Following a
peace treatyA peace treaty is an agreement between two hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends an armed conflict. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to cease hostilities, or a surrender, in which an army agrees to give up arms.-Elements of treaties:There are...
between
CherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people from the Southeastern United States...
and white
settlerA settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s in 1777, during the midst of the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
, followers of the Native American chief
Dragging CanoeTsiyugunsini , "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, was an American Indian war leader who led a dissident band of Cherokee Tsiyugunsini (ᏥᏳ ᎦᏅᏏᏂ), "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, (c. 1738 – March 1, 1792) was an American Indian war...
, all of whom opposed the peace, separated from the
tribeA tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists hold that...
and relocated to
East TennesseeEast Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
. They were joined by groups of
ShawneeThe Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are a people native to North America. They originally inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
and
CreekThe Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. Modern Muscogees live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Their language, Mvskoke, is a member of the...
at their new home upon Chickamauga Creek, which would become their new namesake. The Chickamauga engaged in numerous
raidRaid or RAID may refer to:* RAID , a system of multiple hard drives for sharing or replicating data.* RAID , Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependancies...
s on the white settlers for several years.
Following a
peace treatyA peace treaty is an agreement between two hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends an armed conflict. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to cease hostilities, or a surrender, in which an army agrees to give up arms.-Elements of treaties:There are...
between
CherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people from the Southeastern United States...
and white
settlerA settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s in 1777, during the midst of the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
, followers of the Native American chief
Dragging CanoeTsiyugunsini , "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, was an American Indian war leader who led a dissident band of Cherokee Tsiyugunsini (ᏥᏳ ᎦᏅᏏᏂ), "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, (c. 1738 – March 1, 1792) was an American Indian war...
, all of whom opposed the peace, separated from the
tribeA tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists hold that...
and relocated to
East TennesseeEast Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
. They were joined by groups of
ShawneeThe Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are a people native to North America. They originally inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
and
CreekThe Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. Modern Muscogees live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Their language, Mvskoke, is a member of the...
at their new home upon Chickamauga Creek, which would become their new namesake. The Chickamauga engaged in numerous
raidRaid or RAID may refer to:* RAID , a system of multiple hard drives for sharing or replicating data.* RAID , Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependancies...
s on the white settlers for several years. A short period of peace took place in the aftermath of the Revolution, during which time they moved west of Lookout Mountain, using Nickajack Cave as their stronghold. However, violence between the two sides flared up once more in 1792. Settlers in the Cumberland region feared for their lives, but Territorial Governor
William BlountWilliam Blount, was a United States statesman. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for North Carolina, the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory, and Democratic-Republican Senator from Tennessee . He played a major role in establishing the state of Tennessee. He was the...
continued with peace negotiations. When the sons of Colonel Anthony Bledsoe, as well as Major General George Winchester turned up dead in 1794, Blount turned to a military solution.
The expedition
Governor Blount appointed Major James Ore to head the expedition. Col. John Montgomery commanded territorial militia, and Col. William Whitley of Kentucky commanded his 6th Regiment of militia, whose state had long felt the brunt of attacks in their southward which had been launched from this area of Tennessee by the Cherokee. Col. Montgomery commanded the left, and Col. Whitley commanded the right, while Maj. Ore retained command from the center. They singled out two Chickamauga villages,
NickajackNickajack was the name of a proposed neutral state of Unionist areas of North Alabama and East Tennessee. In the period leading up to the American Civil War there was much talk of secession made by the politicians representing wealthy plantation owners in the Black Belt. Hill country residents were...
and
Running WaterRunning Water may refer to:* Running Water, Tennessee, now Whiteside, Tennessee* Running Water, South Dakota...
, as the point of attack. These villages were the source of many raiding parties. The army came upon Nickajack in mid-August, finding only a hundred or so warriors. Many villagers heard of the army's approach and fled to Running Water before Ore's men had come upon the village. Warriors from Running Water were also on their way to Nickajack to investigate the activity and found the fleeing villagers halfway. Whatever warriors that were with the Nickajack group merged with the Running Water group, and all proceeded back to the village.
By this time the army had already begun pursuit of the fleeing villagers. The two sides met at the Narrows and engaged in battle. It proved to be a disaster for the Chickamauga. They were quickly routed, having managed to wound only three whites, and killing none. The army quickly destroyed both villages, leaving seventy dead. It is said that Col. Whitley personally shot a warrior out of a moving canoe at some distance after his men had failed to make the deadly shot.
Aftermath
The expedition was a great success for the white settlers. Coupled with other military victories, the Chickamauga lost their will to fight. Several treaties favorable to the whites were soon signed.