Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-05-06

river, while others on the bank were she
and their bodies kicked into t water
Many Of them were still living, unable t
make exertions to save themselves fror
drowning. Some Of the rebels stood on tn
top Of the hill, or q short distance from it
side, and called to our soldiers to come III
to them, and ss they approached shot then
down in Geld blood, and if their guns o.
pistols missed, forced them to stand thert
until they were again prepared to FIRE. AL
around were heard cries Of no quarter
kill the damned niggers Shoot then
down. All who asked for mercy were an.
swered by the most cruel taunts and sneers
and dsome were spared for time oniy TO be
murdered under circumstances of greater
barbarity. No cruelty which the most
fendish mslignity could devise was omit.
ted by these murderers.
One white soldier who was wounded in
the leg, and was unable to walk, was made
to stand up, while his tormentor shot him.
Others who were wounded, and unable to
stand up, were held up, and again shot
One negro who had been ordered By reb-
ell officer to hold his horse, when remon.
strating, was killed by him. Another, a
mere child, whom an officer had taken IN
behind him on his horse, was seen BY
Chalmers, who at once ordered him to put
him down and shoot him, which was done
The huts and tents, which many of the
wounded had sought shelter were set on
fire both that night and the next morn
ing, while the wounded we're still in them.
| Those, on escaping, who were able to get
themselves out, or who could prevail on
others less injured, to help them out, and
even some Of those thus seeking to escape
flames, were met by these ruff ans and shot
down or had their brains beaten out. A
man was deliberately fastened down to the
floor Of tent, face upwards, by means of
nails driven through his clothing and into
the boards under him so that he could not
possibly escape, and then the tent was set
on fire.
Another was nailed to the side Nfa build
ing outside Of the Fort and then the build
ing set on fire and burned The charred
remains Of five or six bodies we're after
wards found, all but one 80 much disfg-
ured and consumed fly the flames that they
could not be Unidentified, and the identiioe.
ten Sf tluat Vu0 1s HUJ SUsnIuJ6Iy certain,
although thero can be no doubt that it was
the body Of Lieutenant Alberison, Quar-
termsster Of the 18th Virginia cavalry,
and g native Of Tennessee.
These deeds of murder and cruelty |
closed when night came on only to be re. |
newed the next morning, when the de- |
mons carefully sought among the dead |
lying about in all directions for any others |
wounded yet alive, and those they found |
were deliberately shot. Scores Of tha dead |
and wounded -EsAp0 found there the day of /
the massacre by men from some of our
gunbOats, who were permitted to go on
shore and collect the wounded and bury
the dead. The rebels themselves
evidently had made prstense Of
burying some of their victims. But they
had merely thrown them into the trenches
and bitches about the Fort, or the little
hollows and rsvines on the hill side, cover
ing them partially with earth. Portions |
of heads and faces, hands and feet we're |
found projecting in every direction, and
even when your committee visited the spot. |
two weeks aftoFwerd, although parties |
had been sent on shore to bury the bodies |
unburied, and rebury the others, and we're |
engaged in the same work, we found the |
evidence Of this murder and cruelty most |
painfully evident. We saw bodies still |
unburied at some distance from the |
Fort, of the sick men, who fleeing from
the hospitals, we're beaten down and |
brutslly murdered, and their bodies left |
where they had fallen.
Many other instances Of equally afro |
ciOus cruelty might be enumerated, but |
your Committee feel compelled to refrain |
from giving here more Of the hesrtsIek- |
en1ng detail and refer to the statements
contained in the volume Of testimony
herewith submitted.
These statements were obtained by them
from eye-witnesses and sufferers. Many Of
them as they were examined by your COM
mittee were lying upon beds OF pain and
suferings; some so feeble that their lips
could with difficulty tell their story. But
two officers are known to live, and they
are wounded one Of them, Capt. Porter,
may even now be dead. No hope was enter
tsined Of his recovery. OF the men from
900 to 400 are known to have been killed
at Fort Pillow, of whom at least 300 were
murdered in cold blood, after tLc Fort was
in possession Of the rebels, and our men
had thrown down their arms, snd ceased
to offer resistance.
When your Committee arrived at Mem
phis they found and examined q man, Mr.
Michigan, who had been conscripted by
some Of Forests forces, but who, with
others conscripted, had succeeded in max
ing his escape. He testified that while
three companies Of rebel troops, with
Major Bradford and many other prison
ers, were on their march from Brownsville
to Jackson. Tenn. Major B. was taken by
five rebels, one an officer, led about fifty
yards from the lire of march, and delib
erately murdered in view of all those pre-
sent. He fell instantly, having been
pierced by three musket balls, even while
asking that his life might be spared, as he
had fought them msnfully, and was deserv-
ing of a better fate. The motive for this
murder seems to have been, that, although
being native Of the South, he remained
loyal to his Government.
The testimony herewith submitted con-
tains many statements made by the rebels,
that they did not intend to treat home
made Yankees, as they term loyal South
erners, any better than negro troops.
There is one circumstance connected with
the event herein narrated which your COM
mittee cannot permit to pass unnotieed.
The testimony herewith submitted dis
closes this most astounding and shameful
fact, that on the morning of the
day succeeding the capture of Fort Pill
low the guubost Silver Cloud No. %, the
transport Platte Valley and the gunboat
New Era, No 7, landed at Fort Pillow un-
der flag of truce for the purpose of re-
oe.ving the few wounded there and bury
ing the dead. While they we're lying
there the rebel General Chalmers and 9TH
er rebel officers came down to the landing
and some Of them went on the boat. Not
withstsnding the evidences Of the rebel
atrocities and bsrbarity with which
the ground was thickly covered,
there we're some Of our officers on board
the Platte Valley SO lost to every feeling