The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-07-04
CHALMERS AT FORT PILLOW.
His Vindicntlon by the Surgeon OF an
Iowa IscEimcnt.

Iowa iscEimcnt.
The Washington correspondent of
the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, a
stalwart organ, sends that paper the
following:
CHARLTON, Iowa, May Is.
Gen. Chalmers NJ. c. from Mississippi:
Sir-I have seen at different times
and in various papers the charge made
against you that you murdered babe
and had been engaged, also, in MUIR
dering several whites and negroes Mt
Fort Pillow, on the 18th of April, 1864.
have no especial acquaintance with
you; have only seen you twice in my
life-once on the 18th of April, and
again on the 18th, 1864, but desire to
give you my recollection Of that bat
tic.
I was acting surgeon of the post at
the time-the only surgeon there. I
first saw you on the 18th, on the bluffs
above, where the greatest number was
killed, tho greatest slaughter having
occurred under the bluffs next to the
river. I was nnder the bluff, most of
the time. The greater portion of the
officers that commanded tho two negro
regiments were killed in the Fort be-
fore there was a charge made. They
were picked Off by sharpshooters, there
being several points much higher than
the miserable earth works, from which
it was quite easy for sharpshOOters to
pick out almost any man they wished.
Booth, his adjutant, aud several other
officers were killed early in the FORE
noon. I had my field hospital under
the bluffs next to the river.
When Forests forces charged into
%t1.n, ~ -
ments and the men of the Thirteenth
Tennessee Cavalry came down under
the bluff where 1 was, followed by
quite a number OF soldiers of Forests
command. 1 did not see but few OFF,
GERS among Forests soldiers under
the blufis-none above the ranks of
lieutenant aud captain. 1 was taken
up the bluffs by Il lieutenant Of Missis-
sippi rebel cavalry, and when l arrived
on the bluff within the Fort there were
but a few rebel soldiers there. For
rest was up there sighting piece of
artillery ON the little gunbOat up the
river. saw him sight it several times
and fire on the gunboat, after which I
passed outside the earthworks. do
not think Forrest knew what was go
ing on under the bluffs. After had
passed out of the earthworks, met n
AC" aLAUuNSuCSS Will NuclE uTuuhCuS
coWardly crew, who were about to
take off my boots, when you came
riding near by. Seeing you had on the
evidence of being general, 1 called to
you. You rode up to mo and asked
me what was wanted. I asked you If
you would allow those fellows to strip
a prisoner of his boots. You cursed
them and put guard over me, giving
orders to the guard to shoot down the
first one that molested me.
I again saw you on the 18th. Rode
part of the way from the camp to the
river and went aboard the Platte VAL
ley steamboat with you, and saw you
several times on the boat. / had the
wounded taken on board the boat. I
do not believe there was a babe there
for any one to kill, as early in the
morning all of the women and all of
the nOn-combatants were ordered on to
some barges, and were towed up the
river to an island by gun boat before
any one was hurt. 1 fail to see how
you could have got on that island to
kill that babe. I do not believe that
you knew what was going on under
the bluffs, as I did not see you under
there while I was there, but saw you
ride up, as I have stated, from an op-
posite direction, after 1 had got upon
the bluffs, and tho most of tho work
was over next the river.
The most of the men in the Thir-
tecnth Regiment were deserters from
Forests command. 1 have examined
a great many Of them myself who told
me they were. There seemed to be a
great hatred ON the part of Forests
men toward many of fthom-personal
feeling-as 1 heard many Of Forests
men charge the Thirteenth Regiment
with doing many things that were
mean towards their friends since they
had deserted Forrest and joined the
Thirteenth Federal Regiment.
am not aware that there was any
formal surrender OF Fort Pillow to
Forests command. ! looked on many
things that were done as the result of
whisky and n bitter personal hate, cs-
pecially as regards the Thirteenth Reg
imcnt. There was considerable alcO-
hol outside the Fort which Forests
men must have got hold of long before
the charge was made. 1 have always
thought that neither you nor Forrest
knew everything that was going on at
the time, under the bluffs.
What was done was done very
quietly.
I know that you treated me kindly
on the 18th and 18th. l could tell you
many things about Fort Pillow, doubt
less, if I had time. If believe what