The Express.
London, England, 1864-05-02 00:00:00

LtLERICA.

YkO OUI ISISCIAL

NEW YORK Aran. 16.

There was horrible news last evening from Ten-
saw,. The Confederate general Forrest, with
aeon five or six thousand cavalry, or rather
inserted infantry, for they are cavalry only in the
fag that they rode oa horseback, has for the last
teadays been allowed to roam up and down the dig-
tent between the Tennessee River and the Mississippi,
plundering and burning, hanging Unionists, and
entrying off negroes, and attacking small parties of
Ilkelerals. A week ago he pushed up as far as
Paducah, plundered the town and assaulted the
int. but was repulsed with heavy loss. He next
tenni his attention to Columbus, but the garrison
thine was too strong to be meddled with, so he
rid down the Hissisitippi,and attacked an earth-
work, known as Fort Pillow, about seventy miles
Awe Memphis, on Tuesday morning last. The
garriesn was small, not over 600— 250
whites and 350 blacks—but determined
to bold the place. After a cannonade
which lasted all day, with little or no damage to
the Federals. The place was stormed in a rush in
the afternoon, and there then followed a scene,
auk as has not been witnessed in this war since
Qeantrell's sack of Laurence. A large portion of
the garrison consisted of negro troops, and they and
the white were butchered indiscriminately in cold
blood. Out of the 600, only 290 remain alive, and of
these, of course, a large proporticn are wounded.
The hospital was bunked, and the sick and wounded
either killed or driven out. The Confederates went
over the ground after the slaughter was over, and
killed the coloured wounded as they lay, or buried
them alive. Of the 360 negro troops who were in
the place, only 56 survive, and not one of their
officers has escaped massacre.
When the first despatch with this news was received
last evening, I was inclined to set it down as an
exaggeration ; but the additional details which have
been received this morning unhappily place it
beyond doubt. A Federal transport on her way up
the river, reached the place soon after the fight was
over, and was stopped under a flag of truce, to
bring up the survivors. The Confederate General
Chalmers went on board, and said be was sorry for
the carnage, but that it was right, and was in
accordance with the policy of hie government- He
added that the whites would have been spared if
they had not been found serving with the negroes.
Amongst the killed were a few women and children,
and several civilians, who had taken refuge in the
fort before the attack.

NEW YORK, Ann. 20.

The official reports from General Sherman con-
firm the story of the massacre at Fort Pillow. The
place was taken after • comparatively slight re-
sistance, during which about 150 of the garrison
were killed and wounded, and 300 of the
negro soldiers were then murdered in cold blood ;
five of teem were buried alive—all being wounded
but one, who succeeded in afterwards making his
escape.

Of course the matter will not rest here. It
eannot do so. The Northern government woulfi cover
itself with infamy if, after deliberately enlisting
the blacks, it calmly allowed the Confederates to
butcher them when taken prisoners. 8o that
retaliation, or the discharge of all the black troops
now under arms and to total abandonment of the
policy of enlisting them, is the only alternative
which presents itself. I believe there is
no doubt that the former has been re-
solved upon. There have been already two
or three cases of butchery of negroes on a small
scale ; but it was found impossible to bring the
crime home to the regularly organized forces of the
Confedericy with sufficient certainty to warrant re-
taliation. This last affair, however, occurred under
the eyes of a Confederate general whose name
is ! nown, and consequently, it is to be presumed,
by his orders. Mr. Lincoln made a speech on
Monday at the opening of the Baltimore sanitary
fair, in which he spoke of the occurrence in the
following terms, as reported in the telegraphic
summary, which is all we have as yet received

The President then pained oo to refer to a nutter which
be rid he supposed wee jest sow deeply 'ghetto' the
minds of the people all over the country. He alluded to
the occurrence which was reported to have taken piece at
Pest Pillow, on the Missimippi river—the ineesecui of
several hundred coloured soldiers by the rebels. Many up-
peed that the government did sot hitend to do its duty in
regard to the protection of these coloured soldiers. He
desired to say that ell such were mistaken. When the
inestioa of employing coloured men as soldiers was left to
the government, it rested very much with himself whether
be should make soldiers of them or not. lie pon-
dered the matter carefully, and when be became
esevioced that it was the duty to employ them
he did not hesitate to do so. He stood before the Amo-
re= people responsible for the act—responsible before the
Christian world. Respoosible for it be shortd steed in the
*ye of the historiao. Bespoirible for it he stood before
God, and he did not shriek from the decisioo be had made,
for he believed it was right. But when the government
elseennieed to snake soldiers of these coloured people, he
thought it only just that they should have the eame pro-
tection as the white soldier. (Applause.) And he hesitated
set to declare that the government would so protect them
to the utmost of its power. Wheelies, a clear, authenticated
cue should be made oat, retributive would follow. It bad
hitherto been difficult to aecerteie with that certniety
which should govern a decision in a matter so .saloon.
Bat in the affair of Fort Pillow be thought they were likely
to tad a clear men. The government had so direct eel.
duce to confirm the reports in callous relative to the
wesseacre. But he himself feared that the facts as related
were tnie. When the government does know the facts
from official DOOMS, end they substantiated the reports,
retribution will be surely given. (Great applause.) But bow
should that retribution be administered, wu a question
still to be settled. Would it be right to take the life of
prisoners in Washingtoo, in Fort Delaware or elsewhere, in
retaliation for acts no which they had not shared! Would
it be right to take the prisoners captured, say at Vicks-
loam and shoot them for acts of which they were not guilty,
and which it would probably he found were the ordering of
only a few individuals, or possibly of only one man' The Pre-
sident reiterates that the governmeat would not fail to visit
retribution when the facie were clearly proven.

_ .
I have what I consider trustworthy mformation,
that Grant moves about the end of next week, so
that about the time this reaches you the two armies
will probably be in collision.
Meantime the news from Louisiana is bad. The
7/decals have been repulsed near Shreveport. Banks's
advanced guard came upon the enemy in force, and
instead of falling back or waiting, engaged Lim, were
overwhelmed and routed. Another division, 1,800
strung, was brought up to support them, but affairs
were so far gone by the time it had arrived, that
ithad hardly deployed before it, too, was rooted. They
all then fell back iudiaorder ou the main-body, with
the loss, it is said, of 1,500 men and a battery,
and all further advance is now delayed for some
days, and it may be longer. The accounts which
have reached New York of the affair come through
one Western paper, and they are written with an
evident desire to put the worst complexion on the
matter ; so that its importance may be, and pro-
bably, is greatly exaggerated. In fact, many peo-
ple here doubt the whole story, but I do not.
Disasters of this kind are constantly impending
ever these small expeditions, and this one appears
to have been conducted with the usual want of
caution, and usual absurd contempt fur the enemy.
Moreover, as I have more than once said already,
these expeditions of Banks into the iuterior of
Lonishais are simply promenades, from which no
permanent result can follow. The enemy retire
before Lim, and follow him up on Lis retreat. He
gets a few thousand bales of Confederate cotton,
brings off a few hundred negroes, and tempts
mimeos intotaking the oath of allegiasiem--thna