Cherokee Removal Summary

John G. Burnett, author of The Cherokee Removal Through the Eyes of a Private Soldier, explains in extreme detail about what he experienced while on duty during the forced removal of Indians from their home territory. He first begins by stating that this event was the “Most brutal order in the history of American warfare” (350). He carries on to say that Cherokees were arrested and forcibly removed from their homes. They were then loaded onto a total of 645 wagons and began the journey west. During this time, the chief of the Cherokee nation was John Ross. On this journey, they began to experience acute weather conditions such as sleet and “blinding” snow storms. At night, they often slept in the wagons or on the ground without viable sources of heat. Due to the extreme conditions, some died from complications of pneumonia, cold, and exposure. A prime example was Ross’ wife, Quatie. Mrs. Ross died while giving her source of warmth to a sickly child in need and going without. Burnett goes on to say that he witness some children suffering from the cold so he had given them his coat to stay warm. The journey to the west ended March 26, 1839 with an

estimated 4,000 deaths from the Smokey Mountains to the western Indian Territory (Present day Oklahoma). The removal of Indians began when a little boy sold a gold nugget to a white trader. Because of this discovery, their territory was overrun with white men who claimed to be officials of the government. While there, the rights of the Indians and their land were ignored. Some were shot and their land was eventually seized. Their homes were destroyed by fires and residents were forced to vacate. The common factor between the Indians and the whites was the relationship of chief Junaluska and Andrew Jackson. Seeing that Junaluska, and 500 Indians, aided Jackson with the victory in the battle of Horse Shoe, John Ross assumed that it would be a wonderful notion to send Junaluska to speak with the president in hopes to protect Indians from future destruction. Jackson refused by stating, “Sir, your audience is ending. There is nothing I can do for you” (351). At this point, the Indians were doomed for disaster. By the order of Washington, D.C., in May of 1838, 4,000 soldiers and 3,000 volunteer soldiers under the command of Gen. Winfield Scott entered Indian Territory and proceeded to remove the Indians. Men who were working in the fields were arrested and women were dragged from their homes ten taken to the stockades (a defensive barrier consisting of strong posts or timbers fixed upright in the ground). When captured, the children were often separated from their parents. Burnett mentions two examples of how difficult it was for Indians to essentially be ripped away from their land. First, he talks about a child who had unfortunately passed away and in the midst of being prepared for burial; everyone was forced to leave the home, therefore leaving the child’s body out in the open. The second story was about a mother who was taken, along with her children. The incident was very traumatic, and this caused her to go into heart failure. Burnett continues by talking about how whites are hiding the truth from children in school, therefore leading them to believe that the issues between them and the Indians were solely one-sided. In the end, the lands were taken because of the white man’s greed.
Black Hawk’s Surrender Speech, was not about surrendering, but more-so about ill and unfair treatment.

In the beginning of this speech, he talks about how the “fight” between the Indians and whites was unfair because of the weapons the whites possessed. Despite this, the Indians still believed they had a chance to defend themselves, unfortunately they were no match for the guns. What initiated this fight was the land, belonging to the Indians, that was taken with no regards to the inhabitants. He wanted to explain that Indians were of no harm to the “white society” and wanted to carry on with their own way of life. He feared that Indians will lose their culture and will become similar to whites in a negative sense. Some similarities he lists include lying and hypocrisy, adulterers, lazy, all talk, and

non-workers.
I believe that Burnett gave a vivid description as to what he saw and experienced throughout his journey to the west. He described the toll it took on the people involved and how the outcome affected them as a whole. He gives very descriptive examples and his opinion as to what he thought about the whites overtaking their land destroying their homes. I feel that he could have included more about how they survived during the extremely cold conditions, if they were fed, and if so what did they eat and also how many survived during this ordeal. In Black Hawk’s speech, I feel that he on surrendered because he felt he had no other choice left. It was either they should move or all suffer extinction at the hands of whites. There was nothing he could do physically because whites had the upper hand and far more superiority than the Indians ever had. He went to war with the intent to protect his fellow Indians, but the outcome became tragic. He was disheartened by the lengths that whites had to go to just to have supreme rule over the land.