List of 63 Pension Application Petitioners
This multi-part Series of Articles will document a limited sample of 63 Pension Applications demonstrating the Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing of the Chickamauga. This is a limited number of men from a single outfit who were on what is referred to as the "Cherokee Expedition of 1776 - The Colonel William Christian Campaign."
The United States paid Pensions to numerous other groups of men. We have chosen to document this particular group of 63 because while under oath, they give the reason and background on why the Chickamauga were the specific victims of Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing.
There is NO EXCUSE, the United States PAID to have Chickamauga Men, Women and Children exterminated from this continent.
The research requested by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on July 18, 2019 of the National Executive Chiefs of The Chickamauga Nation that the Chickamauga are NOT racially, ethnically, culturally, religiously, or historically cherokee.
We will demonstrate from these 63 Pension Applications that because the Chickamauga were historically allies of the English, that the United States and Colonies intentionally hunted down the Chickamauga and committed the War Crimes of Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing against them.
https://revwarapps.org/
This site is a virtual blessing to those of us who love research in the Revolutionary War Era
Cherokee Expedition 1776 - Col. William Christian’s Campaign
From Pages 22 - 24 of the Document
Copies from the original document. All spelling is Same as In Copy (sic).
BOLD has been used to highlight Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing
Additional Information for each of the 63 Petitioners included with Link.
At the beginning of the Revolution the Cherokee received a delegation from the Indians north of the Ohio (Shawnee, Iroquois, Ottawa) to join them in a war against the white settlements over the Blue Ridge. The British offered guns, ammunition and cash payments for scalps and sent officers among the Cherokee. Most of the Cherokee declined this invitation and declared neutrality. However, the Chickamauga faction, led by Tsi'-yu-gunsi-ni (Dragging Canoe) did join in this war. Nancy Ward, the "beloved woman" of the Cherokee sent runners to the settlements in northeast Tennessee and Virginia's Clinch River valley warning of this attack. Forewarned, the settlers at Watauga and Eaton's Station forted up and beat off the attacks of 250-700 warriors in July of 1776 (estimates widely vary on the number of Chickamauga). Many of the women and children in the Carter's Valley and Watauga settlement left and temporarily found refuge in the New River settlements.
In retaliation, militia companies from southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and the settlements in Tennessee gathered together and attacked the Cherokee. The 1500 Virginians were led by Colonel William Christian, they left for Cherokee lands in October of 1776, returning in December, and then attacking again in April of 1777. They destroyed homes, livestock and crops of over 30 villages, both hostile and neutral. Most of the Cherokee fled the villages before the militia arrived and put up little resistance. According to Cherokee legend the inhabitants that remained were slaughtered regardless of age and sex. On the other hand, according to the reports of the militia officers and later pension applications there were few killed on either side and there is no mention that I have found of killing women and children. Those women and children they found [and did not kill] were according to official Virginia documents made prisoner and Nancy Ward was brought back to Virginia (but was not considered a prisoner according to official documents). However, there were also attacks made on the Cherokee by the state militias of North and South Carolina and Georgia and there are indications that these men behaved in a less restrained fashion (e.g. 20 years later in western Georgia Cherokee children still fled at the sight of a white man [Henderson, 1920]). The Cherokee "made peace" (most had never been at war). A peace treaty was signed with the Carolinas and Georgia at DeWitt's Corner on 20 May 1777 and with Virginia on 20 July 1777 at the Long Island of the Holston. With the peace was a cession by the Cherokee of over 5,000,000 acres of land.
In October 1776, Colonel William Christian led a force of 2,000 riflemen against the Cherokee villages. The army of Col William Christian was made up of about 1800 men and marched 6 Oct 1776 from the Double Spring camp toward the Indian towns. They went down Lick Creek, in present Greene County to its junction with the Nolichucky River. During the night while the army was camped here, Ellis Hardin, a trader at the Cherokee towns, came into camp with information that the Indians were waiting on the south side of the French Broad to contest the crossing of the river. From the camp at the mouth of Lick Creek the army marched across the Nolichucky and up Long Creek to its head, then down Dumplin Creek to the French Broad River. The army's march was evidently along the Great War Path of the Indians, and the ford across the French Broad was near Buckingham Island.
Before the army reached the ford they were met by Fallin, a trader who had a white flag, but this was disregarded by Col Christian. The Cherokee Nation was divided. One faction, led by Chief Dragging Canoe who had been wounded at the Battle of Island Flats 20 July 1776, wanted to abandon the towns along the Little Tennessee and withdraw further down the Holston [in the copy we have this parenthetical of (now the Tennessee) which we are researching. We were not aware that the Holston may have joined the Little Tennessee without taking the Tennessee name]. The elders and other of the tribe wanted to remain in the beloved towns along the Little Tennessee. This faction prevailed, and the Cherokees sent Nathaniel Gist to seek peace from Col Christian. Later, Dragging Canoe, with many young Cherokees and some Creeks, would prevail and make many vicious raids against the settlers from the Chicamauga towns in the vicinity of the present day Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Col Christian, having been told the Indians were prepared to contest the fording of French Broad at Buckingham Island, attempted a ruse. He had his men light a fire and pitch tents for each mess, as if the army meant to remain in camp on the north side of the French Broad River for several days. At 8 pm, he took 1100 men, marched about 4 miles below Buckingham Island and crossed the river at the ford discovered there by some scouts from John Sevier's company. It was the intention of Col Christian to attack the Indians drawn up to oppose the crossing of the river from behind before sunrise. To Christian's surprise there was no Indian force there. It is possible the crossing of the French Broad was made the night of 15 Oct 1776, Col Christian had stated in a report from the Double Spring Camp 6 Oct 1776 that it was his intention to cross French Broad on 15 October. Christian allowed the men to remain in camp that day to dry their equipment and clothes which had gotten wet at the crossing made at the lower ford. While in camp on the south bank of French Broad, in what is now Sevier County, the scout and traders from the Cherokee towns came in and reported that many of the Indian warriors had taken their families and fled south to the Hiwassee River, in present day McMinn, Meigs, and Bradley Counties.
After spending the day following the crossing of French Broad in camp, the army resumed the march to the towns of the Overhill Cherokees along the Little Tennessee River, probably on 16 or 17 Oct 1776. From the fording of the French Broad to Toqua Ford on Little Tennessee the march led the army up the valley of Boyds Creek, in present day Sevier County, and down Ellejoy Creek from its source in Sevier County to where it runs into Little River in present day Blount County. The army passed the present site of Maryville, Tennessee, and on Friday, 18 Oct 1776, crossed the Little Tennessee River near Toqua, probably at Tomotley Ford. The night of 18 Oct 1776 was spent at Tomotley, a site of a Cherokee village down river from Toqua. No opposition was found and next day the forces of Col Christian marched down river, on the south side of Little Tennessee passing through Tuskegee, then past the site of old Fort Loudoun which was destroyed by the Cherokees in 1760, to the Great Island Town (Mialaquo). Col Christian made his headquarters at Great Island Town near the present Vonore, Monroe County,Tennessee. The army camped near the Indian towns about 6 weeks and probably returned to their homes about 1 Dec 1776.
We will attempt to cover about 5 Pension Application Petitioners in each Article.
Our hope is that you discover for yourself the facts about the TRUE history of the people of The Chickamauga Nation.
(C) This document was produced at the request of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on July 18, 2019, to document the History, Anthropology, Culture, Religion, and Archaeology of The Chickamauga Nation.