Later the Cherokee were divided over the government 's proposal for removal to Indian Territory , with most opposing it . Following passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 , US soldiers forced the Cherokee west on the Trail of Tears . They built internment camps along the Hiwassee River as government forces rounded up the people . One of the largest such camps was Fort Cass near present-day Charleston , Tennessee , on the south bank of the Hiwassee River
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Hiwassee River