Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1879-05-08
FIFTH EDITION
THE FORT PILLOW MAss.Cn,
The Rebel General Chalmers wants
!" he Nfndieated-The House OF
Representatives Won't do Il.

The Rebel General Chalmers wants
/" he Ntndiested-The House OF
Representatives Won't do Il.
In the House Of Representatives at
Washington, yesterday, Mr.. Chalmers,
OF mississippi, called up as question
OF privilege, the resolution previously
offered by him for an investigation into
his conduct at Fort Pillow. He said
his friends had pointed out to him the
difficulties in the way ofsuch an inves-
tigation, and he himself recognized the
danger of rekindling the flames of pas
sion and prejudice, which all good men
desired to see covered up in their ashes.
But it was bad thing to ask
soldiers who had lost all, save honor,
to permit that to be- taken from them
by the repetition Of accusations that
were utterly untrue. The action of the
House Yesterday, however, had salts
fed him that gentlemen were not will.
ing now to go into investigation, and,
therefore he had concluded to accept the
advice of his friends and to make his
own statement. He proceeded to narrate
the incidents of the attack on Fort Pill
low, in which attack he had been early
in the day, in command of the Confed-
crate cavalry, but about nine o'clock in
the morning, General Forrest had ar
-ived and taken command.
He admitted that a number of the
garfi-"u, making n rnsh Tor the gun
boat, had been I'cd at aud killed, but
if any had been killed in violation of
the usages of war the most searching
examination on the part of a Congress
sional Committee had been unable to
fix any responsibility for it, at least on
the general officers in command. He
denied that any wounded men had
been burned up in the quarters that
had been set on fire the morning after
the attack. He asserted that forty per
cent. of the garrison were saved wholly
untouched.
A part of tho Federal troops had run
out OF the fort, and nearly all of. these
were killed or wounded. But a large
namber of the garrison (mostly white
men) had remained, and they had
gathered around Gen. Forrest and him
self for protection, and had been pro-
.ectrd. As to the Conlederates taking
advantage OF flag of truce in order to
gain better position, that statement
was not true. He said so in vindication
of his dead commander, for "glory is
the soldiers pride; the soldiers wealth
is honor"
In reply TO questions, Mr.. Hawley, of
Connecticut, stated the garrison of Fort
Pillow numbered 577 men, OF whom
about 40 per cent. were saved; that
about 800 men were killed and wound
cd, and about $50 on the Confederate
side.
Remarks were made by Mr.. Gar
Held as to the competency of reopen
ing the subject, with an intimation
that the officers were not as RESPONSE
bic as had at first been supposed,
but the general impression at the
time was strengthened by an order is
sued about three weeks previously by
General Forrest, that if the fort was
surrendered the garrison should be
treated as prisoners of war, but if the
works were stormed, no quarter might
be expected. He was glad SO much had
been done by the gentleman from Mis-
sissippi to disconnect his name from re-.
sp"nsibility in the matter.
Finally the whole subject was laid on