Fort Pillow, a Civil War Massacre, and Public Memory

Appendix B: Compiling Data for Table 7

Appendix B COMPILING DATA FOR TABLE 7 Because the Confederates burnt all of the records at Fort Pillow, no Federal report contains a casualty count. Table 7 was derived from a number of records. Since last participating in a set of published calculations, I have learned of an easier way to track down relevant pension files and have double-checked the garrison’s compiled service records. The improved results vary slightly from that previous work.1 Most earlier writers have relied on the fort’s last monthly report, which tallied 557 men present on March 31, 1864. Other military records in the National Archives make it clear that the garrison had at least 593 present on April 12, as additional men had been recruited or had returned from other places. The head count rests primarily upon compiled service records of individuals in units assigned to the fort or on detached service there. Because the two black units retained records at their headquarters in Memphis, we know their detachments at the fort had 304 members on April 12. Personnel records and Forrest’s prisoner list show that the post had four white staff members who did not belong to the three units in the garrison.2 Bradford’s Battalion, based at the fort, lost all its records. The use of its incomplete compiled service records, plus other sources, shows that it had at least 285 men in the battle. The role of eighteen additional men, presumably present before the battle, is unclear. They may be the “twenty” that the post surgeon reported as deserting during the night before the battle, or they may have been killed.3 Eight volunteer civilian combatants and two deserters held under arrest (from other units) seemed inappropriate for inclusion.4 Once those present were identified, they needed to be sorted as survivors or casualties. Some individuals’ compiled service records relied on a survivor’s word to declare him dead, and others presumed a soldier dead for lack of further record (including Confederate prison rolls). Pension claims filed by a number of family members confirmed that some missing individuals still had not reappeared years later. The “Died From 131 Appendix B Wounds” column includes only those listed as such in hospital records, regardless of how long life lingered. Those who died from illnesses, which may have been complications arising from wounds, were counted in “Survived Wounds.” The “Escaped” category lists both those who came out of hiding after the incident and captives who got away from the Confederates soon after the battle. The former group simply reappeared in unit records after the incident without wounds or a parole.5 This page intentionally left blank ...