Tagwadihi facts for kids

Tagwadihi, also known as Thomas Glass or just The Glass, was an important leader of the Cherokee people in the late 1700s and early 1800s. He was known as "Catawba-killer" because of his bravery in battles. He eventually became the last main chief of the Chickamauga (also called the Lower Cherokee).

Early Life of The Glass

The Glass was the son of a man who was adopted into the Cherokee from the Wyandot tribe. He became well-known during the Cherokee–American wars. This was after he left the Overhill Towns in 1777 with a group led by another famous chief, Dragging Canoe.

Leading in Times of War

After 1782, The Glass lived in Nickajack Town, which was one of the Five Lower Towns. He stayed a key leader of the Chickamauga throughout the Cherokee–American wars. The Glass led many attacks and war groups, often with another leader named Dick Justice, from Lookout Mountain Town. They continued these actions until at least 1792.

John Norton, a Mohawk chief, wrote about meeting The Glass several times during his travels in the South. Norton said that a few years after the Treaty of Paris in 1783, The Glass traveled north to visit the Iroquois people. There, he became friends with Joseph Brant, a famous Mohawk leader. Brant was the head chief of the Six Nations and had started a group called the Western Confederacy. This group aimed to stop American settlers from moving into their lands in the Old Northwest. Norton was Joseph Brant's adopted son.

The fighting that followed was called the Northwest Indian War (1785-1795). The Western Confederacy won a big victory at the Battle of the Wabash in 1791. However, the Americans won the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1795, which ended this distant war.

Life After the Wars

After the Treaty of Tellico Blockhouse in 1794, The Glass remained an important figure among the Lower Cherokee and in the larger Cherokee Nation. He later became the assistant principal chief to Black Fox.

By the early 1800s, The Glass owned a ferry that crossed Lookout Creek. This ferry was located at the base of Lookout Mountain, near what is now Chattanooga, Tennessee. He also partly owned a nearby mill with his friend and fellow war leader, Dick Justice.

In 1808, some younger chiefs from the Upper Towns disagreed with the older chiefs from the Lower Towns who were leading the nation. Because of this, both The Glass and Black Fox were removed from their positions in the National Council. However, they were back on the council two years later. Black Fox became the principal chief of the nation again, but The Glass did not return as his assistant.

After Doublehead died in 1809, The Glass took over as the head of the Lower Towns' council. He was seen as their principal chief. However, since Black Fox was the main chief of the entire Cherokee Nation, the local position of the Lower Towns' council was ended the next year. This happened at a meeting in Willstown in 1810. At this meeting, they decided to get rid of separate councils for each Cherokee division (Upper, Lower, Hill, and Valley Towns). They also stopped the old practice of families seeking revenge for wrongs.