, 1864-04-21
TEE CARNIVAL OF BLOOD.
The Most Inl:unan Butcherg the
World Ever Saw.
TIE REBEL MASSACRE AT
FORT PILLOW.
Statement Of Several Eye Witnesses
of the Norrid SccncS.

Stalemcni OF several Eye WitneSSe,
of the Norrid Sccnes.
| Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribrue'
CAIRO, April ;e, 1874.
The atrocities committed by the Confede
rate troops ut Fort Pillow, on the OCCASION
Of the recent massacre, has not been fully
| spoken OF BY the representatives of the pub
lie press, for the very. good reason that, Will
the exception Of the two wounded officers
now at Mound City hospital, and the
wounded priyates Of the 9Th q. s. (colorod,
Regular heavy artillery, and 18th Tennessee
ea1alry, no man remains to tell the story.
or courac the ideas Of the wounded arc some
,Yhat confused. I have taken. considerable
| palms to arrive at clear and unimpassioned
understanding Of tie cntiee affair, but until
| yesterday with limited success. Accident,
ally meeting gentleman by the name Of. Il.
| n. Revellc. who lost brother IN ths fight,
| and who was himself q participant, although
4 civilian, proceeded to take down as clenr
statement as possible Of his individual OK
pericuccs upon that bloody battlefield. Mr..
| Keyelle was engaged rs clerk in dry goods
store ut Fort Pillow. when the rebels cama
| and cnviroued the place, and is q man of con.
siderable intelligence and Of good reputation
a - t,;1,s,tr .t35n1;t tAss ~ - pellect'
4sat. -. XII, ~. fa,,or1ad..a ~ ~ lug
| OF the 18th inst, and send you his state.
ment in my owp language The Incidents, !
aserrc you, are literally as related by Rcyelie
80 f ta1 80. ~ ~ 4io,n' ~opAo"' Aoses
" "Ir.T eI.T,yr~T uuoe ~ ~ NJ prvr,,, ,,
| ..A.,-.-.s, ~ 1ss.,- ~
| ,Aeeo1alng u M hsse!e, Mas about SIX
was called upon to tAke arms. with other
enaSsas, teo ~ uearasG ~ tne Fort, against the
.suops o. follesl, lnen known to be 10 force
oo!siae lnS outcI Wofks. ne remained With
Cu1 . LIZ "a1ls ol tne lori, acting III the capa-
e,3 ~ ena1p snootcf unnl about nine
Dcloch' Wneu au were ordered bJ Major
nootu ~ lt1llG 70 tuc projection OF the forti-
neauo15. MMe outside ne saw II Barr fall
pierced oy bullet, also Lieut. Wilson, who,
appears at that time, was only wounded.
~ Gotn Heie o. tne lSth tennessee cavalry
1ne!r nooles were taken Within the walls Of
,nc 1osI ~ was aoout half past nine, per-
!oek posluon lnsiue the walls and resumed
hls musket, aring regularly md With good
eueet upon the febels VINO We're now within
range. -.--, -..-.-
nc had not thas been engaged many
minutes ,I ~, when 1 bullet struck Major Booth
commander OF The forces, and he tell, dying
almost instantly, the missile having pierced
his heart Mr. Revelle was standing not
more tlan zen PAGES iFom the Major. he was
notsuTc that ne Wss dead when taken up and
carried away, out ~ ne could not have survived
many minutes. Tue firing on both sides ut
this moment was heavy, the rebels using only
| their musketrT, and the Union forcts deliv-
er1Eg yolIey alter volley OF musketry, nnd a
continuous cannonade from the six or eight
| guns with which they were provided.
| The second flag Of truce was brought In by
| Cnper-,f EnrrnS} In yCftI ,9,oH
his staff officers. Forrest demanded nn un-
conditional surrender OF the garrisou- Major
B1adford, Of the 18th Tennessee cavalry, hay
ing assumed command Of the Fort, went ont
to meet Forrest, conferred with him perhaps
| fifteen minutes, and replied that he would
| not surrender. The place OF conference was
about fifty yards from the breastworks, In q
southcastcrly direction.
Forrest told Major Bradford, in bullying
manner, that be had better gire up, and that
ifhc did not he would show no quarter. Il
is said that all Bradford asked was one hours
time. in which to confer with The CaDtain of
rpni,oat No. Z. which. was then lrinr in t11e
liver. or the fort. but from the char1ctes NJ
| the ground. entirely unable to render any a..
sistance to the hesiesed rarrison. The re-
there was a partial IL not comnlete ccssatinn
! Of active hostilities. Tie confsderatcs in.
nrorrd The fine tn sdvanfarc 1,c rInnde,;nr -
our dcserted cncampmcuts and rnhhinr 1hSe
| stores and houses under the hi. They were
| Also all the time carefully fltennsfng thpir
forces about the fort In advantageous posI.
| tione, protected as they were by the f1ao of
| trncc.
it is the opinion Of nv informant. as vel,
| ms nf ali with whom have converaod rnoo
the snb,ect that Forrest won1d nercr Jvn Inva
| Cnincf1 fhe nos1t1ons ho held-Thich vera IN
fact ali he needed to ffefest our m-n-h.d ha
nal taken adyanfare Of the fias If frpce ne T1e
had spent about eis,ht hours md iost nanv
men "A enderorfnr tn effsct the oh;act an3
1wffhouf 1,crcent'bfe nrnrrcss ~ snccass
| This took nlacn At n1,opt o,cioc1S n ~
II about an Lour anal half~say # T. a.3o n
he.saw large force coming upon his portion
Of the fortilcations, apparently emerging
from the deep rayine at the eastward. II was
composed OF infantry, and had probabl5 pass-
| ed down Celia Greek bottoms, out ofsieht, m.
til coming upon higher ground. These for
this movement, q body ofcaynlry dismoanted.
charged inlpetuously from the outh.oE-east'
and anoths as eayagely from the northward.
The first charge was successful, though from
the effective aim Of the artillery and muskct-
r. OF the Union troops, still standing firm
rebel loss IN Killed md wounded. i The sre. rcb-
els rushed upon the walls, c1ambercd through
| the deep bitches, mounted the walls, etaId
| not one moment, and d1shlng headlong with
| in the fort, Kept up q continued aud calling
muskttry fire. Coming from al directions,
coming like IN avalanche, and in many In.
stances where men were unprepared to meet
them, coming In force OF five or Elk thou
sard, comiug upon 60 small force, resistance
was useless.
| The current could not be stemmed. Some
Of our men remained still stubbosnly at their
| posts, dc ermfned to sell their lives dearly,
| Kcyelle fred two shots into the advancing
| mass afttr the walls had been scaled. The
| colorcd troops first, the white troops next,
| dropped thtir muskets, and fed down the
| hill, hoping to escape In that direction and
gain th7 cover Of the gunboat The whites
| soon found, as did the poor blacks, that there
was to be no quarter shown. Ali were fol-
lowed closely and 1iercely and unrelentinr2y
by the Confederates, from whom a terrible
firing vas kept up directed upon the snb
miEsiye but fleeing garrison. The musketry
did not cease; our men had rfven nil token
in their power Of surrender. Yet the mur.
dere7s continued to SLAUGHTER both black and
white, officers and soldiers rnoarfnp With zeal
in lie horrid WORK Reyelie- Wit5, ia f,is CON. On
rides, had rctrcated down the Iii. and yas
sccreted, along with surreon Fitch' in a sorf
| OF r.yiue when he saw two white soldiers
| killed willie ber.inv for mercy. Thrv
| had partially sbeltercd themselves behind q
stump, and waved their white haudkerchicfs
| above It. When they stnnd nnon their fat .
with tie word stlocrcy.H on their 1ins, fhe
rebels shot them down.
at tlIs junction CAPTAIN in tho rebel SER
vice came down and nr1iercil every man tn
return up the hill or they should be shot.
He used emphatic lanpnare. etronulv Favored
with oaths Reyelle With the rest Of the
living fugitiyes, started to MARCH M the hill.
They were soon salutel hv cnnrcnfrotad
musketry fire, which sadty thinned their mn.