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Blood Moon: An American Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation
“Riveting...Engrossing...Mr. Sedgwick’s subtitle calls the Cherokee story an ‘American Epic,’ and indeed it is.” —H. W. Brands, The Wall Street Journal
An astonishing untold story from America’s past—a sweeping, powerful, and necessary work of history that reads like Gone with the Wind for the Cherokee.
Blood Moon is the story of the century-long blood feud between two rival Cherokee chiefs from the early years of the United States through the infamous Trail of Tears and into the Civil War. The two men’s mutual hatred, while little remembered today, shaped the tragic history of the tribe far more than anyone, even the reviled President Andrew Jackson, ever did. Their enmity would lead to war, forced removal from their homeland, and the devastation of a once-proud nation.
It begins in the years after America wins its independence, when the Cherokee rule expansive lands of the Southeast that encompass eight present-day states. With its own government, language, newspapers, and religious traditions, it is one of the most culturally and socially advanced Native American tribes in history. But over time this harmony is disrupted by white settlers who grow more invasive in both number and attitude.
In the midst of this rising conflict, two rival Cherokee chiefs, different in every conceivable way, emerge to fight for control of their people’s destiny. One of the men, known as The Ridge—short for He Who Walks on Mountaintops—is a fearsome warrior who speaks no English but whose exploits on the battlefield are legendary. The other, John Ross, is descended from Scottish traders and looks like a pale, unimposing half-pint who wears modern clothes and speaks not a word of Cherokee. At first, the two men are friends and allies. To protect their sacred landholdings from white encroachment, they negotiate with almost every American president from George Washington through Abraham Lincoln. But as the threat to their land and their people grows more dire, they break with each other on the subject of removal, breeding a hatred that will lead to a bloody civil war within the Cherokee Nation, the tragedy and heartbreak of the Trail of Tears, and finally, the two factions battling each other on opposite sides of the US Civil War.
Through the eyes of these two primary characters, John Sedgwick restores the Cherokee to their rightful place in American history in a dramatic saga of land, pride, honor, and loss that informs much of the country’s mythic past today. It is a story populated with heroes and scoundrels of all varieties—missionaries, gold prospectors, linguists, journalists, land thieves, schoolteachers, politicians, and more. And at the center of it all are two proud men, Ross and Ridge, locked in a life-or-death struggle for the survival of their people.
This propulsive narrative, fueled by meticulous research in contemporary diaries and journals, newspaper reports, and eyewitness accounts—and Sedgwick’s own extensive travels within Cherokee lands from the Southeast to Oklahoma—brings two towering figures back to life with reverence, texture, and humanity. The result is a richly evocative portrait of the Cherokee that is destined to become the defining book on this extraordinary people.
An astonishing untold story from America’s past—a sweeping, powerful, and necessary work of history that reads like Gone with the Wind for the Cherokee.
Blood Moon is the story of the century-long blood feud between two rival Cherokee chiefs from the early years of the United States through the infamous Trail of Tears and into the Civil War. The two men’s mutual hatred, while little remembered today, shaped the tragic history of the tribe far more than anyone, even the reviled President Andrew Jackson, ever did. Their enmity would lead to war, forced removal from their homeland, and the devastation of a once-proud nation.
It begins in the years after America wins its independence, when the Cherokee rule expansive lands of the Southeast that encompass eight present-day states. With its own government, language, newspapers, and religious traditions, it is one of the most culturally and socially advanced Native American tribes in history. But over time this harmony is disrupted by white settlers who grow more invasive in both number and attitude.
In the midst of this rising conflict, two rival Cherokee chiefs, different in every conceivable way, emerge to fight for control of their people’s destiny. One of the men, known as The Ridge—short for He Who Walks on Mountaintops—is a fearsome warrior who speaks no English but whose exploits on the battlefield are legendary. The other, John Ross, is descended from Scottish traders and looks like a pale, unimposing half-pint who wears modern clothes and speaks not a word of Cherokee. At first, the two men are friends and allies. To protect their sacred landholdings from white encroachment, they negotiate with almost every American president from George Washington through Abraham Lincoln. But as the threat to their land and their people grows more dire, they break with each other on the subject of removal, breeding a hatred that will lead to a bloody civil war within the Cherokee Nation, the tragedy and heartbreak of the Trail of Tears, and finally, the two factions battling each other on opposite sides of the US Civil War.
Through the eyes of these two primary characters, John Sedgwick restores the Cherokee to their rightful place in American history in a dramatic saga of land, pride, honor, and loss that informs much of the country’s mythic past today. It is a story populated with heroes and scoundrels of all varieties—missionaries, gold prospectors, linguists, journalists, land thieves, schoolteachers, politicians, and more. And at the center of it all are two proud men, Ross and Ridge, locked in a life-or-death struggle for the survival of their people.
This propulsive narrative, fueled by meticulous research in contemporary diaries and journals, newspaper reports, and eyewitness accounts—and Sedgwick’s own extensive travels within Cherokee lands from the Southeast to Oklahoma—brings two towering figures back to life with reverence, texture, and humanity. The result is a richly evocative portrait of the Cherokee that is destined to become the defining book on this extraordinary people.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published April 10, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
January 24, 2018
5 rival stars to Blood Moon 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
I’ve read some great nonfiction during the last year, and I’ve always said, the best nonfiction reads as smoothly as fiction. Blood Moon fits right into this category. Who knew that two rival chiefs of the Cherokee caused turmoil and destruction, and so much so, that it would arguably exceed that caused by Andrew Jackson and The Trail of Tears.
John Ross was the primary chief of the Cherokee for a number of years, and his polar opposite in stature, skin color, and beliefs about the future of the Cherokee would be The Ridge, who had also been Ross’ closest confidante and aide. These two would split and their decisions impacted every facet of Cherokee life for over 100 years.
Following the birth of The Ridge all the way through the Civil War and just after, this book is epic in its scope, abundant in its research, and fulfilling in its storytelling. John Sedgwick is an author to watch.
Thank you to John Sedgwick, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this fine nonfiction novel.
Blood Moon will be published on April 8, 2018.
I’ve read some great nonfiction during the last year, and I’ve always said, the best nonfiction reads as smoothly as fiction. Blood Moon fits right into this category. Who knew that two rival chiefs of the Cherokee caused turmoil and destruction, and so much so, that it would arguably exceed that caused by Andrew Jackson and The Trail of Tears.
John Ross was the primary chief of the Cherokee for a number of years, and his polar opposite in stature, skin color, and beliefs about the future of the Cherokee would be The Ridge, who had also been Ross’ closest confidante and aide. These two would split and their decisions impacted every facet of Cherokee life for over 100 years.
Following the birth of The Ridge all the way through the Civil War and just after, this book is epic in its scope, abundant in its research, and fulfilling in its storytelling. John Sedgwick is an author to watch.
Thank you to John Sedgwick, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this fine nonfiction novel.
Blood Moon will be published on April 8, 2018.
April 17, 2018
Jace Weaver's post from Facebook:
"Warning: Simon & Schuster contacted Colin Calloway and me to review John Sedgwick's new book, Blood Moon: An Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation. The book was already typeset in galleys. It was horrible. There were numerous factual errors and faulty interpretations by someone who knows nothing about Indians. It was also bought into romantic and trafficked in the worst stereotypes. Both Colin and I wrote detailed readers' reports to this effect. I just saw the finished book today, which came out last week. The author only corrected most (but not all) the factual errors. He did nothing about tone or stereotypes. The worst of it is, we're thanked as "two of the most authoritative contemporary scholars of Native Americans." Arg! Avoid this book!"
"Warning: Simon & Schuster contacted Colin Calloway and me to review John Sedgwick's new book, Blood Moon: An Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation. The book was already typeset in galleys. It was horrible. There were numerous factual errors and faulty interpretations by someone who knows nothing about Indians. It was also bought into romantic and trafficked in the worst stereotypes. Both Colin and I wrote detailed readers' reports to this effect. I just saw the finished book today, which came out last week. The author only corrected most (but not all) the factual errors. He did nothing about tone or stereotypes. The worst of it is, we're thanked as "two of the most authoritative contemporary scholars of Native Americans." Arg! Avoid this book!"
April 19, 2018
In the Acknowledgments, Sedgwick writes that he asked two professors of Native studies for input.
On April 16, 2018, Jace Weaver, one of the professors Sedgwick acknowledged, wrote this on his Facebook page:
"Warning: Simon & Schuster contacted Colin Calloway and me to review John Sedgwick's new book, Blood Moon: An Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation. The book was already typeset in galleys. It was horrible. There were numerous factual errors and faulty interpretations by someone who knows nothing about Indians. It was also bought into romantic and trafficked in the worst stereotypes. Both Colin and I wrote detailed readers' reports to this effect. I just saw the finished book today, which came out last week. The author only corrected most (but not all) the factual errors. He did nothing about tone or stereotypes. The worst of it is, we're thanked as "two of the most authoritative contemporary scholars of Native Americans." Arg! Avoid this book!"
Prior to that, I had looked at the book and found stereotypes right away. I think the publisher should recall the book and remove the Acknowledgement because it misrepresents the two professors AND gives a false assurance to readers that the content is accurate.
On April 16, 2018, Jace Weaver, one of the professors Sedgwick acknowledged, wrote this on his Facebook page:
"Warning: Simon & Schuster contacted Colin Calloway and me to review John Sedgwick's new book, Blood Moon: An Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation. The book was already typeset in galleys. It was horrible. There were numerous factual errors and faulty interpretations by someone who knows nothing about Indians. It was also bought into romantic and trafficked in the worst stereotypes. Both Colin and I wrote detailed readers' reports to this effect. I just saw the finished book today, which came out last week. The author only corrected most (but not all) the factual errors. He did nothing about tone or stereotypes. The worst of it is, we're thanked as "two of the most authoritative contemporary scholars of Native Americans." Arg! Avoid this book!"
Prior to that, I had looked at the book and found stereotypes right away. I think the publisher should recall the book and remove the Acknowledgement because it misrepresents the two professors AND gives a false assurance to readers that the content is accurate.
May 5, 2018
Enrolled member of Eastern Band
I do not presume to speak for anyone other than myself in this review. I have read of controversy surrounding possible stereotypes of Indian people in this book. I found no indication of that. I consider myself a learned individual, though I freely admit to lacking the expertise of the Native scholars who were consulted in the creation of this book.
I found this book to be an honest account of events, fully backed with sources. Certainly, it was as honest an account as could be made of events occurring with what documentation exists. I found the author was true to the historical facts, and they did not seem stereotypical at all, when taken in the proper context.
The truth is that the Cherokee did practice scalping. The Cherokee did practice blood revenge. Cherokee children did go naked. These and any number of other things mentioned in the book are not perceived stereotyping, they are accurate accounts of a People's past that many other historical writers have failed to address at all, let alone faithfully. These things weren't accounted to condemn, or pass judgement. They helped paint a fuller picture of a society that is - for all intents - extinct due to white contact and the events leading up to the Trail of Tears. To ignore and gloss over this collective history does a greater disservice to our ancestors than any judgment borne of ignorance possibly could.
My ancestors were simply people. They had a society that cannot be accurately judged in this century, especially when taken out of historical context. They were a rich and varied People who are greater than the sum of this book, or any other possible retelling. I feel that certain scholars have a need to apologize for our ancestors' collective actions. This does a great disservice to those who have gone before.
I commend the author for tackling a point in history that the majority chose to ignore. It is only through efforts such as this that my People have a remembrance outside of tribal land, and the importance of continued research and reflection cannot be overstated.
My only disappointment with this book is, like so many other accounts, it follows the Western Band exclusively. The rich experiences and various struggles of the Eastern Band is almost always overshadowed by our more populous cousins. The story of Tsali, the fight for the land trust, the members who returned home - all of these things are equally important to the full history of the Cherokee. I hope that someday we will have more recognition from popular authors, and that our continued struggle will also be recognized by enlightened outsiders to our tribe.
[I am an enrolled member of the Eastern Band, born on the Qualla Boundary, in North Carolina. My Cherokee lineage is Eastern Band, but for a great grandfather of the Western Band, of Old Settler decent, pre-Removal Georgia]
I do not presume to speak for anyone other than myself in this review. I have read of controversy surrounding possible stereotypes of Indian people in this book. I found no indication of that. I consider myself a learned individual, though I freely admit to lacking the expertise of the Native scholars who were consulted in the creation of this book.
I found this book to be an honest account of events, fully backed with sources. Certainly, it was as honest an account as could be made of events occurring with what documentation exists. I found the author was true to the historical facts, and they did not seem stereotypical at all, when taken in the proper context.
The truth is that the Cherokee did practice scalping. The Cherokee did practice blood revenge. Cherokee children did go naked. These and any number of other things mentioned in the book are not perceived stereotyping, they are accurate accounts of a People's past that many other historical writers have failed to address at all, let alone faithfully. These things weren't accounted to condemn, or pass judgement. They helped paint a fuller picture of a society that is - for all intents - extinct due to white contact and the events leading up to the Trail of Tears. To ignore and gloss over this collective history does a greater disservice to our ancestors than any judgment borne of ignorance possibly could.
My ancestors were simply people. They had a society that cannot be accurately judged in this century, especially when taken out of historical context. They were a rich and varied People who are greater than the sum of this book, or any other possible retelling. I feel that certain scholars have a need to apologize for our ancestors' collective actions. This does a great disservice to those who have gone before.
I commend the author for tackling a point in history that the majority chose to ignore. It is only through efforts such as this that my People have a remembrance outside of tribal land, and the importance of continued research and reflection cannot be overstated.
My only disappointment with this book is, like so many other accounts, it follows the Western Band exclusively. The rich experiences and various struggles of the Eastern Band is almost always overshadowed by our more populous cousins. The story of Tsali, the fight for the land trust, the members who returned home - all of these things are equally important to the full history of the Cherokee. I hope that someday we will have more recognition from popular authors, and that our continued struggle will also be recognized by enlightened outsiders to our tribe.
[I am an enrolled member of the Eastern Band, born on the Qualla Boundary, in North Carolina. My Cherokee lineage is Eastern Band, but for a great grandfather of the Western Band, of Old Settler decent, pre-Removal Georgia]
October 5, 2023
A very interesting reading experience that I don't know how to rate. Before a trip to the northwest GA mountains, I browsed my library's shelves for something about the Cherokee & came across this relatively new book. I noticed it was written by a journalist & novelist, not a professional historian, but those tend to be more readable and are normally deep and accurate (thinking David McCollogh).
And this is a readable book, dramatic, told basically as a story of two mixed blood Cherokee families (John Ross and Major Ridge) that come into conflict over the Removal.
I am a native of north Georgia -- grew up in the county with the plantation where the Creek Indian leader, William McIntosh, was murdered after he sold Creek land in 1825 to begin the Creek removal west. I've read a few other books on the subject & visited some of the Cherokee sites (the Vann House, New Echota, the last Cherokee capital) over the decades.
The author comes to this subject as if it is obscure and forgotten part of American history (is it, really?). And he also judges these two Cherokee leaders and does not see John Ross, the leader who resisted Removal until absolutely the last moment, as a Cherokee hero. I watched an author program he did for the Atlanta HIstory Center and he says bluntly that he sees Major Ridge as the clear-eyed Cherokee leader who realized their cause was hopeless and that they needed to leave before they were militarily moved out.
This book has been favorably reviewed by newspapers and Publisher Weekly type sources but scholars have lambasted it as being inaccurate and even insulting in the stereotypes that authors he uses in describing the Cherokee and in how he sees their differences in opinions about the necessity of Removal as being between "ignorant purebloods who didn't know the world had changed" and the richer mixed bloods who had taken up farming and settled life. Great fun to read some of the academic journal reviews of this book!
I can't really judge the accuracy and interpretations of the author. There were lots of names and stories that I wasn't familiar with so I did enjoy going to other sources for more information. (One reason it took 6 weeks to read this.) But even with facts, I found a few things that didn't match up with my limited knowledge -- the Cherokee didn't have the entire territory shown on the book's map or that the author describes. (In the Atlanta HIstory Center program, author has them all over the state of Georgia, not true, the Creeks were in the southern 2/3rds of Georgia.)
I do agree with author's story of the relentlessness of the Georgians -- even if Andrew Jackson had wanted to help the Cherokee stay, he seemed to believe he would not be successful.
Also very interesting was happened with the Cherokee after Removal (something I did not have any background in) -- they are the only tribe that fought on both sides of the Civil War, again carrying out the same "Ross/Ridge" divide.
Sad to think about the tragedy of a culture and way of life's brutal end.
Book has "notes" but not footnotes.
I'll look for some more books on this subject . . . it certainly has me interested now.
So, 4 for style & readability, 2 because of lack of confidence in the author's deep understanding of the subject and for some details that probably aren't accurate.
And this is a readable book, dramatic, told basically as a story of two mixed blood Cherokee families (John Ross and Major Ridge) that come into conflict over the Removal.
I am a native of north Georgia -- grew up in the county with the plantation where the Creek Indian leader, William McIntosh, was murdered after he sold Creek land in 1825 to begin the Creek removal west. I've read a few other books on the subject & visited some of the Cherokee sites (the Vann House, New Echota, the last Cherokee capital) over the decades.
The author comes to this subject as if it is obscure and forgotten part of American history (is it, really?). And he also judges these two Cherokee leaders and does not see John Ross, the leader who resisted Removal until absolutely the last moment, as a Cherokee hero. I watched an author program he did for the Atlanta HIstory Center and he says bluntly that he sees Major Ridge as the clear-eyed Cherokee leader who realized their cause was hopeless and that they needed to leave before they were militarily moved out.
This book has been favorably reviewed by newspapers and Publisher Weekly type sources but scholars have lambasted it as being inaccurate and even insulting in the stereotypes that authors he uses in describing the Cherokee and in how he sees their differences in opinions about the necessity of Removal as being between "ignorant purebloods who didn't know the world had changed" and the richer mixed bloods who had taken up farming and settled life. Great fun to read some of the academic journal reviews of this book!
I can't really judge the accuracy and interpretations of the author. There were lots of names and stories that I wasn't familiar with so I did enjoy going to other sources for more information. (One reason it took 6 weeks to read this.) But even with facts, I found a few things that didn't match up with my limited knowledge -- the Cherokee didn't have the entire territory shown on the book's map or that the author describes. (In the Atlanta HIstory Center program, author has them all over the state of Georgia, not true, the Creeks were in the southern 2/3rds of Georgia.)
I do agree with author's story of the relentlessness of the Georgians -- even if Andrew Jackson had wanted to help the Cherokee stay, he seemed to believe he would not be successful.
Also very interesting was happened with the Cherokee after Removal (something I did not have any background in) -- they are the only tribe that fought on both sides of the Civil War, again carrying out the same "Ross/Ridge" divide.
Sad to think about the tragedy of a culture and way of life's brutal end.
Book has "notes" but not footnotes.
I'll look for some more books on this subject . . . it certainly has me interested now.
So, 4 for style & readability, 2 because of lack of confidence in the author's deep understanding of the subject and for some details that probably aren't accurate.
April 29, 2018
Two Cherokee leaders John Ross and The Ridge, rivals, in disputes and wars, taken through their days up till the civil war and the removal of a nation.
With all the details, the crimes, the removals, the wars, the briberies, and deals made, the forced integrations and the insidious diluting of a nation, a lack of concern for a culture and their ways to be preserved, to have them behave in what certain men think the right way. A detailed history of greed and need for monies, land and the toxic pull of capitalism.
There are facts, truth within and there maybe some stereotypes and untruths within this tale, I have read after finishing this, from comments from educated people in this field. Don’t burn these books, discuss, learn, and educate.
The cerebral prose, the narrative was captivating, and kept me reading on its grand length, it took some reading to get through and was not the easiest non-fiction of recent.
A portrait of a Cherokee Nation, a tragedy and drama of truth work, agreements signed and broken, love gained, tongues learned, doctrines learned, lives lost, the toxic promise of great monies and gunpowder tempting leaders to sign off their nations demise and doom.
Review with excerpts @ https://more2read.com/review/blood-moon-by-john-sedgwick/
With all the details, the crimes, the removals, the wars, the briberies, and deals made, the forced integrations and the insidious diluting of a nation, a lack of concern for a culture and their ways to be preserved, to have them behave in what certain men think the right way. A detailed history of greed and need for monies, land and the toxic pull of capitalism.
There are facts, truth within and there maybe some stereotypes and untruths within this tale, I have read after finishing this, from comments from educated people in this field. Don’t burn these books, discuss, learn, and educate.
The cerebral prose, the narrative was captivating, and kept me reading on its grand length, it took some reading to get through and was not the easiest non-fiction of recent.
A portrait of a Cherokee Nation, a tragedy and drama of truth work, agreements signed and broken, love gained, tongues learned, doctrines learned, lives lost, the toxic promise of great monies and gunpowder tempting leaders to sign off their nations demise and doom.
Review with excerpts @ https://more2read.com/review/blood-moon-by-john-sedgwick/
April 18, 2018
See review here from American Indians in Children's Literature: https://americanindiansinchildrenslit...
See discussion here on Twitter: https://twitter.com/debreese/status/9...
See discussion here on Twitter: https://twitter.com/debreese/status/9...
August 25, 2018
Quite possibly the one group in our society that got the biggest raw deal on offer. Infighting, outright land theft, racism, slavery, broken treaties, Civil War allegiances, and major players in the United States government. This group of tribes is only one of hundreds that was royally screwed over and ripped off within our borders. Sad history. Great read. A minor hiccup in Part 3 keeping it from getting that last elusive star. But I’d still highly recommend it.
April 26, 2020
Indian removal is a bleak subject in American history. The forced relocation of the Cherokee, one of the five "civilized tribes" of the South, is detailed in Sedgwick's book. My own understanding was that John Ross, the tribal chief, was a tragic figure in the Cherokee removal. Here he is shown to be a much more complex figure, not one to be pitied. As expected, Andrew Jackson stands out as the archvillain of this saga; still, he has company in the rogue's gallery on display. There is also an interesting consideration of what role the tribe played in its own misfortune. There are a couple of complaints. For one, Sedgwick has an annoying habit of dropping new characters into the narrative without any identification of them; often, their first names are not given. It slows down one's reading to constantly have to skip over to the index to see if this is indeed the first mention of that person. Also, he has some problems with his chronology of events. These flaws do not ruin the impact of a compelling tale that has ramifications in the present.
April 10, 2018
GNab This is an absolutely must read for persons interested in the culture and lifestyles of native Americans before, during and after the influx of Europeans to North America. John Sedgwick takes you there, and lets you see the personalities, the agendas of the major roll-players prior to and during the French and Indian wars of 1754-1763 when the tribe backed the French, the War of Independence 1776-1783 and the War of 1812 when the Cherokee Nation aligned themselves with Britain. We watch as their traditional lands go from covering most of seven states in 1700 to a little chunk that catches the very corners of Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and a little bigger piece of pie in Georgia in 1835. And then we have the Trail of Tears affecting the Cherokee through 1838 and the American Civil War. Sedgwick takes us through these conflicts and choices and the infighting between different factors of the tribe that over time decimated the Cherokee and set them adrift. These are all facts that have been out there but never before have I understood the underlying causes for the decisions made. Thank you John Sedgwick. This is a book I will add to my research shelf.
I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel based on historical fact from Jessica Breen at S&S, author John Sedgwick, and Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
Breen, Jessica
pub date April 10, 2018
Simon & Schuster
I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel based on historical fact from Jessica Breen at S&S, author John Sedgwick, and Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
Breen, Jessica
pub date April 10, 2018
Simon & Schuster
July 3, 2018
Wow it took me almost a month to finish this! While the beginning was slow going for me, it really picked up about halfway through. I learned so much, and I’m really glad I picked this up!
I think the title is a pretty good summarization of this book. Sedgwick tells the story of the Cherokee people from the birth of Major Ridge and John Ross in the late 1700s, to shortly after the Civil War. This story spans a large chunk of time, but I think Sedgwick did a good job of streamlining his storytelling, so not as to confuse the reader. I often feel that a lot of names get thrown around in historical non-fiction, especially when covering such a large amount of time, and I was surprisingly un-confused as I read this (is un-confused correct? I am tired). Sedgwick offered a coherent and easily followed narrative of quite a complex issue, and bridged both sides of the story, so that we got a full picture of the time period. He does offer his own commentary at the end of the book, which, while I understand the point of, I am not sure was completely necessary.
I came in to this book with minimal knowledge of the Cherokee people, and I learned so much, as mentioned above. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more, or deepening their knowledge, as Sedgwick is quite detailed in his writing. Some chapters went off on tangents, which, while interesting, distracted me from the main story. But even so, this is a great read, and I'm glad I stuck on and finished it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital review copy of this book! I'm sorry it took me so long to get to it...
I think the title is a pretty good summarization of this book. Sedgwick tells the story of the Cherokee people from the birth of Major Ridge and John Ross in the late 1700s, to shortly after the Civil War. This story spans a large chunk of time, but I think Sedgwick did a good job of streamlining his storytelling, so not as to confuse the reader. I often feel that a lot of names get thrown around in historical non-fiction, especially when covering such a large amount of time, and I was surprisingly un-confused as I read this (is un-confused correct? I am tired). Sedgwick offered a coherent and easily followed narrative of quite a complex issue, and bridged both sides of the story, so that we got a full picture of the time period. He does offer his own commentary at the end of the book, which, while I understand the point of, I am not sure was completely necessary.
I came in to this book with minimal knowledge of the Cherokee people, and I learned so much, as mentioned above. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more, or deepening their knowledge, as Sedgwick is quite detailed in his writing. Some chapters went off on tangents, which, while interesting, distracted me from the main story. But even so, this is a great read, and I'm glad I stuck on and finished it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital review copy of this book! I'm sorry it took me so long to get to it...
May 14, 2024
This book is not the history we are taught in schools. It is the hard, dark truth. Not an easy read, but an important one.
May 8, 2023
Absolutely gross. I don't recommend any Native folks read this unless you are ready to roll your eyes and probably get grossed out at a history text that sounds like it was written in the 60s. Calling it problematic would be an understatement. It blames Cherokee folks for removal, due to "the division" between the Ross and Ridge parties. It sexualizes Indigenous and Cherokee women both in an outside of historical quotes. Finally, if that wasn't enough it sensationalizes violence at the hands of Indigenous men explicitly.
There are more issues but I'm done.
If someone has read a good academic review of this text please send it my way.
There are more issues but I'm done.
If someone has read a good academic review of this text please send it my way.
January 8, 2023
The history of the Cherokee usually centers on the trail of tears, yet this history provides a fuller history. While Andrew Jackson is still insistent on removal, it becomes clear that even with that requirement, sufficient money was provided that should have safely moved the people. The history is also significant due to the battles between the Ross’s and the Ridge’s. It is well researched and is a different view.
June 29, 2018
A patronizing view of a Native American tribe, uncomplicated by nuance, evidence, or any degree of critical thinking. Devoutly humorless. Horrible book, but it's about an important culture at an important time in American history, so I very reluctantly give this 2 stars. Which is generous on my part.
After I abandoned this, I looked at some of the other reviews. Check this one out. (Copied below, emphasis mine.)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
On April 16, 2018, Jace Weaver, one of the professors Sedgwick acknowledged [in the Acknowledgements section of this book], wrote this on his Facebook page:
"Warning: Simon & Schuster contacted Colin Calloway and me to review John Sedgwick's new book, Blood Moon: An Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation. The book was already typeset in galleys. It was horrible. There were numerous factual errors and faulty interpretations by someone who knows nothing about Indians. It was also bought into romantic and trafficked in the worst stereotypes. Both Colin and I wrote detailed readers' reports to this effect. I just saw the finished book today, which came out last week. The author only corrected most (but not all) the factual errors. He did nothing about tone or stereotypes. The worst of it is, we're thanked as "two of the most authoritative contemporary scholars of Native Americans." Arg! Avoid this book!"
Agree
After I abandoned this, I looked at some of the other reviews. Check this one out. (Copied below, emphasis mine.)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
On April 16, 2018, Jace Weaver, one of the professors Sedgwick acknowledged [in the Acknowledgements section of this book], wrote this on his Facebook page:
"Warning: Simon & Schuster contacted Colin Calloway and me to review John Sedgwick's new book, Blood Moon: An Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation. The book was already typeset in galleys. It was horrible. There were numerous factual errors and faulty interpretations by someone who knows nothing about Indians. It was also bought into romantic and trafficked in the worst stereotypes. Both Colin and I wrote detailed readers' reports to this effect. I just saw the finished book today, which came out last week. The author only corrected most (but not all) the factual errors. He did nothing about tone or stereotypes. The worst of it is, we're thanked as "two of the most authoritative contemporary scholars of Native Americans." Arg! Avoid this book!"
Agree
July 20, 2018
It seems Georgia was intended to be a penal colony repository like Australia and that seems to account for the character of the immigrants and politically powerful officials who have no regard for the Native Cherokee inhabitants! Also, with regard to the John Marshall U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign. According to the decision rendered by Justice John Marshall, this meant that Georgia had no rights to enforce state laws in its territory. Actually it appears that President Andrew Jackson should have been impeached for not executing and enforcing The Supreme Court rulings regarding the removal of the Cherokee!
I found this account of tragedy of the Cherokee to be really informative as I have no information as to what my ancestors encountered and their descendants who were enrolled in the Dawes Roll:
http://www.okhistory.org/research/daw...
It is really amazing the accomplishment of Sequoia and the tellings of the twisted accounting of the actions of John Ross! I shudder at the ceremony The Ridge endured when attaining manhood!
The marriages of John Ridge and Elias Boudinot could be related to the experiences of Romeo and Juliet!
The author really goes overboard in accounting for much of the drama and I thought very much so in his explanations of the Cherokee participation in the Confederate/Union conflict of The Civil War!
I found this account of tragedy of the Cherokee to be really informative as I have no information as to what my ancestors encountered and their descendants who were enrolled in the Dawes Roll:
http://www.okhistory.org/research/daw...
It is really amazing the accomplishment of Sequoia and the tellings of the twisted accounting of the actions of John Ross! I shudder at the ceremony The Ridge endured when attaining manhood!
The marriages of John Ridge and Elias Boudinot could be related to the experiences of Romeo and Juliet!
The author really goes overboard in accounting for much of the drama and I thought very much so in his explanations of the Cherokee participation in the Confederate/Union conflict of The Civil War!
December 9, 2018
I enjoyed this book. I have read some of the negative views. They talk about factual errors which were fixed before printing (that is what a peer review is for) and stereotypes. As a someone of Native American heritage cannot say I was offended when I read this book. Many people have thin skin these days. On the contrary, this book talks about the internal politics and infighting in a particular native tribe. A student of Native American history will also find some glimpses of this kind of politics in histories related to the Iroquois Confederacy. Personally, I find it refreshing that the author did not write another "Nobel Savage" book of politically correct revisionist nonsense. Wow, imagine that, us "Redskins" are human too.
I enjoyed the book as I have enjoyed books by Colin Calloway, who apparently does not like the book. The authors have very different styles. Do not let a bad review by a few learned men keep you from reading about the early history of the Cherokee. I recommend this book.
I enjoyed the book as I have enjoyed books by Colin Calloway, who apparently does not like the book. The authors have very different styles. Do not let a bad review by a few learned men keep you from reading about the early history of the Cherokee. I recommend this book.
August 7, 2018
Let's start by stating that I really dislike conjecture in my history. This set the tone right off. Might have thought, must have believed - this is the realm of Oliver Stone and other sensationalist film makers rather than an historian. All told this almost novel brings the history of the Cherokee People down to a rivalry between 2 families. Reduces the Trail of Tears to an argument between the same 2, although he does mention the greed of the U.S, Federal Government and the states. He virtually ignores the S.C. clans. While it is 'a' view of the Cherokee and if you know little or nothing about the clans in GA and AL, it does help fill in information. But that is about all I can to recommend it
February 12, 2018
I learned much while reading this book about the Cherokee Indians and their two prominent leaders of the 19th century. There was much I didn't know about their removal from Georgia and the surrounding states which is often known as "The Trail of Tears". Thank you author John Sedgwick for all of this information. I thoroughly enjoyed this book although I felt it would have been just as good or even better if it had been a bit shorter and concise.
July 29, 2019
Take a ride through an America almost forgotten...
This book was refreshing and engaging. I enjoyed the history of the Cherokee people. This book was full of interesting information and kept the reader engaged throughout!
If you enjoy American history, then you are going to LOVE this book!
This book was refreshing and engaging. I enjoyed the history of the Cherokee people. This book was full of interesting information and kept the reader engaged throughout!
If you enjoy American history, then you are going to LOVE this book!
June 22, 2019
"Blood Feud" would be a better title for this book, as it follows what essentially became a cross-vendetta between two factions of the Cherokee people, each headed up by its own powerful human force - Major Ridge and John Ross. These factions developed in the first 40 years of the nineteenth century as the Cherokee's dealings with the federal government, state governments, and southern people came into clear focus. The groups divided over the question of the geographical location of the Cherokee, or more succinctly, "Should we stay or should we go?"
I consider this book to be informative, but not authoritative. It's certainly not an exhaustive history of the Cherokee people, but a slanted view of the Ridge/Ross rivalry. Many facets of the story are overlooked - the Old Settlers (those who left for the Territory before the 1830s) are treated as bit players and the Eastern Band (those who hid out and stayed in the east) are treated as an afterthought.
The author's goal is to focus on the feud, especially as told from the Ridge/Watie, or Treaty Party, perspective. If Major Ridge and Stand Watie could rise again and write their political testament, this book would be it. The author's palpable hatred of John Ross and infantilization of the full-blood majority that kept Ross in power prevent him from being able to give a dispassionate view of the tragedy that occurred. In his view, Ross is the true villain of the story. Andrew Jackson and the various governors of Georgia that actively precipitated Removal are given some moral cover, while Ross is accused of everything from from corruption to a variety of war crimes.
Meanwhile, the Ridges, Watie, and their followers are enshrined as agents of the moral good. The bribes they accepted for signing the Treaty of New Echota, in blatant and hypocritical violation of the law passed by the Cherokee National Council at Major Ridge's behest, are overlooked as an unfortunate yet necessary action taken by those who truly had the good of the people in mind. Watie's own war crimes are downplayed or in at least one case - the complete massacre of a unit of black Union troops by troops under his command during the Civil War - are ignored altogether.
The truth is that neither group was altogether innocent or guilty. They all had mixed motives. They all mixed personal profit with ideas of community good. Some owned slaves and saw no issue with it, some owned slaves yet had a problem with it, others were opposed to slavery in theory and in practice. In other words, the Cherokee looked like Americans of that time. Even further, they were afflicted with the basic nature of man. In that sense, the author, whether he intends to or not, underscores a great truth about Native Americans that is almost universally overlooked - that they were humans first and subject to the same hypocrisies and follies that all humans face.
Despite his efforts at being exhaustive, the author overlooks many details and gets plenty of facts just plain wrong. He is frequently wrong about the names of landmarks and the distances involved. While most of these errors don't detract from the overall story, they are aggravating to those who know better. One major issue that I have with the story is that he brings the subject to a close after the Civil War. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Cherokee people are still riven by factions, and while many of the things being argued over have changed and some of the players have switched sides, there is a level at which these arguments are based on the historic blood feud, the seeds of which were planted by the Ridges, Rosses, and others.
Another issue that is touched upon but is mostly overlooked is the role that promises made and monies distributed by the Federal government become the driving force behind the political war within the Nation. Once the Cherokee showed themselves willing to be bribed by the Federal government, both personally and nationally, they forfeited their ability to govern themselves. The arguments of today are still mostly over what to do with the largesse and patronage shown by the US government and what role the government plays in the nation, not to mention the riches bestowed by legalized gambling. Of course, these arguments are prevalent in the larger United States as well.
In sum, while I appreciate the background of the story and the author's efforts to expand the tale beyond the Trail of Tears, which is where the story usually ends in history class, the book comes across to me as an unsatisfying and mostly biased effort to lionize one side of the feud and vilify the other.
Final note: it's ironic that I write this on June 22, the 180th anniversary of an event that ensured that the blood feud triggered by the Treaty of New Echota would result in years of violent hostility and decades of less obvious discord - the planned and coordinated assassination of the Ridges by followers of the Rosses.
I consider this book to be informative, but not authoritative. It's certainly not an exhaustive history of the Cherokee people, but a slanted view of the Ridge/Ross rivalry. Many facets of the story are overlooked - the Old Settlers (those who left for the Territory before the 1830s) are treated as bit players and the Eastern Band (those who hid out and stayed in the east) are treated as an afterthought.
The author's goal is to focus on the feud, especially as told from the Ridge/Watie, or Treaty Party, perspective. If Major Ridge and Stand Watie could rise again and write their political testament, this book would be it. The author's palpable hatred of John Ross and infantilization of the full-blood majority that kept Ross in power prevent him from being able to give a dispassionate view of the tragedy that occurred. In his view, Ross is the true villain of the story. Andrew Jackson and the various governors of Georgia that actively precipitated Removal are given some moral cover, while Ross is accused of everything from from corruption to a variety of war crimes.
Meanwhile, the Ridges, Watie, and their followers are enshrined as agents of the moral good. The bribes they accepted for signing the Treaty of New Echota, in blatant and hypocritical violation of the law passed by the Cherokee National Council at Major Ridge's behest, are overlooked as an unfortunate yet necessary action taken by those who truly had the good of the people in mind. Watie's own war crimes are downplayed or in at least one case - the complete massacre of a unit of black Union troops by troops under his command during the Civil War - are ignored altogether.
The truth is that neither group was altogether innocent or guilty. They all had mixed motives. They all mixed personal profit with ideas of community good. Some owned slaves and saw no issue with it, some owned slaves yet had a problem with it, others were opposed to slavery in theory and in practice. In other words, the Cherokee looked like Americans of that time. Even further, they were afflicted with the basic nature of man. In that sense, the author, whether he intends to or not, underscores a great truth about Native Americans that is almost universally overlooked - that they were humans first and subject to the same hypocrisies and follies that all humans face.
Despite his efforts at being exhaustive, the author overlooks many details and gets plenty of facts just plain wrong. He is frequently wrong about the names of landmarks and the distances involved. While most of these errors don't detract from the overall story, they are aggravating to those who know better. One major issue that I have with the story is that he brings the subject to a close after the Civil War. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Cherokee people are still riven by factions, and while many of the things being argued over have changed and some of the players have switched sides, there is a level at which these arguments are based on the historic blood feud, the seeds of which were planted by the Ridges, Rosses, and others.
Another issue that is touched upon but is mostly overlooked is the role that promises made and monies distributed by the Federal government become the driving force behind the political war within the Nation. Once the Cherokee showed themselves willing to be bribed by the Federal government, both personally and nationally, they forfeited their ability to govern themselves. The arguments of today are still mostly over what to do with the largesse and patronage shown by the US government and what role the government plays in the nation, not to mention the riches bestowed by legalized gambling. Of course, these arguments are prevalent in the larger United States as well.
In sum, while I appreciate the background of the story and the author's efforts to expand the tale beyond the Trail of Tears, which is where the story usually ends in history class, the book comes across to me as an unsatisfying and mostly biased effort to lionize one side of the feud and vilify the other.
Final note: it's ironic that I write this on June 22, the 180th anniversary of an event that ensured that the blood feud triggered by the Treaty of New Echota would result in years of violent hostility and decades of less obvious discord - the planned and coordinated assassination of the Ridges by followers of the Rosses.
June 3, 2019
Corruption, greed, and an unwillingness to compromise by the leaders of the Cherokee Nation and the Federal government led this proud people to despair and eventually to the “trail of tears”.
August 5, 2018
Clear, well-researched history brought into skillful focus by Sedgwick's unique brand of stereo biography. Told with dry wit and sharp insight the author adeptly balances the too often numbing details of history with the human pathos of people trying to adapt in a rapidly changing world.
March 22, 2018
With a Blood Moon looming at the end of January 2018, I requested an ARC of this book via NetGalley. Who could resist that title, that image on the cover? Three months later, I've finally finished reading this tale, which is riveting, compelling, heartbreaking, and splendidly written. What took me so long?
Terrible things happen in this story, and they happened in real life, which makes me stop reading until I can summon the strength to come back for more. John Sedgwick has a gift for taking dry, dead history, breathing life into it, and spinning a tale of human passion and conflict, all the stuff that makes for great fiction. But it's not fiction, and I wish it were.
Blood Moon: An American Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation is splendid and epic, as the title promises. A history book that reads like fiction, "Blood Moon" brings to life the people who came before us. I'm amazed at the quantity, depth, and detailed research that went into this epic story of the Cherokee Nation. I had read and loved James Upton Terrell's "The Navajos"(1970) for the same kind of storytelling miracle. Years later I continue to remember Zarcillos Largos and how he died. Now, I will remember The Ridge, and Boudinot, and John Ridge, and the terrible ways they were killed.
My Kindle is packed full of highlighted names, dates, quotes, and information. It has taken me a long, long time to read this, and I still haven't read every page.
"Meteorologists now see that a blood moon is actually lit by an unusual sunset glow picked up form the earth's atmosphere as the sunlight brushes past," Sedgwick explains in "A Note on the Title." The Cherokee, however, saw the blood moon as "an ill portent. The moon was red with rage over what lay below."
Outsiders wrote and recorded most of what we know about the people who lived here before the Declaration of Independence launched a new nation. Sedgwick draws extensively from James Adair's "History of the American Indians," the first "and still the best" account of the Cherokee, in spite of Adair's emphasis on his observations as evidence that American Indians were a lost tribe of Israel.
Sedgwick writes,
"Adair was there one night when the moon disappeared from the sky during a lunar eclipse, and he had never seen the Cherokee in such squawking pandemonium. 'They all ran wild, this way and that, firing off their guns, whooping and hallooing...and making the most horrid noises that human beings possibly could.' They were afraid the moon was gone forever, devoured, they decided, by a monstrous bullfrog in the night sky."
I especially love Sedgwick's brief history of Native Americans, or Indians, the term he uses throughout the book. On one side of the globe, people built the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Parthenon; they created vast empires, and lost them; they invented writing, math, science, the printing press, musical instruments, politics, literature, fine china, table linens, jewelry, and all that. On the other side the globe, "maybe 20,000 years ago, when a few audacious souls ventured across the Bering Strait during an ice age," various tribes evolved in North America. Until 1492, the people on one side of the world had no idea the other side existed.
Much of this history is already familiar, one would hope, to most readers. The smallpox epidemic, however, is described here with more explicit horror than I'd seen anywhere else.
Sedgwick barely mentions a concept that Ian Frazier expounds on, in "On the Rez," the idea that our Founding Fathers were inspired by Native American models of self-government. "In the land of the free," Frazier writes, "Indians were the original free," known for "a deep egalitarianism that made them not necessarily defer even to the leading men of their tribes." The American character, known for outspokenness and disregard for titles and nobility, was largely inspired by "The freedom that inhered in Powhatan, that Red Cloud carried with him from the plains to Washington as easily as air--freedom to be and to say, whenever, regardless of disapproval." But Sedgwick's history is about the Cherokee in particular, the tenuous notion of a Cherokee "Nation," and a sort of identity crisis that comes from being a people so free and unencumbered by the stuff of books and maps. Without governments, documents, and maps, how were the natives to establish"ownership" preserve their place in a land of the free?
I had heard of the British accepting the American terms for peace in Paris in 1783, but of a man named Dragging Canoe, I recall nothing from my college or high school history books. The Cherokee were allies of the British? Somehow I missed a lot of these intriguing details, most likely because they were never mentioned. Not in the small Midwest town of the 1970s where I was schooled.
The history, the details, the people, the sense of time and place, are all captured in vivid detail in "Blood Moon," and it would take me all day and all night just to summarize this one slice of American history.
War and Splendor
in the same sentence may seem antiquated or oxymoronic to modern readers, schooled as we are in ideals of discourse instead of weapons. But the opening pages cannot fail to stir us, with prose that some would dare call purple, "This is the last big surprise of the Civil war: it was fought not just by the whites of the North and South, and by the blacks who mostly came in after the Emancipation." It was also fought by some 30,000 Indians, from the Seneca to the Seminole.
"Shaped by a warrior culture, most were used to violence, and they took to battle. Their long black hair spilling out from under their caps, their shoddy uniforms ill-fitting, their faces painted in harsh war colors, they surged into battle with a terrifying cry, equipped not just with army-issue rifles but also with hunting knives, tomahawks, and, often, bows and arrows. Even when mounted on horses, they exhibited a deadly aim..."
Where are the pictures of that? Why do U.S. History classes overlook such an awesome episode while reciting dull summaries of idiotic battles where men shoot each other with cannons at close range or march toward each other in rows, mowing each other down with bullets? I hate war, the reasons for war, the methods, the casualties, the tombstones, and the documentaries my husband watches.
But I love the skill and ferocity of our Native Americans, though I wince and cringe at the blood they shed, the scalps they raised to the sky. My dad's black and white TV Westerns never came close to capturing it, so it can only be the storyteller's gift of inspiring me with these images. Starting with "Black Elk Speaks," as the great Oglala Sioux warrior told it to John G. Neihardt, I moved to "Geronimo," the "Custer Died for Our Sins," "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," on to the Navajos, and more, becoming increasingly outraged by America's lack of attention to Natives in our history books, political campaigns, movies and TV shows, not to mention a conspicuous absence of Natives in our every day lives, in most parts of the country.
In popular music, the 1960s gave us "Cherokee Nation" (proper title, "Indian Reservation") by Paul Revere and the Raiders. Lead singer MarkLindsey, who also produced the song, is part Cherokee. This youtube video, https://youtu.be/caCvDB9ivOE, begins with photos of Natives from other tribes and drew the usual variety of interesting comments from viewers.
I have said nothing about the stars of this book John Ross, his rival The Ridge, The Trail of Tears, the treachery, the battles, and the assassinations. It has taken me three months, on and off, to get through these bloody pages. Also, this ARC (Advance Reader Copy) comes with a DISCLAIMER from Simon & Schuster: Do not quote for publication until verified with the finished book.
And so I will offer just my impression of this story as a magnificent addition to my library, and to any library anywhere, and I would make it mandatory reading if I were a history teacher. With one disclaimer: this book is LONG, and the minutiae of detail is overwhelming. I confess to skimming some of the political maneuverings and battle dates. (Sssh, don't tell my teacher.)
Details, reams and reams of details aside, what student wouldn't love history class (or like it better), if more history books read like fiction--like "Blood Moon"--full of passion and conflict, with unforgettable and richly drawn characters?
Thank you to John Sedgwick, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Terrible things happen in this story, and they happened in real life, which makes me stop reading until I can summon the strength to come back for more. John Sedgwick has a gift for taking dry, dead history, breathing life into it, and spinning a tale of human passion and conflict, all the stuff that makes for great fiction. But it's not fiction, and I wish it were.
Blood Moon: An American Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation is splendid and epic, as the title promises. A history book that reads like fiction, "Blood Moon" brings to life the people who came before us. I'm amazed at the quantity, depth, and detailed research that went into this epic story of the Cherokee Nation. I had read and loved James Upton Terrell's "The Navajos"(1970) for the same kind of storytelling miracle. Years later I continue to remember Zarcillos Largos and how he died. Now, I will remember The Ridge, and Boudinot, and John Ridge, and the terrible ways they were killed.
My Kindle is packed full of highlighted names, dates, quotes, and information. It has taken me a long, long time to read this, and I still haven't read every page.
"Meteorologists now see that a blood moon is actually lit by an unusual sunset glow picked up form the earth's atmosphere as the sunlight brushes past," Sedgwick explains in "A Note on the Title." The Cherokee, however, saw the blood moon as "an ill portent. The moon was red with rage over what lay below."
Outsiders wrote and recorded most of what we know about the people who lived here before the Declaration of Independence launched a new nation. Sedgwick draws extensively from James Adair's "History of the American Indians," the first "and still the best" account of the Cherokee, in spite of Adair's emphasis on his observations as evidence that American Indians were a lost tribe of Israel.
Sedgwick writes,
"Adair was there one night when the moon disappeared from the sky during a lunar eclipse, and he had never seen the Cherokee in such squawking pandemonium. 'They all ran wild, this way and that, firing off their guns, whooping and hallooing...and making the most horrid noises that human beings possibly could.' They were afraid the moon was gone forever, devoured, they decided, by a monstrous bullfrog in the night sky."
I especially love Sedgwick's brief history of Native Americans, or Indians, the term he uses throughout the book. On one side of the globe, people built the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Parthenon; they created vast empires, and lost them; they invented writing, math, science, the printing press, musical instruments, politics, literature, fine china, table linens, jewelry, and all that. On the other side the globe, "maybe 20,000 years ago, when a few audacious souls ventured across the Bering Strait during an ice age," various tribes evolved in North America. Until 1492, the people on one side of the world had no idea the other side existed.
Much of this history is already familiar, one would hope, to most readers. The smallpox epidemic, however, is described here with more explicit horror than I'd seen anywhere else.
Sedgwick barely mentions a concept that Ian Frazier expounds on, in "On the Rez," the idea that our Founding Fathers were inspired by Native American models of self-government. "In the land of the free," Frazier writes, "Indians were the original free," known for "a deep egalitarianism that made them not necessarily defer even to the leading men of their tribes." The American character, known for outspokenness and disregard for titles and nobility, was largely inspired by "The freedom that inhered in Powhatan, that Red Cloud carried with him from the plains to Washington as easily as air--freedom to be and to say, whenever, regardless of disapproval." But Sedgwick's history is about the Cherokee in particular, the tenuous notion of a Cherokee "Nation," and a sort of identity crisis that comes from being a people so free and unencumbered by the stuff of books and maps. Without governments, documents, and maps, how were the natives to establish"ownership" preserve their place in a land of the free?
I had heard of the British accepting the American terms for peace in Paris in 1783, but of a man named Dragging Canoe, I recall nothing from my college or high school history books. The Cherokee were allies of the British? Somehow I missed a lot of these intriguing details, most likely because they were never mentioned. Not in the small Midwest town of the 1970s where I was schooled.
The history, the details, the people, the sense of time and place, are all captured in vivid detail in "Blood Moon," and it would take me all day and all night just to summarize this one slice of American history.
War and Splendor
in the same sentence may seem antiquated or oxymoronic to modern readers, schooled as we are in ideals of discourse instead of weapons. But the opening pages cannot fail to stir us, with prose that some would dare call purple, "This is the last big surprise of the Civil war: it was fought not just by the whites of the North and South, and by the blacks who mostly came in after the Emancipation." It was also fought by some 30,000 Indians, from the Seneca to the Seminole.
"Shaped by a warrior culture, most were used to violence, and they took to battle. Their long black hair spilling out from under their caps, their shoddy uniforms ill-fitting, their faces painted in harsh war colors, they surged into battle with a terrifying cry, equipped not just with army-issue rifles but also with hunting knives, tomahawks, and, often, bows and arrows. Even when mounted on horses, they exhibited a deadly aim..."
Where are the pictures of that? Why do U.S. History classes overlook such an awesome episode while reciting dull summaries of idiotic battles where men shoot each other with cannons at close range or march toward each other in rows, mowing each other down with bullets? I hate war, the reasons for war, the methods, the casualties, the tombstones, and the documentaries my husband watches.
But I love the skill and ferocity of our Native Americans, though I wince and cringe at the blood they shed, the scalps they raised to the sky. My dad's black and white TV Westerns never came close to capturing it, so it can only be the storyteller's gift of inspiring me with these images. Starting with "Black Elk Speaks," as the great Oglala Sioux warrior told it to John G. Neihardt, I moved to "Geronimo," the "Custer Died for Our Sins," "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," on to the Navajos, and more, becoming increasingly outraged by America's lack of attention to Natives in our history books, political campaigns, movies and TV shows, not to mention a conspicuous absence of Natives in our every day lives, in most parts of the country.
In popular music, the 1960s gave us "Cherokee Nation" (proper title, "Indian Reservation") by Paul Revere and the Raiders. Lead singer MarkLindsey, who also produced the song, is part Cherokee. This youtube video, https://youtu.be/caCvDB9ivOE, begins with photos of Natives from other tribes and drew the usual variety of interesting comments from viewers.
I have said nothing about the stars of this book John Ross, his rival The Ridge, The Trail of Tears, the treachery, the battles, and the assassinations. It has taken me three months, on and off, to get through these bloody pages. Also, this ARC (Advance Reader Copy) comes with a DISCLAIMER from Simon & Schuster: Do not quote for publication until verified with the finished book.
And so I will offer just my impression of this story as a magnificent addition to my library, and to any library anywhere, and I would make it mandatory reading if I were a history teacher. With one disclaimer: this book is LONG, and the minutiae of detail is overwhelming. I confess to skimming some of the political maneuverings and battle dates. (Sssh, don't tell my teacher.)
Details, reams and reams of details aside, what student wouldn't love history class (or like it better), if more history books read like fiction--like "Blood Moon"--full of passion and conflict, with unforgettable and richly drawn characters?
Thank you to John Sedgwick, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book.
December 11, 2018
Although I'm aware that there is controversy over this book (including disclaimers from two of the contributors), I really liked this book. The contributors criticize the fact that the book contains some factual errors and that Sedgwick gave in to stereotypes. I read a LOT of history (along with reading the classics, history is my favorite genre) and, honestly, I have yet to read a history book that I would presume was totally accurate and that did not contain some stereotypes, for good or bad. I will say this about Sedgwick, he wrote a book that is about as objective and non-judgmental as I've read in a long time. It was refreshing.
The contributors accuse Sedgwick of giving in to old stereotypes of Native Americans as "savages." It is true that Sedgwick addresses the Cherokees' methods of war and justice prior to being exposed to the ways of Western civilization and forming a government similar to America's constitutional government, but historians should not attempt to rewrite history in order to make someone's culture more palatable to today's mores. As the saying goes, "It is what it is."
What Sedgwick did is introduce a part of American history that has been totally overlooked... and that is the entire story behind the Cherokees' Trail of Tears. This was a period that our government (both local and federal) should be tremendously ashamed of. I was abashed at the overreach the U.S. and State of Georgia governments undertook to dispossess the Native Americans of all their property and send them into the unknown. But what is also exposed in Blood Moon is how feuding between two Cherokee factions made the Trail of Tears so much worse. It is the story of two highly intelligent and capable men (Major John Ridge and John Ross, both "half-blood" Cherokees) who battled to save their people in the way each thought best, but whose inability to compromise led to the death of too many of their people.
Sedgwick introduces the reader to many good and thoughtful men (all Native Americans), such as Major John Ridge, his son John Ridge and nephew Elias Boudinot (formerly Buck Watie), and Stand Watie who struggled to adjust to the new realities of life in order to save their people and culture. The 1800s were a terrible time for them, but these men stood head and shoulders above the men in Washington they were forced to negotiate with.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who want to learn more about this period in American history.
The contributors accuse Sedgwick of giving in to old stereotypes of Native Americans as "savages." It is true that Sedgwick addresses the Cherokees' methods of war and justice prior to being exposed to the ways of Western civilization and forming a government similar to America's constitutional government, but historians should not attempt to rewrite history in order to make someone's culture more palatable to today's mores. As the saying goes, "It is what it is."
What Sedgwick did is introduce a part of American history that has been totally overlooked... and that is the entire story behind the Cherokees' Trail of Tears. This was a period that our government (both local and federal) should be tremendously ashamed of. I was abashed at the overreach the U.S. and State of Georgia governments undertook to dispossess the Native Americans of all their property and send them into the unknown. But what is also exposed in Blood Moon is how feuding between two Cherokee factions made the Trail of Tears so much worse. It is the story of two highly intelligent and capable men (Major John Ridge and John Ross, both "half-blood" Cherokees) who battled to save their people in the way each thought best, but whose inability to compromise led to the death of too many of their people.
Sedgwick introduces the reader to many good and thoughtful men (all Native Americans), such as Major John Ridge, his son John Ridge and nephew Elias Boudinot (formerly Buck Watie), and Stand Watie who struggled to adjust to the new realities of life in order to save their people and culture. The 1800s were a terrible time for them, but these men stood head and shoulders above the men in Washington they were forced to negotiate with.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who want to learn more about this period in American history.
June 8, 2018
First of all, this is a great historical read on one of the largest surviving Native American tribes. Take note. It has over 50 pages of notes, contesting to the depth and breadth of research in the work. John Sedgwick's work traces the documented history of what we know today as the three recognized Cherokee tribal nations, descended from the Eastern band who stayed what is now North Carolina and resisted removal, the original settlers who came to Oklahoma and were not part of the Trail of Tears, and the emigrants who suffered the long road of the Trail of Tears. And I say documented as the Cherokee were here for thousands of years prior to the beginnings of 18th and 19th century documented history and most of this is known through oral traditions. But I digress. The original New Echota Treaty that sold the eastern lands of the Cherokee for $5m to the US split the tribe in two with repercussions that has lasted into modern times. The Trail of Tears, in spite of the pain, death and suffering it caused, was followed by calamitous internecine warfare, and more loss during competing loyalties during the Civil War that left the Cherokees out west decimated. The Trail of Tears, Sedgwick concludes, was in reality, and in a metaphorical sense, far longer and far more brutal than we realize. But the descendants of the Cherokee and the Cherokee Freedmen survive in numbers to this day, and I just read about the long bike ride currently being done by 18 members of the Cherokee Nation known as "Remember the Removal" ride and they ride through 6-8 states to call attention to and remember the Trail of Tears. The history of this place that many of us call home is more complex, more layered, and more rich, beautifully and painfully, than we will ever know. We will all be better off knowing this, especially during these times when our country is being unfairly and unjustly divided amongst ethnic lines. From Albert Einstein, "A human being is part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish the delusion but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind."
April 15, 2018
I received a free Kindle copy of Blood Moon by John Sedgwick courtesy of Net Galley and Simon and Schuster the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.
I requested this book as the subject matter and the description sounded very interesting. It is the first book by John Sedgwick that I have read.
This is a well researched and written book. It takes an interesting subject and keeps you attention with the engaging writing style of the author. The book is about the division within the Cherokee Nation with the two factions led by John Ross and the other by The Ridge. Ross was in favor of the Cherokees assimilating into America and becoming citizens with the history and culture eventually fading away. The Ridge was just the opposite. This struggle did more to divide the Nation than the infamous Trail of Tears.
I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the history of Native Americans and the Cherokee Nation in particular.
I requested this book as the subject matter and the description sounded very interesting. It is the first book by John Sedgwick that I have read.
This is a well researched and written book. It takes an interesting subject and keeps you attention with the engaging writing style of the author. The book is about the division within the Cherokee Nation with the two factions led by John Ross and the other by The Ridge. Ross was in favor of the Cherokees assimilating into America and becoming citizens with the history and culture eventually fading away. The Ridge was just the opposite. This struggle did more to divide the Nation than the infamous Trail of Tears.
I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the history of Native Americans and the Cherokee Nation in particular.
February 18, 2018
John Sedgwick is a professional and gives a very entertaining story about the history of the internal politics of the Cherokee Nation. Without a doubt it is entertaining. Also it is well researched. Sadly this is also the source of its deficiencies. Sedgwick loves dramatic, over the top and sensationalist description. He wants to weave a riveting yarn. I personally feel he does this at the expense of giving a clear, readable and respectful history of one of the most important societies and civilizations of the Americas.
That said, there is very little out there to match the breadth of research and importance of the subject in respect to First Nations history. As such its well worth the read, although you may sigh occasionally as the to excitable and bizarre descriptive capacity of Sedgwick.
That said, there is very little out there to match the breadth of research and importance of the subject in respect to First Nations history. As such its well worth the read, although you may sigh occasionally as the to excitable and bizarre descriptive capacity of Sedgwick.
May 5, 2018
I have been reading quite a bit of Cherokee history lately and was very excited at the prospect of a treatment contrasting the two great men who shaped the Nation from pre-Removal to Oklahoma. Quickly I started questioning this books narrative and totally gave up upon reaching page 117 where Sedgwick asserts that the Star-Spangled Banner was inspired by the bombardment and burning of the White House during the War of 1812. How did this volume ever get past the editors at a venerable imprint like Simon and Schuster. Unforgivable.
February 9, 2018
Well written and researched history of the Cherokee Indians and their two most visible, powerful and influential leaders throughout the 19th century before, during and after their removal from The Blue Ridge Mountains in NC/TN/GA to AK/OK via the Trail Of Tears. Enjoyed reading and learned a lot in the process, but felt it could have been even better if it were significantly shorter and covered the same period of time.
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