Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-04-28
Tbe Hor, Pillow Massacre.


letter we extract the following;
by the Uniform and voluntary testi-
mony of the rebel officers as well as the
survivors Of the fight, the negro artillery
regiments fought with the bravery and
GOODNESS Of veterans and served the gnns
with skill and precision. They did not
falter nor finch until at the last charge,
when it was evident they would be over
powered, they broke and fed toward the
river, and here commenced the most cru
ell and barbarous outrages that even the
fiendishness OF rebels have perpetrated
during the war NE
After the rebels were in undisputed
possession of the fort and the survivors
had surrendered, they commenced the
indiscriminate butchery of all the fede-
raj soldiery. 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 contin-
ued to shoot down all they found. A
number OF them finding that no quarter
was given, ran over the bluf to the riv-
er, and tried to conceal themselves under
the bank and in the bushes, were pur-
sued by the rebel savages, 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 gunboat, chased and shot
down as they would dogs. passed up
the bank of the river and counted fifty
dead strewed along. One had crawled
into hollow log and was killed in it,
another had got over the bank into the
river, and had got on to a board that
run out into the water. He lay on 1t
on his face, with his feet in the water
He lay there when exposed stark and
stiff. Several had tried TO hide in crew
ices made by the falling bank, and could
not be seen without difficulty, but they
were singled out and killed. From the
best information / could get, the white
soldiers were, to considerable extent,
treated in the same way. One OF the
Thirteenth Tennessee on board-D. W..
Harrison-iniorms me after the surren-
der, he was below the bluff, and one of
the rebels presented a pistol to shoot
him. He told him he had surrendered,
and requested him not to fire. He spared
him, and directed him to go up the bluff
to the fort. Harrison asked him to go
before him, or he would be shot by 9th
ers, but he told him to go along He
started and had not proceeded far before
he met rebel, who presented his pistol,
Harrison begged him not to fire, but pay
| ing no attention to his request, he fired
| and shot him through the shoulder, and
| another shot him through the leg. 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 implored
him not to fire He asked Harrison il
he had any money He said he had a
little money and watch. The rebel
took his watch and ninety dollars
in money, and left him. Harrison is
probably fatally wounded. Several such
| cases have just been related to me, and
/ think, to great extent, the whites
and negroes were Unfortunately mur
dered. The rebel Tennesseans have
about the same bitterness against Ten
nesseans in the federal army, as agains
the negroes. | was told by rebel Off
Ger that Gen. Forrest shot one of his
men and cut another with his sabre wht
were shooting down prisoners. 1t may
be SO, but he is responsible for the con
duct of his men, and Gen. Chalmers stat
ed publicly, while on the Platte Valley
that though he did not encourage o.
countenance his men in shooting dowr
negro captives, yet that it was right ant
Unsuitable. heg#r.Hr [Ert5,3r
This correspondent says of the Unior
officers who disgraced themselves an(
the service by their disgusting toadyisn
of Chalmers and his rebel crew:
Two or three federal handbook Off
GERS on board the Platte Valley, one o
them with his young bride, made them
selves conspicuous in fawning arounC
, the rebel officers. They brought Gen
Chalmers and several subordinate cut
throat looking officers on board tn
Platte Valley, drank with them, intro
duced them to their wives, and invitet
them to dinner. They made room 70
them at the ladies' table, and they sa
down to dinner, but it happened eithe
by accident or from idea of the fitnes
Of things on the part Of our high spirit
ed captain that at that moment the sic
nal bell for moving was heard and tn
rebel officers, leaving their soup III
|. touched, "skedaddled." sllh|a t
|