The National tribune., 1910-09-01
Hicks Was a Fighter.

Editor National Tribune: l noticed in
| The National Tribune of Feb. "a a
statement from Comrade ]. NJ. Beckley.
| Titfin, O., about Forrest at Paducah,
| Ky, and the statement that Col. Hicks
was considering the question of surren-
dering the post when his Colonel inter-
| posed, and said the 72d Ohio never SUR
| renders, and went with his 72d Ohio
regiment out of the fort into the city
| and drove Forrest out, etc. Now, com
rade either you or l am off badly.
was not there. but went down the Mis-
sissippi River, past Fort Pillow, on the
first steamer | saw the smoldering
ruins at Fort Pillow and the bodies of
some of the massacred men. Forrest
was back in the country somewhere.
Soon after we arrived at Memphis
Forrest turned up at Paducah, Ky. The
12d Ohio was a good regiment: so were
the 40th Ill. (Col. Hicks's old regiment)
and the 9Th Ill. and many others. Hicks
was severely wounded at Shiloh on Sum
day, April 6, 1862, gailantly leading his
regiment, of which wounds he died a
year or two after the war closed /
knew Hicks well from my bOyhood
days. His wife was Miss Eliza Maxey;
she was a cousin of mine. He was an
attorney. He raised a company and
went into the Mexican War, in, / think,
the Sd ILL.,, served his time. and re-en-
listed as Lieutenant-ColoneI of the 9Th
Ill. and stayed until the Mexican War
closed. He again pursued his profess
sion, the practice of law.
He was Democrat, but was loyal, of
the Douglas and Logan type. When
the civil war came on he raised the ( 9th
ILL.,, and led it until he was so disabled
that he had to leave his regiment. Then
he was assigned to the post at Paducah
Ky. There We're about 500 colored
troops there and a few white troops
(perhaps 1000, till the 72d Ohio arrived
from Cairo, 40 miles below. Forrest
claimed he had 1000 men. and de-
manded an immediate surrender, claim
ing that if he (Hicks) would surren-
der his entire command would be treat
ed as prisoners of war, but if he did not
surrender he (ForresD would not he
responsible for the conduct of his (For-
rest's) men.
Remembering that these same tactics
were played at Fort Pillow, there was
no thought of surrender on Hicks's
part Hicks's answer to Forrest was:
''Sir, I have been placed here by au-
thority of the United States Government
to defend this place. If you want it.
come and get it, Did Forrest come?
Did he surround the forto Surrender,
you - Yankees and niggers. Don't
you know we have the fort? Don't you
know we have the gun? ?" said Forrest
A colored Sergeant shouted out: YES,
You have the gun, but you have the
wrong end of it," and, turning her loose
with Il double charge of canister, wide
path was moved thru them. Then they
followed it up with musketry.
Comrade Beckley, if you think Col
stephen Gerard Hicks would not fight,
you are very much mistaken. If you
wish to see the original correspondence
between Gen. n. B. Forrest and Col. S.
G. Hicks, you can call on S. G. II. Tay-
lor, of Mount Vernon, ILL.,, a grandson
of Col. Hicks, who has the original cor
respondence between them His (Tay-
lor's) father was Hicks's Assistant AG-
/ looked at this corre-
spondence a short time ago.-S. T.
Maxey, Captain, Co II, 9Th III. Cav, and
Captain, Co. B, 10th ILL.,. Mount Ver-
nor Ill