Union forces immediately occupied the fort and held it for almost two years. Fort Pillow offers RV and primitive campsites as well as backcountry camping. ONLINE SHIRT SALES BENEFIT TN STATE PARKS, NOW OFFERING TN RESIDENT OVERNIGHT DISCOUNTS, 3122 Park Road The Union already had established a policy to discourage killing and enslaving prisoners of war. Their fire against the New Era caused the sailors to button up their gun ports and hold their fire. Jordan in the mid-20th century suggested the Union deaths were exaggerated. Jordan, John L. "Was There a Massacre at Ft. Explore the most popular trails in Fort Pillow State Historic Park with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. For more information about this and other guidelines, please see our Keeping Visitors Healthy page to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. Fort Pillow State Historic Park is a state park in western Tennessee that preserves the American Civil War site of the Battle of Fort Pillow. [41] For many, it strengthened their resolve to see the war to its conclusion. Closed Thanksgiving, Chistmas Eve Of the 585 to 605 Union men present, 277 to 297 were reported as dead. Fort Pillow State Historic Park is a state park in western Tennessee that preserves the American Civil War site of the Battle of Fort Pillow.The 1,642 acre (6.6 km²) Fort Pillow, located in Lauderdale County on the Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, is rich in both historic … [36] Major General William Tecumseh Sherman, Commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi, which included Tennessee, wrote: The massacre at Fort Pillow occurred April 12, 1864, and has been the subject of congressional inquiry. Forrest had tried to bluff U.S. Col. Stephen G. Hicks into surrender, warning "if I have to storm your works, you may expect no quarter". Military historian David J. Eicher concluded: "Fort Pillow marked one of the bleakest, saddest events of American military history."[2]. "[33][34], John Fisher, in his book They Rode with Forrest and Wheeler, wrote, "Grant refers here to two reports from Forrest to his superior officer, Leonidas Polk: (1) a hasty, exuberant report dated April 15, 1864, dashed off three days after the attack on Fort Pillow, describing the success of Forrest's recent operations in West Tennessee, and (2) a well-defined, detailed, and comprehensive report of the action at Fort Pillow only dated April 26."[35]. The upcoming events calendar is the perfect place to find festivals, guided trips and more. A bit of Civil War history in a beautiful setting. A Confederate wrote in a letter home that "Forrest ordered them [negroes] shot down like dogs, and the carnage continued. "Fort Pillow Revisited: New Evidence About An Old Controversy", "The Forgotten Battle of Fort Pillow and the Birth of the Ku Klux Klan", U.S. Congress Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, US and CSA official reports concerning Fort Pillow, Illustration of the Massacre at Fort Pillow, Roster: 100 names of Confederate Casualties of Fort Pillow, Roster: 590 names of Union Prisoners & Casualties of Fort Pillow, Presentation by Fort Pillow Descendant Yulanda Burgess, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Fort_Pillow&oldid=982057078, Battles of the Western Theater of the American Civil War, Confederate victories of the American Civil War, Battles of the American Civil War in Tennessee, African Americans in the American Civil War, Racially motivated violence against African Americans, White American riots in the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2020, Articles with incomplete citations from September 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, In 1999, Stan Armstrong produced the documentary, In 'Changó, the biggest badass' (Changó, el gran putas). It was attacked and held by the Union Army for most of the Am… Turn right onto Highway 207 and follow it to the park. The fort was built by Confederate troops in 1861. The whitte [sic] men fared but little better. Gen. Robert V. Richardson and Colonel Robert M. McCulloch) and General Abe Buford (brigades of Cols. Large numbers of congregating and migrating swallows can be seen in July and August. The Campaigns Of General Nathan Bedford Forrest And Of Forrest's Cavalry, 1868, reprint 1996 Da Capo Press, This page was last edited on 5 October 2020, at 22:53. They had heard that some Confederates threatened to kill any black Union troops they encountered. Certain parks or areas of parks may close if they reach capacity. It features campgrounds, hiking trails, and backcountry camping. Fort Pillow, preserved as the Fort Pillow State Historic Park, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974. It is located on the western edge of Tennessee (about 40 miles north of Memphis). Blair cited page 445 of the book International Law; or, Rules Regulating the Intercourse of States in Peace and War, written by Henry W. Halleck (the Union Chief of Staff), as justification for retaliation. In Southern minds, according to this writer, just as slaves could not be voters or office-holders, they could not be soldiers either, and thus were not treated, at Fort Pillow and elsewhere, as surrendering soldiers. The museum features Civil War artifacts. Union forces used the "Fort Pillow massacre" as a rallying cry in the following months. Monday through Friday, Nashville Office — Phone: 615.532.0001 | Email: Ask.TNStateParks@tn.gov Because of high casualties among the Union troops, especially the African-American artillerist, the the battle was coined "The Ft. Pillow Massacre" by Northern newspapers. A boat ramp is available to the general public but there are no rental boats at the park. Their objectives were to capture Union prisoners and supplies and to demolish posts and fortifications from Paducah, Kentucky, south to Memphis. In 1866, the Union Army created a cemetery for both Confederate and Union soldiers south of the battle site. It was abandoned in 1862 due to the Union Navy’s advancement along the Mississippi River. [6] Within about three weeks, as political controversy grew, Confederates began to dispute accounts of a massacre. Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation. On April 12, 1864, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and approximately 1,500 Confederate soldiers attacked Fort Pillow. [41], On May 3, 1864, Lincoln asked his cabinet for opinions as to how the Union should respond to the massacre. [52] Secretary of State William H. Seward wanted the commanding general of the Union army to confront the commanding general of the Confederate army about the allegations.[53]. 109 of the graves have been identified. The Confederate Army was able to gain a commanding position on the field of battle. [58], Numerous novelists have included the Fort Pillow story, including Frank Yerby's The Foxes of Harrow, James Sherburne's The Way to Fort Pillow; Allen Ballard, Where I'm Bound; Jesse Hill Ford, The Raider; and Charles Gordon Yeager, Fightin' with Forest. Many African-American soldiers were killed in what modern historians describe as a "massacre" or "atrocity". : The Confederate States of America, "On Lincoln's Mind: Discussing strategy after Vicksburg", "Understanding Fort Pillow: 'Full and Ample Retaliation, "[No. There is also some Mississippi River riverfront habitat present. [44], This policy did not lead to any action, but the threat of action led the Confederate army tacitly to treat Union negro soldiers as legitimate soldiers, rather than insurrecting slaves, for the remainder of the war. [8] This slaughter by the Confederate troops under Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest has been classified by historians as a massacre.
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