Welcome to Fort Pillow

It was spring time and the WAR was almost four years old. EVERYBODY was worn out. So many killed on both sides - how could any more men be soldiers? Well, as usual we were wrog. The NORTH had finaly allowed two ALL-AFRICAN REGIMENTS to be formed. THE 52nd and THE 54th MASS. We attached to them as DRUMMERS as the UNION swept through the SOUTH towards the coast of the CAROLINAS. We caught up to them as they were ordered to take FORT PILLOW, a SOUTHERN stronghold. The 54th wasn't made up of SOUTHERN AFRICANS. These were BLACK middleclass NORTHERN FREEDMEN, merchants, scholars, and tradesmen who VOLUNTEERED. Just like us HOwever, if they had wanted our opinion, after what we'd seen, we would have told them to stay HOME. But the 54th had many memories of SLAVERY and felt it was their duty no matter what the cost. At last they felt like men, put on trial and soon to be tested. We drummed them into Battle near twilight. Being near the sea, their GUNPOWDER was wet and many of their muskets didn't fire. So the 54th used their muskets as clubs. They weren't expecting the ferocity of the SOUTHERN defenders. The CONFEDERATES landed and acted like ALLIGATORS. THe Battle lasted all night. Of the 862 men who awoke to fight that day, some 600 slept permanently the next morning. Those that lay wounded on the Battlefield were dispatched with bayonets by SOUTHERNERS. The REBELS felt they had done all they could to provide for the welfare of the AFRICANS they had put into SLAVERY. The 54th was too much of an insult to them, so they took their anger and hatred out on the poor souls who valiantly tried to put an end to that REBEL kind of benevolence. It made us New Yorkers exhilarated and sad. So many had died for this IDEA.

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