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. Conflicting reports of what happened, from 4:00PM to dusk, led to controversy. Union and Confederate sources claimed that even though the Union troops surrendered, Forrests men massacred them in cold blood. Surviving members of the garrison said that most of their men surrendered and threw down their arms, only to be shot or bayoneted by the attackers, who repeatedly shouted, No quarter! No quarter! The Joint Committee On the Conduct of the War immediately investigated the incident and concluded that the Confederates shot most of the garrison after it had surrendered. The battle ended with a massacre of Federal black troops, some while attempting to surrender, by soldiers under the command of Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Approximately 300 of the 585 soldiers of the Union garrison at Fort Pillow are killed including many after the Union forces surrender. Only 14 Confederate soldiers die in the battle. Military historian David J. Eicher concluded, Fort Pillow marked one of the bleakest, saddest events of American military history. #BlackHistoryFacts
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 16:32:31 +0000
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