Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-04-19
'9s PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
The Ohio Statesman Company,
It E n MI S.
(INvAR1ABLY IN ADvANcE.)
THE MASSACRE At FORT pILLowl
Gallant Resistance Of the Garrison--
ild Hsrrible Butchery-.A Visit to the
Z ~ 3 Fort under q Flag Of Truce. int

a
u n 5 Fort under q Flag Of Truce. ru
A correspondent of the St. Louis Democrat
who was on board the steamer Platte Valley,
gives detailed description of the massacre
at Fort Pillow. When about three miles
below the fort on its way up, the boat was
signaled by flatboat on the Missouri shore
and took on colored corporal and three
wounded men, who gave the first account
of the fight. On reaching the fort, the reb-
els raised white flag and asked the boat to
stop-agreeing on truce till z. M-about
nine hours. The writer went ashore and
walked about, talking freely with the rebel
officers. We quote as follows:
THE ASSAULT AND CAPTURE OF THE FORT.
We have CLEANED the facts of the fight
from authentic sources, and they may be
relied upon as truthful. The rebels under
Forrest, appeared and drove in the pickets
about sunrise on Tuesday morning. The
garrison of the fort consisted of about two
hundred of the 18th Tennessee volunteers
and four hundred negro artillery, all under
command of Major Booth; the gunboat No.
was also In the river. The rebels first at
tackled the two outer forts, and In several
attempts to charge were repulsed. They
were constantly REINFORCED, and extended
their lines to the river on both sides of the
fort. The garrison in the two outer forts
were at length overpowered by superior
numbers, and about noon evacuated them
and retired to the fort on the river. Here
the fight was maintained with great obsti-
macy, and continued till about p. M. The
- khr g., n.
over gentle declivity, cleared and fully
exposed to raking fire from two sides Of
the fort. About thirty yards from the fort
is deep ravine, running all along the front,
and SO steep at the bottom as to be hidden
from the fort, and not commanded by its
guns. The rebels charged with great bold
ness down the declivity, and faced without
blanching a murderous fire from the guns
and small arms of the fort, and crowded in
to the ravine, where they were sheltered
from fire by the steep bank, which had been
thus left by some unaccountable neglect or
ignorance. Here the rebels organized for
final charge upon the fort, after sending a
flag of truce with demand for surrender
which was refused. The approach from the
rayine was through deep, narrow gully.
and the steep embankments of the fort
The last charge was made about four p. NJ,
by the whole rebel force, and was success
full after most desperate and gallant de-
fense.
The rebel army was estimated at from
1900 to 1000, and succeeded by mere force
of numbers. The gunboat had not been
idle, but, guided by signals from the fort,
poured upon the rebels constant stream of
shot and shell. She fired 260 shells, and as
testified to by those who could see, with
marvellous precision and fatal effect. Major
Booth, who was killed near the close of the
fight, conducted the defense with great
GOODNESS, skill and gallantry. His last sig
nal to the boat was, 1--WE are hard pressed
and shall be overpowered." He refused to
surrender, however, and fought to the last.
BY the uniform and voluntary testimony of
the rebel officers, as we'll as the survivors of
the fight the negro artillery regiments
fought with the bravery and GOODNESS of
veterans and served the guns with skill and
precision. They did not falter nor finch
until the last charge, when 1t was evident
they would be Overp0wered, they broke
and fed toward the river and here COM
menced the most barbarous and cruel out
RACES that ever the fiendishness of rebels
have perpetrated during the war.
-~,.-Sr REBEL ATROCITIES. Il
After the rebels were in undisputed pos
session of the fort and the survivors had
surrendered, they commenced the indis-
criminate butchery of all the Federal SOL
diery, The colored soldiers threw down
their guns and raised their arms in token of
surrender, but not the least attention was
paid to it. They continued to shoot down
all they found. A number of them, finding
no quarter was given, ran over the blu fl to
the river, and tried to conceal themselves
under the bank and in the bushes, were
pursued by the rebel sayages, and implored
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
down as they would dogs. Ipassed up the
bank Of the river and counted fifty dead
bodies strewed along. One had crawled in
to hollow log and was killed in it. An
other had got over the, bank in the
river, and got on to, board that run
out into the water. He lay on it on his
face, with his feet In the water, exposed
stark and stiff. Several had tried to
hide In crevices made by the falling bank,
and could be seen without difficulty, but
they were singled out and killed. From
the best information could get, the white
soldiers were, to very considerable extent,
treated In the same way. One of the 18th
Tennessee on board the ID. w. Harrison, in
tOratp NV puhy aittEst hurItuueT ne was
below the bluff, and one Of the rebels pre-
sented q pistol TO shoot him. m.c He told him
he had surrendered, and requested him not
to fire., He spared him, and directed him to
20 up the bluff to the fort. Harrison asked
him to 20 before him, or he would be shot
by others, but he told him to 70 along. he
started, and had not proceeded far before he
met q rebel who presented his pistol. Harl
.rison begged him not to fire, but paying no
attention to his request he fred, and Shot
him through the shoulder and another shot
him In the les. He fell and while he lay
unable to. move, another came along and
was about to fire again, when Harrison told
him he was badly wounded twice, and Inn
plored him not to fire. He asked Harrison
if he had any money. He said he had q lit
tie money. and d. watch. The rebel took |
from him his watch and 500 In money, and |
LETT him. Harrison Is probably fatally
wounded. Several such cases have been
related TO- me, and I think, to q great ex-
tent, the whites and negroes were indis- |
criminately murdered. The rebel Tennes-
seeans have about the same bitterness
against Tennesseeans in the Federal army