Nickajack
Encyclopedia
Nickajack was the name of a proposed neutral state
of Unionist
areas of North Alabama
and East Tennessee
. In the period leading up
to the American Civil War
there was much talk of secession made by the politicians representing wealthy plantation
owners in the Black Belt. Hill country residents were typically poor dirt-farmers and rarely slave-owners
. They considered the war that would inevitably follow secession to be "a war for the rich, fought by the poor," and wished to have nothing to do with it.
called delegates from Alabama to Montgomery
for a convention to debate Articles of Secession. Delegates from South Alabama wanted the convention delegates to determine the vote, while Northern delegates wanted the issue put to a popular vote. Because the apportionment
of delegates to the convention was based on total population (including slaves), the southern delegates effectively voted "on behalf" of the African-American slaves which made up a large proportion of the population in their region. In a popular vote, the balance of power would shift to the North, which was mostly white.
Ultimately, the Ordinance of Secession was passed by a vote of 61 to 39, split along geographic lines. In addition to Nickajack, Winston County, Alabama
threatened to form its own Free State of Winston. These threats of internal separation never officially materialized, but men in the region fiercely resisted conscription into the Confederate Army
; many even joined the Union Army
.
Town but more likely means Koasati
Town. A popular story about the origin for the name is that the town was named after "Jack Civil", supposedly a free black man who led a renegade band of white and black fugitives and Cherokee
and Creek warriors in "Five Lower Towns" on the Tennessee River
west and southwest of Chattanooga
during the Chickamauga wars
. The warriors were actually Cherokee led by Dragging Canoe
, though small groups of Shawnee
and Muscogee lived and fought with them, in addition to occasional large bands of Muskogee as allies, renegade whites, white traders, Spanish, French, and British agents, and runaway slaves (at least in the earlier years).
After those wars, Nickajack eclipsed its neighbor Running Water, Dragging Canoe's seat of operations, as the dominant town in the immediate area due to its position on the river (Running Water was far up the hollow in which it was located) and at the crossing of the Federal Road from Athens to Nashville over the Tennessee River. One of the town's more prominent residents, Turtle-at-Home
(Dragging Canoe's brother), owned the ferry at that crossing and had other commercial interests in addition to being on the council of the Lower Towns and Speaker of the Cherokee National Council.
, formerly called "Tecallassee", near the site of the former town, may have been used as a hideout and cache by the so-called "Chickamauga" Cherokee. Its deposits of bat guano
were mined by Confederate forces during the Civil War and the cave became one of the leading sources of saltpeter
for the Confederate Powderworks
at Augusta, Georgia
. The road used to transport the material became known as the Nickajack Trail.
Neutral country
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
of Unionist
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
areas of North Alabama
North Alabama
North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, generally considered to include 12 counties: Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, and Winston, with a combined population of 958,247, or 20.84% of the state's population as...
and East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
. In the period leading up
Origins of the American Civil War
The main explanation for the origins of the American Civil War is slavery, especially Southern anger at the attempts by Northern antislavery political forces to block the expansion of slavery into the western territories...
to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
there was much talk of secession made by the politicians representing wealthy plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owners in the Black Belt. Hill country residents were typically poor dirt-farmers and rarely slave-owners
History of slavery in the United States
Slavery in the United States was a form of slave labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in...
. They considered the war that would inevitably follow secession to be "a war for the rich, fought by the poor," and wished to have nothing to do with it.
Civil War era
On January 7, 1861, Alabama Governor Andrew B. MooreAndrew B. Moore
Andrew Barry Moore was the 16th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1857 to 1861, and served as Governor at the outbreak of the American Civil War....
called delegates from Alabama to Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
for a convention to debate Articles of Secession. Delegates from South Alabama wanted the convention delegates to determine the vote, while Northern delegates wanted the issue put to a popular vote. Because the apportionment
Apportionment
The legal term apportionment means distribution or allotment in proper shares.It is a term used in law in a variety of senses...
of delegates to the convention was based on total population (including slaves), the southern delegates effectively voted "on behalf" of the African-American slaves which made up a large proportion of the population in their region. In a popular vote, the balance of power would shift to the North, which was mostly white.
Ultimately, the Ordinance of Secession was passed by a vote of 61 to 39, split along geographic lines. In addition to Nickajack, Winston County, Alabama
Winston County, Alabama
Winston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, formerly known as Hancock County before 1858.Its name is in honor of John A. Winston, the 15th Governor of Alabama. As of 2010, the population was 24,484. Its county seat is Double Springs....
threatened to form its own Free State of Winston. These threats of internal separation never officially materialized, but men in the region fiercely resisted conscription into the Confederate Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
; many even joined the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
.
Earlier history of the area
The word Nickajack referred generally to the rugged Appalachian foothills in Eastern Tennessee and Northeast Alabama. John P. Brown, in Old Frontiers, states that "Nickajack" is a corruption of the Cherokee ᎠᏂ ᎫᏌᏘ Ᏹ ("Ani-Kusati-yi"), which he says means CoosaCoosa chiefdom
The Coosa chiefdom was a powerful Native American paramount chiefdom near what are now Gordon and Murray counties in Georgia, in the United States. It was inhabited from about 1400 until about 1600, and dominated several smaller chiefdoms...
Town but more likely means Koasati
Coushatta
----The Coushatta are a historic Muskogean-speaking Native American people living primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana. When first encountered by Europeans, they lived in the territory of present-day Georgia and Alabama...
Town. A popular story about the origin for the name is that the town was named after "Jack Civil", supposedly a free black man who led a renegade band of white and black fugitives and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and Creek warriors in "Five Lower Towns" on the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
west and southwest of Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
during the Chickamauga wars
Chickamauga wars
The Chickamauga Wars were a series of raids, campaigns, ambushes, minor skirmishes, and several full-scale frontier battles which were a continuation of the Cherokee struggle against encroachment by American frontiersmen from the former British colonies...
. The warriors were actually Cherokee led by Dragging Canoe
Dragging Canoe
Tsiyu Gansini , "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, was a Cherokee war chief who led a band of Cherokee against colonists and United States settlers...
, though small groups of Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
and Muscogee lived and fought with them, in addition to occasional large bands of Muskogee as allies, renegade whites, white traders, Spanish, French, and British agents, and runaway slaves (at least in the earlier years).
After those wars, Nickajack eclipsed its neighbor Running Water, Dragging Canoe's seat of operations, as the dominant town in the immediate area due to its position on the river (Running Water was far up the hollow in which it was located) and at the crossing of the Federal Road from Athens to Nashville over the Tennessee River. One of the town's more prominent residents, Turtle-at-Home
Turtle-at-Home
Turtle-at-Home, or Selukuki Wohelengh, was a Cherokee warrior and leader, brother of Dragging Canoe and one of his chief lieutenants during the Chickamauga wars...
(Dragging Canoe's brother), owned the ferry at that crossing and had other commercial interests in addition to being on the council of the Lower Towns and Speaker of the Cherokee National Council.
Nickajack Cave
Nickajack CaveNickajack Cave
Nickajack Cave is a large, partially flooded cave in Marion County, Tennessee. It was partially flooded by the Tennessee Valley Authority's Nickajack Lake, created by the construction of Nickajack Dam in 1967. The entrance was originally 140 feet wide and 50 feet high...
, formerly called "Tecallassee", near the site of the former town, may have been used as a hideout and cache by the so-called "Chickamauga" Cherokee. Its deposits of bat guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
were mined by Confederate forces during the Civil War and the cave became one of the leading sources of saltpeter
Potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
for the Confederate Powderworks
Confederate Powderworks
The Confederate Powderworks was a gunpowder factory during the American Civil War, the only permanent structures completed by the Confederate States of America. Colonel G.W...
at Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. The road used to transport the material became known as the Nickajack Trail.
External links
- The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century - a history by J. G. M. Ramsey, 1853 - contains many historical Nick-a-jack references
- The “Lost” State of Nickajack