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if he (the rebel General) attempted to attack the place, the lives of the women and children would rest on his head, but if he waited half an hour he would have them all out; that he (Colonel Lawrence) would not ask them to wait, for he felt amply prepared to receive their attack.

The flag of truce then returned. On their way out, or while the flag of truce was at the fort, the rebel cavalry occupied themselves in stealing horses that had been brought in by Union citizens, and stabled near our picket-lines for protection. The rebels stole something like twenty-five or thirty horses belonging to Union men while this flag of truce was in. That was the last Colonel Lawrence heard of the enemy that day. Colonel Lawrence then gave notice that he should receive no more flags of truce from Forrest; that as Forrest did not respect them, he should not himself respect them. That was all that occurred at Columbus.

Question. You have said that you went up to Paducah on a gunboat with Captain Shirk, of the navy did he cooperate cordially with the land forces in repelling the attack upon Paducah? Answer. He did. Captain Shirk and all his officers did every thing in their power to aid us. He was very accommodating, even furnishing us with ammunition, although he himself was getting short of it. He had but a very small amount, yet he divided with us, giving us a share of what he had. He also sent by boat to Metropolis all the despatches that were sent by Colonel Hicks and myself to General Brayman, and he sent a despatch-boat to Cairo. To make sure that the information should get through, and to have supplies forwarded to us, the gunboats did every thing in their power, and rendered great assistance in defending the place.

Question. Has Captain Pennock, of the navy, cooperated cordially with the military authorities in their operations in this vicinity, where it has been possible for the navy to coöperate?

Answer. Yes, sir; Captain Pennock has always been on hand, always had boats ready; has made such dispositions of his boats that he could at any moment throw from one to three boats, and at one time as many as five boats, on any one point in the district, whenever asked to do so. At the time of the attack upon Paducah he was very prompt in furnishing us with a despatch-boat and supplying us with ammunition. I believe he has done every thing in his power to assist us in carrying out all our movements and operations. At the same time Captain Pennock has labored under the difficulty of being compelled to send some of his boats up the Tennessee River with despatches for General Veatch. I mention that, to show that he has had to send some of his boats away. Yet he has always been ready to assist us at any time, night or day. The best feeling has always existed, and still exists, between the naval officers and the military authorities at this post, and at all the posts in the district; and they cooperate cordially in carrying out all orders and measures that are deemed for the good of the service.

John Penwell, sworn and examined.
By the Chairman :

Question. Where do you reside?
Answer. Detroit, Michigan.

Question. Do you belong to the army?
Answer. I do not.

Question. Were you at Fort Pillow when it was attacked?

Answer. Yes, sir; this last time.

Question. In what capacity were you there? Answer. As a volunteer for the occasion. Question. Will you tell us, in your own way, what you saw there?

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Answer. Nothing occurred of much accountonly the fighting part of it-until after they sent the last flag of truce there. They kept on fighting, but the Fort was not surrendered. While the flag of truce was outside the Fort, and they were conferring together, I noticed and spoke about seeing men going around behind the Fort. They who were out with the flag of truce came back and said they were not going to surrender, and commenced fighting again. I had just fired my musket off, and heard a shot behind me. saw the rebels come running right up to us. was just feeling for a cartridge. They were as close as from here to the window, (about ten feet.) I threw my musket down. A fellow who was ahead asked "if I surrendered." I said, "Yes." He said, "Die, then, you damned Yankee son of a bitch," and shot me, and I fell. More passed by me, and commenced hallooing, "Shoot him down," and three or four stopped where I was and jumped on me and stripped me, taking my boots and coat and hat, and forty-five or fifty dollars in greenbacks.

Question. Where did they shoot you? Answer. In the breast, and the ball passed right through.

Question. Did you see other men shot after they had surrendered?

Answer. I did not see any after I laid down, but I heard the hallooing around me, and begging them "Not to shoot," and then I heard them say: "Shoot them down, shoot them down!" In fact, when they stripped me, one of them said, "He an't dead." and they jerked me up and took off my coat. It hurt me pretty bad, and I cried out to them: "Kill me, out and out." One of them said: "Hit him a crack on the head," but another said: "Let the poor fellow be, and get well, if he can. He has nothing more left now." I fainted then. After I revived I crawled into a tent near where I was. A captain of artillery was in there very badly wounded. Some one had thrown an overcoat over us after I got in there. In the night they roused us up, and wanted to know: "If we wanted to be burned up." I said: "No." They said, "They were going to fire the tent, and we had better get out," and wanted to know if we could walk. I said: "I could not." They helped me out and made me walk some, but carried the officer out. They took us to a house and left us there. They would not give us any water, but told us to get it for ourselves. There were other wounded men

there. Some petty officer came in there and looked at us, and wanted to know how badly we were hurt. I said, "Pretty bad," and asked him for water, and he made some of the men fetch us some. We lay there until the gunboat came up and commenced shelling, when they made us get out of that-help ourselves out the best way we could. Three of our own men were helping the wounded out of the houses, when they commenced burning them. As soon as they saw I could walk a little, they started me up to headquarters with a party. When we got to the gully the gunboat threw a shell, which kind of flurried them, and we got out of sight of them. I got alongside of a log, and laid there until a party from the boat came along picking up the wounded.

Question. Did they have a hospital there that the wounded were put in?

Answer. There were four or five huts there together which they put them in. That was all the hospital I saw. Question. Do you know whether they burned any body in there?

Answer. I do not know, but they hallooed to us to "Get out, if we did not want to get burned to death." I told an officer there, who was ordering the houses to be burned, to let some of the men go in there, as there were some eight or nine wounded men in there, and a negro who had his hip broken. He said: "The white men can help themselves out, the damned nigger shan't come out of that." I do not know whether they got the wounded out or not. I got out, because I could manage to walk a little. It was very painful for me to walk, but I could bear the pain better than run the risk of being burned up.

Question. Do you know any thing about rebel officers being on the boat, and our officers asking them to drink?

Answer. Yes, sir. There were several rebel officers on board the Platte Valley. I went on board the boat, and took my seat right in front of the saloon. I knew the bar-tender, and wanted to get a chance to get some wine, as I was very weak. I was just going to step up to the bar, when one of our officers, a lieutenant or a captain, I don't know which, stepped in front of me and almost shoved me away, and called up one of the rebel officers and took a drink with him; and I saw our officers drinking with the rebel officers several times.

COLUMBUS, KENTUCKY, April 24, 1864. Colonel William H. Lawrence, sworn and examined.

By the Chairman : Question. What is your rank and position in the army?

Answer. I am Colonel of the Thirty-fourth New-Jersey volunteers.

Question. Where are you stationed now, and how long have you been there stationed?

Answer. I am stationed at Columbus, and have been there since the end of January last.

Question. What do you know with regard to the attack and capture of Fort Pillow?

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Answer. All I know about that is, that General Shipley arrived here on the thirteenth of April. He took me one side, and told me that as he passed Fort Pillow he was hailed from a gunboat, and told that there had been severe fighting there that he saw a flag of truce at Fort Pillow, and that, after passing the Fort a little distance, he saw the American flag hauled down, or the halliards shot away, he did not know which; and he afterward saw a flag, which was not raised higher than a regimental flag, and that he believed Fort Pillow had surrendered. He then offered me two batteries of light artillery, which he said were fully manned and equipped. He repeated this same conversation to General Brayman, as I understand, after arriving at Cairo.

Question. Did he give any reason why he did not undertake to assist the garrison at Fort Pillow?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. From his conversation, did you gather that he was in a condition to render assistance?

Answer. (After a pause.) It struck me as the most remarkable thing in the world that he had not found out positively; had not landed his batteries, and gone to the assistance of Fort Pillow. Question. Under what circumstances did you understand he was there?

Answer. The steamer on which he was passed by there. I am under the impression that he had also two or three hundred infantry on the steamer.

Dr. Chapman Underwood, sworn and examined.

By Mr. Gooch:

Question. Where do you reside? Answer. I reside in Tennessee. Question. Were you at Fort Pillow, or on board a gunboat, during the attack there? Answer. Yes, sir; I was there.

Question. What was your position?

Answer. I was sent from there, about ten days before that, on detached service, looking after convalescents, and returned on the Saturday evening before the fight on Tuesday morning. I was Acting Assistant Surgeon. The regiment was not full enough to have a surgeon with the regular rank.

Question. Will you state what came within your own observation in connection with the attack and capture?

Answer. I roomed with Lieutenant Logan, First Lieutenant of company C, Thirteenth Tennessee cavalry. About sun-up, I got up as usual. About the time I got up and washed, the pickets ran in and said Forrest was coming to attack the Fort. I started up to the Fort. Lieutenant Logan knew the feeling the rebels had toward me, and told me to go on the gunboat. Question. What do you mean by that? Answer. Well, they had been hunting me— had shot at me frequently. Faulkner's regiment,

and a part of another, was raised in the country were about five hundred black soldiers in all where I knew all of them. I was a notorious there, and about two hundred whites able for character with them, and always had to leave duty. There were a great many of them sick whenever they came around. The Lieutenant ad- and in the hospital. vised me to go on board the gunboat for safety, and I did so. The attack came on then, and we fired from the gunboat, I think, some two hundred and sixty or two hundred and seventy rounds, and the sharp-shooters on the boat were firing, I among the rest. We fought on, I think, until about one or half-past one. The rebels had not made much progress by that time. They then came in with a flag of truce, and firing ceased from the Fort and gunboat, and all around. They had a conference, I think, of about three quarters of an hour. They returned with the flag of truce; but in a very short time came back again with it to the Fort, and had another interview. During the time the flag of truce was in there, there was no firing done from either side, but we could see from the gunboat up the creek that the rebels were moving up toward the Fort. The boat lay about two hundred yards from the shore, right opposite the Quartermaster's department. By the time the first flag of truce got to the Fort, they commenced stealing the Quartermaster's stores, and began packing them off up the hill. For an hour and a half, I reckon, there seemed to be above one or two hundred men engaged in it.

Question. This was before the capture of the Fort?

Answer. Yes, sir; while under the protection of the flag of truce. When the last flag of truce started back from the Fort, in three minutes, or less, the firing opened again, and then they just rushed in all around, from every direction, like a swarm of bees, and overwhelmed every thing. The men-white and black-all rushed out of the Fort together, threw down their arms, and ran down the hill; but they shot them down like beeves, in every direction. I think I saw about two hundred run down next to the water, and some of them into the water, and they shot them until I did not see a man standing.

Question. How many do you think were shot after the capture of the Fort, and after they threw down their arms?

Question. What happened after that? Answer. They then got our cannon in the Fort, and turned them on us, and we had to steam off up the river a little, knowing that they had got a couple of ten or twelve pounder Parrott guns. They threw three shells toward us. We steamed off up the river, anchored, and lay there all night. We returned the next morning. We got down near there, and discovered plenty of rebels on the hill, and a gunboat and another boat lying at the shore. We acted pretty cautiously, and held out a signal, and the gunboat answered it, and then we went in. When we got in there, the rebel General Chalmers was on board, and several other officers-majors, captains, orderlies, etc.-and bragged a great deal about their victory, and said it was a matter of no consequence. They hated to have such a fight as that, when they could take no more men than they had there. One of the gunboat officers got into a squabble with them, and said they did not treat the flag of truce right. An officer-a captain, I thinkwho was going home, came up, and said that, "Damn them, he had eighteen fights with them, but he would not treat them as prisoners of war after that," and that he intended to go home, and would enlist again. Chalmers said that he would treat him as a prisoner of war, but that they would not treat as prisoners of war the "homemade Yankees," meaning the loyal Tennesseeans. There were some sick men in the hospital, but I was afraid to go on shore after the rebels got there. I merely went on shore, but did not pretend to leave the boat.

Question. Did you see any person shot there the next morning after you returned?

Answer. I heard a gun or a pistol fired up the bank, and soon afterward a negro woman came in, who was shot through the knee, and said it was done about that time. I heard frequent shooting up where the Fort was, but I did not go up to see what was done.

FORT PILLOW, Tennessee, April 25, 1864. Captain James Marshall, sworn and exam

By the Chairman :

Question. What is your rank and position in the naval service?

Answer. Well, I think, from all the information I could gather, there were about four hun-ined." dred men killed after the capture, or four hundred and fifty. I think there were about five hundred and odd men killed there. A very great majority of them were killed after the surrender. I do not suppose there were more than twenty men killed before the Fort was captured, and the men threw down their arms and begged for quarter.

Question. Was there any resistance on the part of our soldiers after the capture of the Fort?

Answer. None in the world. They had no chance to make any resistance.

Question. And they did not attempt to make

any?

Answer None that I could discover. There

Answer. I am an Acting Master, commanding the United States steamer New Era, gunboat Number Seven.

Question. Where is your boat?

Answer. My boat has been twenty-four hours' run from Fort Pillow. Since the attack here, that has been changed. At the time the Fort was attacked, I was to make my principal headquarters here.

Question. Were you present with your gunboat at the time Fort Pillow was attacked and captured?

Answer. I was.

DOCUMENTS.

Question. Please describe that affair. Answer. At six o'clock, on the morning of the twelfth of April, Major Booth sent me word that I immediately the rebels were advancing on us. I gave the men got the ship cleared for action. their breakfasts. I had no idea that there would be a fight. I thought it would merely be a little skirmish. I went out into the stream. Major Booth and myself had previously established signals, by which he could indicate certain points He where he would want me to use my guns. first signalled me to commence firing up what we call Number One ravine, just below the Quartermaster's department, and I commenced firing there. Then he signalled me to fire up Coal Creek ravine Number Three, and I then moved up there. Before I left down here at ravine Number One the rebel sharp-shooters were firing at me rapidly. I came along up, and the women and children, some sick negroes, and boys, were standing around a great barge. I told them to get into the barge if they wanted to save themselves, and when I came down again I would take them out of danger. They went in, and I towed them up and landed them above Coal Creek, where the rebel sharp-shooters commenced firing at them. The next time I moved up Coal Creek ravine I told them to go on up to a house, as the rebels The trees and bushes were firing upon them. around them there probably prevented them from being hit. On knowing that they were fired at much, I kept a steady fire up to about one o'clock. At that time the fire had ceased or slackened, and every thing seemed to be quieting down, and I thought, perhaps, they were waiting to get a little rest. My men were very tired, not having had any thing to eat since morning, and the officers nothing at all. I ran over on the bar to We had clean out my guns and refresh my men. fired two hundred and eighty-two rounds of shell, | shrapnel, and canister, and my guns were getting foul. While we were lying on the bar, a It was, I flag of truce came in-the first one. should judge, about half-past six o'clock. While the flag of truce was in, some of the officers came to me and told me the rebels were robbing the Quartermaster's department. I went out on Some of the the deck, and saw them doing so. officers said that we should go in and fire upon them; that we could slay them very nicely. I remarked to them that that was not civilized warfare; that two wrongs did not make a right; and that if the rebels should take the Fort afterward, they would say that they would be justified in doing any thing they pleased, because I had fired on them while the flag of truce was in, although they were thus violating that flag of truce themselves. They were also moving their forces down this hill, and were going up the ravine. When I saw that, I got under way, and stood off for the Fort again, intending to stop it. I had only seventy-five rounds of ammunition left, but I told the boys that we would use that The flag of truce started and went at any rate. out, and I do not think it had been out more than five minutes when the assault was made.

Major Bradford signalled to me that we were
whipped. We had agreed on a signal that, if
they had to leave the Fort, they would drop down
under the bank, and I was to give the rebels
canister. I was lying up above here, but the
rebels turned the guns in the Fort on us—I think
all of them-and a Parrott shot was fired, but
I had to leave, because, if I came
went over us.
down here, the channel would force me to go
Had I been below
around the point, and then, with the guns in the
Fort, they would sink me.
here at the time, I think I could have routed
them out; but part of our own men were in the
The rebels kept fir-
Fort at the same time, and I should have killed
them as well as the rebels.
We said to one another that
ing on our men for at least twenty minutes after
We could see
our flag was down.
they could be giving no quarter.
the men fall, as they were shot, under the bank.
I could not see whether they had arins or not. I
was fearful that they might hail in a steamboat
I wanted
from below, capture her, put on four or five
hundred men, and come after me.
to get down so as to give warning, and I did
send word to Memphis to have all steamboats
stopped for the present. The next morning the
gunboat Twenty-eight and the transport Platte
Valley came up.

Question. When did you go ashore after the
Fort had been captured?

Answer. I went ashore the next morning, about ten o'clock, under a flag of truce, with a I found men lying party of men and an officer, to gather up the wounded and bury the dead. in the tents and in the Fort, whose bodies were burning. There were two there that I saw that day that had been burned.

Question. What was the appearance of the remains? What do you infer from what you saw ?

Answer. I supposed that they had been just set on fire there. There was no necessity for burning the bodies there with the buildings, beThere was so little wood cause, if they had chosen, they could have dragged the bodies out. about any of those tents that I can hardly understand how the bodies could have been burned as they were.

Question. Were the tents burned around the bodies?

Answer. Yes, sir.

On the fourteenth of April (the second day after the capture) I came up again. I had a lot of refugees on board, and as I came around I hoisted a white flag, intending When I landed here, to come in and see if there were any wounded or unburied bodies here.

I saw, I should judge, at least fifty cavalry over
on Flower Island, and while I was lying here
with a white flag, they set fire to an empty coal
barge I had towed over there. I put the refugees
on the shore, took down the white flag, and
started after them, and commenced shelling
them, and the gunboats Thirty-four and Fifteen
We did not see the reb-
and the despatch-boat Volunteer came down
and opened on them.
els then, but saw where they were setting

wood-piles on fire, and we followed them clear round, and drove them off. At this time I received information that the body of Lieutenant Akerstrom had been burned; that it was he who was burned in the house. Some of the refugees told me this, and also that they had taken him out and buried him. There was also one negro who had been thrown in a hole, and buried alive. We took him out, but he lived only a few minutes afterward. After we had followed these rebels around to the head of Island Thirty, I came back to the Fort, landed, and took on board the refugees I had put on shore. The next morning the three gunboats landed here, and we sent out pickets, and then sent men around to look up the dead. We found a number there not buried, beside one man whose body was so burnt that we had to take a shovel to take up his remains.

Question. Was he burned where there was a tent or a building?

Answer. Where there was a building. Question. Do you know whether there were any wounded men burned in those buildings? Answer. I do not. All I know about that is what I was told by Lieutenant Leming, who said that while he was lying here wounded, he heard some of the soldiers say that there were some wounded negroes in those buildings, who said, "You are trying to get this gunboat back to shell us, are you, God damn you," and then shot them down. I went to Memphis, and then had to go to Cairo. I was then ordered to patrol the river from here (Fort Pillow) to Memphis. I started down on my first trip on Friday morning last. I arrived at Memphis on Friday afternoon. I mentioned there the manner in which our men had been buried here by the rebels, and said that I thought humanity dictated that they should be taken up, and buried as they ought to be. The General ordered some men to be detailed, with rations, to come up here and rebury them properly. They have come here, and have been engaged in that work since they came up.

Question. How many have you already found?

Answer. We have found already fifty-two white men and four officers, besides a great many colored men.

Question. Had the blacks and whites been buried together indiscriminately?

Answer. We have not found it so exactly; we have found them in the same trench, but the white men mostly at one end, and the black men at the other; but they were all pitched in in any way-some on their faces, some on their sides, some on their backs.

Question. Did you hear any thing said about giving quarter or not giving quarter on that occasion?

Answer. No, sir; but our Paymaster here could tell you what he heard some of their officers say.

Question. Do you know any thing about the transport Platte Valley being here?

Answer. She was lying alongside the gunboat

Twenty-eight here when I came down the day after the fight, and came alongside of her.

Question. Do you know any thing about any of our officers showing civilities to the rebel officers after all these atrocities?

Answer. I saw nothing of that kind but one lieutenant, who went up around with them on the hill. Who he was I do not know, but I recollect noticing his stripe.

Question. Did he belong to the navy or army? Answer. He belonged to the army. I saw the rebel General Chalmers but once. When I came down here that morning I was the ranking officer; but the Captain of gunboat Twenty-eight had commenced negotiations with the flag of truce, and I told him to go on with it. I met those men in the cabin of the Twenty-eight on business. I was not on board the Platte Valley but once, except that I crossed over her bow once or twice. I was not on her where I could see any thing of this kind going on.

Question. How many of our men do you suppose were killed after they had surrendered?

Answer. I could not say. I have been told that there were not over twenty-five killed and wounded before the Fort was captured?

Question. Do you know how many have been killed in all ?

Answer. My own crew buried, of those who were left unburied, some seventy or eighty. The Platte Valley buried a great many, and the gunboat Twenty-eight buried some. Question. What number do you suppose escaped out of the garrison?

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Answer. I have no means of knowing. have understood that the rebels had one hundred and sixty prisoners-white men; but I think it is doubtful if they had that many, judging from the number of men we have found. By Mr. Gooch:

Question. Where did those men come from whose bodies we have just seen unburied?

Answer. I should judge they came from the hospital. One of them had a cane, showing that he was not a well man, and they had on white shirts-hospital clothing; and, as you saw, one looked thin, very thin, as if he had been sick.

Question. How far are these bodies lying from the hospital?

Answer. I should think about one hundred and fifty yards.

Question. Would men, escaping from the Fort, run in that direction?

Answer. They would be very apt to run in almost any direction; and they would be more likely to run away from the stores that these rebels were robbing.

By the Chairman :

Question. From the hospital clothing they had on; from their appearance, showing that they had been wounded or sick persons; and from the bruised appearance of their heads, as if they had been killed by having their brains knocked out, do you infer that they were hospital patients that had been murdered there?

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