1. As described in First Blood Shed by the Georgians, according to Boudinot, the Georgians (white Americans) were taking over Cherokee land. While the Cherokees legally owned the land, Georgians refused to acknowledge this fact. Around 17 or 18 families moved onto Cherokee land and began living in Cherokee homes, and according to Boudinot, there were even some reports of retaliation by the Georgians when the Cherokee people tried to keep their homes. Not only were homes up for the taking by the Georgians, but the Georgians began to steal horses and livestock that belonged to the Cherokees as well. Although the Cherokee people lodged complaints, General John Coffee admitted that while it was legally Cherokee land, it was the responsibility of the Principle Chief to throw the Georgians off of the land. Although this strategy of throwing Georgians off the land had not worked in the past, Major Ridge gathered a group of Cherokee people and dressed up in war-like attire and went to confront the white families. Major Ridge and his troops gave the white families time to evacuate the stolen homes and then they set the homes on fire and demanded that the white families leave the land permanently. This was the Cherokee peoples attempt to send a clear message to the Georgians that they were unwelcome.

2. In the report from Major William M. Davis to Secretary of War Lewis Cass, Major Davis accuses reverend J.F. Schermerhorn of submitting a false treaty. Major Davis lived in a Cherokee county during the time that the treaty was signed and he states that he is concerned over the actions that Schermerhorn took to negotiate with the Cherokees and the overall manner in which the treaty was obtained. Davis claims that the treaty is no treaty at all because it did not account for the true number of the Cherokees and was created without their participation or assent. In addition, Davis argues that had it been sanctioned with the Cherokee people, and that it would have been instantly rejected. Because Schermerhorn made no enumeration of the Cherokee people, the Indians that were present were forced to keep their true numbers concealed. According to Davis, Schermerhorn’s plan was to conceal the real number of Cherokee Indians, and impose the government treaty on these people, leading to the eventual destruction of the Cherokee tribe and people. 3. Captain Cannon’s journal describes the journey of travel after a land detachment. According to Captain Cannon, one aspect of the Cherokee travel was the meals that were provided. Almost every entry in Cannon’s journal consistently documents that when they reach their destination at the end of each day, they are then issued corn, frodder, and sometimes corn meal or bacon. An interesting factor that Cannon documented, was how no matter what the circumstances, the Cherokee people stayed together, through illness, fatigue, thirst and starvation and even death. It would be interesting to know if the meals that Cannon documents were the only meals the people were given, because the descriptions do not make the meals seems like they provided sentience for all the walking done in the day.

4. Dr. J.W. Lide wrote a letter to Captain Page regarding some of the problems in treating the Cherokees’ illnesses. Dr. Lide states that some of the problems that were faced in treating the Cherokees’ illnesses were that neither precision, nor accuracy were upheld. In addition, the family camps were scattered and dispersed, making it difficult for physicians to care for them. Another obstacle that Dr. Lide highlights is that many Cherokees refused to take the medications, no matter how critical the health condition. The language barrier and the difficulties that it brought forth made for less accurate and more time-consuming medical treatments. Physicians insisted on administering the medications themselves, which made some Cherokee people uncomfortable, in addition to the time it would take the physicians to get to the encampments. The strenuous travels put on the Cherokees were very trying; the lengths walked, exposure to the intense heat and weather conditions, along with their diets in addition to lack of medical care or faulty medical car all aided in the decline in Cherokee health and overall well-being.

5. Cherokee leader William Shorey Coodey, wrote John Howard Payne a letter describing a strange natural happening. The letter from Coodey to Payne carries an overall tone of sorrow and sadness. The way that Coodey describes the departure of a land detachment emphasizes a sense gloom and ominousness. The event was devastating to the entire Cherokee population and a tone of anxiety took over while being torn from their land, and watching their homes be burnt and completely destroyed. This horrific event in its entirety illustrated the brutal power that the white Americans used on the Cherokee people. Coodey goes on to describe the strange natural happening that occurred during the same time. He claims that there was thunder in the distance, and a dark spiral cloud rising along the horizon while simultaneously the sky was clear from clouds could be seen. While the sun was shining, there was no rain, and the thunder soon became even more distant. Coodey described the elements as peculiarly impressive, and singular, with a foreshadowing overtone.