Chiefs,
head-men and warriors! Will you then, by resistance, compel
us to resort to arms? God forbid! Or will you, by flight, seek
to hid yourselves in mountains and forests, and thus oblige
us to hunt you down? Remember that, in pursuit, it may be impossible
to avoid conflicts. The blood of the white man or the blood
of the red man may be spilt, and, if spilt, however accidentally,
it may be impossible for the discreet and humane among you,
or among us, to prevent a general war and carnage. Think of
this, my Cherokee brethren! I am an old warrior, and have been
present at many a scene of slaughter, but spare me, I beseech
you, the horror of witnessing the destruction of the Cherokees.
Read Gen. Winfield Scott's Order to U.S. Troops Assigned to
the Cherokee Removal, Cherokee Agency, May 17, 1838 here:
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/scottord.htm
