Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-04-21
FURTHER PARTICULARS.


FURTHER PARTICULARS.
The Secretary of the Navy has received the following
despatch giving further particulars Of the late dsal
ter at Fort Pillow
.aa CAIRO, QLL.) APRIL l6, 1864.
Hon GIDEON WELLEs Secretary of the Navy:
Lieut. Commander Fitch has returned from Fort Pill
low The tort had been taken on the 10TH after fpht
lasting from daylight until P M and Lieut. Commander
Fitch arrived there the afternoon of the Nth TIE
enemy had lett the fort carrying off all the guns consist
ing Of four pound and two tenpound red Parrots
heavy force of cavalry above preparing to cross
to Island No 80 to capture number of steamer that
had been detained The Moose Hastings, New Era and
Volunteer sheed the enemy from o'clock until dark,
aud routed them driving them to Ashpa where they LETT
the Ripley road. The transports then conveyed
past Fort Pillow and the gunbcats landed at the fort and
ook on board the remainder Of wounded also the
and children. The rext morning Lieut. Command
ing Fitch ordered the remainder of the to be buried
and seeing of the enemy 10 the immediate ycin
ty started the river. AT Ashport he sheed SQUAD
Of cavalry that had encamped there the before and
drove them off. The New Era supplied with ammu
milton and left to guard the FORT and the Moose Hastings
and Volunteer returned to this place.
A. w. PENNocK, Fleet Captain
correspondent of the st. Louis Democrat who was
board the steamer Platte Valley, gives detailed de-
scrpton OF the massacre at Fort Pillow When about
three miles below the fort, its way up the boat was
sgnsled by fabost the Missouri shore and took on
coored corporal and three wounded men, who gave them
the rst account of the fight On reaching the fort the
rebels raised white flag and asked the boat to stor
agreeing truce till p. M.-about nine hours. TIE
writer went ashore and walked about talking eey with
the rebel officers He Gays he CLEANED the facts Of The
Huht from. unfhan L.
truthful" We extract as follows:
The rebels under Forrest appeared and drove in the
pickets about sunrise ON Tuesday morning The garri
of the fort consisted of about two hundred of The
Thirteenth Iennessee volunteers and four hundred negro
artillery, all under command of Msjnr Booth The gun
boat No. also in the river The rebels first attacked
the two outer forte and in several attempts to
repulsed. They constantly reinforced and
tended their lines TO the river both sides OF the fort
The garrison IN the two forts at length over
powered by superior numbers aud about noon
them and retired t. the fort on the river Here the fsh
was maintained with crest obstinacy till about a p NJ
The approach to the fort from the rear is over gentle
declvity, cleared and fully exposed raknQ FIRE fom
two sides OF the fort About thirty yards the fort
deep ravine running all along the front so steep
the bottom to be hidden from the forts and NOT a. m
manded by It's guns. The rebels charged with great bold
ness down the decvity and faced without blsnchiDp
murderous hire from the guns and small of the fort
and crowded into the ravne where they were sheltered
from fire by the steep bank which had been thus left b,
some unaccounabe neglect ignorance Here the
flag of truce with demand for surrender which was re-
fused The approach from the ravine was through deem
narrow gully and the steep embankment of the fort The
last charge was made about four M by the whole
force, and was successful aftor and gal
liant defence.
The rebel army estimated at from 2 900 to 1000
and succeeded by force OF numbers The Qupbtat
had not been idle, but guided by signals from the fort
poured upon the rebels constant stream and she'll
She fired two hundred and sixty she and testified o
by those who could see, with marvellous precision and
fatal effect Major Booth, who killed near the close
Of The fight conducted the defence with great coones
skill and galIaoty HIS last signal to the boat was We
hard pressed and shall be overpowered" He refused
to surrender, however, and fought to the lat.
After the rebels we're in undispued possession of the
fort and the had surrendered they commenced
the indscrimnate butcbery Of all the Federal sodiery
The coored soldiers threw down their guns and raised
their in token of surrender but the least att.
ton paid to it, They continued to shoot down all
they found number Of them, finding no quarter was
given, who the bluff to the river and tried TO
conceal themselves under the bank aud in the bushes
pursued by the rebel savages They impored them
to spare their lives Their appeals were made in vain
They all shot down in cold blood aud in full sight Of
the gunboat-chased and shot item down as hey would
dogs passed up the bank Of the river aud counted fifty
dead bodies strewed along One had crawled into hol.
low log and killed in it Another had got over the
bank IN the river, aud got to board that
the WINTER. He lay on his face, with his feet in the
water Several had tried to hide crevices sde by the
falling bark, and could not be without iculty but
they singled and killed. From the bet nforma-
ton could get, the white cold very consd
The rebels claim to have only ten killed and thirty
wounded IL stated by of the rebel officers
they had only about twenty fse coored prisoners and they
old servants Of white officers, aud that all colored
soldiers killed This believe to be true
DIR. Fitch surgeon Of the fort, taken prisoner and
through the influence OF rebel surgeons released
on his paro aud up with He confirms FROM is
own personal observation the butchey Of our soldiers by
the rebels He informed that after the for was ken
the soldiers down the bluff to the river throwing away
their arms hodng up their hands, and crying out that
they surrender but the rebels continued 10 fire them
from the bluff without the least regard their cries Dr.
Fitch says he saw twenty white soldiers paraded in line
the bank of the aud when in line rebels fred
upon and killed all but who to the river and hid
under log, aud in that condition fred at number
of times and wounded He says Major Bradford also ran
down IT, the river, aud after he told had surre-
dered, than FIFTY shots fired him. lie then
jumped into the river and out a little ways aid
whole v0eys fired at him there without hitting him.
He returned to the shore, aud meeting az the doctor
supposes, some officer, protected but he had heard
frequent threats from the rebel. that they would kill him
FROM MOBILE