The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-28 00:00:00

The Capture of Fort Pillow.

The Montreal Ocean Mail Steamship Company's
screw steamer Hibernian, Captain Dutton, which
left Portland, Maine, on the evening of the 16th
inst., arrived in the Mersey at one o'clock yesterday
afternoon. A telegraphic summary of the news
has already appeared.
The particulars of the capture of Fort Pillow are
given in a despatch of the 14th from Cairo, Illinois,
as follows :—" The attack began on Tuesday morn-
ing, the 12th. The Confederate General Forrest
soon sent a flag of truce demanding tilt surrender of
the fort and garrison ; in the meanwhile so disposing
his troops as to take the advantage of our forces.
Major Booth, who commanded, refused the flag
of truce, and the fighting recommenced. After-
wards a second Rig came in, which was also re-
fused. Both flags gave the rebels the advan-
tage of gaining new positions. The battle was
kept up until three p.m., when Major Booth was
killed, and Major Bradford took command. The
rebels now made such a furious attack that our men
were compelled to surrender. Immediately upon
the surrender, a scene ensued which baffles all de-
scription. Up to that time comparatively few of
our men had been killed, but instantly on takkg
possession of the fort the fiends commenced an in.
discriminate butchery of the whites cud blacks,
including those of both colours who had pre-
viously bee❑ wounded. The black soldiers
becoming demoralised, rushed to the rear, the
white officers having thrown down their
arms.. Both white and black were bayonetted,
shot, or sabred. Even dead bodies were horribly
mutilated, and children and several negro
women were murdered in cold blood. Soldiers,
unable to speak from wounds, were shot dead, and
their bodies thrown into the river. The dead and
wounded negroes were piled in heaps and burned;
and several citizens, who had joined our forces for
protection, were killed and wounded. Oat of the
garrison of 600 but 200 remained alive. Major
Bradford is said to have escaped. The steamer
Platte Valley came up at about 3.30 p.m., and was
hailed by the rebels under a flag of truce. Some
men were sent ashore to bury the dead, and take
aboard such of the wounded an the enemy had
allowed to live. 57 men were taken aboard, includ-
ing 7or 8 coloured ; 8 died on the way up. The
steamer arrived at Cairo, and was immediately
sent to Mound City, to discharge her suffering
oargo, Six guns were captured by the rebels,
and carried off. A large amount of stores was
destroyed or carried off. The intention of the rebels
seemed to be to move on towards Memphis, and
capture the place."

Another despatch of the 15th, from Cairo, says:
—" Three other negroes were buried alive by the
rebels at Fort Pillow, making five in all. All were
wounded but one; he was forced to help to dig
pits, and was then thrown in and covered with the
rest.

" General Chalmers said to a Federal officer on
the steamer Platte Valley that it was their initen-
tion to show no mercy to Southerners serving in
the Union army and negroes ; but the genuine
Yankee would ba treated as a prisoner of war."
A correspondent of the St. Louis Union, who was
on board the steamer Platte Valley, at Fort Pillow,
says many of the wounded were shot in the hospital.
The remainder were driven out and the hospital
burned. On the morning after the battle the rebels
went over the field and shot the negroes who had
not died from their wounds. Of 3O coloured troops
not more than 66 escaped massacre, and not one
officer that commanded ti em survives,

General Cnalmers told this correspondent that,
although it was against the policy of his Govern?.
ment to spare negro soldiers or their officers, ho had
done all in his power to stop the carnage, but at the
same time he believed it was ri2,ht. Another officer
said the white troops would have been protected
had they not been found on duty with the negroes.