Timeline December 1838

Events in December 1838 3

• 1838 Forced Removal of the Cherokee Along the Trail of Tears US troops drive the Cherokee Nation from their homeland Following the expiration of a forced-removal deadline, the US Army rounded up Cherokee families and marched them west toward Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Thousands died from disease, exposure, and starvation during the detachments' overland journeys that began in 1838. The removal followed the Indian Removal Act and the disputed Treaty of New Echota.
• 1838 First Anglo-Afghan War Begins British India issues the Simla Manifesto and invades Afghanistan The British East India Company issued the Simla Manifesto, announcing its intention to install Shah Shuja on the Afghan throne in place of Dost Mohammad Khan. The Army of the Indus subsequently advanced into Afghanistan from British India, beginning the First Anglo-Afghan War. The campaign aimed to counter perceived Russian influence in the region.
• 1838 Battle of Blood River Voortrekkers defeat a much larger Zulu army in Natal A Voortrekker commando under Andries Pretorius defeated a Zulu army several times its size at the Ncome River in Natal, suffering no fatalities while inflicting heavy Zulu casualties. The victory, attributed by the Voortrekkers to a religious vow made before the battle, became a foundational event in Afrikaner nationalist memory as the Day of the Vow. It followed months of conflict sparked by the killing of Piet Retief's party earlier that year.