The Shasta courier., 1866-09-08
Death of John Ross, the Chief of the
Cherokees.

John Ross, the veteran Chief of the Che.
rokees, died at seven o'clock on Wednesday
evening, at the rooms of the Cherokee Def.
egation in this city, in the 10Th year of his
age, and after an illness of about five months.
Mr.. Ross has been for the last forty wears
the principal Chief of his Nation, and from
the time he attained his manhood, has exer.
cised an influence among his people which
has always been for good. The reputation
he leaves behind him is such as many a man
fortuitously placed in more conspicuous
position might well envy, and the esteem
and veneration of his countrymen will be q
last monument to his virtues and constant
devotion to their best interests He was
born on the Sd of October, 1890, in the Che
rokee country. the present State of Georgia.
On bis fathers side he was of Scotch ances.
try. His energy and sound judgment gave
him great influence in the nation at an early
age. In 1912 he went with small party on
a mission attended with peril, the object of
which was to prevent Tecumseh from en-.
listing the Western Indians in the war
against the United States. On his return,
he took commission in the Cherokee regi-
ment which fought in the service of the
United States in the Creek war, and was in
the battle of Horse Shoe. He was the first
to introduce into the nation written con.
stitution, and the preeminence of the Chero-
KEGS among the Indian nations, in all the
arts of civilization, is mainly attributable to
the energy and intelligence of his admins.
tration.
At the outbreak of the rebellion, Mr..
Ross resisted all efforts to involve his people
in the war, in spite of the fact that the
agents of the Government had been mostly
Southern men, and threw their influence in
favor of the rebellion. But the United
States troops had been removed from the
posts in Indian country, and surrounded by
rebel forces, the Cherokees were reduced to
the necessity of making a treaty with the
rebel Government, which was done in Octo-
ber, 1861. That this was a mere temporary
expedient is clearly evinced by the fact that
Ross and the great bulk of the Cherokee
Nation threw themselves into the Union
cause the mopent Union army approached
For nearly three years the Cherokee Nation
out of population of 4,500 voters, put
5000 in the Union army, among them the
chiefs three sons. Mr.. Ross came to this
city to try to adjust the affairs of his Nation
and had engaged since 1862 in that work.
Although deposed temporarily from his
position by the commission recently sent out
he has all the time been regarded by hi
people as their chief, and was so acknowledg
ed in the preamble to the treaty confirmed
during the recent session of Congress. Hi
loyalty is tolerably we'll attested by the fac
that the rebels burned his residence. splen
did brick house, at Peck Hill. in the Chero
kee Nation, and valuable library, and th
same night took prisoner his eldest son, whom
they kept in stockade in Texas for fiftee
months. 1t is worthy of note here that tn
Cherokees. under the administration Of Ross
having voluntarily emancipated their slave
in 1862, have been the first to grant then
equal political rights with themselves.
Mr.. Ross had five children by his frs
wife, four Of whom are still living. Hi
second wife, an accomplished lady Of Will
mington, Delaware, died rather more than
year ago. By the latter marriage he ha
two children, son and daughter, both o
whom were with him when he died.-Wdsh
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