Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 7.djvu/681

194 the garrison at Fort Pillow, about 700 strong. After the Federal forces, partly negroes, were driven into the fort, Forrest demanded their surrender, which was refused, after considerable parley. General Forrest, in his report of what followed, says: "I stormed the fort, and after a contest of thirty minutes captured the entire garrison, killing 500 and taking 200 horses and a large amount of quartermaster’s stores. The officers in the fort were killed, including Major Booth. I sustained a loss of 20 killed and 60 wounded. Among the wounded is the gallant Lieut.-Col. Wiley M. Reed, while leading the Fifth Mississippi. Over 100 citizens who had fled to the fort to escape conscription ran into the river and were drowned."

General Chalmers, reporting the assault, in relating how Reed was struck down while standing on the rifle-pits cheering on his men, states that Lieutenant Barton was killed by his side. Lieutenant Hubbard of the Eighteenth battalion, a young but promising officer, was also mortally wounded. The loss of Chalmers’ division was 14 killed and 86 wounded. General Chalmers, after the return of the expedition to Oxford, issued an address of congratulation to his division, in which he briefly summed up the results of the campaign as follows: "In a brief space of time we have killed 4,000 of the enemy, captured over 1,200 prisoners, 800 horses, 5 pieces of artillery, thousands of small arms, and many stands of colors, destroyed millions of dollars worth of property, and relieved the patriots of West Tennessee from the hourly dread in which they have become accustomed to live."

Early in May an expedition started out from Memphis to intercept Forrest and cut off his return to Mississippi. This was commanded by Gen. S. D. Sturgis, and included 3,000 cavalry and 3,500 infantry, but moved so cautiously that Forrest was able to evade it with little trouble. The Federals followed to the vicinity of Ripley and then