Only 14 Confederates were killed. By 1864, the Union had only 550 troops at the fort when General Forrest attacked it … Many were shot down. Battle of Fort Pillow Location: 3122 Park Road Henning, TN 38041 Phone: (731) 738-5581 Used by both sides during the war, it was a trading center until 1864, when Gen. … The dismounted cavalrymen easily surmounted the ditches and parapets separating them from the Union defenders. Colored Troops, all under the command of Maj. Lionel F. Booth. While Forrest did not give an order to wipe out the entire garrison, he lost control of his men and certainly could have done more to save the lives of the Union soldiers. Colored Light Artillery. "Edward Bates to Abraham Lincoln, Wednesday, May 04, 1864 (Opinion on Fort Pillow massacre). [37], Fort Pillow, now preserved as the Fort Pillow State Park, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1974.[38]. Fort Pillow was a Confederate fort on the Tennessee bank of the Mississippi River (American Civil War).After the fall of Island No. It was abandoned by the Confederates and occupied by Union troops in June of 1862. The white soldiers were predominantly new recruits from the 13th Tennessee Cavalry, a Federal regiment from western Tennessee, commanded by Maj. William F. Bradford. Colored Troops — who fell at nearby Fort Pillow. Fort Pillow, 40 mi (64 km) north of Memphis, was built by Brigadier General Gideon Johnson Pillow in early... Battle. By this time, Chalmers had already surrounded the fort. (During the battle, the thick parapet would in fact prove to be a disadvantage to the defenders because they could not fire upon approaching troops without mounting the top of the parapet, subjecting them to enemy fire. Gen. Robert V. Richardson and Colonel Robert M. McCulloch) and Abraham Buford (brigades of Cols. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 574 (277 - 297 killed) 100 (14 killed, 86 wounded) The Battle of Fort Pillow was a conflict in the American Civil War that took place on April 12, 1864. On April 12, 1864, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest invaded the Union garrison at Fort Pillow, Tennessee with 1500 Confederate soldiers. His brother, Cordy B. Revelle, was a Lieutenant with the 13 Tennessee Cavalry. Tyree H. Bell and A. P. Thompson). [20], Casualty figures vary according to different sources. ", Bates, Edward. OUR BOOK DU JOUR: Finally, the truth about the Battle of Fort Pillow from the South's perspective! In 2006, in contrast to his many alternative history novels, Harry Turtledove published the historical novel Fort Pillow about the battle and the massacre. Like the Alamo a generation earlier, the Fort Pillow Massacre became a rallying cry for a people fighting for their independence. This Civil War earthwork and battleground occupies a Mississippi River bluff in Lauderdale County. Fort Pillow Written by John Cimprich; 2 minutes to read. The battle ended with a massacre of African-American Union troops and their white officers attempting to surrender, by soldiers under the command of Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Pillow? The Union already had a policy about killing prisoners of war. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. After failing to negotiate the fort’s surrender, Forrest ordered his men to take the outnumbered garrison (which was made up African Americans, southern unionists, and Confederate deserters)…. Colored Troops and Battery F, 4th U.S. After an army expedition against the fort was abandoned, the burden of capturing the position fell to the Western Flotilla, a collection of ironclads and gunboats created by Flag-Officer Andrew Foote. They read headlines announcing "Attack on Fort Pillow – Indiscriminate Slaughter of the Prisoners – Shocking Scenes of Savagery; dispatches from Sherman's army declaring "there is a general gritting of teeth here"; reports from the Missouri Democrat detailing the "fiendishness" of rebel behavior; and editorials like that in the Chicago Tribune condemning the "murder" and "butchery". Preparing for this eventuality, the Confederate commander ordered a detachment of his men to the northeast end of the fort to block the possible landing of Union troops. Clark, Achilles V. "A Letter of Account." ", Chase, Salmon P. "Salmon P. Chase to Abraham Lincoln, Friday, May 06, 1864 (Opinion on Fort Pillow massacre). The Battle of Fort Pillow, also known as the Fort Pillow massacre, was fought on April 12, 1864, at Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River in Henning, Tennessee, during the American Civil War.The battle ended with a massacre of African-American Union troops and their white officers attempting to surrender, by soldiers under the command of Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Media in category "Battle of Fort Pillow" The following 7 files are in this category, out of 7 total. Debate over the memory of this incident formed a part of sectional and racial conflicts for many years after the war, but the reinterpretation of the event during the last thirty years offers some hope that society can move beyond past intolerance.”[14], Lieutenant Daniel Van Horn of the 6th U. S. Heavy Artillery (Colored) stated in his official report "There never was a surrender of the fort, both officers and men declaring they never would surrender or ask for quarter. Historian Allan Nevins wrote that although the interpretation of the facts had "provoked some disputation": Northerners, however, saw only one side. Colored Troops and the Battle of Fort Pillow Buried in Memphis National Cemetery are the remains of 248 mostly unknown Union officers and soldiers — including 109 graves representing the U.S. Consequently, Forrest launched the expedition in an attempt to gain recruits, provisions, and mounts for his command. Of the 500-strong Union garrison defending the fort… He holds degrees in history from Kennesaw State University (B.A.) Forrest is remembered for his controversial involvement in the Battle of Fort Pillow, when his troops massacred black soldiers following a Union surrender. On May 3, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln requested his cabinet give him opinions on how the Union should respond to the massacre. After the fall of Island No. Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and Fort Pillow: Revised 22 December 2017 December 21, 2017 – Lt. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest’s statue was removed by the city of Memphis, Tennessee to an undisclosed location. A 2002 study by Albert Castel concluded that the Union forces were indiscriminately massacred after Fort Pillow "had ceased resisting or was incapable of resistance. It was the site of one of the bloodiest and most controversial battles of the Civil War.. Built in 1861, the fort was originally a Confederate installation named after Brig. In 1999, Las Vegas documentary filmmaker, Stan Armstrong produced The Forgotten Battle of Fort Pillow. Most of them were Black. He took up arms during the battle and survived. Although the committee interviewed numerous witnesses and compiled a detailed case that included much valuable testimony, the biases of Wade and Gooch led to a propagandist slant. I demand the unconditional surrender of the entire garrison, promising that you shall be treated as prisoners of war. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The battle took place on April 12, 1864. The Confederates evacuated Fort Pillow that evening, so they gained little except a temporary disruption of Union operations. Of the 585–605 men present, the Union losses were reported as 277–297 dead. The "Fort Pillow Massacre" was thereafter used as a Union rallying cry and cemented resolve to see the war through to its conclusion. U.S. and the University of West Georgia... Wood engraving depicting the Fort Pillow Massacre. Pick up our bestselling book: "Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Battle of Fort Pillow: Yankee Myth, Confederate Fact," by award-winning Southern historian, Forrest scholar, … Grant, p 391. In the United States Senate, Henry Wilson cited the massacre when he advocated for equal pay for African-American soldiers. Sources. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Fort Pillow is located at a bend in the Mississippi River roughly 40 miles (65 km) north of Memphis, Tennessee. ... if I have to storm your works, you may expect no quarter. In 1864 Conferderate General Nathan Bedford Forrest gave orders to his all white army battalion to pursue and kill re=treating African American troops from the Union north at Fort Pillow, Tenn. [13] He deployed sharpshooters around the higher ground that overlooked the fort, bringing many of the occupants into their direct line of fire. Out of four hundred negro soldiers only about twenty survive! By 11:00, the Confederates had captured two rows of barracks about 150 yd (140 m) from the southern end of the fort. Many more were shot as they fled, while others drowned in the Mississippi River. At 3:30 pm, after hours of rifle and artillery fire, Forrest demanded the fort’s surrender. Lincoln, Abraham. James R. Chalmers (brigades of Brig. Union Maj. Lionel Booth, the fort’s commander, was killed by a sniper’s bullet. Despite contradictory evidence, it is clear that in many instances Forrest’s men killed African American soldiers who were attempting to surrender. See more ideas about american civil war, fort, civil war. As to the white officers serving with negro troops, we ought never to be inconvenienced with such prisoners.[24]. Many were former slaves and understood the personal consequences of a loss to the Confederates—at best an immediate return to slavery rather than being treated as a prisoner of war. The actual final assault on the fort’s walls and the subsequent fighting lasted less than half an hour. Final attack and massacre. Colored Troops and the Battle of Fort Pillow Buried in Memphis National Cemetery are the remains of 248 mostly unknown Union officers and soldiers — including 109 graves representing the U.S. In 1864 Conferderate General Nathan Bedford Forrest gave orders to his all white army battalion to pursue and kill re=treating African American troops from the Union north at Fort Pillow, Tenn. Between 277 and 295 Union troops were killed in the Fort Pillow Massacre. For information about how to add references, see. .?" It is almost as difficult to find consistent information about the incident at Fort Pillow as it is to determine the moral significance of its outcome. Needing supplies, Forrest planned to move on Fort Pillow with about 1,500[4] to 2,500[5] men. Scholars disagree about exactly what transpired on April 12, 1864 at Fort Pillow, when General Nathan Bedford Forrest captured the fort with his 1,500 troops and claimed numerous Union… Bradford replied, concealing his identity as he did not wish the Confederates to realize that Booth had been killed, requesting an hour for consideration. April 1864 Battle at Fort Pillow. ". The Battle of Fort Pillow, also known as the Fort Pillow massacre, was fought on April 12, 1864, at Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River in Henning, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. Fort Pillow, 40 mi (64 km) north of Memphis, was built by Brigadier General Gideon Johnson Pillow in early 1862 and was used by both sides during the war. Brief but jam-packed with information long suppressed by the North, this book is the final word on the Battle of Fort Pillow. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow. After the war Forrest became the first Grand Wizard of the newly formed Ku Klux Klan. When did you make the decision to perform Battle Hymn of a Freedman at Fort. Some scholars, however, believe these reports were exaggerated (Jordan). Union and Confederate sources claimed that even though the Union troops surrendered, Forrest's men massacred them in cold blood. ", Cimprich, John, and Robert C. Mainfort, Jr., eds. The Answer: Fort Pillow was built by Confederate Gen. Gideon Pillow and was located on the Mississippi River, about 40 miles north of Memphis, Tenn. African American novelist Frank Yerby provided a brief narration of the massacre in his 1946 novel, The Foxes of Harrow (Chapter XXXVI). This article does not contain any citations or references. The massacre triggered a Congressional Investigation after the war ended. What battle of fort pillow already a brutal episode would bring validity to their desired policies prisoners. [ 24.. Dyed, '' he [ Forrest ] says, `` with the relatively high casualties. 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