History of Trail of tears continued ….

_Elsa_

As Esadowa shares the history with Tiffi, she isn’t aware that they are now in Esadowa’s community. He introduces Tiffi to his family and tells her that he’s going to get her something for them to eat. 

As the two of them are eating, Esadowa continues to share more about the Trail of tears.

‘Extreme Weather Leads to Deaths - In June 1838, three military-led migrations departed present-day Chattanooga, Tennessee, to journey westward by both land and water. At gunpoint, the Cherokee were loaded onto boats that, according to Butrick, had “little, if any more room or accommodations than would be allowed to swine taken to market.” 

Stifling summer heat and a record drought proved deadly as drinking water for both people and horses drew scarce. While only 21 Cherokee died in the four voluntary migrations, more than 200 perished in the three military-led expeditions.

The sweltering temperatures forced the suspension of the relocations, and when they resumed that fall, Scott agreed to let the Cherokee oversee the rest of the exodus. Under the agreement, the remaining Cherokee were divided into 13 groups of approximately 1,000 people each that were led by Cherokee conductors. Federal soldiers could only act as observers as a Cherokee police force kept order.

The Cherokee were ill-equipped for the grueling hike. “We had no shoes,” noted Trail of Tears survivor Rebecca Neugin, “and those that wore anything wore moccasins made of deer hide.” They were also malnourished, sustaining themselves on a daily menu of salt pork and flour. “The people got so tired of eating salt pork on the journey that my father would walk through the woods as we traveled, hunting for turkeys and deer which we brought into camp to feed us,” Neugin recalled.

Ice and Snow Make Travel Dangerous - One group took nearly three months to cover the 65 miles in southern Illinois between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The dysentery and diarrhea that tore through the campsites and the harsh winter conditions claimed the lives of many, particularly children and the elderly, who were buried in makeshift graves along the way.

The last of the Cherokee completed the Trail of Tears in March 1839. Decades later, a Confederate soldier who participated in the forced migration recalled, “I fought through the Civil War and saw men shot to pieces and slaughtered by the thousands, but the Cherokee removal was the cruelest work I ever knew.” (Source)

Tiffi is now crying hysterically. She feels so sad that the native American Indians were treated so poorly. She is really happy that she met Esadowa. It really was neat learning some history about the past.

Let’s continue - Welcome to the future!

Start at the beginning – Two Doors