Fort Hembree

Tennessee militia established Fort Hembree (in present-day Hayesville, NC), in October 1837, in preparation for Cherokee removal. The fort provided a base of operations for the gathering of Cherokees from Shooting Creek, Tusquitee, and other communities in the upper Hiwassee River Valley. In the summer of 1838, troops stationed at Fort Hembree arrested around 1,000 Cherokees from the surrounding area, marching them to Fort Butler (present-day Murphy) and, from there, to deportation camps in Tennessee.