Trail of Tears

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With less than 15 Hours to Get ready upon arrival. Tribes were denied from taking extra package, many left barefoot with no moccasins or blankets unaware of the cold winter they would have to endure, tribes were not aloud to take extra food, instead it was salvaged by the soldiers for their own appetites. Soon after lands were been actioned and lotteries were been won and given away to the highest bidders. 8 years of no sleep also known as "Trail of Tears" Started October 15, 1831 to March of 1839.

Oct. 15th, 1837.
Marched the Party at 8 o”c. A.M. halted and encamped at Spring Creek, at 11 o’c A.M. where Genl. Smith mustered the Party, which consumed the remainder of the day, 5 miles to day.

Oct. 16th, 1837.
Marched at 8 o’c. A.M., halted and encamped at Kelly’s ferry on Tennessee river, at 4 o’c. P.M. Issued corn & fodder, Corn meal & bacon, 14 miles to day.

Oct. 17th, 1837.
Commenced ferrying the Tennessee river at 8 o’c. A.M., having been detained until the sun dispelled the fog, every thing being in readiness to commence at day light, completed ferrying at 4 o’c. P.M. and reached little [p. 2] Richland creek at 8 o’c. P.M.., where the Party had been directed to halt and encamp, Issued corn & fodder, 7 miles to day.

Oct. 18th, 1837.
Marched at 7 ½ o’c. A.M., one of the provision wagons oversat, detained a half hour, no damage done, ascended Wallens ridge, (the ascent 2 miles) halted at Ragsdale’s at 1 ½ o’c. P.M., encamped and issued corn & fodder, corn-meal & bacon, 10 miles further to water, all wearied getting up the mountain, 5 miles today.

Oct. 19th, 1837.
Marched at 7 ½ o’c. A. M. descended the mountain, halted at 2 o’c. P.M., at Sequachee river near Mr. Springs, Issued corn & fodder, 11 ½ miles to day.

Oct. 20th, 1837.
Marched at 6 ½ o’c. A.M., ascended the Cumberland mountain, halted at Mr. Flemings, ¾ past 3 o’c. P.M., encamped and issued corn & fodder, corn meal & Bacon, 14 ½ miles to day.

Oct. 21st, 1837.
Marched at 7 ½ o’c. A.M., descended the mountain, halted at Collins river, 4 1/r o’c. P.M., encamped and issued corn & fodder, the Indians appear fatigued this evening. 13 miles today, road extremely rough.

Oct. 22nd, 1837.
Marched at 8 o’c. A.M. passed through McMinnville, halted at Mr. Britts ½ past 12 o’c. M., encamped and issued corn & fodder, corn meal & Bacon, Sugar [p. 3] and coffee to the waggoners & Interpreters, no water for 12 miles ahead, procured a quantity of corn meal and bacon to day. 7 ½ miles to day.

Oct. 23rd, 1837.
Marched at 6 ½ o’c. A.M., Capt. Prigmore badly hurt by a wagon horse attempting to run away, halted at Stone river near Woodbury, Te. ½ past 4 o’c. P.M., encamped and issued corn & fodder, 20 miles to day.

Oct. 24th, 1837.
Marched at 7 ½ o’c. A. M., halted at Mr. Yearwoods, 4 o’c. P.M., rained last night and to day, Issued corn & fodder, corn meal and bacon, 15 miles to day.

Oct. 25th, 1837.
Marched at 8 o’c. A.M., buried Andrew’s child at ½ past 9 o’c. A.M., passed through Murfreesborough, halted at Overall’s creek, 4 o’c. P.M., encamped and issued corn and fodder, 14 miles to day.

Oct. 26th, 1837.
Marched at 8 o’c. A.M., passed through three turnpike Gates, halted at Mr. Harris, 3 o’c. P.M., encamped and issued corn & fodder, corn meal & bacon, 16 ½ miles to day.

Oct. 27th, 1837.
Marched at 7 ½ o’c. A.M., passed through two Turn 13 miles to day.

Oct. 28th, 1837.
Rested for the purpose of washing clothes, repairing wagons, and shoeing horses. Reese, Starr and others of the emigrants visited Genl. Jackson who was at Nashville, Issued corn & fodder, corn-meal and bacon, Assigned Mr. E. S. Curry to supply the place of Mr. Kincannon.

Oct. 29th, 1837.
Marched at 8 ½ o’c. A.M., halted at Long creek ½ past 2 o’c. P.M., encamped and issued corn & fodder, 13 ½ miles to day.

Oct. 30th, 1837.
Marched at 7 ½ o’c A.M., halted at Little red river ½ past 5 o’c. P.M., encamped and issued corn & fodder, corn-meal & Bacon, 18 ½ miles to day.

Oct. 31st, 1837.
Marched at 8 o’c. A.M., halted at Graves, Ken. 3 o’c. P.M., Issued corn & fodder, 16 miles to day.

1830 Indian Removal Act: The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830, authorizing the president to grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders.

Five Civilised Tribes were the Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, Chickasaw and Creek.

The Choctaw tribe were removed in 1831
The Seminole tribe were removed in 1832
The Creek tribe were removed in 1834
The Chickasaw tribe were removed in 1837
The Cherokee tribe were removed in 1838

In the winter of 1838 the Cherokee began the thousand-mile march with scant clothing and most on foot without shoes or moccasins. The march began in Red Clay, Tennessee, the location of the last Eastern capital of the Cherokee Nation. Because of the diseases, the Native Americans (colloquially known as Indians) were not allowed to go into any towns or villages along the way; many times this meant traveling much farther to go around them. After crossing Tennessee and Kentucky, they arrived at the Ohio River across from Golconda in southern Illinois about the 3rd of December 1838. Here the starving Indians were charged a dollar a head (equal to $22.15 today) to cross the river on "Berry's Ferry" which typically charged twelve cents, equal to $2.66 today. They were not allowed passage until the ferry had serviced all others wishing to cross and were forced to take shelter under "Mantle Rock," a shelter bluff on the Kentucky side, until "Berry had nothing better to do". Many died huddled together at Mantle Rock waiting to cross. Several Cherokee were murdered by locals. The killers filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Government through the courthouse in Vienna, suing the government for $35 a head (equal to $775.14 today) to bury the murdered Cherokee.

As they crossed southern Illinois, on December 26, Martin Davis, Commissary Agent for Moses Daniel's detachment, wrote: "There is the coldest weather in Illinois I ever experienced anywhere. The streams are all frozen over something like 8 or 12 inches (20 or 30 cm) thick. We are compelled to cut through the ice to get water for ourselves and animals. It snows here every two or three days at the farther east. We are now camped in Mississippi River swamp 4 miles (6.4 km) from the river, and there is no possible chance of crossing the river for the numerous quantity of ice that comes floating down the river every day. We have only traveled 65 miles (105 km) on the last month, including the time spent at this place, which has been about three weeks. It is unknown when we shall cross the river..."

Nevertheless, the treaty, passed by Congress by a single vote, and signed into law by President Andrew Jackson, was imposed by his successor President Martin Van Buren who allowed Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama an armed force of 7,000 made up of militia, regular army, and volunteers under General Winfield Scott to round up about 13,000 Cherokees into concentration camps at the U.S. Indian Agency near Cleveland, Tennessee before being sent to the West. Most of the deaths occurred from disease, starvation and cold in these camps. Their homes were burned and their property destroyed and plundered. Farms belonging to the Cherokees for generations were won by white settlers in a lottery. After the initial roundup, the U.S. military still oversaw the emigration until they met the forced destination.

Private John G. Burnett later wrote,
"Future generations will read and condemn the act and I do hope posterity will remember that private soldiers like myself, and like the four Cherokees who were forced by General Scott to shoot an Indian Chief and his children, had to execute the orders of our superiors. We had no choice in the matter. #trailoftears