John Ross was born near Lookout Mountain, Tennessee in 1790; he was a mixed blood Cherokee named Cooweescoowe. He became principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1828, and although he resisted the removal of his people from their native lands, was forced to lead them to the Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma) in 1838-39. Under the revised constitution that united the eastern and western branches of the Cherokee, Ross assumed the position of principal chief of the confederated nation.
When the Civil War broke out, Ross believed the Cherokees should remain neutral, but other Cherokees lead by his political adversary Stand Waite openly supported the Confederacy. Waite and his followers wanted to preserve slavery in the Cherokee Nation, but also saw an opportunity to take control of the tribe from Ross.
By the summer of 1861, after a series of Union defeats, and with neighboring tribes joining the Confederacy, it appeared the Confederates would soon win the war. In an attempt to avoid a Confederate invasion and open civil war within the nation, Ross recommended an alliance with the South that August. Two regiments were formed within the Cherokee Nation, one loyal to Watie and the other to Ross; Waite’s regiment fought with distinction, while Ross’s deserted in large numbers. The Cherokees were plunged into open civil war when Union forces moved into Indian Territory in the summer of 1862.
Ross was arrested by Union troops but was allowed to travel to Washington, D. C., where he spent three years arguing that despite their treaty with the Confederacy, the Cherokees were always secretly loyal to the North. When the war ended, Ross’s worst fears were realized--the North ignored his protests and the service of thousands of Cherokees to the Union army, and declared that the entire tribe had been disloyal.
Exhausted by continual lobbying, Ross died in Washington on August 1, 1866.
Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31313
