Tells the story of the fateful journey of the forced removal of the Eastern band of the Cherokee in 1838. Among the many tales of history and the white man's encounters with the American Indian, none is as bitter or shameful as the removal of more than 18,000 Cherokee from their eastern homelands. In this well-documented work, Ehle discusses the history of the Cherokee nation, and he presents a sympathetic and emotional account of the development of the Cherokee political, social, and religious structure. The various factors, political and social, leading up to the 1838 migration and the ensuing murder of some 4,000 Cherokee tribesmen are also described. Newspaper stories, personal recollections, and diary entries are used to help recount pertinent facts and events.