Site of Fort Pillow - Henning, TN
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 35° 38.679 W 089° 50.278
16S E 243044 N 3948246
A contested fort during the American Civil War.
Waymark Code: WM8ZAK
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 06/04/2010
Views: 1
Right from Henning on State 87 to the SITE OF FORT PILLOW, 17 m., built during the War between the States as the mouth of Cole Creek near the Mississippi River bluffs. The fort was defended by a garrison of Negro soldiers, and Tennessee Unionist called “home-made Yankees” by West Tennesseans. Early on the morning of April 13, 1864, General Forrest and his Confederate cavalry surrounded the garrison. From this point on, the story of Fort Pillow is clouded with conflicting accounts. The Federals said that Forrest massacred an unnecessary number of their men, while Forrest maintained that the Federals prolonged the defense beyond any possible hope and that he was forced to kill the men in order to take the fort. It was called “an atrocity” by a Congressional committee, appointed particularly to investigate, and, by the implications of the order he received, to retaliate. Since he did nothing, some historians believe that his investigations disclosed that the “Massacre of Fort Pillow” was a propaganda invention.
Tennessee: A Guide to the State (1939) – Page 442 Tour 11 - US 51
The Fort Pillow State Historical Park consists of a reconstructed fort at the posted coordinates and original earthworks throughout the remainder of the park. Visitor start at the Interpretive Center and Museum to get a brief history of how the fort was constructed, manned, and eventually fought over. Most of the information stated in the American Guide Series is covered in more detail at the museum.
Book: Tennessee
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 442
Year Originally Published: 1939
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