William Holland Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Holland Thomas
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| Wil-Usdi | |
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| Born | February 5, 1805 Near Mount Prospect, North Carolina, U.S.
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| Died | May 10, 1893 (aged 88) Morganton, North Carolina, U.S.
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| Resting place | Green Hill Cemetery, Waynesville, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American, Cherokee |
| Occupation | |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Love |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
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Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Thomas' Legion |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
William Holland Thomas (February 5, 1805 – May 10, 1893) was an American businessman and soldier. He was born in North Carolina.
William was raised by his mother near Waynesville, North Carolina. When he was 13, he started working at a trading post. There, he learned to speak the Cherokee language. He became good friends with the local Cherokee chief, Yonaguska. The chief later adopted William into the tribe.
William Thomas became a successful businessman. He was a strong supporter of the Eastern Cherokee people throughout his life. In 1819, Chief Yonaguska made an important decision. He chose to separate his group from the main Cherokee Nation. These Cherokee became known as the Qualla Cherokee. They lived under North Carolina state law.
In 1830, William Thomas became the lawyer for the Qualla Cherokee. At this time, the U.S. government wanted to move Native American groups from the Southeast. William Thomas helped the North Carolina Cherokees stay on their land. He did this by buying land for them.
Later, a Cherokee man named Tsali and his sons killed soldiers. These soldiers were trying to force them to move. William Thomas helped the U.S. Army find Tsali. After Tsali was executed by the Cherokee, the Qualla Cherokee were allowed to stay on their lands. North Carolina still tried to remove them, but Thomas continued to represent the tribe. He used his own money and money from the Cherokee to buy land. Much of this land is now part of the Qualla Boundary. This is the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
During the American Civil War, Thomas became a colonel in the Confederate States Army. He led a group called Thomas' Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders.
Contents
Early Life and Cherokee Adoption
William Thomas was born near Waynesville, North Carolina. His father died before William was born.
As a young boy, William worked for a U.S. Congressman named Felix Walker. He worked at Walker's trading post. This trading post was located on Soco Creek, in what is now the Qualla Boundary. William worked there for three years. He quickly became friends with the Cherokee people who visited the post. He learned their language very well.
Chief Yonaguska adopted William Thomas. The Cherokee gave him the name Will-usdi, which means "Little Will."
Around 1820, Felix Walker closed his stores. He could not pay William what he owed him. So, he gave William a set of law books instead. In those days, people could become lawyers by studying law books. William was very smart. He learned a lot about law. Around 1830, Chief Yonaguska asked him to be the Cherokee's legal helper.
William Thomas opened his own trading post for the Qualla Town Cherokee. Later, he opened several other trading posts in Western North Carolina.
Family Life
William Thomas married Sarah Jane Burney Love. She was born in 1832 and died in 1877. Sarah was one of eight children. Her grandfather, Robert Love, was known for founding Waynesville, North Carolina.
Helping the Cherokee People
In 1819, Chief Yonaguska and other North Carolina Cherokees made a choice. They decided to become citizens of North Carolina. This meant they received land and were no longer part of the Cherokee Nation. Even though a treaty called the New Echota Treaty should not have affected them, the Qualla Cherokee were worried. William Thomas, as their lawyer, worked hard to keep them safe. He worked with both state and federal governments.
Yonaguska's citizenized Cherokees became the main group of what is now the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This is a tribe officially recognized by the U.S. government.
William Thomas's daughter, Sara Thomas Avery, wrote an article in 1899. She claimed her father became the head Chief of the Qualla Cherokee after Yonaguska died. However, this was not true. Flying Squirrel (Saunooke) was actually the Chief of the Qualla group.
During the 1840s and 1850s, Thomas worked to get the Cherokee recognized as citizens of North Carolina. He also kept buying land for them in his own name. At that time, Cherokee people could not own land outside of the Indian Territory. Thomas's land purchases became the basis of the Qualla Boundary. This is the land base for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
In 1848, Thomas was elected to the North Carolina State Senate. He was re-elected every two years until 1860.
Role in the Civil War
When the Civil War began, Thomas formed a group of local Cherokees and white men. They supported the Confederacy. He recruited 400 warriors. These warriors formed two Cherokee companies. Six companies of white men joined them. Many of these white men were of Scots-Irish background. Together, they formed Thomas' Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders.
This Legion acted as its own command. It reported directly to the Confederate Army. The Legion mostly operated in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. They also spent a short time in the Shenandoah Valley.
Thomas' Legion fought in battles like the Battle of Fisher's Hill and the Battle of Cedar Creek. These battles happened in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864. By May 1865, the main Confederate armies had surrendered. Union soldiers controlled Waynesville and Western North Carolina.
On May 6, 1865, Thomas' Legion fired "The Last Shot" of the Civil War east of the Mississippi River. This happened in Waynesville, North Carolina. After his Legion captured Waynesville, they stopped fighting. They learned that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered.
Colonel Thomas and his Legion guarded the mountains around Waynesville. On the night of May 5, 1865, they built many campfires. This made the Union soldiers think thousands of Cherokee and Confederates were about to attack. The Cherokee made "chilling warwhoops" and "hideous yells." They also fired shots to make it seem more real. The next morning, Thomas and about 20 Cherokee went into Waynesville. They carried a white flag to ask the Union soldiers to surrender. The Union troops did surrender. However, on May 9, 1865, a Union officer told Thomas that General Lee had surrendered a month earlier. Colonel Thomas agreed to put down his weapons. The Civil War was over. The last shots in North Carolina were fired in Waynesville.
Later Years
After the war, Thomas returned home to his wife and three children. In 1866, he received a pardon from President Andrew Johnson. He hoped to go back into politics and business.
However, Thomas's mental health began to decline. He also fell deeply into debt. The Cherokee people faced a terrible smallpox outbreak after the war. This added to his worries.
In March 1867, Thomas was declared to have mental health issues. He was sent to a state mental hospital in Raleigh. From then until his death in 1893, he lived in and out of mental hospitals. In 1887, Thomas was still able to help an expert named James Mooney. Mooney was studying Cherokee history and ways of life.
Death and What He Left Behind
William Thomas died in a state mental hospital in Morganton, North Carolina. He was buried in Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesville.
- He is remembered in the outdoor play Unto These Hills.
- The Museum of the Cherokee Indian shows the battle flag of Thomas's Legion. This is part of the Cherokee heritage.
Stories About William Thomas
Charles Frazier based a character in his novel Thirteen Moons (2006) on William Holland Thomas. The author notes that the character, Will Cooper, is not exactly William Holland Thomas, but they share some similarities.
Writer Robert J. Conley (who is Cherokee) published Wil Usdi: Thoughts from the Asylum, a Cherokee Novella (2015). This is a fictional story about Thomas's life.
