Our Connection – Parker and Johnson Lines. James Tuggle is the father of Jane Tuggle Parker.
March 31 – mentions Captain Tuggle’s unit from Gwinnett County.
June 16 – states that 4200 Cherokee Indians were collected.
I discovered the Tuggles’ involvement in the Cherokee Removal several years ago. But it has been just in the last few days that I found newspaper articles and I am excited to share them. It is just amazing to find a newspaper article from 1838 that mentions our ancestor. In May, I learned about this newspaper website, gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/ that has articles from small rural newspapers of the state. There is no cost to search.
As the articles relate, Captain Tuggle’s mounted militia unit engaged in the roundup of 4200 Cherokee Indians in the Spring of 1838. This is the tragic story of the Cherokees being removed from their native lands and marched to Oklahoma on The Trail of Tears. The Cherokees suffered immensely on their journey west, as they had inadequate food, clothing, wagons and provisions.
Three members of the Tuggle family were assigned to assist in the removal of the Cherokee Indians. Usually, I am excited when I discover an ancestor’s involvement in a historical event. But when I read about the Tuggles’ participation in the Cherokee Removal, it was startling to me. I thought regular U.S. Army soldiers performed these duties. I was surprised that citizen militias were given the responsibility to gather the Cherokee Indians from their homes. According to Tuggle’s second letter of response, the militia was being sent “to aid and assist in defence of our neighbouring Cherokee Counties should the Indians become hostile”. It doesn’t appear to me the militia went with the knowledge or intention of taking Indians from their homes.
James Tuggle served as Captain of a mounted militia unit from Gwinnett County, GA. In February 1838, he received a letter from Georgia Governor Gilmer requesting that his militia unit prepare to fill the call to be one of the two Infantry Companies from Gwinnett County to fill the call of Col. Lindsey. James Tuggle’s brother, John Tuggle Jr., served as 1st Sergeant. James Tuggle’s nephew, James B. Tuggle, (and son of John Tuggle Jr.) served as a private in this unit, which was commanded by Colonel Lindsay.
Georgia, Gwinnett County,
February 7th, 1838.
To your Excelency, George R. Gilmer.
Sir: I Received on yesterday your letter which informed me that your Excelency have the offer of the two Infantry Companies to fill the Call of Col. Lindsey and on this day had a muster and while on perade informed the Company the contents of your letter to which the Company all agreed to stand in Readiness agreeable to your request, the objection they had against standing in Readiness was that they wished to Join the Company which would be first Rec’d into service which objection now appears to be entirely removed by believeing that this company by being in Readiness would be as soon Received as any other mounted Company we therefore forward this information to your Excelency and submit the Case
I am yours most obedient
JAMES TUGGLE
The above letter was Captain Tuggle’s response to the Governor’s letter.
For our family living in Georgia 200 years ago, it was a requirement that men — husbands, grown sons, brothers and nephews – regularly gather with the local militia unit to practice and drill. With Georgia being a frontier colony, numerous dangers threatened the settlers. The General Militia Acts passed by the Georgia General Assembly in the early 1800’s directed that all males between 18-45 enroll in their militia district company, meet and drill regularly at the designated grounds. The militia units were under the command of the Governor, who could order them into active duty. These militia units were routinely called upon to assist the government in protecting the state’s interests, often far from the home county. William Wheeler’s militia unit went to Florida to fight in the Seminole War.