Push-Ma-Ta-Ha
Washington, DC
Push-Ma-Ta-Ha was a Choctaw Chief, warrior, and diplomat, who served with Major General Andrew Jackson as an American ally in the War of 1812. While in Washington in 1824 seeking to settle questions regarding the territorial rights to Choctaw land, he died of croup. His military funeral, attended by then-Senator Jackson, stretched a full mile, with thousands in the procession and others lining the way to his resting place. The inscription on his grave describes him as "the White Man's friend" and includes his (fulfilled) dying wish: "Let the big guns [cannons] be fired over me."
[Grave report by Kurt Deion]