Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-05-10


WAS carried On during the morning save ~
our sharpshooters, who were kept we'll 70 tne
front of our line. and kept the enemy close IN
their works. They, in tho meantime, KEPT
mn furious shilling on cur whole line, both
from, the fort and gunboat anchored belo"
the Mace. BY - o'clock our line had adj
vanced TO within short range Of the cutter Tort,
and the firing Of small arms became very
hr;sk General Forrest, in the meantime, bad
arrived on the field, and assumed command.
The first fort was charged and carried with
great impetuosity, the enemy retiring hastily
to the works in tho rear. Quickly following
IN their success, our boys were soon under
the very java of the other foit. and had 1t
completely surrounded.
General Forrest then sent il s. ilas Of truce,
demanding q surrender OF the place, i'll reply
to which the commander, Major Booth. asked
m be allowed two hours n consider GG1cr"l
Forrest, in reply, gave him fifteen m,nu,es, ut
the end of which time hOst!lities we're again
commenced, and i cla-ge around the whole
line made ;ls oacc, winch, for lmNctu1'iTy,
has probably not been surpassed du-'n. his
Wit General Forces led tho :har,-a i ne
brigade and Cereal Chalmers the Other
The charge vas inside ever q very abrupt hill,
and when the fjrt WAS reached Il ditch fully
ten feet deep had to passed, and n, opposite
sidc~ parapet wall FIVE or six feet high lad
to be scaled but our bnyH sprang into the
ditch, threw one another NJ, 30 n to scale
the wall, and in less than twenty minutes
there terminated probably ono Of the bloodlest
and most disastrous to the enemy) hSuts VI
the war. With tho first that scaled the para-
net wall the fighting was hand to hand, SeTe-
raj bcirs knocked rf by the clubhca misEeta
of the enemy, but they soon bT'kS IN VIE:
confusion, running. jumping. tumbhns, roll
ing down the bluff, pursued with mad y"ls
by our boys. A great mans sought death By
plunging into the river, leaving nought Fave
a crimson streak where the turlil' waters
rushed together over rhe liier-s carca-srs 70
mark the las. Of their exist Dcr. III the four
hundred blacks but i"r'y-six Grc lei! to tell
the tale of the fate ut racr unfortunate CON
radcs. Our loss in the entire engagement.
will not exceed twenty-five Killed I'D 81.
hundred wounded.
Major Booth, the. Federal commanding OH
Ger, was killed i'll the last assault. Nalr7
Bradford, the next in command, was caprur.d
and paroled Oh the ti.li, tu: base.y violated
it. and attempted to escape, but was after
wards retakcn. lie was TenreSsecan, ard
had been guilty Of many cewardIy ontrases
upon the true men Of the surr0unGir: cCun
try. The whites thai garrisonc he for: be
longei to the 18Th Tennessee 10. : vcInn.
teers Five pieces Of artillery (two lUpoundcr
PARROTS, two l2-ponnder howitzcrs. .ard ere
II pounder ritlsd Napolconl and aI"ut COO
stand Of small arms are among the sp"i;S.-
The Parrot guns were turned on the "unh@l;
-. r 1,,,r ,r,Iu =
two shots before she was Observed 20 pat ii III.
steam and move away ~ rapidly ia pos7'h!r.
There were great. many descr,erd in the =:
from our own army, and many have heen re-
cognizod among the prisoners
Four or five stores ard f"tel comprised
the buildings Of the place. The st"r'7 had
been but recently rest.ckel with new good.
They were rapid y plundered and reduced To
ashes. Fully IL hundred thousand d'ila?s
worth Of stores were burnrd--grta. qnantl-
ties of salt, coffee sugar, ~. Much "t this
might have been saved, AMI would have been
Of rrea; value to our army: bur, some OF the
soldiers beccmirg intoxicated, Sc fire 10 the
houses pr,maurelv, ard, bcirg b"ilt Of
rough, diy material, they were rapidly con-
sumed.
Critehcll of tho Yankee navy recently found
the annexe: letter which WIS addressed to
M. Blow Of Nj. spuri:
Us. STEAMER SILVER CL"rp,'
MlssIss.rr, RIVER, April I'D, is"i.
SIR:-Sinca you did me the favor o: recon-
merding my appointment Ia, August, nave
been on duty aboard this boat.
now write you with reference to the Ext
Pillow massacre. ! write because NEST G: "ur
crew are colored, and fol pertorajy iE'e:-
es.ed in the retaliation which our !inYcc"mgu:
NAV dca, cot 10 the rebels when tar fast %!
the mercile.s butchcry is fully established.
Our boat arrived attic fD!t about 40 y Il,
on "Wednesday the 18Th, the day -: the
Rebels captured the fo!t. After :!:ciiInS
them, Whenever we could see them, tDc tw1
hours, flag Of truce troIn the Rebel General
Chalmers was received by us, anG Captain t.r.
guson, of this boat, made an arrangement; with
General Chalmers toy the par0llnG-ot ear
wounded and the burial Of cur dead: the ar
rang ment to last unil =. ". We then
landed at the fort. ard | was seat on! viii
burial party to bury our Gcad
found mary "F ;hc dead lyirg c!ose a'org
by the waters edge, where they mel evident
~ sought safety; they could rot ofsf any 7".
sistance from the places where they W@r2, n
holes and cavities along tie barE-: most 81
them had two wounds. | -mw several c;orcd
soldiers OF the Sixth unitcd 5 atcs ArtlI c'y,
with their eyes punched "u' with h!Y"'c :
many Of them were SHOT twice aud hayone'"d
also All these along the bark Of the river
were coorsd The member of the c"iored near
the river Was about segcnty. Gong up INTO
the fort, saw three bolies partially 90 ,sum"1
by fire. Whether burned before or alter
death ! cannot say any way, there were
several companies II Rebels IN ihc tort wniiH
these bodies were burning, "nl they c'nd
hayo pulled them out If the fire, bad they
chosen to do go.
One Of the wounded negroes tod me that he
had Mt done nothing. and when i!:s rra''s drove
cur men ont of til" fort they t0nr mem threw
away their guns end cried Oh. iha: :hry suTr2n-
tlared; but t!.- rebels kept OF shootuS 'harn
down until they hal shot MI buia few. THIS IS
what they sill say.
had some conversation with rebel nh ,cr', |
and they claim TINT our men would not surcn.
der and in some few casos they cOud not Ger
troll their men, Tho seemed determined to shoot |
down every negro soliier whether he surrcr- /
j cred or MOI. This is !imsy excuse, far after
our colored troops bad been driven from the tort,
and they were surrounded by the rebels
on all sides it is apparent ihtt they would
DO what I'LL say they did, throw down their arms
and beg for mercy.
buried but very few white men tho whole
number buried by my party and the party from
the eunboat New Era Was ahou. one hundfed.
TIE r, bells bpd burned scme @. lie white dead.
I can make Tiff Iavit TO the above if necessary.
Hoping the above may be OF some service
and tia: desire TO be cf service will be cop-
sidered sufficient eI.use FOR writing TO you,
remain. very respectfully, your obsdient serveIt'
Robert 5. CKrTCIItLL.
Ac,iug Masters Mate, L. : n.
Hon. II. T. Blow, member O! Congress, Wash
ingtou, D. c.
THE DEPARTMENTS OF RIcHsInEp AND He's
RICO have been consolidated, and placed under
command Of Majo General Ransom. Til"
change will not ulit"rialiy Affect The bnsiEe'a ot
the comm siding officer o! the D'ralLmen; II
Brigadier General john III. WiGdur,
anil hi, noc;,;,n will remain subst.G iaily IS