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

Prisoners

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 24, 2021

1. Prisoners Marker

Inscription.

The Cherokees are nearly all prisoners. They have been dragged from their houses, and encamped at the forts and military posts, all over the nation … Our brother [Jesse] Bushyhead and his family, Rev. Stephen Foreman, native missionary of the American Board [of Commissioners for Foreign Missions], the speaker of the national council, and several men of character and respectability, with their families, are here prisoners.

— Evan Jones, Camp Hetzel, near Cleveland, TN, June 16, 1838

Caption: Evan Jones was a respected Baptist missionary to the Cherokee for fifty years. During removal, he traveled with the Cherokee to Indian Territory, serving as the assistant conductor of the Situwakee detachment. Courtesy of Grant Foreman Collection, Oklahoma Historical Society.

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 June 16, 1838.

Location. 35° 16.88′ N, 84° 45.575′ W. Marker is in Charleston, Tennessee, in Bradley County. It is on Market Street NE 0.1

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miles north of Hiwassee Street (U.S. 11), on the left when traveling north. Marker is on the 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 Prisoners (a few steps from 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); Anticipation Grows (within shouting distance of this

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 24, 2021

2. Prisoners Marker

marker); Sickness in the Camps (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Anticipation Grows (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Sickness in the Camps (within shouting distance of this marker); Spare Our People (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 . . .
1. “Work of Barbarity”: An Eyewitness Account of the Trail of Tears. A fuller (though not complete) transcript of Jones' account. (Submitted on July 25, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Jones, Evan (1788-1872). Short biography by Jerry L. Faught II in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. (Submitted on July 25, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. Evan Jones' correspondence, 1838-1839. Scans of original Evan Jones correspondence. Provided by the American Baptist Historical Society (Submitted on October 17, 2024, by Jenny Manasco of Atlanta, Georgia.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 643 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 25, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.