Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-05-27
Buried Alive.

nave heard that my lather mad white
face, but think his heart and life were
blacker than my mothers skin. / was
born slave, and remained slave until
last April, when found deliverance and
shelter under the flag that my master was
fighting to dishonor.
shall never forget the day when free
dom came to me. / was working in the
fields down in Alabama, my heart full of
bitterness and unutterable longings. l
had dreamed for two long years of escape
from my bondage; the thought sung to
me through the dark nights, and filled all
the days with a weird sort of nervous
expectation. But my dreams had proved
nothing more than dreams; the oppor-
tunity l yearned for did not come. But
that day, working in the fields, suddenly
along the dusty road there flashed long
column of loyal cavalry, the old flag fly
ing at its head. How my heart leaped
at the sight; how, like revelation, came
the thought: "This, Daniel Tyler, is your
opportunityP Need tell you how /
acted upon that thought; how, in one
second Of time, l leaped out of slavery
into freedom, and from a slave became
man?
Well, joining the flashing column, l
rode with them for days, coming at last
into Baton Rouge, and thence, having
joined regiment of my own people.
came to Memphis. Thence four hundred
Of US came to Fort Pillow. But there
are not four hundred of US to-day, for
three hundred and odd were murdered in
cold blood only week ago by Forests
rough-riders.
1t was day Of horrors-lhe 18th of
April. There were seven hundred of US
all in tho fort-tbroe hundred whites of
the Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry. and
four hundred blacks, as | have said, all
under command of brave Major Booth.
The fort consisted simply of earthworks,
on which we had mounted half dozen
guns. We knew that Forrest had been
pillaging the country all about us, and
imagined that perhaps he would pay US
a visit but the thought did not alarm US,
though we knew, those Of US who were
black, that we had little to expect at the
hands of the rebels. At last, about sun
rise on the morning of the 18th, Forrest,
with some G000 men, appeared and at
once commenced an attack. We met the
assault bravely, and for two hours the
fight went on briskly. Then a flag of
truce came in from Forrest, asking an
unconditional surrender, but Mai. Brad
ford-Maj. Booth having been wounded
declined to surrender unless the enemy
would treat those of US who were black
as prisoners of war, which, of course,
they refused to do, and the fight went on.
The enemy, in the next four hours, made
several desperate charges, but were each
time repulsed. At last, about 4 o'clock
in the afternoon, they sent in another flag. !
We ceased firing out of respect for the
flag; but Forests men had no such no.
tions Of honor and good faith. The mo-
ment we stopped firing they swarmed all
about the foit, and while the flag was yet
Withdrawing, made a desperate charge
from all sides. Up to that time only
about thirty of our men had been hurt.
But in this charge the enemy got within
the earthworks, and forthwith there en-
sued a scene which no pen can describe.
Seeing that all resistance was useless,
most Of us threw down our arms, expect
ing, and many begging for, quarter. But
it was in vain. Murder was in every re-
bel heart famed from every rebe! eye.
Indiscriminate massacre followed Instant
ly upon our surrender, Some CT us,
seeking shelter, ran to the river and tried
to conceal ourselves in the bushes, but for
the most part in vain. The savages,
pursuing, shot down the fugitives in their
tracks. There was Manuel Nichols, as
brave a soldier as ever carried a musket.
He had been a free negro in Michigan.
but volunteered a year ago to fight for
the Union. He, with others, had sought
a shelter under the bank of the river, but
a cold~blooded monster found him, and
putting a pistol close to his head, fred,
falling however TO kill the brave fellow.
He was then hacked on the arm, and on
ly day or two after died, delirious. in
the hospital. Then there was Robert
Hall, another colored soldier, who was
lying sick in the hospital when the mas
saere commenced. The devils gashed
bis head horribly with their sabres. and
then cut of part Of bis right hand, which
he had lifted in a mute appeal for mercy.
Then there was Harrison. Of the Thir-