Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-05-12

The rsos lsvipg hus fr JAILED ia thcr sttAch, hov
rssortsd to their customary dass Of tuco The hrs hsa
Of truce conveyed demand from Forrest for the
dona surrender Of the fort To this Major Bradford
Piled asking to be allowed hour consult with his
officers and officers Of the gunboat Ia short time
second flag of truce appeared with communication from
Forrest that no would allow Major Bradford twenty
minutes in which TO his troops out Of the fort and
il it was not done within that time an assault would be
ordered To this Major Bradford returned the reply
he would not surrender
During the time these flags of truce were flying the
rebels moving down the ranes and taking positions
from which the readily to charge upon the fort Par
ties of them also engaged in punderng the Govern
in full view Of the gunboat Captain Marshall states that
he RETAINED from firing upon the rebels although they
thus violating the flag of truce for fear that should
they finally succeed in capturing the fort they would jus
fy any atrocities they might commit by saying that they
in retaliation for his firing while the flag OF truce
flying he however, that when he saw the rebels
coming down the ravne above the fort, and taking posi-
tons there he got under way and stood for the fort
determined to use what little ammunition we had left in
Smelling them out OF the ravne but he did not get up
within effective range before the 6ual assault made
immediately after the second flag OF truce retired the
rebels made rush from the positions they had treach
ercus gained and obtained possession of the fort raising
the cry Of emo quarter" But little opportunity al
lowed for resistance Our troops black and white threw
down their and sought to escape by running down
the steep bluff the fort and secretng themselves be-
hind trees and logs in the bushes aud under the brush
some even jumping into the river leaving only their heads
above the water they crouched down under the bank
Then followed scene OF cruelty and murder without
parallel in civilized warfare which needed but the toma-
hawk and scaping knife to exceed the worst atrocities
ever committed by savages. The rebels commenced
indscrimnae slaughter sparDg neither age SEX white
or black, soldier civilian The officers and seemed
to vie with each other in the devilish work Men and
women and children, wherever found delber
ately shot down. beaten and hacked with sabres Some
OF the children not more than ten old forced
to stand up and face their murderers while be0g shot
The sick and wounded butchered without mercy the
rebels entering the hospital building and dragging
them out to be shot, killing them they lay there
kla fpn The n
the work of murder was going Numbers Of our men
were collected together in lines groups and deliberately
shot Some were shot while in the river while others
the bank shot their bodies kicked into the water
many of them still living, but unable to make any
tons to themselves from drowning Some of the
rebels stood upon the top of the hill short distance
down its sde and called to soldiers TO up to
them and they approached shot them down in cold
blood their guns pistols missed fire. forcing them to
stand there until they again prepared to fire. All
around heard cries Of quarter no quarter; kill
the id niggers, shoot them down All who asked for
mercy we're answered by the cruel aunts and
Some were spared far time only to be murdered under
circumstances Of greater cruelty No cruelty which the
most fendsh magniy could devise omitted by these
murderers. One white soldier who was wounded in one
leg as to be unable to walk made to stand up while
his tormentors shot him. Others who wounded aud
unable to stand up we're held up and again shot One
negro, who had been ordered by rebel officer to hold
his horse, killed by him when he demonstrated
Another, mere child, whom officer had taken
up behind him on his horse, seen by Chalmers,
who at once ordered the officer to put him down and shoot
him. which was DONE The huis and tents in which many
OF the wounded had sought shelter set fire. both
mat night and the next rnng, while the wounded
still in them those only escaping who able to get
themselves out who could prevail others less injured
than themselves to help them out and of these
thus seeking flames by these ruans and
brutay shot down had their brains beaten out One
man was deliberately fastened down to the f,or of TENT
face upwards by of nails driven through his ceth
ing and into the boards under him. that he could not
possibly escape and then the tent another
nailed to the side Of building outside Of fort and then
the building set on fire and burned The charred
of five bodies afterwards found all but one so
much dsfgured and consumed by the flames that they
could not be identified and the identification of that
not absolutely certain although there hardly be doubt
that was the body Of Lieut. Akerstoom quartermaster
OF the 18th Virginia cavalry, aud native TeInessean
Several witnesses who the remains and person
ally acquainted with him while living, have testified that it
their firm belief that his body thus treated
These deeds of murder and cruelty closed when night
only to be renewed the next morning. when the demons
carefully sought among the dead lying about 10 all drec-
tons for any other wounded yet alive and those they found
Scores of the dead and wounded found there the
day Of the massacre by the from of gun
boats who permitted to 90 shore and collect the
wounded and bury the dead The rebels themselves had
made pretence of buryng great many of their victims
but they had merely thrown them, without the least
gard to care decency into the trenches and bitches
about the fort the little hoows and ravnes on the hill
side covering them but partially with earth Portions of
heads and faces, hands and feet found protrudng
through the earth every direction and even when your
committee visited the spot, two weeks afterwards al
though parties of men had been sent shore from time TO
time to bury the bodies unbured and rebury the Others
and were then engaged in the work. found the
evidences OF this murder and cruelty still. most painfully.
We saw bodies still unbured lat distance from the
iort) OF some sick who had been fleeing from the
hospital and beaten down and brutay murdered and their
bodies left whece they had fallen. We could sl the
faces and hands and feet of men, white aud black pro-
tudug out of the ground whose graves had not been
reached by those engaged in renterrDg the victims of the
massacre; and, although great deal of rain had fallen
within the preceding two weeks the ground espe
cay on the side and at the foot Of the bluff where most
OF the murders had been committed still discolored
by the blood of brave but unfortunate men, and the
logs and trees showed but too plainly the evidences of the
atrocities perpetrated there. .,..e
Many other instances of equally atrocous cruelty might
be enumerated but your committee feel compelled TO re-
rain from giving here Of the heart sickening details
and refer To the statements contained in the voumnous
testimony herewith submitted Those statements were
obtained by them from eyewnesses and sufferers Many
OF them as they examined by your committee we're
lying upon beds of pain and suffering feeble that
their lips could with difficulty frame the words by which
they endeavored to convey idea of the cruelties
which had been inflicted them and which they had seen
inflicted on others. E :"
In reference to the fate Of Msor Bradford who was in
command OF the fort when it captured and who had
up to that time received injury there to be
doubt The general understanding seems to be that he
bad been brualy murdered the day after he was taken
prisoner. How many Of troops thus fell victims 10
the magnity and barbary Of Forrest and his followers
cannot yet be definitely ascertaned Two officers belong
ing to the garrison absent at the time of the capture
and massacre. OF the remaining officers but two are
known to be living and they wounded In the hos
pita at Mound City; them Porter NAV evan