John Drew (Cherokee) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John T. Drew
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John Thompson Drew
1796 Cherokee Nation East
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| Died | August 25, 1865 (aged 68–69) Fort Gibson, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory
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| Nationality | Cherokee |
| Other names | John Drew |
| Occupation | soldier, plantation owner |
| Known for | Organized and led 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles (Confederate Army) |
John Thompson Drew (born 1796, died 1865) was an important leader and soldier of the Cherokee Nation. He had both Cherokee and European heritage. Not much is known about his early life. He became known when he led a group of Cherokee people moving from Georgia to a new area called Indian Territory. He was part of the Battle of Claremore Mound in 1818.
John Drew is most famous for leading a group of Cherokee soldiers, called the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles, during the American Civil War. They fought on the side of the Confederate Army. Towards the end of the war, he moved his home to avoid fighting within the Cherokee Nation.
Contents
Moving to Indian Territory
John Drew led one of the last groups of Cherokee people to move from the southeastern United States to Indian Territory. This journey happened in 1838. His group included Chief John Ross and his family.
They traveled by flatboats down the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers. They started their journey on December 7, 1838. The trip was very hard because there was a severe drought that year. This caused very low water levels in the Tennessee River.
The 1842 Incident at Webbers Falls
By November 1842, John Drew was a captain in the Cherokee Militia. On November 15, 1842, a group of at least 25 enslaved people escaped from a large farm near Webbers Falls. They were trying to reach Mexico, where slavery was not allowed.
The Cherokee National Council decided that the Cherokee Militia, led by Captain Drew, should go after the group. Drew gathered 100 men to bring the people back to Fort Gibson. The militia left Talequah on November 21. By November 28, they caught up with the group about 7 miles (11 km) north of the Red River. The people were very hungry and surrendered to Drew and his men. They were returned to Fort Gibson on December 7.
Service in the Civil War
John Drew is perhaps best known for starting the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles. This was a military group that fought for the Confederate States of America (CSA) during the American Civil War. This unit was made up of full-blood Cherokees. Many of these soldiers did not own enslaved people and did not strongly support the Southern white people.
Drew's unit was ordered to attack a large group of pro-Union Creeks. These Creeks were led by their chief, Opothleyahola. They were camped near Bird Creek, close to where the city of Tulsa is today. However, most of Drew's soldiers did not want to fight their former friends. Instead of attacking, most of the Cherokee soldiers simply left the unit. Only Drew and 28 of his men stayed with the Confederates.
John Drew remained loyal to the Confederate side. Later, Principal Chief John Ross offered forgiveness and safety to those who had left the unit.
Later Life and Passing
In 1864, it became clear that the Union would win the Civil War. John Drew then moved to the Chickasaw Nation, which was closer to the northern border of Texas. He moved back to his old farm only after the Confederate forces surrendered.
John Drew became sick with lung fever near the end of the Civil War. He died from this illness at Fort Gibson on August 25, 1865. He was buried on his land at Bayou Menard, which is in present-day Muskogee County, Oklahoma.
