The National tribune., 1901-04-18

His body was not buried, as his remains
were found April % following.
| The worst remains to be told. After
the truth concerning this massacre was
/ ascertained. and our Generals, our men
in the ranks. our Government. and our
| loyal people were beginning to bs aroused.
the rehei Government down to Gen.
Forrest and his lowest subordinates, We'd
with each other and tried every sIpedi-
/ ent to palliate this atrocity, which In
| Guided doctoring their reports and fntini-
dation of prisoners who were captured in
the fort. (See page 604)
THE DoCToR's HISTORICAL VERSION.
First. THE detachment of Forests
command detailed against this reputed i'm
pregnable fortress had succeeded in gain
ing q position under the breastworks
shielded from the guns of the FORT
| The adroit and willy Doctor does not
say one word about how they gained this
Second. "The commander of the Fed
eral forces had been killed, his successor
in terror dealt out, in unlimited quanti-
| ties, whisky to his soldiers, most of whom
were negroes, until they were crazy with
drink"
| ms is not the truth, and a malicious
perversion of facts made out of whole
cloth. Maj. Bradford was brave man.
l challenge the Doctor, after reading the
reports of the rebel officers. or writings
emanating from this sad affair, to prove
one iota regarding this whisky defense"
| 1t is an outrage to history. AT this late
| day, and after 80 years of patient labor
| (as he writes), he tries to shift this butch
cry and barbarity, this violation of the
laws of war, which commanders of armies
| in both ancient and modern history have
respected; j. e., the slaughter of brave
soldiers who yaliantly defended their
works, who after capture were brutaliy
murdered, some next day after surrender
and some in q way that savages would
not be guilty OF. (See pages 51S to 554.)
desire in connection Herewith to say
that no whisky was ever issued to col
| ored troops along the whole Mississippi
Valley, except upon some extraordinary
occasion of fatigue duty, and then few
and far between. In the regiment l
served, the 10th U. S. Colored Inf, there
was no whisky issued, excepting upon
Surgeons prescriptions, when sickness de-
manded some. | never saw a drunken
soldier in the 10th, and but few in all
colored regiments that came under my OBJ
seryatlon, for it was our standing orders
to look out for whisky. What is said here
about the 10th is applicable to all other
colored troops.
After the news of the massacre became
known it was resolved that the word ''sur-
render" be eradicated and obliterated
from the military dictionaries as far as
officers Of colored troops were concerned.
Third. Federal transports had ar
rived, and were landing reinforcements,
against the protests of the COnfederates.
while the flag of truce was pending"
What a fimsy excused Let the Doctor
point out, after his 80 years of patient
labor from the records or otherwise, any
protest made by Gen. Forrest as to the
landing of reinforcements.
On the contrary, see report of Gen G.
f. Shepley (page 572).
Other statements of this biOgrapher,
that President Lincoln was urged to offer
reward to the man who defeated For
rest. The truth is that Gen. Sherman,
who had sort Of liking" for Gen. Mo
wer. asked the President to make Mower
a MajOr-General and send him after For
rest.
That in July, 1864. an army of $1,000
men, under Gems. Smith and Mower,
found Forrest near Tupelo, Miss, fought
a fierce battle, and then retreated in great
haste back to Memphis. Tenn, is all abb
surd. Gen. A ]. Smith, who command
ed the Sixteenth Corps, which was known
in the Western armies as Smiths Guer-
rillas," was sent after Forrest after
Sturgis's defeat (by the elementsl with
instructions to find Forrest and whip him;
which instructions were carried out to the
letter. He found him at HainsbOrough,
Miss, and after thrashing him thoroughly.
compelling him to retire into the heart OF
Mississippi West Point, he retraced his
steps leisurely, for tie reason that in
try that was destitute OF supplies, beng
himself away from any base of supplies.
Smiths forces amounted to IL 600 men.
(See returns of strength of armies.l
Other statements that Forrest had .
horses killed under him and with his own
hand slew 30 men is all bosh. Ask any
old army officer who has seen service if
such is the fact, and he will laugh at you.
The cunning Doctor, in his biography,
as reviewed by Gailor, has not seen fit
nor has one word to say about the battle
of Parker's Crossroads, which was fought
Dec. 81, 1862.
In the month Of December, 1852, For
rest had it all his own way in capturing
small garrisOnS, who were guarding our
line of communications. As soon as in
formation was obtained as TO the number
of Forests forces, troops were detached
from the front to drive him across the
Tennessee River. Among those were Full
lers Ohio Brigade. They met Forrest at
the crossroads the last day of the year,
and in connection with Rhinacker's latter
wards Dunham's) Brigade gave him such
a thrashing as he never received before
and nearly all his horses and artillery, his
dismounted men not having time to mount
their horses, being pressed too hard, and
having to scatter to save themselves, each
man for himself, the attack OF tAe OnlO
Brigade being so impetuouS as not to give
Forrest or his men time to regain their
second wind.
Forests Adjutant- General was cap
tured and he himself did not have time
to mount his own horse or get his over
coat. for the old hero, Capt. James
Walker, of the seth Ohio, captured the
coat and horse.
l saw the Captain last week, and he
informed me that it was a fine coat, made
out of blue-gray cloth. lined with black
red flannel, and must have run the block
AIDES.
Forrest must have missed the coat, as
the next day. it will be remembered, was
the coolest day during the entire war.
The horse and coat must have been priced
very highly. for when Walker took pos
session, a rebel prisoner told him to leave
the horse and coat alone, Us it belonged |
to Gen. Forrest. The Captain answered |
in language more forcible than polite.
Credit should be given Forrest for one |
act, and that is the language he used in |
his farewell address after surrender. He |
said: ''You have been good soldiers; you |
can be good citizens. Obey the laws, pre- |
serve your honor, and the Government to |
which you have surrendered can afford |
to be and will be magnanimous."
The great civil war is a matter of the |
past. As far as the soldiers are con- |
cerned who participated therein, from |
Sumter to Appomattox, all animosi- |
ties ceased when the last echoes of the |