The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-09-30
, The Fort Pillow ATafr-A Card from General
n. Il. Forrest.

1
| To the Editor Of the Neac York Times:
correspondent Of the Times whose letter
was published on the Goth instant, says:
"At the time Of the capture of Fort Pillow
| by the rebel General Forrest, and the massa-
ere Of its entire garrison, General (then Colo.
| nell Lawrence was In command of Fort Co.
lumbus, point on the Mississippi river above
! Fort Pillow. General Forrest, flushed with
his victory and his murders, marched from
| Fort Pillow directly on Fort Columbus, mott
] fed Colonel Lawrence that the commander
| and garrison of Fort Pillow had been massa
cred, informed him that he commanded 10 900
| troops, and knew that he (Lawrence) had only
| 1000, and ordered him 10 surrender in one
| hours time, or he and his command should
| share the fate which had been visited on the
garrison ut Fort Pillow
l have hitherto borne In silence these out
rageous assaults upon my character man
and soldier but decent regard for nv own
reputation, and sense of duty to the brave
gentlemen who fought under me during the
late war, will not permit me TO remain silent
any longer. must therefore ask YOU to be
pleased 10 allow me TO say through the
columns OF the Times that the charges made
against me by your correspondent are utterly
false, and that their falsity can be easily de-
monstrated by proof, which is within easy
reach.
The official report Of the United States
officer commanding at Fort Pillow, and the
testimony reported by the Congressional In
vestigating Committee, Of which Vice Pres-
dent Wade was chairman, show that the gar
rison consisted of only about $50 officers and
| men. Other proofs, which / can produce ut
any time, show that l captured, and can ac-
count for, more than 300 Of these-sixty five
Of them, who were badly wounded, having
been delivered by me TO the officer command
| ing United States gunboat in The vicinity of
| the fort, and about $50 ian official descriptive
list Of whom is now in this city in the posses
sion of General Thomas Jordan), having been
turned over by me to General Polk at Demopo-
lis, Ala. Of these captured men ninety o1ere ne
gro soldiers. Nor were the rest of the garrison
all killed; for many of them effected their
escape, while others were drowned In the at
| tempt. 1t will thus be seen that the proper
ton of killed was not greater than is usual in
the case Of so severe Il fight, accompanied by a
desperate assault and defence.
These facts are known to the Government Of
the United States and acquit me, not only in
the opinion OF the President, Mr.. Stanton,
and Judge Holt, but in that of Congress, of
any violation of the rules of civilized warfare.
OtherWiSe would have been long ago arrested
and tried upon that charge. For my own
part, conscious Of my innocence, and knowing
perfectly well that have always waged war
with the strctest regard to the usages of civil
lied nations, have never Stunned any inves-
tigation to which the Executive or Congress
might subject my military conduct.
AS to the absurd charge that marched
against Columbus with 10000 men and de-
manded its surrender with the threat that /
would, in the event of refusal, 'massacre J"
its garrison, have only to say that l never
was, during the war, within forty miles OF
Columbus after its evacuation by the Con.
federates in 1862; and that the only troops
which approached il at the time referred TO
was a scouting party of less than 100 men !;
and that the official report of General Law
renee himself utterly disapproves your CORE
spondents statements. N. b. FORREST.