Cherokee Expedition
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The Cherokee Expedition, also known as Christie's Campaign, was a military offensive that occurred during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
between American forces and
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
tribes allied to
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. The British encouraged and facilitated Cherokee raids in July 1776, into Colonial territories of
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,
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and
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, and
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to wreak havoc among the southern colonies. The state governments responded with a plan for retaliation throughout Cherokee territory. The main force of 1,800 Virginian volunteers under Colonel William Christian marched southwest passed the Northern Cherokee border, while the Georgians attacked north through the Southern border of Cherokee lands. Brigadier General Griffith Rutherford was given command of North Carolina militia and joined up with South Carolina militia under Colonel Andrew Williamson. This attack group aimed at the central heart of Cherokee lands. The Cherokee were divided in their plan of action, the elders and majority of the nation seeking peace terms from the Colonials, while a rogue faction, composed mostly of younger men, continued its raids and war with the Colonials. However, these elements fled from any major engagements with the invading force. The expedition was met with little resistance as it marched into the heart of Cherokee lands in what is now
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. It camped near several Cherokee towns and rebuilt abandoned forts to establish a long term presence. This show of force, although minimal, was enough to discourage further Cherokee raids during the American Revolution. It is likely that terms were made and the expedition returned home in December 1776.


References

{{Reflist *Nadia Dean, A Demand of Blood: The Cherokee War of 1776, Valley River Press, 2012 Campaigns of the American Revolutionary War Wars between the United States and Native Americans