Near Birchwood in Meigs County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
"They drove us out of our house"
Photographed by Lee Hattabaugh, January 2, 2011
1. "They drove us out of our house" Marker
Beginning on May 26, 1838, soldiers began rounding up Cherokee women, men, and children. They showed little concern or respect for families or their property. In the first days, confusion abounded as soldiers and militiamen gathered individuals wherever they were found. The military's action divided families and split communities.
"The military forces that had been ordered into the country were divided into companies, and a district given each for the clearing of it Cherokee inhabitants. Some neighborhoods were taken by foot soldiers and the prisoners marched at the point of bayonet, while other were taken by a party on horse, and some permitted to ride their own horses, and the small children often conveyed in wagon[s] " Lucy Ames Butler to Drusilla Burnap, January 2, 1839
After the initial roundup and concentration, large groups of Cherokees marched overland to emigration depots near the Tennessee River. Jammed together in unsanitary encampments hundreds of Cherokees suffered from diarrhea, dysentery, measles, and whooping cough. Dependent on the United States Army for food and clothes, many suffered from exposure
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"June 16, 1838, Camp Hetzel, Near Cleveland. The Cherokees are nearly all prisoners. The have been dragged from their houses, and encamped at the forts and military posts, all over the nation. In Georgia, especially, multitudes were allowed no time to take anything with them, except the clothes they had on. Well furnished houses were left prey to plunderers, who, like hungry wolves, follow in the train of the captors. These wretches rifle the houses, and strip the helpless, unoffending owners of all they have on earth. Females who have been habituated to comforts and comparative affluence, are driven on foot before the bayonets of brutal men. Their feelings are mortified by vulgar and profane vociferations. It is a painful sight." Evan Jones, in Baptist Missionary September 1838
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Trail of Tears series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 2, 1838.
Location. 35° 24.423′ N, 85° 0.383′ W.
Photographed by Lee Hattabaugh, January 2, 2011
2. "They drove us out of our house" Marker
Far left in this view.
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: General Winfield Scott (here, next to this marker); "Orders No. 25" (here, next to this marker); "To Learn and not Forget" (here, next to this marker); "Your Fate is Decided" (here, next to this marker); "Chains of Friendship" (here, next to this marker); "Given by the Great Spirit above" (here, next to this marker); "A Desire to Possess" (here, next to this marker); "Not a treaty at all" (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birchwood.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2011, by Lee Hattabaugh of Capshaw, Alabama. This page has been viewed 748 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 7, 2011, by Lee Hattabaugh of Capshaw, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
