Bowl (Cherokee leader)
Bowl was a notable Cherokee leader born in North Carolina to a Cherokee mother and a Scots-Irish trader. He spent his formative years in Chickamauga, Tennessee, and played a significant role during the American Revolutionary War by siding with the British, unlike many of his fellow tribesmen who remained neutral or supported the Americans. In 1794, he led an attack on a white settlement during the Massacre of Muscle Shoals, prompting him to flee with his followers across the Mississippi River to Spanish territory instead of facing the Cherokee Council's demands for his arrest.
In the early 19th century, after the Louisiana territory became a U.S. possession, Bowl once again led his people westward, settling along the Angelina River in Texas. Here, he was recognized for his leadership and was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the Mexican army. However, with the rise of Texan independence in 1835, pressures from white settlers forced Indian communities into reservations. Bowl ultimately retreated to Indian Territory, where he met his end in 1839 during a conflict with Texan troops. His life reflects the complexities and challenges faced by Native American leaders during a tumultuous period in U.S. history.
Bowl (Cherokee leader)
- Born: 1756
- Birthplace: North Carolina
- Died: July 16, 1839
- Place of death: Near present-day Overton, Texas
Category: Military leader
Tribal affiliation: Cherokee
Significance: Leader of a large band of Cherokee militants, Bowl fought Americans throughout his life
The son of a Cherokee woman and a Scots-Irish trader named Bowles, Bowl was born in North Carolina and grew up in Chickamauga, Tennessee.
While most Cherokee sided with the Americans or remained neutral during the American Revolutionary War, Bowl aided the British. In 1794, at the Massacre of Muscle Shoals, he attacked a white settlement along the Tennessee River in present-day Alabama. Thereafter, rather than surrendering to the Cherokee Council, which demanded his arrest, Bowl conducted his people across the Mississippi River to Spanish Territory. In 1824, after his new home in the Louisiana territory became a U.S. possession, Bowl again led his people westward, settling on the Angelina River in Texas, where Mexican authorities encouraged Indian settlement as a buffer to American expansion. Bowl’s band was granted land near Overton, Texas, and in 1827, Bowl was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Mexican army. With Texan independence in 1835, white settlers demanded removal of Indians to reservations. Bowl retreated to Indian Territory, where he was killed in a battle against Texas troops in 1839.