Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-05-09

ed had sought shelter, were set on hrs
both that night and the next morning
while the wounded were still in them
those only escaping who were able tc
get themselves out, or could prevail on
others s-inlnred TO help them out, and
even some of these thus seeking tC
escape the flames, we're met by these
rufhans and shot down, or had theis
brains beaten out
One man nas deliberately fastened
down TO the floor of 4 tent, face upward,
by means of nails driven through bis
clothing and into the boards under him;
SO that he could not possibly escape, and
then the tent was set on FIRE. Another
was nailed to the side Of building oul-
aide Of the fort, and then the building set
on FIRE and burned. The charrel re-
mains OF Eve or six bodies we're after
wards found, and all but one body so
much dishguFed and consumed by the
flames, as not to be identified, and the
Identification Of that one is not abso-
lutely certain, although there can hardly
be doubt ii was the body Of Lieut. Ar
bsrtsen, Quartermaster of the 18th Yir-
glnia Cavalry, and native of Tennessee.
These deeds Of murder and cruelty,
and murder closed when night came on,
only 10 be revived the next morning,
when the demons carefully sought among
the dead lying about ia all directions, for
any other wounded jet alive, and those
they found were deliberately shot Scores
Of the dead and wounded we're found
there the day Of the massacre, by the
men from some of the gunboats, who
were permitted 10 20 ON shore and col
leet the wounded and bury the dead
The rebels themselves had made pre-
tense Of b1rying 3 great many Of their
victims, but they had merely thrown them
into the trenches and bitches about the
fort or ths little hoIlows or rayines on
the hillside, covering them partially with
earth. Portions Of heads and faces,
hands and feet, we're found prolrnding
in every direction, and weFa when Jour
committee visited the spot two weeks af-
terward Although p0Eties of men had
been sent on shore from time TO time, 20
bury the bodies unburied and rebury the
others, and were even then engaged in
the same work, we found the evidences
of this murder and crnslty still most pain
fully evident We saw the bodies stiIi
unburied, at some distance from the fort,
of the sick who had bean met fleeing
from the hospital, and beaten down and
brutality murdered, aud their bodies left
whore they had fallen. Many other in
stances Of equally atrocions cruelty
might bs enumerated, but your Commit
tee feel compelled to refrain from giving
here more of the heart-sieksning details,
and refer 10 the Ststsments contained ia
the volumnions statements herewith sub
mitted. Those statements were obtained
By them from cyeswitnesses and sufferers.
Many of them, as tkey were examined
BY your Committee, were lying upon beds
Of pain aud suffering, some so feeble
that their bps could with difficulty tell
their story. Busstwo officers are known.
to be living aud they ars wounded. One
Of them, Captain Porter, may even nov
be dead; no hopes we're entertained Of
his recovery. or the men, from 900 to
400 are known to have been killed a.
Fort Pillow, Of whom at least 500 wsrs
murderediu-eoldb blood, after The fort was
in possession of the rebels, and our men
had thrown down their arms and ceased
to offer resistance.
When your committss reached Mem
phis, they found and examined man.
Mr.. McLagan, who had been conscrips.
ed by some Of Forests forces, but with
other conscripts had succeeded in max
| ing his escape. He testified that whiIa
two companies Of rebels with Major
Bradford and many other prisoners we're
on their march from Brownsville 10 Jack
son, Tenn. Major Bradford las taken
by five rebels tone an offcer) led about
| fifty Yards from the line of march, and
deliberately murdered in view Of all
there assembled He fell instantly, kill
ed by the muakes balls, even while ask
ing that-his life might be spared, a. he
had fought them manfully, and was de-
serving Of better fate. The motive FOR
this murder seems to have been that, al
though native Of the South, he remain
ed loyal to bis Government The tessi.
mony, herewith submitted, contains
many statements made BY tha rebels,
that they did not truss home mado Yam
KEGS, as they termed loyal Southerners
Any better than negro troops
There is one circumstance connected
with the events here narrated, whiel
your COMMITTEES eanaot permit 10 pas
unnotieed, Thefsssimouy herewith sub
mittsd, discloses the most astounding
and shameful Tact, thas IN the morning
of the day succeeding tie capture Of For
Pillow, the gnnboat Silver Cloud, th,
transport Platte Valley and the gunboa
New Era landed at Fort Pillow under
flag of trure. While they wers .4yinl
, there, the rebel General Ghalmers an
other rebel officers came down to sh
! landing, and sone ofsthem went on th
: bDAts Notwithsfanding the evidence
or rahsi atrecily and barbarity wit
: which the ground was covered, ther
were some of our army officers on boar
Z the Platte Valley 30 silent to every fee
7 ing of deeencY, honor. and selErespec
: "a to make themselves digrscefally cor
spicuous in bestowing civilities and q
: tentions upon the rebel officers, eve
!, while boAsting of the murders they ha
g there committed Your committee wer
/ unable to ascertain their names an
. bring them to the punishment they I
: riehly merit In relation TO the re-el
q forcement or evacuation of Fort PILLOW
J, it would appear that the troops thei
81 ststioned we're withdrawn on the 25th
% January last, in order TO accompany Il
Q, Meridian expedition under Gen. She
man. Gen.. Huribat testifes that he hs
T rsceived instructions to permanently '
20 cate the post, and deemiug important it
% occupy it, that the rebels should not i
u terrupt the navigation of the river,
y planting artillery there. He sent sos
e troops there about the middle Of Febr
arg, increasing tAeir number afserwa
g; until the garrison amounted TO near
OF 600 men, He also states that as So
le, IS be learned that the garrison was
TO tackled. be took measures to send re- G
'm forcements from Memphis, and they va
or aatualiy embarking when he reeeiv
AdA Information of the capture of |
to fnrt ~ 4 3 9 io sbsss
OF II All of which Is respectfully snhmitt