John Thompson Drew (1796 – August 25, 1865) was a mixed blood military and political leader of the Cherokee Nation. Born in 1796, there is little written about his life until he led a company of Cherokee emigrants from Georgia to Indian Territory.Hughes, Michael A. "Drew, John Thompson," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed January 10, 2016. The ''Cherokee Encyclopedia'' states that he was a participant in the Battle of

Claremore Mound Claremore Mound, an ancient earthen platform mound in present-day Rogers County, Oklahoma. The mound is located north of Sageeyah near the south bank of the Verdigris River. The earthwork mound, likely constructed before 1000 CE by the Caddoan ...

in 1818. He is best known for joining the Confederate Army at the outbreak of the American Civil War, when he raised, organized and led the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles. He moved his home from the Cherokee Nation to the Chickasaw Nation near the end of the war to escape intra-tribal bloodshed.

Emigration to Indian Territory

The last of thirteen groups to embark from the Southeast for Indian Territory was led by John Drew. This group, which included Chief John Ross and his family, traveled by flatboat down the Hiwassee and the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

s. They departed from the Cherokee Agency on December 7, 1838. The trip was especially difficult because extreme drought in that year had caused a major drop in water level along the Tennessee. Metrailer, Jaime C., "Gunter's Landing, Alabama, on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail: A Site Report." University of Arkansas at Little Rock. September 19, 2016.
Accessed January 10, 2016.

Slave revolt of 1842

By November, 1842, he had become a captain in the Cherokee Militia. On November 15, 1842, a group of at least 25 black slaves escaped from the plantation of

Joseph Vann Joseph H. Vann (11 February 1798 – 23 October 1844) was a Cherokee leader of mixed-race ancestry, a businessman and planter in Georgia, Tennessee and Indian Territory. He owned plantations, many slaves, taverns, and steamboats. In 1837, h ...

near Webbers Falls and fled in the direction of Mexico, where slavery had already been outlawed. The Cherokee National Council resolved, and Chief John Ross approved that the Cherokee Militia, commanded by Drew, pursue the fleeing slaves. Drew raised a company of 100 men to arrest the fugitive slaves and return them to

Fort Gibson Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...

. The militia left Talequah on November 21. By November 28, the militiamen caught up with the runaways about north of the Red River. The runaways were starving and submitted to Drew and his men, who returned them to Fort Gibson on December 7.Burton, Art T, "Cherokee Slave Revolt of 1842."
Accessed January 10, 2016.

Civil War service

Drew may be best known for his founding of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles, a military unit that fought on the side of the Confederate States of America (CSA) in the American Civil War. The unit was composed of full-blood Cherokees, who typically owned no slaves and had little sympathy for Southern white people."Trans-Mississippi Theater:Virtual Museum." 2011.
Accessed January 10, 2016. Drew, however, did own enslaved people and Drew's command included many enslaved people. Drew's unit, under the command of Colonel Douglas Cooper was ordered to attack a large party of pro-Union Creeks, led by their chief,

Opothleyahola Opothleyahola, also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, Hopoeitheyohola, and Hopere Yahvlv (c. 1778 – March 22, 1863) was a Muscogee Creek Indian chief, noted as a brilliant orator. He was a Speaker of the Upper Cre ...

, who were encamped on Bird Creek, near the present city of Tulsa. However, most of Drew's soldiers did not want to fight their former friends. Instead of preparing to charge the Creek camp, the majority of Cherokees simply deserted. Only Drew and 28 of his men remained with Cooper and the Confederates."Clash at Chusto-Talasah; Hundreds of Rebel Indians Defect." Civil War Daily Gazette".
Accessed January 10, 2016. Drew remained loyal to the Confederate cause. Principal Chief John Ross pardoned and promised amnesty to those who had deserted.Gaines, W. Craig. ''The Confederate Cherokees:John Drew's Regiment of Mounted Rifles''. Louisiana State University Press. 1989. p. 56. Accessed February 25, 2016
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Personal

In 1864, when it was apparent that the Confederate cause would be defeated by the Union, Drew moved into the

Chickasaw Nation The Chickasaw Nation (Chickasaw: Chikashsha I̠yaakni) is a federally recognized Native American tribe, with its headquarters located in Ada, Oklahoma in the United States. They are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, original ...

, closer to the northern border of Texas. He moved back to his former plantation only after the Confederate surrender. John Drew contracted lung fever near the end of the Civil War and died of the disease at Fort Gibson on August 25, 1865. He was buried on his estate at Bayou Menard, in present-day Muskogee County, Oklahoma.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, John 1796 births 1865 deaths Cherokee Confederates Cherokee Nation people (1794–1907) Cherokee slave owners Confederate States Army officers People of Indian Territory Deaths from pneumonia in Oklahoma