Published: 1824
Total Pages: 12
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This document is a letter from a delegation of Cherokee leaders, including John Ross, Elijah Hicks, George Lowery, and Major Ridge, to Colonel Thomas L. McKenney, of the Department of War, dated April 29, 1824. The delegation communicates a number of issues to McKenney from Principal Chiefs Charles R. Hicks and Path Killer. The bulk of the letter relates to the misconduct and abusive behavior of Joseph McMinn, U.S. agent to the Cherokees, and former Governor of Tennessee (1815-1821). In particular, McMinn had allowed unauthorized whites to settle in the Cherokee Nation, in violation of numerous treaties, and refused to prosecute them when they committed depredations within the Nation. They also discuss payment for improvements and claims under the treaties of 1817 and 1819, and the boundary line along the Unicoi Turnpike.