Dragging Canoe

𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐞, a Cherokee warrior and leader of the Chickamauga was born in one of the Overhill towns on the Tennessee River. He was the son of Attakullakulla, a Cherokee diplomat. He was recognized as the greatest Cherokee military leader, and from a young age, he wanted to be a warrior. He earned the name "Dragging Canoe" after he dragged a canoe as a young boy to prove his strength to his father.

Dragging Canoe became the head warrior of the Overhill town of Malaquo and fought against white settlers who were encroaching on Indian land. He worked to achieve their removal and planned a three-pronged attack against them. However, the Cherokees suffered heavy losses and were ultimately defeated.

Despite many Cherokee leaders arguing against further fighting, Dragging Canoe refused to submit. He established new towns on Chickamauga Creek in the winter of 1776-77 and formed the Chickamauga group, which included discontented members of various tribes. They fought the 1781 "Battle of the Bluffs" near Fort Nashborough and defeated American army troops when they invaded the Chickamauga towns in 1788.

As he aged, Dragging Canoe became a diplomat and worked to preserve Cherokee culture and establish an alliance with the Creeks and Shawnees. In 1791, a federation of Indian forces defeated General Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory. Shortly after a diplomatic mission with the Chickasaws, Dragging Canoe died on March 1, 1792, in the town of Running Water, one of the towns he had helped to found.