The Tennessee in the Civil War Message Board

What REALLY happened at Fort Pillow Tennessee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HDQRS. SIXTH U. S. HEAVY ARTILLERY (COLORADO,
Fort Pickering, Memphis, Tenn., April 14, 1864.

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the battle and capture of Fort Pillow, Tenn.:

At sunrise on the morning of the 12th of April, 1864, our pickets were attacked and driven in, they making very slight resistance. They were from the Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry

Major Booth, commanding the post, had made all his arrangements for battle that the limited force under his command would allow, and which was only 450 effective men, consisting of the First Battalion of the Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery, five companies of the
Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry and one section of the Second U. S. Light Artillery. (Colorado, Lieutenant Hunter.

Arrangements were scarcely completed and the men placed in the rifle-pits before the enemy came upon us and in ten times our number, as acknowledged by General Chalmers. They were repulsed with heavy loss; charged again and were again repulsed. At the third charge Major Booth was killed, while passing among his men and cheering them to fight.

The order was then given to retire inside the fort, and General Forrest sent in a flag of truce demanding an unconditional surrender of the fort, which was returned with a decided refusal.

During the time consumed by this consultation advantage was taken by the enemy to place in position his force, they crawling up to the fort.

After the flag had retired, the fight was renewed and raged with fury for some time, when another flag of truce was sent in and another demand for surrender made, they assuring us at the same time that they would treat us as "prisoners of war."

Another refusal was returned, when they again charged the works and succeeded in carrying them. Shortly before this, however, Lieutenant John D. Hill, Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery, was ordered outside the fort to burn some barracks, which he, with the assistance of a citizen who accompanied him, succeeded in effecting, and in returning was killed.

Major Bradford, of the Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry, was now in command. At 4 o'clock the fort was in possession of the enemy, every man having been either killed, wounded, or captured.

There never was a surrender of the fort, both officers and men declaring they never would surrender or ask for quarter. [Emphasis added, ed.]

As for myself, I escaped by putting on citizen's clothes, after I had been some time their prisoner. I received a slight wound of the left ear.

I cannot close this report without adding my testimony to that accorded by others wherever the black man has been brought into battle. Never did men fight better, and when the odds against us are considered it is truly miraculous that we should have held the fort an hour. To the colored troops is due the successful holding out until 4 p. m. The men were constantly at their posts, and in fact through the whole engagement showed a valor not, under the circumstances, to have been expected from troops less than veterans, either white or black.

The following is a list of the casualties among the officers as far as known: Killed, Major Lionel F. Booth, Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery (colored); Major William F. Bradford, Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry; Captain Theodore F. Bradford, Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry; Captain Delos Carson, Company D, Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery (colored); Lieutenant John D. Hill, Company C, Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery (colored); Lieutenant Peter Bischoff,* Company A, Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery (colored). Wounded, Captain Charles J. Epeneter, Company A, prisoner; Lieutenant Thomas W. McClure, Company C, prisoner; Lieutenant Henry Lippettt, Company B, escaped, badlywounded; Lieutenant Van Horn, Company D, escaped, slightly wounded.

I know of about 15 men of the Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery (colored) having escaped, and all but 2 of them are wounded.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, &c.,

DANIEL VAN HORN,
2nd Lieutenant Company D, Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery (colored).

Lieutenant Colonel T. H. HARRIS,
Assistant Adjutant-General.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report of Maj. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, C. S. Army, commanding Cavalry, of the Capture of Fort Pillow
MARCH 16-APRIL 14, 1864.--Forrest's Expedition into West Tennessee and Kentucky.
O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXXII/1 [S# 57]

HEADQUARTERS FORREST'S CAVALRY DEPARTMENT,
Jackson, Tenn., April 26, 1864.

Lieut. Col. THOMAS M. JACK,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

COLONEL: I have the honor respectfully to forward you the following report of my engagement with the enemy on the 12th instant at Fort Pillow:
My command consisted of McCulloch's brigade, of Chalmers' division, and Bell's brigade, of Buford's division, both placed for the expedition under the command of Brig. Gen. James R. Chalmers, who, by a forced march, drove in the enemy's pickets, gained possession of the outer works, and by the time I reached the field, at 10 a.m., had forced the enemy to their main fortifications, situated on the bluff or bank of the Mississippi River at the mouth of Coal Creek. The fort is an earth-work, crescent shaped, is 8 feet in height and 4 feet across the top, surrounded by a ditch 6 feet deep and 12 feet in width, walls sloping to the ditch but perpendicular inside. It was garrisoned by 700 troops with six pieces of field artillery. A deep ravine surrounds the fort, and from the fort to the ravine the ground descends rapidly. Assuming command, I ordered General Chalmers to advance his lines and gain position on the slope, where our men would be perfectly protected from the heavy fire of artillery and musketry, as the enemy could not depress their pieces so as to rake the slopes, nor could they fire on them with small-arms except by mounting the breast-works and exposing themselves to the fire of our sharpshooters, who, under cover of stumps and logs, forced them to keep down inside the works. After several hours' hard fighting the desired position was gained, not, however, without considerable loss. Our main line was now within an average distance of 100 yards from the fort, and extended from Coal Creek, on the right, to the bluff, or bank, of the Mississippi River on the left.
During the entire morning the gun-boat kept up a continued fire in all directions, but without effect, and being confident of my ability, to take the fort by assault, and desiring to prevent further loss of life, I sent, under flag of truce, a demand for the unconditional surrender of the garrison, a copy of which demand is hereto appended, marked No. 1, to which I received a reply, marked No. 2. The gun-boat had ceased firing, but the smoke of three other boats ascending the river was in view, the foremost boat apparently crowded with troops, and believing the request for an hour was to gain time for re-enforcements to arrive, and that the desire to consult the officers of the gun-boat was a pretext by which they desired improperly to communicate with her, I at once sent this reply, copy of which is numbered 3, directing Captain Goodman, assistant adju-tant-general of Brigadier-General Chalmers, who bore the flag, to remain until he received a reply or until the expiration of the time proposed.
My dispositions had all been made, and my forces were in a position that would enable me to take the fort with less loss than to have withdrawn under fire, and it seemed to me so perfectly apparent to the garrison that such was the case, that I deemed their [capture] without further bloodshed a certainty. After some little delay, seeing a message delivered to Captain Goodman, I rode up myself to where the notes were received and delivered. The answer was handed me, written in pencil on a slip of paper, without envelope, and was, as well as I remember, in these words: "Negotiations will not attain the desired object." As the officers who were in charge of the Federal flag of truce had expressed a doubt as to my presence, and had pronounced the demand a trick, I handed them back the note saying: "I am General Forrest; go back and say to Major Booth that I demand an answer in plain, unmistakable English. Will he fight or surrender ?" Returning to my original position, before the expiration of twenty minutes I received a reply, copy of which is marked No. 4.
While these negotiations were pending the steamers from below were rapidly approaching the fort. The foremost was the Olive Branch, whose position and movements indicated her intention to land. A few shots fired into her caused her to leave the shore and make for the opposite. One other boat passed up on the far side of the river, the third one turned back.
The time having expired, I directed Brigadier-General Chalmers to prepare for the assault. Bell's brigade occupied the right, with his extreme right resting on Coal Creek. McCulloch's brigade occupied the left, extending from the center to the river. Three companies of his left regiment were placed in an old rifle-pit on the left and almost in the rear of the fort, which had evidently been thrown up for the protection of sharpshooters or riflemen in supporting the water batteries below. On the right a portion of Barteau's regiment, of Bell's brigade, was also under the bluff and in rear of the fort. I dispatched staff officers to Colonels Bell and McCulloch, commanding brigades, to say to them that I should watch with interest the conduct of the troops; that Missourians, Mississippians, and Tennesseeans surrounded the works, and I desired to see who would first scale the fort. Fearing the gun-boats and transports might attempt a landing, I directed my aide-de-camp, Capt. Charles W. Anderson, to assume command of the three companies on the left and rear of the fort and hold the position against anything that might come by land or water, but to take no part in the assault on the fort. Everything being ready, the bugle sounded the charge, which was made with a yell, and the works carried without a perceptible halt in any part of the line. As our troops mounted and poured into the fortification the enemy retreated toward the river, arms in hand and firing back, and their colors flying, no doubt expecting the gun-boat to shell us away from the bluff and protect them until they could be taken off or re-en-forced. As they descended the bank an enfilading and deadly fire was poured into them by the troops under Captain Anderson, on the left, and Barteau's detachment on the right. Until this fire was opened upon them, at a distance varying from 30 to 100 yards, they were evidently ignorant of any force having gained their rear. The regiment who had stormed and carried the fort also poured a destructive fire into the rear of the retreating and now panic-stricken and almost decimated garrison. Fortunately for those of the enemy who survived this short but desperate struggle, some of our men cut the halyards, and the United States flag, floating from a tall mast in the center of the fort, came down. The forces stationed in the rear of the fort could see the flag, but were too far under the bluff to see the fort, and when the flag descended they ceased firing. But for this, so near were they to the enemy that few, if any, would have survived unhurt another volley. As it was, many rushed into the river and were drowned, and the actual loss of life will perhaps never be known, as there were quite a number of refugee citizens in the fort, many of whom were drowned and several killed in the retreat from the fort. In less than twenty minutes from the time the bugles sounded the charge firing had ceased and the work was done. One of the Parrott guns was turned on the gun-boat. She steamed off without replying. She had, as I afterward understood, expended all her ammunition, and was therefore powerless in affording the Federal garrison the aid and protection they doubtless expected of her when they retreated toward the river. Details were made, consisting of the captured Federals and negroes, in charge of their own officers, to collect together and bury the dead, which work continued until dark.
I also directed Captain Anderson to procure a skiff and take with him Captain Young, a captured Federal officer, and deliver to Captain Marshall, of the gun-boat, the message, copy of which is appended and numbered 5. All the boats and skiffs having been taken off by citizens escaping from the fort during the engagement, the message could not be delivered, although every effort was made to induce Captain Marshall to send his boat ashore by raising a white flag, with which Captain Young walked up and down the river in vain signaling her to come in or send out a boat. She finally moved off and disappeared around the bend above the fort. General Chalmers withdrew his forces from the fort before dark and encamped a few miles east of it.
On the morning of the 13th, I again dispatched Captain Anderson to Fort Pillow for the purpose of placing, if possible, the Federal wounded on board their transports, and report to me on his return the condition of affairs at the river. I respectfully refer you to his report, numbered 6.
My loss in the engagement was 20 killed and 60 wounded. That of the enemy unknown. Two hundred and twenty-eight were buried on the evening of the battle, and quite a number were buried the next day by details from the gun-boat fleet.
We captured 6 pieces of artillery, viz., two 10-pounder Parrott guns, two 12-pounder howitzers, and two brass 6-pounder guns, and about 350 stand of small-arms. The balance of the small-arms had been thrown in the river. All the small-arms were picked up where the enemy fell or threw them down. A few were in the fort, the balance scattered from the top of the hill to the water's edge.
We captured 164 Federals, 75 negro troops, and about 40 negro women and children, and after removing everything of value as far as able to do so, the warehouses, tents, &c., were destroyed by fire.
Among our severely wounded is Lieut. Col. Wiley M. Reed, assigned temporarily to the command of the Fifth Mississippi Regiment, who fell severely wounded while leading his regiment. When carried from the field he was supposed to be mortally wounded, but hopes are entertained of his ultimate recovery. He is a brave and gallant officer, a courteous gentleman, and a consistent Christian minister.
I cannot compliment too highly the conduct of Colonels Bell and McCulloch and the officers and men of their brigades, which composed the forces of Brigadier-General Chalmers. They fought with courage and intrepidity, and without bayonets assaulted and carried one of the strongest fortifications in the country.
On the 15th, at Brownsville, I received orders which rendered it necessary to send General Chalmers, in command of his own division and Bell's brigade, southward; hence I have no official report from him, but will, as soon as it can be obtained, forward a complete list of our killed and wounded, which has been ordered made out and forwarded at the earliest possible moment.
In closing my report I desire to acknowledge the prompt and energetic action of Brigadier-General Chalmers, commanding the forces around Fort Pillow. His faithful execution of all movements necessary to the successful accomplishment of the object of the expedition entitles him to special mention. He has reason to be proud of the conduct of the officers and men of his command for their gallantry and courage in assaulting and carrying the enemy's work without the assistance of artillery or bayonets.
To my staff, as heretofore, my acknowledgments are due for their prompt and faithful delivery of all orders.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
N. B. FORREST,
Major-General, Commanding

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Report of Brig. Gen. James R. Chalmers, C. S. Army, commanding First Division Cavalry, of the capture of Fort Pillow.
MARCH 16-APRIL 14, 1864.--Forrest's Expedition into West Tennessee and Kentucky.
O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXXII/1 [S# 57]

HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, FORREST'S CAV. DEPARTMENT,
Verona, May 7, 1864.

Maj. J.P. STRANGE,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

MAJOR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the actions of the troops under my command in the recent capture of Fort Pillow, Tenn.:
In obedience to orders from Major-General Forrest, I directed Col. J. J. Neely, commanding First Brigade of this division, to move his command, on the morning of the 10th April, from Whiteville southward in the direction of Memphis, instructing him to produce the impression that he was the advance of General Forrest's command, and that our whole force was in his rear, and to make preparations for constructing pontoon bridges across Wolf River at Raleigh and one or two other points, and to make such demonstrations as would induce the enemy to believe that our whole force was about to attack Memphis. At the same time I ordered Col. John McGuirk, Third Regiment Mississippi State Cavalry, to move with his own regiment and the First Mississippi Partisans, under Major Park, northward from the Tallahatchie River toward Memphis, and to report that Major-General Lee was advancing from the south of that place. It gives me pleasure to report that both of these officers executed these orders with promptness and success.
I then assumed command of a division composed of McCulloch's brigade of my division and Col. T. H. Bell's brigade of Buford's division.
On the morning of the 11th instant, I moved this division from Sharon's Ferry, on Forked Deer, in the direction of Brownsville, and on the same morning moved Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmers' battalion through Brownsville on the Memphis road, and thence by a circuitous route back again to the Fort Pillow road. I moved from Brownsville in person, at 3.30 p.m., on the 11th and reached Fort Pillow, a distance of 40 miles, at daylight next morning. Colonel McCulloch, commanding advance, surprised the enemy's pickets and captured 4 of them. My orders from General Forrest were to invest the place, and I proceeded to do so as follows: McCulloch's brigade moved down the Fulton road to Gaines' farm; thence north to the fort on a road running parallel with the Mississippi River; Wilson's regiment, of Bell's brigade, moved on the direct road from Brownsville to Fort Pillow, and Colonel Bell with Barteau's and Russell's regiments moved down Coal Creek to attack the fort in the rear.
The works at Fort Pillow consisted of a strong line of fortifications, originally constructed by Brigadier-General Pillow, of the C. S. Army, stretching from Coal Creek bottom, on the left, to the Mississippi River on the right, in length about 2 miles and at an average distance of about 600 yards from the river. Inside of this outer line and about 600 yards from it stood an interior work on the crest of a commanding hill, originally commenced by Brigadier-General Villepigue, C. S. Army, which covered about 2 acres of ground. About 300 yards in rear of this, above the junction of Coal Creek and the Mississippi River, stood the last fortification, which was a strong dirt fort in semicircular form, with a ditch in front of it 12 feet wide and 8 feet deep.
The enemy did not attempt to hold the outer line, but trained their artillery so as to play upon the only roads leading through it.
The fight was opened at daylight by McCulloch. He moved cautiously through the ravines and short hills which encompassed the place, protecting the men as much as possible from the enemy's artillery, five pieces of which from the fort, aided by two gun-boats on the river, played furiously upon him. Moving in this manner he succeeded about 11 o'clock in taking the work, which I have spoken of as having been commenced by General Villepigue, and the flag of the Eighteenth Mississippi Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmers commanding, which had been the first regiment to enter the fort, was quickly flying above it.
While Colonel McCulloch had been moving up on the left, Colonel Bell moved up on the right and rear, and Colonel Wilson moved up on the center, taking advantage of the ground as much as possible to shelter their men. Affairs were in this condition, with the main fort completely invested, when Major-General Forrest arrived with Colonel Wisdom's regiment of Buford's division. After carefully examining the position he ordered a general charge to be made. The troops responded with alacrity and enthusiasm, and in a short time took possession of all the rifle-pits around the fort, and closed up on all sides within 25 or 30 yards of the outer ditch. Here a considerable delay occurred from the ammunition being exhausted. A supply, however, was obtained as quickly as possible from the ordnance train and everything was made ready for another advance. To prevent the unnecessary effusion of blood Major-General Forrest now demanded, under flag of truce, the surrender of the place, which after a parley of about thirty minutes was refused. The bugle then sounded the charge, a general rush was made along the whole line, and in five minutes the ditch was crossed, the parapet scaled, and our troops were in possession of the fort.
The enemy made no attempt to surrender, no white flag was elevated, nor was the U.S. flag lowered until pulled down by our men. Many of them were killed while fighting, and many more in the attempt to escape. The strength of the enemy's force cannot be correctly ascertained, though it was probably about 650 or 700. Of these, 69 wounded were delivered to the enemy's gun-boats next day, after having been paroled. One hundred and sixty-four white men and 40 negroes were taken prisoners, making an aggregate of 273 prisoners. It is probable as many as half a dozen may have escaped. The remainder of the garrison were killed.
I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of the troops under my command. Colonels McCulloch and Bell deserve especial mention for the gallantry with which they led their respective brigades, and the troops emulated the conduct of their leaders. Lieutenant-Colo-nel Reed, temporarily commanding the Fifth Mississippi Cavalry, was pre-eminently daring, and fell mortally wounded while standing on the rifle-pits and encouraging his men to the charge, and Lieutenant Burton was killed at his side. Lieutenant Ryan, of Willis' Texas Battalion; who had won for himself the character of being the best soldier in his regiment, was killed by a shell, and Captain Sullivan, commanding the same battalion, was mortally wounded while most gallantly leading his command. Lieutenant Hubbard, of the Eighteenth Mississippi Battalion, a young but promising officer, was also mortally wounded and has since died.
I cannot conclude this report without mentioning in an especial manner the gallant conduct of Capt. C. T. Smith, commanding my escort company, who led the charge as we moved from the first to the second fort, or without paying a tribute to Private Samuel Allen, of my escort, who was killed in the charge.
I have already furnished a detailed report of the killed and wounded of my command, amounting to 14 killed and 86 wounded. A report of captured property has been called for from the two brigades, and will be forwarded as soon as received.
I herewith submit reports of subordinate commanders.

I have the honor to be, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JAS. R. CHALMERS,
Brigadier-General, Commanding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Report of Capt. William T. Smith, Sixth U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, of the capture of Fort Pillow.
MARCH 16-APRIL 14, 1864.--Forrest's Expedition into West Tennessee and Kentucky.
O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXXII/1 [S# 57]

CAMP SIXTH U.S. HEAVY ARTILLERY (COLORED),
April, 15, 1864.

Lieut. GEORGE MASON,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

SIR: I have the honor to make the following statement in regard to the battle of Fort Pillow. I was not in the battle, but arrived there after the fort was captured, and by conversation with officers that were engaged in the same and prisoners I learned the following particulars:
On the morning of the 12th of April, at daybreak, the pickets were attacked, and without resistance, which should have been made, nastily returned to the fort. Major Booth, of the Sixth U.S. Heavy Artillery (colored), was in command. He had made all disposition that was in his power with the small force that was under his command, and when the enemy charged his rifle-pits they were repulsed, and every time they met with the same; and while Major Booth was passing among his men and cheering the same to fight he was struck in the head by a bullet and killed, after which the command retired inside of the fort, when the enemy sent in a demand for the surrender of the fort immediately, which demand was refused; and while consulting under the flag of truce the enemy advanced his lines by crawling up on our breast-works. After the refusal they charged our works, and again were repulsed. They then sent in another demand for surrender, which again was refused. They then stormed the fort, and succeeded by their treachery in entering the same, and they then commenced an indiscriminate slaughter of the command. The fort never was surrendered. I passed over the field of battle under the flag of truce (which was out to bury our dead), and I there saw men who were shot after they had thrown down their arms and were in hiding-places that they had selected after the fort was taken. A captain of one of the gun-boats informed me that the rebel General Chalmers told him they did not intend to show any mercy to the garrison of Fort Pillow when they attacked the same. When I went over the field I was under the escort of Colonel Greer, who informed me that it was the hardest battle that he was ever in--the most strongly contested. The appearance of a great many of the dead men's bodies showed to me conclusively that they were murdered.
The following is a list of the killed and wounded, as I have learned from reports: Major Booth, Sixth U.S. Heavy Artillery (colored), killed; Major Bradford, Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry, reported murdered; Captain Bradford, Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry, killed; Captain Carson, Sixth U.S., killed; Lieut. John D. Hill, Sixth U. S., killed; Lieut. P. Bischoff, Sixth U.S., killed; First Sergeant Weaver, Company C, Sixth U. S., killed: Sergeant-Major Hennessey, Sixth U.S., murdered under flag of truce; Capt. Charles J. Epeneter, wounded and prisoner; Lieut. Thomas W. McClure, wounded and prisoner; Lieutenant Lippett, wounded and in our hands: Sergt. Melville Jenks, reported killed.

I am, very respectfully,
W. T. SMITH,
Captain Company C, Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report of Lieut. Mack J. Leaming,
Adjutant Thirteenth Tennessee Cavalry,
The Battle of Fort Pillow.

ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, STATE OF TENNESSEE,
Nashville, Tenn., January 17., 1865.

Hon. E. M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 31st ultimo, and, in accordance with the direction therein contained, to make the following report of the battle of Fort Pillow:
On the 12th day of April, 1864, the Federal forces stationed at Fort Pillow, Tenn., consisted of one battalion of the Sixth U.S. Heavy Artillery (colored troops), one battery Second U. S. Light Artillery (colored troops), and the Thirteenth Regiment West Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, which was then recruiting, having four companies mustered into the U.S. service and the fifth company ready for muster. The men composing this- company had been enlisted by Capt. John L. Poston, and repeated applications had been made to have them mustered into the U.S. service, but no mustering officer could be sent for that purpose. Our entire garrison numbered some 550 effective men, with six pieces of artillery, the whole under command of Maj. L. F. Booth, of the Sixth U.S. Heavy Artillery (colored troops). In addition to this force the U.S. gun-boat New Era, Captain Marshall, was stationed off Fort Pillow and participated !n the engagement, but owing to the high bluffs, and in consequence of the long range she was obliged to take with her guns but little assistance was rendered the garrison from this quarter.
At 5.30 o'clock on the morning of the 12th of April, 1864, our pickets were attacked and driven in by the advance of the enemy, under command of General Forrest. Our garrison immediately opened fire on the advancing rebels from our artillery at the fort, while Companies D and E, of the Thirteenth West Tennessee Cavalry, were deployed as skirmishers, which duty they performed until about 8 a.m., when they were compelled to retire to the fort after considerable loss, in which Lieutenant Barr, of Company D, was killed.
The firing continued without cessation, principally from behind logs, stumps, and under cover of thick underbrush and from high knolls, until about 9 a.m., when the rebels made a general assault on our works, which was successfully repulsed with severe loss to them and but slight loss to our garrison. We, however, suffered pretty severely in the loss of commissioned officers by the unerring aim of the rebel sharpshooters, and among this loss I have to record the name of our post commander, Maj. L. F. Booth, who was killed almost instantly by a musket-ball through the breast.
Maj. W. F. Bradford, of the Thirteenth West Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, being the next ranking officer, then assumed command of the garrison and directed the remainder of our operations.
At about 11 a.m. the rebels made a second determined assault on our works. In this attempt they were again successfully repulsed with severe loss. The enemy succeeded, however, in obtaining possession of two rows of barracks running parallel to the south side of the fort and distant about 150 yards. The barracks had previously been ordered to be destroyed, but after severe loss on our part in the attempt to execute the order our men were compelled to retire without accomplishing the desired end, save only to the row nearest to the fort. From these barracks the enemy kept up a murderous fire on our men, despite all our efforts to dislodge him.
Owing to the close proximity of these buildings to the fort, and to the fact that they were on considerably lower ground, our artillery could not be sufficiently depressed to destroy them, or even render them untenable for the enemy. Musketry and artillery firing continued, however, on both sides with great energy, and although our garrison was almost completely surrounded, all attempts of the enemy to carry our works by assault were successfully repulsed, notwithstanding his great superiority in numbers.
At 3.30 p.m. firing suddenly ceased in consequence of the appearance of a white flag displayed by the enemy. The party bearing the flag was halted about 150 yards from the fort, when we were informed by one of the party that they had a communication from General Forrest to the commanding officer of the U.S. forces at Fort Pillow. I was ordered out, accompanied by Captains Bradford and Young, to receive this communication, which I took back to the fort while the party bearing the same remained for an answer. As nearly as I can remember the communication was as follows:

HEADQUARTERS CONFEDERATE CAVALRY,
Near Fort Pillow, Tenn., April 12, 1864.

Maj. L. F. BOOTH,
Commanding U. S. Forces at Fort Pillow:

MAJOR: Your gallant defense of Fort Pillow has entitled you to the treatment of brave men. I now demand the unconditional surrender of your forces, at the same time assuring you that you will be treated as prisoners of war. I have received a new supply of ammunition and can take your works by assault, and if compelled to do so you must take the consequences.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
N. B. FORREST,
Major-General, Commanding Confederate Cavalry.

To this communication I was ordered to make the following reply, which I placed in a sealed envelope, addressed to Major-General Forrest, and delivered to the party in waiting:

HEADQUARTERS U.S. FORCES,
Fort Pillow, Tenn., April 12, 1864.

Maj. Gen. N. B. FORREST,
Commanding Confederate Cavalry:

General: Yours of this instant is received, and in reply I have to ask one hour for consultation and consideration with my officers and the officers of the gun-boat.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
L. F. BOOTH,
Major, Commanding U.S. Forces.

Desiring to conceal from the enemy the fact of the death of Major Booth and cause him to believe that he was still in command, it was deemed not only proper but advisable that I append his name to the communication.
I again repaired to the fort, where I had been but a few minutes when the party bearing the white flag again made its appearance with a second communication. and I was again sent out to meet the same. This time, just as an officer was in the act of handing me the communication, another officer galloped up and said, "That gives you twenty minutes to surrender; I am General Forrest." This I took back to the fort, the party remaining as before for an answer. It read as follows:

HEADQUARTERS CONFEDERATE CAVALRY,
Near Fort Pillow, April 12, 1864.

Maj. L. F. BOOTH,
Commanding U. S. Forces at Fort Pillow:

MAJOR: I do not demand the surrender of the gun-boat; twenty minutes will be given you to take your men outside the fort and surrender. If in that time this demand is not complied with I will immediately proceed to assault your works, and you must take the consequences.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
N. B. FORREST,
Major-General, C. S. Army.

After a short consultation with the officers of the garrison, it was unanimously voted not to surrender. In accordance with this decision I was ordered to write and deliver to the party in waiting the following communication:

HEADQUARTERS U.S. FORCES,
Fort Pillow, Tenn., April 12, 1864.

Maj. Gen. N. B. FORREST,
Commanding Confederate Cavalry:

GENERAL: I will not surrender.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
L. F. BOOTH,
Commanding U. S. Forces, Fort Pillow.

This I delivered to General Forrest in person, who broke open the envelope in my presence, and after a hasty perusal of its contents re-folded it, when we simply saluted and each went our way.
During the cessation of firing on both sides, in consequence of the flag of truce offered by the enemy, and while the attention of both officers and men was naturally directed to the south side of the fort where the communications were being received and answered, Forrest had resorted to means the most foul and infamous ever adopted in the most barbarous ages of the world for the accomplishment of his design. Here he took occasion to move his troops, partially under cover of a ravine and thick underbrush, into the very position he had been fighting to obtain throughout the entire engagement, up to 3.30 p.m. Consequently, when the final decision of the garrison had been made known, the rebel charge was immediately sounded; when, as if rising from out the very earth on the center and north side, within 20 yards of our works, the rebels received our first fire, wavered, rallied again and finally succeeded in breaking our lines, and in thus gaining possession of the fort. At this juncture, one company of the Sixth U. S. Heavy Artillery, colored troops, rushed down the bluff, at the summit of which were our works, and many of them jumped into the river, throwing away their arms as they fled.
Seeing that through a gross violation of the rules of civilized warfare the enemy had now gained possession of our works, and in consequence that it would be useless to offer further resistance, our men threw down their arms and surrendered. For a moment the fire seemed to slacken. The scene which followed, however, beggars all description. The enemy carried our works at about 4 p.m., and from that time until dark, and at intervals throughout the night, our men were shot down without mercy and almost without regard to color. This horrid work of butchery did not cease even with the night of murder, but was renewed again the next morning, when numbers of our wounded were basely murdered after a long night of pain and suffering on the field where they had fought so bravely. Of this display of Southern chivalry, of this wholesale butchery of brave men, white as well as black, after they had surrendered, and of the innumerable barbarities committed by the rebels on our sick in hospitals and the bodies of our dead, I do not deem it necessary further to speak, inasmuch as the Committee on the Conduct of the War has made a full and accurate report of the same, in which the barbarities practiced by the rebels at Fort Pillow are shown to have been horrid in the extreme, and fully confirming even the most seemingly exaggerated statements.
The fate of Maj. William F. Bradford, for a while involved in some degree of doubt and obscurity, seems now to be clearly established. Subsequent events show beyond a reasonable doubt that he. was brutally murdered the first night of his capture.
Of the commissioned officers of the Thirteenth West Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry (now the Fourteenth Regiment), all were killed save First Lieut. Nicholas D. Logan, of C Company, who died in prison at Macon, Ga., on 9th June, 1864, and myself, the adjutant of the regiment.
The rebels were very bitter against these loyal Tennesseeans, terming them "home-made Yankees," and declaring they would give them no better treatment than they dealt out to the negro troops with whom they were fighting.
At about 10 a.m. the day following the capture of the fort, while the U.S. gun-boat No. 28 from Memphis was shelling the enemy, who, at the same time was engaged in murdering our wounded, Forrest sent a flag of truce to the commander granting him from that time until 5 p.m. to bury our dead and remove the few surviving wounded, he having no means of attending to them. This proposition was accepted, and under it myself with some 59 others, all that were left of the wounded, were carried on board the transport Platte Valley and taken to Mound City, Ill., where we received good care and medical treatment in the U.S. general hospital at that place. But one commissioned officer of the garrison besides myself lived to get there, and he (Lieutenant Porter) died soon afterward from the effect of his wound.
Of the number, white and black, actually murdered after the surrender I cannot say positively; however, from my own observation, as well as from prisoners who were captured at Fort Pillow and afterward made their escape, I cannot estimate that number at anything less than 300.
From what I could learn at the time of the fight, as well as from escaped prisoners since then, relative to the Confederate loss in the attack and capture of Fort Pillow, I am confident that 500 men in killed and wounded would not be an overestimate. The Confederate forces engaged, as nearly as I could ascertain, numbered some 7,000 men, under command of Generals Forrest, Chalmers, and McCulloch.
The bravery of our troops in the defense of Fort Pillow, I think, cannot be questioned. Many of the men, and particularly the colored soldiers, had never before been under fire; yet every man did his duty with a courage and determined resolution, seldom if ever surpassed in similar engagements. Had Forrest not violated the rules of civilized warfare in taking advantage of the flag of truce in the manner I have mentioned in another part of this report, I am confident we could have held the fort against all his assaults during: the day, when, if we had been properly supported during the night by the major-general commanding at Memphis, a glorious victory to the Union cause would have been the result of the next day's operations.
In conclusion, it may not be altogether improper to state that I was one of the number wounded, at first considered mortally, after the surrender; and but. for the aid soon afterward extended to me by a Confederate captain, who was a member of an order to which I belong (Free Masonry), I would in all probability have shared the fate of many of my comrades who were murdered after having been wounded. This captain had me carried into a small shanty, where he gave me some brandy and water. He was soon ordered to his company, and I was carried by the rebels into the barracks which they had occupied during the most of the engagement. Here had been collected a great number of our wounded, some of whom had already died. Early the next morning these barracks were set on fire by order of a rebel officer, who had been informed that they contained Federal wounded. I was rendered entirely helpless from the nature of my wound, the ball having entered my right side, and ranging downward, grazed my lung. and deeply imbedded itself in my nip (where it still remains) out of easy reach of surgical instruments. In this condition I had almost given up every hope of being saved from a horrible death, when one of my own men, who was less severely wounded than myself, succeeded m drawing me out of the building, which the flames were then rapidly consuming.
As to the course our Government should pursue in regard to the outrages perpetrated by the rebels on this as well as on a number of occasions during the existing rebellion, I have only to express my belief that some sort of retaliation should be adopted as the surest method of preventing a recurrence of the fiendish barbarities practiced on the defenders of our flag at Fort Pillow.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant.
MACK J. LEAMING,
Lieut. and Adjt. 14th Tennessee Vol. Cav., late 13th Regt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(The 'flag of truce' could have been a second national Confederate government flag.)

Resources: The O.R.s

More here.

http://civilwarhome.com/ftpillow.html

Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War; Richard Taylor, Lieutenant-General in the Confederate Army. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 549 and 551 Broadway,1879, pp.200

"I doubt if any commander since the days of lion-hearted Richard has killed as many enemies with his own hand as Forrest. His word of command as he led the charge was unique: "Forward, men, and mix with 'em!" But, while cutting down many a foe with long reaching, nervous arm, his keen eye watched the whole fight and guided him to the weak spot. Yet he was a tender-hearted, kindly man. The accusations of his enemies that he murdered prisoners at Fort Pillow and elsewhere are absolutely false. The prisoners captured on his expedition into Tennessee, of which I have just written, were negroes, and he carefully looked after their wants himself, though in rapid movement and fighting much of the time. These negroes told me of Mass Forrest's kindness to them."