Charleston in Bradley County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Spare Our People

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 24, 2021

1. Spare Our People Marker

Inscription.

Ask [the Cherokees] when they are going to remove west and they will answer you by saying they would rather die here than go west to die.

— General Nathaniel Smith, Superintendent of Cherokee Removal, to C.A. Harris, Cherokee Agency East (Charleston, TN), April 25, 1837

Captions
• (left) Thousands of Cherokee are estimated to have died as a result of removal, both in the camps and en route to Indian Territory. The payment voucher seen here is for 469 coffins for 185 adults and 284 children who perished at the Fort Cass internment camps over a period of approximately two months. Courtesy of Sequoyah National Research Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
• Background: Calhoun Community Cemetery, formerly the Methodist Episcopal South Cemetery.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Military. In addition, it is included in the Trail of Tears series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 25, 1837.

Location. 35° 16.863′ N, 84° 45.625′ W. Marker is in Charleston, Tennessee, in Bradley County. It is on Market Street NE 0.1 miles

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north of Hiwassee Street (U.S. 11), on the left when traveling north. Marker is on Voices from the Past Trail at Hiwassee River Heritage Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8746 Hiwassee Street, Charleston TN 37310, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Spare Our People (a few steps from this marker); A Warning and a Protest (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named A Warning and a Protest (a few steps from this marker); Anticipation Grows (within shouting distance of this marker); a different

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 24, 2021

2. Spare Our People Marker

Marker is on the left.

marker also named Anticipation Grows (within shouting distance of this marker); Voices from the Past (within shouting distance of this marker); Preparing for Removal (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Preparing for Removal (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.

More about this marker. It is double-sided, with each side identical to the other.

Also see . . . Nathaniel Smith: Correspondence Regarding Cherokee Removal, April 1837. Full text of his letter, as transcribed from the original held by the National Archives. (Submitted on July 25, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 337 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 25, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.