General Winfield Scott

General Winfield Scott succeeded John Wool and William Lindsay as commander of Federal troops in the Cherokee Nation. He arrived at New Echota, Cherokee Nation on April 16, 1838 and assumed command of the Army of the Cherokee Nation. Acting under orders from President Andrew Jackson and his successor Martin Van Buren, Scott began the forcible removal of the Cherokees from their native land to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. He divided the Cherokee Nation into three military districts: the Eastern District under Brigadier-General Abraham Eustis, the Western District under Colonel William Lindsay, and the Middle District under Brigadier-General Walker Keith Armistead. Within weeks, every Cherokee in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama had been captured and held at collection points or killed, except for a few who escaped. Before overseeing the removal of the Cherokees, Scott had been born near Petersburg, Va., attended William & Mary to study law, left after one year to become a soldier, rose to the rank of Colonel during the War of 1812, and served in the Black Hawk War, the Second Seminole War, and the Second Creek War.

Tennessee · United States