Cherokee communities had been living in East Texas for years before the Republic of Texas was created. During the Mexican period, Cherokee leaders had tried to gain legal recognition of their land claims, but they had never received a final title from the Mexican government.
As tensions between Texas and Mexico increased in 1835, Texas leaders wanted to prevent additional conflict with the Cherokee and other Indigenous groups in East Texas. The Consultation promised to recognize Cherokee land claims and appointed representatives, including Sam Houston, to negotiate with Cherokee leaders.
In February 1836, Houston and John Forbes negotiated a treaty with Chief Bowles and other Cherokee leaders. The agreement promised peace and recognized an area of East Texas for the Cherokee and several associated Indigenous groups. In return, the groups agreed to maintain peaceful relations with Texas.
The treaty became controversial. Some Texans opposed recognizing Cherokee control of the land because they wanted the area opened to settlement. When Houston became president, he submitted the treaty to the Texas Senate, but the Senate rejected it in 1837. The Cherokee therefore never received the legal recognition of their land claims that they believed the agreement had promised.
Houston continued to favor peaceful relations. He worked with Chief Bowles and other Cherokee leaders and sometimes asked them to help communicate with other Indigenous nations. Bowles, for example, served as an intermediary in attempts to establish peaceful relations with Comanche groups.
Relations became more tense by 1838. Mexican officials were seeking allies against the Republic of Texas, and some Texans suspected that Cherokee leaders were cooperating with Mexico. Evidence of Cherokee involvement was disputed, but these suspicions increased distrust in East Texas.
When Mirabeau B. Lamar became president, Texas policy changed sharply. Lamar rejected the Cherokee land claims and believed that the Cherokee should leave territory claimed by the Republic. In 1839, Texas officials offered payment for property the Cherokee would leave behind and ordered them to move north of the Red River.
Chief Bowles and other Cherokee leaders refused to leave. Texas forces then moved against them. Fighting took place near the Neches River on July 15 and 16, 1839. More than 100 Indigenous fighters were killed, including Chief Bowles.
After the fighting, Texas forces destroyed Cherokee homes, fields, and supplies. Many surviving Cherokee were driven north across the Red River into Indian Territory, while others eventually settled in Mexico.