Cherokee Removal Orders Summary

Covering an estimated 2,200 miles, the Cherokee tribes currently inhabiting the Southeastern United States were forcibly evacuated to modern day Oklahoma in the Western part of the country. The Cherokee Removal Orders is a document that was presented by Major General Scott of the United States’ Army in 1838. An order to for the phase of forced removal of all Cherokee people for additional white settlement began the projected 7,000 soldiers to march with them to ensure the migration. All of General Scott’s staff received this information as direction for their next moves with the continuous issue that had been going on for a few years. The previous two had given the Cherokee Indians the opportunity to leave voluntarily, but only about 500 actually

did so. White Americans already existing in the southeastern part of the United States were surprisingly bothered by the forced removal, when this document gives off the impression of the strong hatred towards their presence in this area of the country.
The document begins by Major General Scott explaining the three phases that would make the troops assemble in the country to cause the removal of all Cherokee Indians remaining in NC, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama to the West, (What is now eastern Oklahoma).

General Scott discouraged his 7,000-ish soldiers to “show every possible kindness to the Cherokee, and to immediately arrest any soldier inflicting a wanton in jury or insult on any Cherokee man, woman, or child.” The article continues to clarify the plan of splitting the Military Districts into three regions. Each district will be directed by high-ranking generals to be in charge of the soldiers vacating the Native Americans. General Scott continues with a list of the boundaries of each zone, what general is going to be in charge, and the main post for each

area.
The second half of the document discloses that the Major General to whom all the orders will be coming from will spend a brief interval in each district and their duties “are of a highly important and critical nature.” (Paragraph 9) General Scott states that this process will be the easiest transition for these people, and continues to explain why this is happening, how the Indians are to be handled, and reassuring that they are people of peace and not armed with weapons, simply refusing leave their territory. Four-fifths of these people refused to leave their households, and extorting them was the job conveyed to the United States Army. The Order resumes about how acts of “harshness and cruelty will readily occur”, but that these actions will be nothing but slowing down their evacuation and passage of people. He then assures the soldiers to draw fire on any Cherokee that showed resistance. The same instruction was to be carried out if the Indians tried to make any deals or arrangements with the troops at any time. Thereafter the instruction on how to handle the situation of the Indians become struck with illness If it concerned a Cherokee woman or child particularly, troops were instructed to leave them behind at a depot with friends or family while providing them sufficient provisions to survive. If during the march itself a person becomes unable to walk anymore, the horses provided by the Cherokee were to be used as transportation.
Lastly, orders for handling the physical contents of what the Indians had previous to the migration were that the soldiers held responsibility to distribute and indulge in these things as seen fit.

A proper log should be kept to reimburse them for their personal property to be replaced once they reached their destination. In closing General Scott concludes that special cases occur with the Cherokee people that have integrated with white Americans, and that this will not be of any of their concern, but to be handled by further War Department

decisions.
In connection to the textbook, the trail of tears is the result of this document that was presented May of 1838. Five Civilized Tribes were relocated by force into “Indian Territory”. Driving this group of people out of the area left 25 million acres for white settlers. This document is somewhat familiar to me because of the tragedy that is so well known in our shadow of United States historical mistakes. This article bothers me in the fact that I cannot understand whether General Scott is trying to do this process in the honest, best way he can even though his hands are tied, or because he knows this decision is large and falling back on himself. Is his kindness legitimate when he says that he wants soldiers immediately apprehended if they show hostility towards the Cherokees, when he himself is causing the majority of the pain in the first place?