Polly Cooper

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For the Archie Comics character, see Polly Cooper (Archie Comics).

Polly Cooper was an Oneida woman from the New York colony who took part in a expedition to aid the starving Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. She was among 47 Oneida and Seneca people who carried bushels of corn 250 miles (400 km) to Valley Forge from late April into May 1778. She taught them how to make a soup with the corn, nuts, and fruits to increase its nutritional value. Not wanting to be paid for her service, she was presented with a black shawl, which has been esteemed by Cooper and the Oneida people. It has been loaned to the Oneida Nation Cultural Center. Cooper is depicted in a bronze statue, "Allies in War, Partners in Peace", made by Edward Hlavka. It is on display at the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution.

American Revolution[edit]

The Oneida had a friendly relationship with George Washington and his army.[1] The Oneida supported the American cause due to the leadership of the Presbyterian preacher, Samuel Kirkland[2] and their disdain for the British appointed native superintendents, Sir William Johnson and his son-in-law Guy Johnson.[3]

The Oneida and Tuscarora people played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. They fought and died with the Continental Army, they were scouts, and they provided intelligence of British troop movements during the war.[4][5][6] Doing so meant that they fought against the other nations of the Iroquois Confederacy who sided with the British.[5] In 1777, the Seneca, some Mohawk, and Cuyoga officially chose to fight with the British.[6]

Valley Forge[edit]

John C. McRae, Valley Forge prayer, with General George Washington praying at Valley Forge, 1866, engraving, based on a painting by Henry Brueckner

On April 25, a group of forty-seven Oneida and Seneca men along with Polly Cooper left with Louis de Tousard carrying bushels of corn 250 miles (400 km) and supplies to assist Washington at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.[7][8] They walked through cold weather and deep snow[5] to reach the soldiers who were starving and dying of exposure and hunger.[4][5] They arrived in May 1778.[9] Cooper taught the Continental Army soldiers how to make the native's hulled corn soup, mixed with nuts and fruits to improve its nutritional quality.[10] Cooper stayed to care for ill soldiers.[5] Cooper became Washington's cook.[11] Loew states that Dolly Cobus, also known as Polly Cooper, cooked for Washington in Philadelphia.[6][7]

The shawl[edit]

The Continental Army tried to pay Polly Cooper for her valiant service, but she refused any recompense, stating that it was her duty to help her friends in their time of need.[12][13] According to Oneida oral tradition,[7] Cooper was given bonnet and a dark shawl by Martha Washington, who was at the encampment until June.[9][a]

The shawl is still in the care of the Cooper descendants and is in nearly perfect condition.[15] It has been loaned for display on special occasions[5] at the Shako:wi, The Oneida Nation Cultural Center.[16]

After the war[edit]

After the war, the Oneida's lost most of their land.[14] The words written about Oneida's role in American history have been delayed and understated for two centuries.[5][17] According to Carlton E. Spitzer, modern television documentaries generally exclude the roles that Native Americans and Black Americans played in the colonial war.[5] In 2001, Valley Forge was replacing the film it shows visitors with one that reflects the role Native Americans and black soldiers played at the historic site.[5]

Potential connections[edit]

Polly Cooper is said to be also known as Dolly Cobus,[4][6] Cobus means cooper in the Oneida language.[4] Known in relation to her husband as Dolly Cobus, married Honyery Doxtator, also known as Han Yerry, on August 20, 1774. She was his second wife. Cobus and Honyere had a son, Peter, in 1787. Peter had seven children with his wife, Lucretia Calvin and they lived on the Stockbridge reservation.[18]

Dolly Cobus, also said to be Molly Pitcher, fought alongside her husband Honyere and a group of other Oneida warriors joined a group of colonial militia men.[6][19] She fought alongside him at the Saratoga campaign (June 14 – October 17, 1777), taking over shooting for him when his wrist was wounded.[19] At the Battle of Oriskany (August 6, 1777) in New York, Cobus loaded her husband's musket. She became the shooter after her husband was wounded.[6] She was with Honyere, a captain, and his brother Honyost and fought with them at Fort Stanwix (August 1777).[20] In 1791, Hoyere and his brother Hoyost received 3,000 acres of military bounty land near the town of Junius, New York. Cobus was also said to have received land nearby in Red Springs, but it is not confirmed. The Oneida that had lots there sold them on May 26, 1809, for $23,000.[19] Cobus died on July 23, 1844. Her son Peter was alive at the time. Her step-children and husband were deceased.[21][b]

There was also a Polly Cooper who fought in the War of 1812 and received a pension, but she was 31 at the time, born about 1782.[19]

Legacy[edit]

  • In 2005, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Oneida County Historical Society.[27]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ There are other theories, like Martha Washington invited Cooper to Philadelphia,[4] or a dark brown gossimer shawl may have been purchased by the other officer's wives according to Valley Forge staff.[5] The National Park Service published a document about women at Valley Forge that said that Martha Washington gave Cooper the shawl. Martha, at the encampment until June 1778, was known for keeping people's spirits up.[9] It is also said that she saw a shawl in a window and Congress paid for it.[14]
  2. ^ Polly Cooper and Dolly Cobus are discussed separately in the same book[20] and article.[22] In the story of Honyere's life, there's no mention of Polly Cooper or Molly Pitcher.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Glatthaar 2006, pp. 95, 116.
  2. ^ Glatthaar 2006, pp. 57, 66, 67.
  3. ^ Glatthaar 2006, pp. 70–86.
  4. ^ a b c d e Wideman, Steve (1995-11-18). "Oneida cast for silver screen". The Post-Crescent. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Spitzer, Carlton E. (2001-01-04). "The legend of Polly Cooper's shawl". The Star-Democrat. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Loew 2001, p. 105.
  7. ^ a b c "Oneida". George Washington's Mount Vernon. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  8. ^ Glatthaar 2006, pp. 203, 205.
  9. ^ a b c "The Women Present at Valley Forge". Valley Forge National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  10. ^ Glatthaar 2006, pp. 205, 208.
  11. ^ "The Oneida Nation in the American Revolution (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  12. ^ "Polly Cooper: Oneida Heroine". Oneida Indian Nation.
  13. ^ Glatthaar 2006, p. 208.
  14. ^ a b Loew 2001, p. 106.
  15. ^ Hulbert, Guy C. (February 22, 1994). "Oneidas Will Display Gift from Martha Washington". Oneida Daily Dispatch.
  16. ^ "The Polly Cooper Shawl: Testimony to a Pact of the Revolutionary War". Oneida Indian Nation.
  17. ^ "Oneida tribe hoping to set record straight". The Post-Crescent. 1995-11-18. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  18. ^ a b Jourdan, Judith L. (February 28, 2008). "Land Claims Commission Corner - Who's Your Folks?". Kalihwisaks. p. 8A.
  19. ^ a b c d Hurtado, Albert L., ed. (2008). Reflections on American Indian history : honoring the past, building a future. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 64–66. ISBN 978-0-8061-3896-1.
  20. ^ a b The Oneida Indian experience : two perspectives. New York: Syracuse University Press. 1988. pp. 36 (Cobus), 145 (Cooper). ISBN 978-0-8156-2453-0.
  21. ^ White, Virgil D. (1990). Genealogical abstracts of Revolutionary War pension files. Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-945099-15-4.
  22. ^ Makin, Robert (March 11, 1997). "War & Remembrance". The Courier-News. Bridgewater, New Jersey. p. 23. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  23. ^ "New York - State and Chapter Web Sites". Daughters of the American Revolution - National Society. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  24. ^ Zotigh, Dennis. "New Sound-and-Light Installation Brings to Life the Oneida Nation's Aid to the American Revolution". Smithsonian Magazine.
  25. ^ "Allies in War, Partners in Peace". Oneida Indian Nation.
  26. ^ a b Glatthaar 2006, p. n9.
  27. ^ "Polly Cooper: Oneida Heroine". Oneida Indian Nation.

Bibliography[edit]

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