two Kettles rode through the Mohawk Valley to spread word of the fight. Later that year, the couple left to the Saratoga area to fight with General Horatio Gates against another invading British force.

Han Yerry and other Oneida warriors served with the Continental Army at Valley Forge for a short time in 1778. While there, he was a dinner guest of General Washington. Han Yerry also served with the Continental Army operating against the British allied Cayuga and Seneca Native Nations in Western New York in 1779 during the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition.

In 1779, Han Yerry received a captain’s commission from the Continental Congress. After the war, Han Yerry continued his leadership role in Oneida affairs dealing with land sales and treaties, representing his Oneida village in a boundary dispute with Congress. Han Yerry died in 1794. He was remembered by one observer decades later as an “ordinary sized” fellow and “quite a gentleman in his demeanor.” An Oneida friend, Hendrick Smith, honored him when he said, “Hon Yerry was too old for the Service, yet used to go fearlessly into the fights.”

Two Kettles grew blind in old age and survived her husband by nearly three decades.

Source:

Forgotten Allies: The Oneidas and the American Revolution. James Kirby Martin and  Joseph T Glatthaar. Hill & Wang, New York, 2007.