Kevin Miller
Fort Pillow
Fri Jul 27 10:38:58 2001


I have very much enjoyed reading everything that has been posted on this subject.

Was there indiscriminate killing going on? When you read all the facts and even when you discount personal recollections, it seems certain that there were acts committed that would not have stood the "civilized warfare" criteria. I'm sure that there were acts by both sides that probably shocked and saddened members of each Army. Hearing Forrest's account of the battle makes it clear however, that there was no "official" endorsement of some of the behavior at the fort. If there was a preponderance of evidence, why was Forrest never tried for war crimes. I guess this goes under the heading of why Jefferson Davis was not tried for treason. It's a can of worms that the whole country, north and south wanted to forget.

It seems particularly tragic that the fort was not surrendered in a routine manner but I'm not sure if you can blame soldiers for killing in the heat of the moment. Would black Union troops have acted differently given the same circumstance? I somehow doubt it.

Human nature being what it is, I don't think this will ever be completely resolved but it's great to have as much information on this event as possible and thanks very much to Jim and Hoyt for their lively discourse. It makes for an interesting read and it's like the whole war in general - full of tragedy and suprises! Let the whole truth be told, no matter where it leads!

Kevin