Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-11-14

testimony presents long series OF sick
ening, cold-blOOded atrocities Forrest
reported his own loss at twenty killed
and sixty wounded and states that he
buried two hundred and twenty-eight
federals on the evening of the assault.
Yet in the face Of this he claimed that
the Fort Pillow capture was F." a bloody
victory, only made a massacre by das-
tardly Yankee reporters" The news
of the massacre aroused the whole
country to a paroxysm of horror and
fury. A force Of twelve thousand men
was sent against Forrest, under Gen.
Sturgis, who SO wretchedly mismanaged
the affair that he was utterly routed by
him. Another column was set against
him in July, under A. ]. Smith, which
met with scarcely better success, and
the next thing heard Of Forrest was
when, on the morning Of August Is, he
made a sudden and daring raid through
Memphis, escaping with small loss.
Gen. Forrest made an explanation of
this affair to a correspondent of a New
Orleans paper, on June 3, 1865. Gen.
Forrest was described by the correspon-
dent as man of fine appearance, about
six feet in height; dark, piercing hazel
eyes carefully trimmed mustache and
chin whiskers, dark as night finely cut
features and iron-gray hair. His form
was 1.-the, plainly indicating great physi-
cal power and activity. The writer
asked, after some preliminary ques-
tons
Now that you have time, general,
do you think you will ever put upon
paper the true account Of the Fort Pill
low AFFAIR."
"Well," said he " the Yankees ought
to know they sent down their best men
to investigate the affair"
"But are we to believe their report,
general?'
Yes, if we are to believe anything a
niger says When | went into the war
| meant to fight. Fighting means kill
ing. have lost twenty-nine horses in
the war, and have killed man each
time. The other day l was a horse
ahead, but at Selma they surrounded
me and | killed two jumped my horse
over a one-hOrse wagon and got away"
[ began to think [ had some idea of
the man at last. He continued My
provost marshal's book will show that
have taken thirty-one thousand prison
ers during the war AT Fort Pillow [
sent in flag of truce. and demanded
an unconditional surrender, or | would
not answer for my men. This they re-
fused. / sent them another note, giving
them one hour to determine. This they
refused. l could see on the river, boats
loaded with troops. They sent back
asking for an hour more. | gave them
twenty minutes | sat on my horse
during the whole time. The fort was
filled with niggers and deserters from
our army; men who lived side by side
with my men. | waited five minutes
after the time, and then blew the bugle
for the charge. In twenty minutes my
men were over the works and the firing
ceased. The citizens and Yankees had
broken in the heads of whisky and lager
beer barrels and were all drunk They
kept up firing all the time as they went
down the hill. Hundreds of them
rushed to the river and tried to swim
to the gun-boats, and my men shot
them down The Mississippi river was
red with their blood for three hundred
yards. During all this their flag was
still flying, and | rushed over the works
and cut the halyards and let it down
and stopped the fight. Many of the
Yankees were in tents in front, and they
were IN their way, as they concealed
my men, and some of them set them
on fire. If any were burned to death,
it was in these tents. They have
living witness in Captain Young, their
quartermaster, who is still alive, and
| will leave it to any prisoner | have
ever taken if [ have not treated them
we'll"