The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1864-04-30


1000, and succeeded by mere force of mum
bcrs.
The gunhoat had not been idle but gudet
by signals from the fort, poured upon the
Rebels Il stream of shot and she'll She fired
26o shells, and as testified to by those who
could see, with marvellous precision and fata
effect. Major Booth. who was killed neal
the close of the fight. conducted the defense
with great GOODNESS, skill and gallantry. His
last signal to the boat was We are hard
pressed and shall be ovcrpowered." lie
refused to surrender, however. and fought
to the last. BY the uniform and voluntary
the survivors of the fight, the negro artillery
regiments fought with the bravery and cool
ness of veterans. and served the guns with
skill and precision. They did not falter nor
finch until at the last charge, when it was
evident they would be ovcrpowered, they
broke and fled towards the river, and here
| commenced the most barbarous and cruel
outrages that even the fendishncsa of Rebels
have perretrated during the war.
REBEL ATROCITIES.
After the Rebels were in undisputcd pos
session of the fort. and the survivors had
surrendered, they commenced the i"liscrn,
mate butchery of all the Union soldcry.-
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 as they found.
number of them, finding no quarter was
given ran over the bluff to the river. and
tried to conceal themselves under the bank
and in the bushes, were pursued by the
Rebel savages, and imporcd them to spare
their lives. Their appeals were made in
vain and they were. in full sight of the gun
boats, chased and shot down as they would
dogs. passed up the bank of the river and
counted fifty dead strcwed along. One had
rrawlcA in;o q hollow log aud was killed in
it another had got over the bank into the
river, and got ON to board that run into the
water. He lay on it with his face with his
feet in the water. He laid there when
exposed stark and stiff Several lad tried
to hide in creycrs made by the falling bank
and could not be seen without difficulty
bat they were singled ont and killed.
From the best information | could get
the white soldiers were, to a very consider
able extent. treated in the same way. One
of the 18th Tennessee on board--D. W.
iarrison-inlorms me that after the surren.
der he was below the bluff, and one of the
Rebels presented pistol to shoot him. He
told him he had surrendered. and requested
him not to fire. He spared him, and
directed him to 70 up the bluff to the fort
Harrison asked him to go before him, or he
would be shot by others, but he told him to
90 alone. He started. and had not pro-
ccclcd far. before he met Rebel who pre-
scented his pistol. Harrison begged him not
t. fire. but paying no attention to his request.
he fred 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
undcd twice and impored him not to fire.
He asked Harrison if he had any money
He said he had little money and watch
The Rebel took from him his watch and 500
il, money, and left him. Harrison is proba-
bly, fatally wounded.
Several such eases have been related to
me, and. think, to great extent, the
whites and negroes were ndiscriminatelv
murdered. The Rebel Tcnnesseeans have
about the same bitterness against Tenncs-
sceans in the Union army as against negroes.
! was told by a Rebel officer that General
Forrest shot one of his men and cut another
with his sabre, who were shooting prisoners.
1t may hc so, but he is responsible for the
conduct of his men. and General Chalmers
stated publicly while on the Platte Valley
that. though he did not encourage or coun
! tenancc his men in shooting down negro
captves yet that it was right and iustihable.
INCIDENTS OF TIE FIGHT.
The negro Corporal Jacob Wilson. whom
we picked up below Fort Pillow, had a mar
row escape. lie was down on the river
bank, aud seeing that no quarter was shown
stepped into the water so that he Law par
tally underi it. A Rebel coming along asked
him what was the matter; he said he was
badly wounded, and the Rebel, after taking
from his pocket all the money he had, left
him. 1t happened to be near by hatboat.
tied to the bank and about three o clock in
| the morning.
When all was quiet, Wilson crawed into
it and got three more wounded comrades
also in it, and cut loose. The boat hoatcd
out into the channel, and we found it ashore
some miles below. The wounded negro
soldiers we have aboard feigned themselves
dead until We came along Captain Young.
oath Missouri, Provost Marshal at the fort,
was captured, and was out on his PAROLE
He was at the boat and while there the
Lady Pike, from st. Louis, came up, with
his wife aboard. He was allowed to go into
the boat to see her, and then return to his
captors. Major Bradford was also captured.
and at large on his parole. The Rebel Off.
GERS denounce him for breaking his parole,
and say that during Tuesday night he esca-
ped. 1t is believed that the Rebels killed
him, and that the charge of breaking his
parole is mere pretense to conceal his muir
der.