Junaluska: The Cherokee Chief Who Saved Andrew Jackson

Buried near here is Junaluska, a Cherokee chief whose valor in battle was repaid with betrayal. At the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in eighteen fourteen, Junaluska and his Cherokee warriors fought alongside Andrew Jackson against the Red Stick Creek faction. By most accounts, Junaluska personally saved Jackson's life during the fighting.

Jackson's victory that day broke Creek power in the Southeast and launched his rise toward the presidency. Years later, President Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act of eighteen thirty, and Junaluska's people were forced west on what became the Trail of Tears. Junaluska himself survived the removal and eventually walked back to North Carolina, a journey of hundreds of miles.

In recognition of his loyalty and perseverance, North Carolina granted him citizenship and a land grant. He lived out his days here in the mountains he refused to leave. The Daughters of the American Revolution erected this memorial in nineteen ten.