Polly Cooper was an Oneida woman from the New York colony who took part in an expedition in 1777 to aid the

Continental army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. Troops were camped at

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Tow ...

in winter quarters during 1777–78.

Contributions to the American Revolution

Cooper and other Oneida natives walked hundreds of miles to carry hundreds of bushels of white corn to the starving

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. She stayed with the

for a period to teach the soldiers how to prepare the white corn, which needed a different cooking technique for digestion. In addition, she aided with herbal supplements and medical care.

Alliance

The Oneida Indian Nation had a friendly relationship with George Washington and his army which important information in order to understand Polly Cooper’s story. The Oneida Indian Nation supported the American cause due to the leadership of the Congregational preacher, Samuel Kirkland and their disdain for the British appointed native superintendents,

Sir William Johnson Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet of New York ( – 11 July 1774), was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Ireland. As a young man, Johnson moved to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Royal Na ...

and his son in law

Guy Johnson Guy Johnson ( 1740 – 5 March 1788) was an Irish military officer and diplomat. He served on the side of the British during the Revolutionary War, having migrated to the Province of New York as a young man and worked with his uncle, Sir W ...

. On April 25th, a group of forty-seven Indian men and Polly Cooper left with Louis de Tousard carrying bushels of corn to assist Washington at Valley Forge.

After the War

After the war, the

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. Cooper was gifted a black shawl that she saw on display in a store window. Congress appropriated money for the shawl and it was given to her for her services as a cook for the officers of the army. The shawl is still in the care of the Cooper descendants and is in nearly perfect condition. It has been loaned for display at the Shako:wi, The Oneida Nation Cultural Center.

Legacy

The Polly Cooper Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is located in

Chappaqua Chappaqua ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of New Castle, in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. It is approximately north of New York City. The hamlet is served by the Chappaqua station of the Metro- ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

. In 2004, the Oneida Indian Nation commissioned a bronze statue by sculptor, Edward Hlavka in order to share the oral tradition of Polly Cooper. The twenty-two foot tall, 2,200 pound monument was gifted to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian and is displayed on the Oneida floor. In 2005, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Oneida County Historical Society.
Polly Cooper: Oneida Heroine", Oneida Indian Nation

References

*Glatthaar, Joseph T. and James Kirby Martin. ''Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution''. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Polly Oneida people Native Americans in the American Revolution Women in the American Revolution Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown Native American women in warfare People of New York (state) in the American Revolution 18th-century Native American women