Daily Republican., 1879-05-17
The Fort pillow Massage.

cnsatiop of being leader in that inhu-
man butchery, was allowed to explain
in the House of Representatives and
asked to be indicated. He would have
exculpated himself, had not Mr.. Bur-
rows Of Michigan who had hunted up
the evidence in the case followed and
Mr.. Chalmers very fine vim
dicstion in the following pointed and
scathing remarks: :
Mr.. Burrows, 1t seems that it is yet
uncertain whether the gentleman from
Mississippi will!insist upon his motion to
demand an investigation in this matter
or whether he will be content to rest
his vindication upon the statement ne
has lust submitted. If the latter course
is to be pursued, then it is due to history
that the sworn testimony OF a cloud OF
witnesses should accompany that state
ment, that both sides of the question
may pass under public examination.
/ hold in my hand the volume con-
tanning the evidences of the outrages
perpetrated at Fort Pillow outrages SO
dark an | damning, so wicked and wan
ton that savage might sit at the feet
of the men who perpetrated them and
learn new lessons of cruelty. With
out pausing to read this testimony or
any portion of it, l desire simply to
cali the attention of the House and the
country to what seems to be establlshed
by this evidence, and which up to this
moment has gone unquestioned.
If YOU will examine this evidence
ven will find that no less than fifty wit
nesses testify to the fact that after our
troops had surrendered and laid down
their arms, and while many Of them
we're upon their knees pleading tor
their lives, they were shot dead.
Will you pardon me- if call attention
to one or two instances. One witness
testifes to this:
Question.-How did you lose your
eye?
Auswer..-They had knocked me down
with carbine, and then they )aboed II
out.
Q.-Was that before you were shot
A.-Yes, sir.
Q.-After you had surrendered'
Ayes, sir; was going up the hill
man came down and met me; he had
his gun in his hand, and whirled |,
around and knocked me down, ano
then took the end of his carbine ano
! iabped it in nv eye, and shot me.
As | said before. do not care to et
into the details Of tn" testimony. Il
also appears from the testimony OF four
teen witnesses that on the next morI
ing after the battle large number o
wounded Federal soldiers were KILLED
bv the confed. in cold blood
Twenty witnesses testify that there
were found 10 less than Eve bodies %
Federal soldiers whose charred remains
told the terribl. story of their death
The gentleman from Mississippi states
that if this was so they must have beer
burned in their tents, and that there
was no evidence that they We're burnet
alive. But unfortunately the evidence
discloses that many of the bodies foun'
burned were naile to boards, the nails
being driven through tfeir clothing
and cartridge boxes into the planks ol
which they were lying, so that wher
tn. remains were removed the board'
were still attached to them. The evl
dence shows eonclusiv"ly that thes
m-n were nailed to the boards Will
living and in that condition burned
-Four witnesses testify that contederat
officers we're present while these ent
RACES were being perpetrated. f"ir
teen witnesses testify that among con
federate officers and soldiers the com
mon cry was mo quarter and, t
use them common expression, XXI
every damned one tcf themn' kittae
witnesses testify to the general robber
of the dead and the dying. -Four WI
ness.s testify that the wounded, ST
living, were kicked into the river. 81
witnesses testify that large numhe
,, of wounded soldiers were buried alive
{ and the witnesses testify that Ehe
, themselves crawled out of graves /
:, which they bad been partially turle
while wounded. Sixtcsn witnesses te'
. tify that the, confederatcs did take az
:, vantage of the flag Of truce, and III;
! while there was a cessation OF hoFtl
- tie, moved shrir forces and gain.d
> position that couldno otherwise Eav
= been acquired except by the severe
. loss. =,
% Now heve simply glanced at tt
testimony; and it ie2all desire to a.
| thought that the statement OF IL
gentleman from Mississippi oagnt rot
, 20 before the country unchallenged an
= this mass of sworn evidence he WIPE
out at one hse Ath. L want to call til
/. attention OF the gentleman, the h"ls
and the country to another fact In v''o1
clusion for have enseavored Wltto'
! the slightest warmth 10 state the GIL
;, ple facts as slso~n by the testimon.
- Does not the gentleman know Il deei
9 him to answerD whether he made as"
mort of that transaction or not
y Mr.. Chalm-rs-I have answered TIL
. | an, not distinct III my recollectiG
about it..
. Mr.. Burrows-yhen ] desire to sta
that tie commanding oEcer, Gtnet
Forrest, as we all know, did make
:, report of that tlos,ay affair at Fort RI
!, low. That is a matter Of history.
charge it as a matter of public notori
r tv. about which There is no question
, fact that cannot ihe denied--that Gel
eral Forrest did make an Official repor
In that seport General Forrest susta'l
the gentleman from Mississippi as
the officers and forces engaged. by 'h'
report it appears that the 'senllen.a
), from Mississippi was ia command II
Il nine or ten O'Clock on the moMlng th'
u the pickets were driven inside OF u
II fort :: that he himself was in lmmedla
IS comn,and of the assaulting forces. An
a it is a matter of notoriety that Gener'
u Eorror+ in his renort estimates. .Ogr fore