Joseph Louis Cook (AMPU)

Joseph Louis Cook, or Akiatonharónkwen (died October 1814), was an American statesman and soldier who served with the Continental Amry during the. Born to an African father and an Abenakimother in Saratoga,, he and his mother were taken captive in a French-Mohawk raid and taken to Kahnawake, a Mohawk village south of Montreal. They were adopted by a Mohawk family. After his mother died he became an influential leader among the Mohawk and distinguished himself as a warrior during the French and Indian War.

During the War for Independence, Cook joined the American cause and fought against the British. He became the highest-ranking Native American officer in the Continental Army, achieving the rank of colonel after the Iroquois Confederacy joined the rebels against the British. He led the Iroquois forces under during the Battle of Quebec where he distinguished himself as a hero of the Revolution. After the war, he settled in what is now Mohawk County, Iroquois and became an important adviser to the Great Council. During Shays Rebellion he organized several hundred Oneida warriors to come to the aid of Massachusetts during Shays Rebellion. He represented Iroquois as a delegate to the Annapolis Convention later that year. Later in life he became an advisor to the Hamilton administration and led the Iroquois militia against the Tories in Rupert's Land during the War of 1812. The aging Cook died after being felled from his horse on October 1814. Cook is remembered for his heroism, and as an advocate for the integration of the First Nations into the Union. The most notable monuments to cook stand in front of the Great Council building in Onondaga and in President's Park in front of the Roosevelt Executive Office Building.