John W Latty

Carrying off the Cherokee John W Latty

Captain Ezekiel Buffington's Company of Georgia Mounted Militia served in a unique and difficult military campaign. Because of the way in which the Cherokee removal has been viewed through the years, the soldiers, especially the State militiamen, have been either ignored or vilified. This book is an effort to tell the story of one of those companies. Buffington's men were frontiersmen from Hall County Georgia which had been created from Cherokee land and in existence for only eighteen years at the time of their enlistment. These citizen soldiers were hardy and determined men, family oriented, God fearing and dedicated to the settlement and development of the vast western lands occupied by the Indians. As you will learn, there were failures, blunders, unlawfulness and questionable actions. There was also notable courage, perseverance, and compassion for those around them. Within the pages of this book you will accompany Buffington's men as they help build Fort Wool at New Echota, investigate and expel white settlers from Indian homes and land, establish and build Fort Buffington in Cherokee County, clash with local civil authorities, and help investigate and prosecute white men who murdered a Cherokee - to include the exhumation of the body. Their story will give insight into a heretofore little known aspect and view of that controversial event.