Fort Pillow State Park

"Fort Pillow" redirects here. For the common children's construction, see Blanket fort.

Fort Pillow Historic State Park
Type	Tennessee State Park
Location	Henning, Tennessee
Area	1,642 acres (6.64 km2)
Created	1971
Open	Year round
Fort Pillow
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location	TN State Route 87, Lauderdale County, Tennessee
Nearest city	Osceola, Arkansas
Coordinates
Built	1861
NRHP Reference #	73001806
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 11, 1973
Designated NHL	May 30, 1974

Fort Pillow State Park is a state park in western Tennessee that preserves the American Civil War site of the Battle of Fort Pillow. The 1,642 acre (6.6 km²) Fort Pillow, located in Lauderdale County on the Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, is rich in both historic and archaeological significance.

Confederate fort 1861

In 1861, the Confederate army built extensive fortifications here and named the site for General Gideon Johnson Pillow of Maury County.

Union fort, and Battle of Fort Pillow

An engraving of Confederate troops massacring black Union soldiers after the Battle of Fort Pillow.

Because of its strategic location, controlling traffic on the Mississippi River, the fort was attacked and captured by the Union Army, which controlled it during most of the war. June 4, 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuated Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee. An exception to this control occurred for less than one day immediately after the Battle of Fort Pillow in 1864.

The Confederate victory at the Battle of Fort Pillow (April 1864) resulted in the killing of 229 of the 262 black Union soldiers engaged in the battle. The white soldiers numbered 285. An examination of regimental records showed that "less than 36 percent of the men from white units died in battle or of wounds, while the death toll for black units was 66 percent."

This slaughter by the Confederate troops under Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest has been labeled a massacre; Confederate apologists debate the fatality numbers. A Confederate wrote in a letter home that "Forrest ordered them [negroes] shot down like dogs, and the carnage continued." In addition to regimental records, contemporary accounts by troops on both sides, as well as journalist, describe it as appalling slaughter. Within about three weeks, as political controversy grew, Confederates began to debate accounts of a massacre.

"Remember Fort Pillow!" became a battle cry among black Union soldiers for the remainder of the Civil War.

While the Union casualty count for the battle does not indicate that the Confederate forces took many prisoners, Confederate records show about 200 prisoners were shipped south.

In 1866, the Union Army created a cemetery for both Confederate and Union soldiers south of the battle site. In 1867, they moved about 250 bodies of Confederate and Union soldiers from that cemetery to the Memphis National Cemetery.

Historic site and museum

In 1973, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Remains of the earthworks were well-preserved as of 2011.

The park has an interpretive center and museum (open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily, except for certain holidays). Tours of the museum and restored fortifications are available upon request. The park also offers many recreational activities, including camping, picnicking and fishing.

See also

• Battle of Fort Pillow
• Golddust

External links

• Fort Pillow State Historic Park Website