THE BATTLE OF BOYD'S CREEK

By Greg Evans

Being that it is the 4th of July, Independence Day here in America I feel it is appropriate to talk about a conflict that occurred around the era of the revolution against the Cherokee Indians. The battle occurred on December 16th, 1780 when the frontiersmen who had been settling in the East Tennessee area had finally grown tired of the regular raids by the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokee felt the white settlers were encroaching on their hunting territory. The name of the creek Boyd was named after a Virginian settler who was killed by a Cherokee raiding party and his body tossed into the creek.  Colonel John Sevier had been worried about rumors of the Cherokee planning a large scale attack. Two traders working the area also heard news of such an incident in the making. History has a tale that the daughter of one of the chiefs, Nancy Ward, had been passing information to the white settlers indicating when the Cherokee warriors were planning specific raids. Supposedly her and her daughter helped to save many of the settlers lives and with it allowed new settlers to move into the area. In a way, if this was true, in an attempt at saving the lives of the innocent settlers she doomed her own people, but it can also be placed on their shoulders a portion of the burden of guilt because they could have found a common ground and learned to live along side the settlers and vise-versa. But that isn't how the world works and in most societies where cultures are blended together and cultures disappear and everyone begins to live as everyone else, societies break down, crime increases, the economy self-destructs and academics sit around and try to find theoretical solutions. But that is all beside the point.

In December of 1780 an expedition of Cherokee warriors were on the move and located an area in the grass where they formed a horseshoe shaped skirmish line in preparation for the attack on supposedly oblivious settlers. But the settlers had caught wind of their attack and were armed and waiting for the Cherokee. Around 170 men met at Stockdon's Mill to await the orders of Colonel Sevier. Initially a small platoon was sent forward and came upon the large Indian forces. The men fired at the encamped Indians and retreated back to the mill. A second group was sent ahead to attempt to lure the Indians into a firefight. The men fired on the Indians and retreated and as the settlers had hoped the Indians began pursuing them. The settlers waited until they were in range and opened up on them killing 28 and wounded countless more. The Indians retreated and fled into a swamp saving them from annihilation. Had they not engaged in guerrilla warfare they would have lost many more men. The settlers lost not a single man nor any wounded. It was the ultimate victory and was a tremendous moral builder for the settlers of the area and those who were intending on moving to the area. There is now a memorial set up at Boyd's Creek near the spot of the actual battle.