Bending Their Way Onward is a rich and compelling collection of documents on Creek removal, providing an impressive addition to the growing body of scholarship on this subject. Haveman clearly states that the collection’s purpose is to allow the eyewitnesses to tell the story of Creek removal, as no historian can truly capture the pain of those leaving their ancestral homeland behind, the horrific conditions they had to endure, and their determination to stay alive. The book’s title reveals their suffering and strength. Captain John Stuart of the 7th US Infantry wrote to his superior in 1837 that, after five days of snow, women and children were seen mostly naked with no shoes “bending their way Onward, with most Piteous and heart rending Cries, from Cold” (xi–xxii). The documents portray a chaotic time when the majority of the Creek people simply tried to survive crisis upon crisis.
Bending their Way...
