SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Nearly 250 years ago, a quiet bit of land in present-day Sevier County was a part of the frontier caught in the middle of the American Revolution. Known as The Battle of Boyd’s Creek, fought in 1780, it was not a typical battle between American and British soldiers.
“The Battle of Boyd’s Creek was actually a battle between the frontiersmen and the Cherokee. The reason it’s considered a Revolutionary War battle is because the Cherokee were in consolidation with the British at that time,” said Sevier County historian Carroll McMahan.
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McMahan said that while the majority of the fighting of the Revolution took place in the original 13 colonies and along the east coast, the British saw an opportunity on the western frontier to claim any land in America. At the same time, as settlers moved further west. McMahan said the British hoped an alliance with the Cherokee would slow that expansion.
“The more settlers that moved here, the more allies that the revolutionaries had in this area. So they wanted to stop that if they could, and they saw a way to do that with the help of the Cherokee,” said McMahan…