The Treaty of DeWitt’s Corner was instrumental in ending the fighting in this area during the Second Cherokee War. During the start of the Revolutionary War, many members of the Cherokee nation sided with the British Loyalists, in large part because they were concerned by colonists’ encroachment on their territory and its impact on their ability to hunt for food. Cherokee Chieftains Ostenaco, The Raven, and Dragging Canoe helped organize attacks on the Colonial settlements in the backcountry. In response, the South Carolina Continental Army sent military leader Andrew Williamson to stop these attacks. As a result, many Cherokee towns were destroyed, ruining crops and emptying entire villages. By May of 1777, the Cherokees were ready to pursue peace, and on May 20th, the Treaty of DeWitt’s Corner was signed. This agreement surrendered a large portion of the Cherokees’ lands to North and South Carolina, arranged for prisoner exchanges, and ended hostilities, with South Carolina pledging to help regulate trade and travel within the remaining Cherokee territories.
