Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-05-13

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Circumstances beyond my control have prevented
communication al an earlier date
II the reader WILL spread map Of Mississippi Aas
Teuneasse. will endssvor 10 give plain and iutsIH
gIbe arsount OF the recent brilliant victories Of Gen
Forests command, eliminating In tbs storming and
capture Of Fort Pillow.
whoBs waiting TO reIt either men Or horses after ths
great victory over the combined forces Of Grierson and
Smith, Riong the banks Of the Sookstcney river ex
tend ng from West Point 70 Pontotoc distance Of six
" miles, hs eft Columbus, Miss. the 18th March,
haltns eisat hours Aberdeen, he reached jackson
Tenn, on he aotb.
Here ae ordered Coils Dnekworth Crews ard Faux.
uer Of Kentueky with portions Of their sgimsn' s.
numbering in all aoous six hundred men. to advances
sad take Union City. These three gallant cfhcerr
reached Union City at daylight the oilh drove In
the picke,E and commences ringon he fort killing
several men The place was in command Of Colonel
Hawkins. who had been captured by Gen. Forrest al
Trenton, IN 1864 aud was garriscned by rereKads
Ts5nessesEns. In q short time Col Duckworth de
mandsd "a the name Of Gen. Forrest, the surrender
Of the plaes OIL Hawkins refused to surrender, sad
dsnNnded 70 sss Gen. Forrest IN person. Col D. in.
formed him that the general would not meet any OH.
car under his rank, when Col. h. informed Col D
that maj general present, aud immediately
surrender ed the plses, with I've hundred and twelve
prsOners all the horses supplies of every description
and large quantity OF hats boots, clothing elo, etc
We had none killed and bot seven slightly woundsd
Coionels Duskuorih aud Crews came bAek with the
prisoners and supplies. and Col Faulkner moved on
towards Hickman tearing up he railroad burnIug the
5rdges, etc. He passed in towards Columbus. drove
In the plekets and msde such demonstration that lie
enemy fearing an attack by large fores failed to
send rsiufsreemsnts to other thssstsned points.
In the nsaatime whie these orders wers being car
rsd out with aucb pronpness and fidelity, Gen For
with Gen. Buford the head the remainder Of
his division, under cOl1nes Bell and McOulloch, num
berlDg not more ihsn twelve hundred men, marched
from Jackson TO Psduesb, a distance of hundred
aud thirty miles in ty-two hours and directly
inaO the city the ash without halsng The enemy
fell hack the Qualifications and upon the guuboats
anchored OF the wharf
The EunbOass kept mp aleriIdc shelIing, bat as
troops we're protected by the houses they were un-
harmed, while large portion Of The city thus
slroyed.
While Gen, Forrest with his escort, was rsconnoter
ing part of the city he ordered Gen Buford to send
Col Thompson, with one hundred msn' to examine the
condition Of the fort. Col Thompson wAs citizen Of
Padncah, and prominent young lawyer. Before the
war hs State attorney. He had been absent from
his home and family In the Confederate army three
years When he approached the FORTH, tons aud saw
the negroes in Federal uniform Within he came SO in
dignant that he took parts of three rsgA 1ts and,
without ORDERS attacked the fort and was sot dead in
the frcn Of bis within forty yards Of the works
thus losing bis Life through impaence and indscreton
He was gallant and promising young officer, and his
death is deeply regretted by the entire command
Gen. Forrest having completed his observztiOns, and
learned that the smallpox raging In both city
aud fort decided not to attack the fort which Colonel
Hicks Ida refused to surrender and ordered the men
uodsr Colonel Thompson IS firing the works.
He sunk One steamboat burned the docks drovs the
guubost Pswpsw away, Woundng her captain and sew
ers other oesrs-thus clearly demonstrating that gun
boats cannot stand the EhsrpshoOiers the banks of
the rver.
Four hundred fne horses several ambulaanees, guar.
termEster stores medicines, etc fell into our hands
The Yankee papers admit loss Of fourteen whites and
eleven negroes. killed, and many wounded They alsO
report Gen. FORESTS loss at Twelve hundred which is
equal the entire dstaeamsnt carried to that place
Our real oEs Afteen killed aud iortyave wounded
The general brought bis command out a Fe miles east
the sane evening and cAmped. Here he gave all the
KeRtucklans under Gen BufOrd shsrt furoughs visit
their homes and famiies which they had not seen for
three years The favor also eEtsnded 10 the
Tn Tennessee regiment and MoDOnaldH old hard Aght
log battalion, all to report designated place on
seventh cay OF April
On The 2sth CT March, Col. Nicely who bad with him
that time about three hundrsd men, belonging 10 Col
RchsrisonE old command, encountered about six hun
drsd Of The Enemy, Bolivar under tn notorious
TeRnessse tory and robber Col Hurst Col N charged
them, killing twenty two, eapturine thirty 6ve and
uounding great number. The entire force then re
naming WAS driven IN the widest confusion towards
Memphis losing their entire wagon train and sixtyAve
thousand rounds OF ammunition Col Hurst led the In.
glorious rsires bare headed and wild with fright he
rushed throsh Sumnerve swearing that Forrest with
eight thousand After him. The Yankee papers
report HurSts all gone Arkansas and the colonel
io tls Nyrth. Col Nee > had mons killed. wounded or
captured
Coz Crews having been ordered to ths veiRty OF Ra
Sigh, with about seventy Eve men, on tie 5th Of April
encountered foue hun dred Of risrsos cavalry charged
hem, killing six; capturing many and routing the re
naindsr which Stopped until they entered the
anirensimeats around Memphis They also reported
lhai Gen. FORESTS command was sfler them.
On the llth OF April Gen. Cha'mers ~ss ordered o
move up his division from Brownsville, consisting Of
hicC1llochs and 5slfa brigades. on Fort Pillow.
As this place estlnsd in the future 10 have an his
tOrlcai importance. viii give brief description Of
tbs town and fort They the east bank of the
NJ Mss1sppi river shout sxy miles above Memphis, In
LanderdAle county, Tennessss. The fort is situated
bish bluff. Gold Creek large stream. empties into
the Misszsppl river Just the fort and the Haehe
river just below the town. Aa outer entTsnchment
lending from Of thsse streams the other In the
form Of crescent inolOses he sntire place
Upon smnsnce about six hundred yards south east
q the pluoipsl fOrti6caiOns there is strong fort
fseng esstwsrdy. The inner or principal fort Is on
tbs bluff close tho Missi sppl river the mouth Of
Cold creek which projects the north side. Ths fort
very nearly square, and has, on the east and south
sides. ditch twelve feet ide and sight deep, extend.
Jag from the creek above all around It to tho rvor at
thu lower corner. The smbankment Is thrown up on
the side Of the dilsh eight feet high shleh made
wall sixteen feet high, that scaled by troops
upon which placed sig splendid guns consisting Of
two 10 pound parrot steel guns two l2pound howlt-
GERS pound brass pieces The timber in front OF
bis line Of fertilization had been cleared away for miles
around, and the guns wsre arranged to command the
tops OF The eircs Of hills along the different approaches
OF the fort The surrounding country unaulssng and
presents s~seres Of rAvines aod intervening hills Of
which circumstance Gen. Forrest took advantage 10
bnneiBs bis through ravnes snd behind hills un-
81 hey quite under the range Of the gum; sharp
shootora meantime, occupying safe positions on the
surrounding emlnencea from which they we're able to
pick OF the enemys gunners they should attempt to
use, ssrthe range OF their guns This accounts for
the small Ioss sustained BY approaching and as.
sauiting the enemy's works
Gen. Forrest left jackson The morning Of the llh
81 o'clock, accompanied by hla escort and TIVE hun.
dred men, and reached the battlefield on the next morn
log at half past nine O'Clock distance Of seventy-t1o
miles, Upen his arrival ho found Gen. Chalmers had
crossed the outer shtrene and already skir
lshng but expressed Gen. Forrest the opinion that
!: would BE- impraeticSbs to storm the works. which
woHld be attended With too great sacrifice Of life.
The general commenced reconnOltering Immediately,
riding from Col Bells the right to McCuIloehs on
the left, carefully examining svsry point When near
tho outer fort ths Fsders having all fallen back TO
the priaspal fort the bud the general rode in
range Of battery on a magnlAoent eaAEgsr captured