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General Winfield Scott's Address to the Cherokee Nation
(May 10, 1838)
From the Cherokee Agency, Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott delivered an ultimatum to the Cherokees remaining in northern Georgia -- they had to go west, and they had to go now:
"Cherokees! The President of the United States has sent me with
a powerful army, to cause you, in obedience to the treaty of 1835 [Treaty of New Echota], to join that part of your people who have already established in prosperity
on the other side of the Mississippi. Unhappily, the two years which were allowed for the purpose, you have suffered to pass
away without following, and without making any preparation to follow; and now, or by the time that this solemn address shall
reach your distant settlements, the emigration must be commenced in haste, but I hope without disorder. I have no power, by
granting a farther delay, to correct the error that you have committed. The full moon of May is already on the wane; and before
another shall have passed away, every Cherokee man, woman and child in those states must be in motion to join their brethren
in the far West.
My friends! This is no sudden determination on the part of the President,
whom you and I must now obey. By the treaty, the emigration was to have been completed on or before the 23rd of this month;
and the President has constantly kept you warned, during the two years allowed, through all his officers and agents in this
country, that the treaty would be enforced.
I am come to carry out that determination. My troops already occupy
many positions in the country that you are to abandon, and thousands and thousands are approaching from every quarter, to
render resistance and escape alike hopeless. All those troops, regular and militia, are your friends. Receive them and confide
in them as such. Obey them when they tell you that your can remain no longer in this country. Soldiers are as kind-hearted
as brave, and the desire of every one of us is to execute our painful duty in mercy. We are commanded by the President to
act towards you in that spirit, and much is also the wish of the whole people of America.
Chiefs, head-men and warriors! Will you then, by resistance, compel
us to resort to arms? God forbid! Or will you, by flight, seek to hid yourselves in mountains and forests, and thus oblige
us to hunt you down? Remember that, in pursuit, it may be impossible to avoid conflicts. The blood of the white man or the
blood of the red man may be spilt, and, if spilt, however accidentally, it may be impossible for the discreet and humane among
you, or among us, to prevent a general war and carnage. Think of this, my Cherokee brethren! I am an old warrior, and have
been present at many a scene of slaughter, but spare me, I beseech you, the horror of witnessing the destruction of the Cherokees.
Do not, I invite you, even wait for the close approach of the troops;
but make such preparations for emigration as you can and hasten to this place, to Ross's Landing or to Gunter's Landing, where
you all will be received in kindness by officers selected for the purpose. You will find food for all and clothing for the
destitute at either of those places, and thence at your ease and in comfort be transported to your new homes, according to
the terms of the treaty.
This is the address of a warrior to warriors. May his entreaties by
kindly received and may the God of both prosper the Americans and Cherokees and preserve them long in peace and friendship
with each other!
Source: Edward J. Cashin (ed.), A Wilderness Still The Cradle of
Nature: Frontier Georgia (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1994), pp. 137-38.
Advance to:
Recommended Reading: Agent Of Destiny: The Life And Times Of General Winfield Scott (Hardcover). Description: It's about time somebody wrote a biography of Winfield Scott, and
reading this fascinating account by accomplished military historian John S. D. Eisenhower, you'll wonder why nobody did it
sooner. Scott's career spanned an astonishing 54 years and he spent most of it as a general. He was one of the few American
heroes to emerge from the War of 1812; he launched a daring and successful invasion of Mexico
in 1847; and he defended a vulnerable Washington, D.C., during
the first months of the Lincoln administration in 1861. Scott
was a profoundly courageous man with a flair for the organizational side of military life. Continued below...
Yet an unseemly amount of ambition and vanity marred his character,
even as these qualities help make him an interesting subject for Eisenhower (who is, you guessed it, the son of Ike). Agent
of Destiny is a skilled portrait of a man who is often overshadowed by the generation of Civil War leaders following him.
Eisenhower deserves our thanks for writing this magnificent book about a vital figure.
Recommended
Reading: Winfield Scott: The Quest
for Military Glory (Hardcover). Description: One of the most important public figures in antebellum America, Winfield Scott is known today more for his swagger
than his sword. "Old Fuss and Feathers" was a brilliant military commander whose tactics and strategy were innovative adaptations
from European military theory; yet he was often underappreciated by his contemporaries and until recently overlooked by historians.
Although John Eisenhower's recently published Agent of Destiny provides a solid summary of Scott's remarkable life, Timothy
D. Johnson's much deeper critical exploration of this flawed genius will become the standard work. Thoroughly grounded in
an essential understanding of nineteenth-century military professionalism, Johnson's work draws extensively on unpublished
sources to reveal neglected aspects of Scott's life, present a complete view of his career, and accurately balance criticism
and praise. Continued below…
Johnson dramatically
relates the key features of Scott's career: how he led troops to victory in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, fought against
the Seminoles and Creeks, and was instrumental in professionalizing the U.S. Army, which he commanded for two decades. He
also tells how Scott tried to introduce French methods into army tactical manuals, and how he applied his study of the Napoleonic
Wars during the Mexico City campaign but found European strategy of little use against Indians. Johnson further suggests that
Scott's creation of an officer corps that boasted Grant, Lee, McClellan, and other veterans of the Mexican War raises important
questions about his influence on Civil War generalship. More than a military history, this book explains how Scott's
aristocratic pretensions were out of place with emerging notions of equality in Jacksonian America and made him an unappealing
political candidate in his bid for the presidency. Johnson recounts the details of Scott's personality that alienated nearly
everyone who knew him, as well as the unsavory methods Scott used to promote his career and the scandalous ways he attempted
to alleviate his lifelong financial troubles. Although Scott's legendary vanity has tarnished his place among American
military leaders, he also possessed great talent and courage. Johnson's biography offers the most balanced portrait available
of Scott by never losing sight of the whole man.
General Winfield Scott Address to the Cherokee Nation, Trail of Tears History, Indian Removal Act,
The 1835 Treaty of New Echota, Cherokee Chief John Ross, Enforcement of Indian Removal Acts, Cherokee History,
1830 Indian Removal Act, 1835 Treaty of New Echota, 1838 Trail of Tears, and Cherokee Culture and Customs.
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