1821, January 17

The following data is extracted from Proposals Made by certain Cherokee Indians, for the Cession of their Lands to the United States.

D

The following chiefs, as a delegation from the lower part of the Cherokee nation, viz. George Fields, Wolfe, and Turtle Fields, reached Nashville this 17th of January, 1821, and presented to me the following letters: first, an address of the chiefs and warriors of the Creek Path Town, in the Cherokee nation, to Major General Andrew Jackson, dated 3d of January, 1821, signed by the Speaker, Wausaucy, Archibald Campbell, Night Killer, James Spencer, and John Thompson; another from the same chiefs, dated the 8th of January, 1821; and one from the Path killer, chief of the Cherokee nation, dated the 11th of December, 1820. On the 8th January, 1821, I met this delegation, and had the following talk with them:
Friends and Brothers: I am glad to see you, and shake you by the hand, and greet you, not only as friends and brothers, but as my trusty warriors, and to express to you the pleasure I feel on hearing that my old friend and brother the Path Killer still lives.

Friends and Brothers: I have read the two letters from your chiefs, and the one from the principal chief of the Cherokee nation, Path Killer, with great attention; and can assure you, your chiefs and warriors, that I have no doubt but your father, the President of the United estates, will do every thing he can do, to secure you in possession of that tract of land you desire, upon your relinquishing to the United States, all claim to any other part of the land reserved to the Cherokee nation.
But, before I can forward your letters and request to your father the President, you must state to me the precise bounds of the country your chiefs and warriors wish to have reserved for themselves; the number of families, and the number of the chiefs and warriors within your district, who wish to he included in the bounds of your reservation which you ask for.
To which they answered: The reservation we wish, is represented in the plan we hand you, and bounded as follows: beginning on the south bank of the Tennessee river, above Ditto Landing, where the present Cherokee boundary is established; thence, with said line, round the head of Thompson's and Brown's creek, to an acute point in said line, northeast of General Jackson's trace to Fort Strother; then, a due north line to Short creek; thence, dower said creek, to the Tennessee river, to include the islands at the mouth of Short creek; and thence, down Tennessee, to the beginning.
There are, and will be, settled within these bounds, about eighty families, and upwards of one hundred chiefs and warriors. Upon our father the President, and Congress of the United States, securing to us, the chief's and warriors of said district, a permanent right to said. land, as above described, we will relinquish to the United States all claim to any other land within the lands reserved for the Cherokee nation by treaty. We are instructed to state to you, and to request you to lay the same before our father the President of the United States, that we are entitled to a proportionable part of the annuities granted to the Cherokee nation by treaty with the United States, that have become due, or may hereafter became due, none of which we have; received for three years, nor have we been heard by our chiefs in council for that period. The council for the Cherokee nation last fall dividers the nation in eight districts or countries; the one in which we live is bounded as follows: beginning on the Tennessee river, at the mouth of Racoon creek, runs up that creek to its source; thence, in a direct line, to the forks of Coosa river, at the mouth of Emuchchy creek; thence, to the Creek line, with the Creek line to the Coosa river, with the Coosa river to the mouth of Wells' creek; thence, with the Cherokee boundary, to the Tennessee river, and up that river to the beginning: which, being considered one-eighth part of the nation, we are entitled to one-eighth part of the annuities, which we pray may be secured to us, and placed into the hands of our own chiefs, to be equally divided amongst us by them in whom we have confidence, under the conditions and stipulations of the treaty of 1817, which ,secured to all who wished to remove to Arkansas compensation for their improvements, transportation, and provisions; many of as were prepared to remove, and incurred great expense; we were forbidden by our king and chief the Path Killer. Without the consent of any of the chiefs of our town, a delegation was sent on to the City of Washington, who made a treaty, securing to themselves, and some others, reserves and benefits, rescinding the stipulations of the treaty of 1817, which secured to the Cherokee pay for his improvement, and transportation and provision on his removal, which has prevented many who were prepared to remove to the Arkansas: from such acts as these we are fearful that the upper part of the nation may, at some future day, deprive us of our country, without our consent: we, therefore, wish the President and Congress to take into consideration our prayer, and that, by a solemn act, we may be permanently secured in the title to the bounds herein set forth, and in the plan handed you, and that we may be protected from the intrusion of others, by whole some regulations: all which we request you, for ourselves, and as representatives of the chiefs and warriors of our district, you will lay before the President of the United States; and, looking to you as a friend and brother, that you will use your influence with our father the President of the United States, that our prayers may be heard, and that we and our property may be secured in the peaceable enjoyment and permanent possession of the small spot of land we ask for.

GEORGE FIELDS,
TURTLE FIELDS,
WOLFE,
Test--ANDREW JACKSON

Source: Proposals Made by certain Cherokee Indians, for the Cession of their Lands to the United States

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