Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-10-02
THE FoRr PILLOW AFFAIR--A CARD
FROM GEN. N. B. FORsEsT.


A corresp, ,ndent of the Times, whose
letter was published on the 25th ult.,
says:
At the tin le Of the capture of Fort Pill
low by the rebel Gen. Forrest, and the
massacre o its entire garrison, Gen.
then color lel) Lawrence was in COM
mand Of +, Drt Columbus, point on the
Mississippi river, above Fort Pillow.
Gen. Forres t, flushed with bis victory
and his m urders, marched from Fort
Pillow diret ,tly on Fort Columbus, noti-
fled Col. La wrence that the commander
and garrison . Of Fort Pillow had been
massacred, informed him that he COM
manded 100 90 troops, and knew that he
(Lawrence) had only 1000, and ordered
him TO sure nder in one hours time, or
he and his command should share the
fate which sd been visited on the garri-
son at Fort ] Pillow.
l have hit berto borne in silence these
outrageous ssaults upon my character as
a man and 2 ) soldier; out adecsnt regard
for my ow'3 reputation, and q sense Of
duty to tn brave gentlemen who fought
under me during the late war, will not
permit me 10 remain silent any longer.
must th srefore ask you to be pleased TO
allow me to say, through the columns Of
Tie 4tNtt @llaL lAiE CAlGI EtS LIEUT. dk-iilsL
me by ' your correspondent are utterly
false, am that their falsity can be easily
demonst rated by proof which is within
easy reat sh.
The OF iicial report of the United States
officer c. Immanding at Fort Pillow, and
the testi IDOny reported by the congress
sionalin vestigating committee, Of which
Vice Pre- eident Wade was chairman,
show th at the garrison consisted Of only
about 5S( officers and men. Other proofs,
which | can produce at any time, show
that l 4, aptured and can account for
more tina n 800 of these-sixty-hve Of
them, who were badly wounded, having
been deliv, cred by me to the officer com
manding United States gUub0at in the
vicinity Of the fort, and about 2j0, ian
official des criptive list Of whom is now in
this city in the possession OF Gen. Thomas
Jordan, having been turned over by se
to Gen. Polk. at DemOpOlis, Ala or
these capt ttred men ninety igers negro SOL
dieTS. N,)r were the rest Of the garrison
all killed, for many of them effected their
escape, vi 1ile Others were drowned iu the
attempt. 1t will thus be seen that the
proportion 1 Of killed was not greater than
is usual n the case of so severe q fight,
aeeompsn led by desperate assault and
defense.
These fa cts are known to the govern
nnent of he United States, and scquit
zoe, not on " in the opinion of the presi-
dent, Mr.. itaDtOn, and Judge Holt, but
in that of congress, Of any violation of
the rules of civilized warfare. OtberUise
] would have been long ago arrested and
tried upon nat charge. For my own
part, consci Gus Of my innocence, and
knowing per tectly well that I have al
ways wAged war with the strictest regard
TO the usages Of civilized nations, have
never shun ned any investigation to
which the executive or congress might
subject my military conduct.
AS tothe absurd charge that marched
against &c lumbus with ten thousand
men, and d emanded its surrender, with
the threat that l would, in the event Of
refusal, " Massacre " its garrison, I have
only to say, that / never was, during the
war, with in forty miles of Columbus,
after its ev acuatiOn by the Confederstes,
in 1862, an q that the only troops which
apprOache it at the time referred to was
s scouting party Of less than one hun
dred men; /; and that the official report Of
Gen. LaWI ence himself utterly disproves
your CORES pondents statements.
y. b. FORREST.