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THE BLACK FLAG: Horrible Massacre by the Rebels; Fort Pillow Captured After a Desperate Fight (4/16/1864)
New York Times - Times Machine ^ | 4/16/1864

Posted on 04/16/2024 6:23:33 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson

FROM CAIRO.

CAIRO, Thursday, April 14.

On Tuesday morning the rebel Gen. FORREST attacked Fort Pillow. Soon after the attack FORREST sent a flag of truce demanding the surrender of the fort and garrison, meanwhile disposing of his force so as to gain the advantage. Our forces were under command of Major BOOTH, of the Thirteenth Tennessee (U.S.) Heavy Artillery, formerly of the First Alabama Cavalry.

The flag of truce was refused, and fighting resumed. Afterward a second flag came in, which was also refused.

Both flags gave the rebels advantage of gaining new positions.

The battle was kept up until 3 P.M., when Major BOOTH was killed, and Major BRADFORD took command.

The rebels now came in swarms over our troops, compelling them to surrender.

Immediately upon the surrender ensued a scene which utterly baffles description. Up to that time, comparatively few of our men had been killed; but, insatiate as fiends, bloodthirsty as devils incarnate, the Confederates commenced an indiscriminate butchery of the whites and blacks, including those of both colors who had been previously wounded.

The black soldiers, becoming demoralized, rushed to the rear, the white officers having thrown down their arms.

Both white and black were bayoneted, shot or sabred; even dead bodies were horribly mutilated, and children of seven and eight years and several negro women killed in cold blood. Soldiers unable to speak from wounds were shot dead, and their bodies rolled down the banks into the river. The dead and wounded negroes were piled in heaps and burned, and several citizens who had joined our forces for protection were killed or wounded.

Out of the garrison of six hundred, only two hundred remained alive.

Among our dead officers are Capt. BRADFORD, Lieuts. BARR, ACKERSSTROM, WILSON, REVEL and Major BOOTH,

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: civilwar
Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1861-1865: Seminar and Discussion Forum
The American Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts

First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: May 2025.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed.

Posting history, in reverse order

https://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:homerjsimpson/index?tab=articles

To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.

Link to previous New York Times thread

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4231277/posts

1 posted on 04/16/2024 6:23:33 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
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To: Homer_J_Simpson
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2 posted on 04/16/2024 6:24:27 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson ("Every nation gets the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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To: chajin; henkster; CougarGA7; BroJoeK; central_va; Larry Lucido; wagglebee; Colonel_Flagg; Amagi; ...

The Black Flag: Horrible Massacre by the Rebels – 2
The War in Arkansas: News from Gen. Steele to April 7 – 2
Department of the Gulf: All Quiet at Alexandria – 2-3
Affairs in Tennessee: The Prosperous North and the Peeled South – 4
Iron-Clads: The Navy Department and Admiral Dupont – 4-7
From Washington: Synopsis of the New Tax Bill – 7-8
Proceedings of Congress – 8-9
Sad Disaster: Explosion of a Boiler on the Gunboat Chenango – 9
The Metropolitan Fair: Another Very Successful Day – 9
Editorial: The One-Term Principle – 9-10
Infamy of the Rebel Arms and to Ours – 10
Editorial: Improvement in the Manufacture of Gas – 10
A Long Neglected Matter – 10
Successful Union Raid in Virginia – The Maryland Convention – 10


3 posted on 04/16/2024 6:25:24 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson ("Every nation gets the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

War propaganda even back then.

Just like in the Ukraine and Gaza right now.


4 posted on 04/16/2024 9:06:11 AM PDT by RedMonqey ("A republic, if you can keep it" Benjamin Franklin.)
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To: RedMonqey

The biggest Propaganda is lost cause quackery.


5 posted on 04/16/2024 9:30:10 AM PDT by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA, AND HE WILL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE HIM!)
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To: cowboyusa

Well, the Confederates did lose ..


6 posted on 04/16/2024 9:35:22 AM PDT by RedMonqey ("A republic, if you can keep it" Benjamin Franklin.)
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To: RedMonqey
“. . . insatiate as fiends, bloodthirsty as devils incarnate . . .”

Typical NYT even-handed reporting.

7 posted on 04/16/2024 11:54:46 AM PDT by jeffersondem
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To: cowboyusa

“The biggest Propaganda is lost cause quackery.”

It was decades ago - 1939 - but at one time Americans understood the importance of fighting for lost causes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL-Jg7CyqLQ


8 posted on 04/16/2024 12:04:45 PM PDT by jeffersondem
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To: jeffersondem

Great movie. Capra was very anti- fdr, and he was a great American.


9 posted on 04/16/2024 12:12:25 PM PDT by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA, AND HE WILL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE HIM!)
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To: jeffersondem

It still makes me want to cry, we had such noble aspirations. Every conscious attempt was ruled by thoughts such as “Is such a thing right”? “Would my family be proud of me”? “Does it make the Union stronger”? “Is it RIGHT in Gods eyes”? Now every thought is, how can I leverage this to become wealthy, and does it serve the interests of people who “are somebody”. I’ll fight for America, I’ll die for America, but not for this Coven of wicked wicked DC Demons. Every thought they have is, evil. Not all of course, but the vast majority.


10 posted on 04/16/2024 5:37:34 PM PDT by Glad2bnuts (“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: We should have set up ambushes...paraphrased)
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