, 1864-04-19
CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW,

"AA~-AbOAA+A
CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW,
Gallant Resistance of the
Garrison.
The Garrison Overpoveredanti
thc Troops 1surcHcreu-De.
ts1iss of the Butcaery,
| Especial Correspondence Of Missouri Democrat !
CAIRO. April II. 1854.
Before leaving Memphis Tuestlay afternoon
We heard report that Fort Pillow was cap:
| river in the Platte Valley, loniletl down with
passengers, md with the Eunboat Silver
| Cloud. No. p, under Acting Master FERN
eon, IN tow. We designediS proceeded SLOW
y, and arrived near the fort at D. M, where
1 the gunbo1t cast of, and steamed up toward
! the tort- We were about three miles below
Tue 1ort, and could sec mounted pickets on
| the shore. After tie gnnboat rot within
reach she opened on the fort. with shell, bnt
met with no reply. She continued slo wly
until she got in near the fort Rnd near tic
shore wLere she fired q shot and then
stopped We had followed her ut a dis
lance, and now, about 10 q. M, came up
| abreast and paescd her and the fort. As We
came up We saw fire and smoke proceed.
| Ing from the shore, which proved to be
| some. buildings and some hay on ~the-leyee
We also for tue first time saw people moving.
about, eome'on foot and soiAc on horseback.
behind the smoke; and soon several persons
came to the bank of the river with 4 waita
| flag. The gnnboat sent q skill ashore, which
returned in about twenty minutes, and then
| the gunboat landed. We ut this time were
mile above, and being sisnalcd by the gun
boat, returned and landed by the boat. While
Returning near the shore we slH numerous
dead bodies strewed along the river aud on
the sides Of the b1ufI. We found, on land
ing, quite number of Confederate officers.
among them, Brigadicr General Chalmers
with his stah, and Major G. ". Anderson, 81
General Smiths staff. and others of the rebel
officers whose names / did not learn. Ar
Engagements were nude to parole all the
wounded, and men were detached to bring
them In. An agreement for truce till five b.
m. was agreed upon, and permission freely
given to visit the fort and grounds. Escort
ed BY. Captain Lindsey, formerly of Natchez,
now IN the rebel army, your correspondent
scene Of action the day preceding On the
way up-about three miles below the fort
We were sfgnalcd by q flutboat on the Mis-.
souri, shore, and took on board q coIorcd cor
poral and three wounded men, and received
our first nccount from them of the fight
THE ASSAULT AND CAPTURE or THE FORT,
We have cleaned the facts ot the fight from
authentic sources md they mar to relied
upon US truthful. The rcbels under Forrest,
uppearea and drove In tho pickfts about sun.
rise on Tuesday morning The garrison Of
the fort consisted Of about two hundred of
the 18th Tennessee volunteers and four hun.
drcd negro artillery. all under command of
Mujor Booth; the gunboat No. 2 was also in
the riyeE. The rebels Nrst attacked the two
outer 1orts, apd in several attempts to charge
were repulsed. They were constantly REIN
forced, and extended their lines to the rircr
EF7f1 SInr s<Ff ~
the two outer forts "ere ut length overpow-
cred by superior numbers, and about noon
cvacuated them and retired to the fort on the
river. Here the fight vas maintained With
greet ebsttnacy, and continued till about
p. H.. The approach to the fort from the.
Iear Is over \ geutle lecliyity, cleared and
fully exposed to d rnking fire from t.o sides
Of the fort About thirty yards from the fort;
Is deep raEine, running all along the front,
and SO steep at the bottom as to be hidden
from the tort, and not commanded by Its
guns. The rebels charged with great bold
ness down the declivity, and faced without
blanching murderoue fire from tho guns and
email arms of the fort and crowded into tho
ravine where they were sheltered from fire
by the steep bank which had been thus left
bY some unaccoutable neglect or Ignorance
Here the rebels organized for final charge
upon the fort, after sending tlas Of truce
With demand for surrender. which Has re-
through deep, narrow gully, aud the steep
e1ubankments Of the fort.
The last charge was made about four D. M,
by the whole rebel force, and was successful
al,era moEt'dcsperute and gallant defence.
The rebel army Was estimated at from 1000
to ,0D, and succeeded Ivy mere force OF num-
bers. The 'gunboat had not been idle, but
guided by sigDn from the fort, poured upon
the rebels constant stream Of shot and she'll
She fired 2e0 shells, and ns testified TO By
those who could sec, with marvellous prccis-
ion and with fatal effect. Major Booth, who
WIS killed near the close Of the fight, con-
Quoted the defence with great GOODNESS, skill,
and gallAntry..- His last signal to the boat,
WIS, " We are hard pressed und shall be over
powered" He refused to surrender, how
ever, and fought to the last, By the Uniform
ard voluntary testimony IF the rebel officers
negro artillery regiments fought with the
bravery and GOODNESS Of veterans and served
the guns with skill :and precision. They did
not faltcr nor finch until ut the last charge,
when twas evident they would be ovcrpow-
cred, they broke and fed towards the rircr3
and here commenced the most bnrharous and
| cruel outrages Tint ever the hendshEess of
rebcls have perpetruttd during tue war.
REBEL ATROCITIES
After the rebels were in uudisputed posses
sion Of the Fort aud the survivors had sur
rendered, they commenced the indlscrimi-
colored soldiers threw down their guns aud
/ raised their arms In token OF surrender, but
|. not the least attention Was paid to It. They
| continued to ehost down all they found. A
number Of them finding no quarter was CIV
i en-, rnn>over the bluff to the river, and tried
| to conceal themselves under the banka dnd in
the bushes, were pursued By the rebel stya-
| yes, ard implored by them to spare their
lives. Their appeals were made In vain, and
they were all shot down in cold blood, and
in full sight OF the gunboat, chased and shot
them down as they would dogs. One had
crswlcd into q hollow log an1 Was killed in
it, another had got over the bank In the river
and got on board thnt run out into the wa
| ter He lay On it on his face with his feet In
| the wafer He laid there when exposed stark
and stitTnscTeral had tried to Ii IL In crevlces
made by the FILLING bank, and could not be
'seen without difficulty, but they were singled
out and killed. From the bsst iniormatlonI
could get. the white soldiers were, to very
considerable extent, treated in the same way.
Ono of the 18th Tennessee on hoarl-D. W.
| llarrisun-informs me that after the surrender
| he was below the bluff, ani one of the rebels
presented pistol to shoot him. He told
him be had surrendered, and requested
him not to fire. He spared him, and direct
ed him to 60 up the bluff to the fort. Har-
rlso1 asked Linn to 60 before HIM, or he
would be shot by others. but be told him to
60 along: He started, and had not proceed
ed far before he met rebel who presented
bis pistol. Harrison begged him not to 1lrc,
but pa. ing no attention to his request, he
fired and shot him through the shoulder, and
another shot him in the leg. He fell and
while he lay unable to move, another came
along and was about to fire u.atn. when Har-
rison told him he was badly wounded twice
and imrlored him not to lire. lie asked
Harrison il he haI any money. He said ho
bad little money and watch. The rebel
took from linn his witch and $50 in money,
ard left him. Harrison is probably fatally
wounded. Several such cases have been re-
lated to me, and think to a great extent,
the Whites and negroes were indiscrimina ate]y
murdered. The rebel Tennesseeaus have
about The same bitterness against Tennessee
ans III Lie Federal army, as against tue ne
S1oes. 1 Was told by rebel officer TINT Gen.
Forrest slot one Of his men and cut another
With bis sabre who were shooting down
prisoners. 1t may be SO, but he Is rrsponsi-
bic for the conduct Of his men, and General
Chalmers stntcd publicly while on the Platte
Valley, that though lie did not encourage or
connterancc Lis men in shooting down ne-
gro clptires, ct tint it was right and justI-
liable
INCIDENTS or TIE FIGHT.
:Itc negro corporal, Jacob Wilson, whom
re picked up below Fort Pillow, had mar
row escape. He was shot down On the river
bank, and seeing that no quarter was shown,
stepped into tAe water so that he lay partly
under it A rebel coming along asked him
Whit waB the matter; he said he was badly
wounded. and the rebel, after taking from bis
happened to be near tfat-boat tied to the
bank, and about three o'clock in tho morn
ing. When all was quiet, Wilson crawled
into It, and got three more wounded COM
rades also In It, and cut loose. The bout
foated ont into the channel. and We found 1t