The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-27
The Fort Pillow ATair-A Card from
General N. b. Forrest.

To the Editor Of the NetO York Times.
A correspondent Of the Times, whose letter
was published on the 25th inst, says:-
eat the time of the copture of Fort Pillow by the
garrison, General (then COlOneD Lawrence was In
sippi river above Fort Pillow Gen. Forrest flushed
Yo Y5 R Snd am R Pa CooSe
Lawrence that the COMMANDER and garrison OF Fort
commanded 10000 troops and knew that he (Law-
rencel had only OO and ordered him TO surrender 10
the fate which had been visited on the garrison at
. i have hitherto borne in silence these outra-
ge us assaults upon my character as o man and
soldier; but decent regard for my own repu'
tation, and q sense of duty to the brave gentle.
men who fought under me during the war, will
not permit me to remain silent any longer.
III ust, therefore, ask you to be pleased to allow
me to say through the columns of the Tunes.
that the charges made against me by your cor
Ia spondent are utterly false, and that their
falsity can be easily demonstrated 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 Investigating
Committee, of which Vice-President Wade was
Chairman, show that the garrison consisted of
only about $50 officers and men. other proofs,
which can produce at any time, show that cap
tured and can account for more than 3OO ofthese
-sixty-five ofthem, who were badly wounded,
having been delivered by me to the officer
commanding a United States gunboat in the
vicinity of the fort and about $50 ian official de-
scriptive list of whom is now in this CITY, in the
possession of General Thomas JOrdan), having
been turned over 0y me 10 General POLK, at
Demopolis Alabama OF these captured men
ninety were negro soldiers. Nor were the rest
Of the garrison all killed; for many OF them
effected their escape, while others were drowned
in the attempt. II will thus be seen that the
proportion of killed was not greater than is
usual in the case of so severe fight, accompa-
MED by q desperate assault and defense.
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 vio-
lation of the rules of civilized warfare. Other
wise would have been long ago arrested and
tried upon that charge. For my own part. con-
scious OF my innocence, and knowing perfectly
well that / have always waged war with the
strictest regard to the usages of civilized ma
tions, have never Stunned any investigation
to which the Executive or Congress might sub
ject my military conduct.
AS to the absurd charge that I marched
against Columbus with 10000 men and de-
manded Its surrender, with the threat that 1
would, in the event of refusal, massacre" its
garrison, have only to say that never was,
during the war, within forty miles of Colum-
bus, after its evacuation by the Confederates in
1862; and that the only troops which approached
1t at the time referred to, was scouting party
of less than 100 men: and chat the official report
of General Lawrence himself utterly disproves
N. B. FORREST.