The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-11-07
The Confederate Capture OF Fort
Pillow.
WHAT PRECEDED AND FOLLOWED THE
CAPTURE.

Ten Chalmers appeared before OFT HI
low with about 6o00 men. ali of FORESTS
command. Their presence was first de-
tected at daybreak, and the Federal pick
cts were driven in with rush. and the
post thrown into confusion. So far from
being prepared for an attack some of the
pickets were asleep on their posts, and
everything around the place was at loose
ends.
'.On one picket post said member
of McCulloch's S Brigade, s'we found Two
negro soldiers asleep on the ground, and
a white man asleep with his back to
tree. as we drove ia such ;liclets as
were wide awake the confusion was very
laughable, and we counted on an easy
conquest"
Everything is TO be seen to-day as
plainly as when the war closed. The
boat from Memphis lands at the foot of
she bluffs, and when you have worked
you way to the crest YOU find that Fort
Pillow consists of a country store, post
office, saw mill and three or four negro
cabins. On the bluffs, hundred feet
above the Mississippi, is the water bat
terry erected by the Confedeates TO COM
mand the river. For weeks this battery
with lis big guns held Federal fleet from
swooping down upon Memphis. Lying
in ditch, half hidden by mud and the
| weeds, found an old cannon-the only
| relic Of the kind TO be found on any bat
| tle-field of the South. | could not dis
| cover how it was damaged nor measure
its calibre. bur the piece is twelve or four
teen feet long. and on the breech is cary
ed the letters, &C. G.. mo. li1.' No
| Confederate has been able to identify the
make Of the gun. and it seems likely that
il ran the blockade"
Back of the water battery is a great pit
which was excavated as 4 rifle pit for in
fantry. Then the sloping hill is covered
| with forest for distance of 200 feet. un-
til the plateau is reached. Then comes
rolling ground, stretching away fer miles.
About 100 rods above the water battery.
and upon perfectly clear ground, the Fed
| erals, after the evacuation of Fort Pillow
| by the Confedcrates, erected fort OF
| course the water battery was of no fur
| ther account. and was abandoned, and all
troops collected at the fort. This earth
| work encioses about one acre Of ground.
1t fronts the open country, and both
t-flanks rest on the bank of the river at IL
spot where the descent is so sharp that a
fall would be drop of eighty feet. This
bank protected the rear of the fort, and
the front was well looked to. The dirt
walls were from six to eight feet high.
four feet thick, and outside was a
ditch too wide to be jumped, and six or
seven feet deep. In some places
there was a second earth-work be-
yOnd the ditch, and the entire front was
lined with rifle pits. The fort is still in
! excellent shape, and even the ditch has
not filed mp more than two feet. Mill
tary men on both sides have declared Fort
Pillow the snuggest, strongest dirt fort
ever thrown up to protect a garrison.
The position commands everything. and
it would seem as if 800 men. having only
the front of the works to look out for.
could repel the assault of 5000.
The garrison consisted of $50 men. of
which about half were colored. The
wives and children Of many of the color
ed soldiers were living at the post, and
outside of these was a large number of
non-combatants in the shapeof sick and
iniirm and old and feeble. No fight could
take place without bringing everything
and everybody under fire, and nothing
| but loose discipline would hate permit
ted such situation. Even inside the
main earthworks the ground was bloeka-
| ded with tents and rubbish, aud of the
six pieces of artillery two were rendered
useless early in the fight by Incompetent
cy. The situation of affairs was ealcula-
ted to cause great embarrassment and
confusion in case of attack, and had net
this state of affairs been reported by
scouts who penetrated the camp, the at
tack would not have been made. That
the fort was one which ought to have
been successfully defended by small
garrison, is proved by the force Chalmers
took with him. He figured that he ought
to have ten to one to make successful
attack.
From daylight until 10 o'clock the fight
ing was preliminary. A ravine, either
end touching the river and rnnning al
most in the same crescent as the fort, was
gained by the Confederates after some
sharp fighting. The simplest military
strategy should have warned the Federal
commander to look out for such a move
ment and been prepared to checkmate it.
Once in the ravine the Confederates could
maintain q sharp fire all along the front
and pass to either flank of the fort. Reg
| iments were detailed for these flank move