Fort Pillow Attack :: essays papers

Fort perch AttackTHE GRAND FABRICATIONIt 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. 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 armament and claimed numerous Union lives in the process (Wyeth 250). It became an issue of propaganda for the Union, and as a result the facts were grossly distorted. After close examination it is clear that the Fort Pillow Massacre (as it became known by abolitionists) was nothing of the sort. The 1,500 troops below the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest acted as men and as soldiers in their capture of Fort Pillow. It is premier necessary to understand what happened in the battle before any judgment can be made. A careful study performed by Dr. John Wyeth revealed the side by side(p) information from April 9-11, 1864, troops under the command of Ben McCulloch, Tyree Harris Bell, and Brig. General James Chalmers marched non-stop to Fort Pillow to begin their assault under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. helper sharpshooters claimed the lives of some(prenominal) key Union officers during the morning assault on the fort. The losses included the commanding officer Major Loinel F. Booth, and his second in command shortly afterwards that. These losses created a complete breakdown of order and leadership among the Union troops within the fort. (251)During the morning engagement, the gun boat the New Era was continually attempting to shell the Confederate forces from the Mississippi, but with minimal success. The Union forces fought back heartily until around one oclock in the afternoon, when both sides slowed down. Around that era the New Era steamed out of range to cool its weapons. It had fired a total of 282 rounds, and its supplies were almost totally exhausted. During this hiatus in the f iring, while Confederate troops waited for supplies that would arrive around three oclock, Forrestwas injured when his horse fell on him after being mortaily wounded (252). When the supplies arrived, Confederate troops under a flag of truce delivered a message from Forrest that said, My men have received a fresh supply of ammunition, and from their present position can easy assault and capture the fort, (253). Forrest demanded the unconditional surrender of the garrison, promising