G. F. SHEPLEY,
_Brigadier General, Commanding_.
Hon. D. W. GOOCH,
_Of Committee on Conduct of the War_.
* * * * *
WASHINGTON, D. C., _May 9, 1864_.
Captain Charles C. G. Thornton, sworn and examined.
By the chairman:
Question. What is your rank and position in the army?
Answer. I am a captain, and aid on General George F. Shepley's staff.
Question. Were you with General Shepley when he passed Fort Pillow,
about the time of the capture of that place?
Answer. Yes, sir.
Question. Will you state what occurred there, and the reason, if any,
why you did not stop there to aid the garrison?
Answer. We were passengers on the boat Olive Branch, which left New
Orleans on the 6th of April, without troops. On arriving at Vicksburg,
parts of two batteries--a Missouri and an Ohio battery--were put on
board. I do not know the exact number of men, but I should think that
perhaps there were 120 men with the two batteries. The men had no
small-arms whatever--no arms but the guns of their batteries. We stopped
at a place to take in wood, where we were told the guerillas had just
passed, and we threw out pickets to keep from being surprised. We were
unable to arm those men with anything whatever, and merely stationed
them so that we should not be surprised, but have an opportunity of
getting on board the boat and leave. Upon arriving within three
miles--perhaps two and a half miles--of Fort Pillow, some women on shore
hailed us and told us that Fort Pillow was captured with two transports
or steamers, and motioned to us to return. The captain of the boat
turned about for the purpose of returning to Memphis, but General
Shepley stopped it. Colonel Sears, the owner of the boat, who was on
board, came to me and asked me to go to General Shepley and tell him the
importance of our going back to Memphis; that it was dangerous for us to
proceed with so many passengers. The boat was a very large one, loaded
with passengers, every state-room being occupied by men, women, and
children.
Question. How many passengers, non-combatants, do you suppose you had on
board?
Answer. Perhaps one hundred and fifty, but that is a mere guess. When
Colonel Sears urged me to ask General Shepley to go back to Memphis, I
told him I should do nothing of the kind; that if he wished General
Shepley to allow the boat to go back, he might see him about it himself.
He did so, but General Shepley positively refused to go. He ordered the
captain of the Olive Branch to hail a boat which came in sight, and
direct her to come alongside. General Shepley then said, "I will have a
section of the battery put on this boat, and will go up and
reconnoitre." The boat was called the "Hope," I think. There is a point
just below where the rebels, if they had a battery, might bring it to
bear on us. General Shepley consented to have the Hope go below that
point with the boat we were on, in order to have this section of a
battery put on board of her. On our way down we met another boat, the
"Cheek," which would answer our purpose better, and she was stopped.
General Shepley ordered a section of a battery put on board of her, and
directed Captain Williams, commanding the battery, and myself, to
accompany him up to Fort Pillow to reconnoitre. I suggested to General
Shepley, or was on the point of suggesting to him, that perhaps he had
better not go himself, but send Captain Williams and myself. The instant
I suggested that, he said "No, I will go myself, and personally
ascertain the condition of affairs." He asked the captain how many
minutes it would take him to get his guns on board. He said he could
probably get a couple of guns on in a few minutes.
Just then a steamer, which afterwards proved to be the steamer
"Liberty," hove in sight. We supposed at first that she was the Mollie
Able, which the captain of our boat said was due at Fort Pillow just
about that time, and that she was one of the boats the rebels had
captured, if the story of the women was true. When we saw her coming we
noticed that she was loaded with troops, whether Union or rebel troops
we could not tell. The general said to our captain, "Can you run that
boat down?" He said, "If it is the Mollie Able, I can run right over
her." When she hove in sight we saw at once that there was no time to
put a battery on board the Cheek; General Shepley then ordered the Cheek
to move out of the way, and the captain of our boat to swing out, with
the intention of running this other boat down if she should prove to be
loaded with rebel soldiers. When the boat got nearer, however, we found
she had Union troops on board. As she passed us our captain hailed her,
and she replied "All right up there; you can go by. There is a gunboat
there." We were then satisfied that everything was all right, as she had
been allowed to come down by them with so large a body of troops on
board.
We went up, and when within perhaps a mile of the place some rebel
soldiers fired upon our boat, probably aiming at the pilot-house. I
stood on the after part of the deck at the time. The general was in the
pilot-house looking out. The shots did not take effect or amount to
anything. We went on up, and found no firing at the fort. We stopped at
the gunboat, as all boats are required to do which pass. An officer came
on board from the gunboat and said to the captain of our boat, "I want
you to proceed immediately to Cairo, and send down 400 or 500 rounds of
ammunition; and order all boats back that may be coming down; we want no
boats here." We talked the matter over, and came to the conclusion that
the object of this Fort Pillow affair was not to capture the fort, but
to capture more of our boats, if possible, in order to get across the
river. That was merely our supposition, as we knew nothing about the
battle. There was no firing at the fort at that time, and our boat went
on up the river in obedience to the orders of the gunboat, as it had a
right to give that order.
We had proceeded but a little way before we discovered a flag of truce
at the fort, as it was reported to me; I did not see it myself, but it
undoubtedly was there. We passed on a short distance further, and then
noticed that our flag at the fort was down; we had seen it flying as we
passed the fort. I went to the stern of our boat, and with a glass
looked carefully at the fort. After a time I discovered that the gunboat
had steamed up a little ways, as I supposed for the purpose of firing
upon the right flank of the rebels. We could see a line of fire or smoke
in the woods, which we supposed to be from the musketry of the rebels.
We then saw a flag raised up on a pole at the fort, I should think ten
or twelve feet high. I supposed that our flag had been shot away, and
they were raising it again. The guns from the fort at that time were
pretty heavy, while the fire of the enemy, appeared to be from musketry.
I have no doubt now that that was the rebel flag that was raised after
the fort was taken.
We proceeded on up to Columbus. Before we arrived there we noticed that
there was heavy firing there. On our arrival there we saw a great many
troops, and they remarked from the shore that there was hot work there.
General Shepley told me to accompany him, and went up to Colonel
Lawrence's headquarters, but was told he was at the front. General
Shepley ordered two horses to be prepared for us to go to the front, to
see Colonel Lawrence. Just as the horses were ready, and we were about
starting, Colonel Lawrence came over and rode down to his headquarters.
He told us that it was all right; that there had been some skirmishing;
that Buford had come there and demanded a surrender of the fort, but he
had refused to surrender. General Shepley told him that he had portions
of two batteries on hand, and asked him if he wanted them; told him how
they came there, and that they were ordered to Cairo as a portion of the
17th corps. Colonel Lawrence said that he had taken 400 troops from the
Luther M. Kennett, and, I think, one battery. The Luther M. Kennett had
just preceded us as we passed by Fort Pillow. Colonel Lawrence said that
he did not need the batteries of General Shepley. General Shepley
inquired particularly about the condition of affairs, and told Colonel
Lawrence what had occurred at Fort Pillow. After ascertaining that there
was nothing to be done by us down there we proceeded to Cairo. On our
arrival there General Shepley called upon General Brayman and told him
the substance of what occurred; the condition of things as we left, the
flag coming down, and the fear that the fort had surrendered. We did not
know then that the fort had surrendered, though we know now it had.
The caissons and artillery had been hoisted on our boat by means of what
they call a derrick, I think, and were piled up, closely packed all
round. It would, therefore, have been impossible for us to have removed
those cannon for several hours. It took us several hours to land them at
Cairo; and it would have been an utter impossibility for us to have
taken those cannon up to Fort Pillow, as we had no infantry to cover our
landing; and half a dozen sharpshooters could have undoubtedly captured
our boat had we attempted it.
Question. If I understand you, General Shepley had no opportunity to
relieve Fort Pillow any way?
Answer. He went on board the boat a mere passenger, with no arms. We did
not know any troops were coming on board. Those two portions of
batteries, with their guns, were ordered to report at Cairo. The gunboat
was lying right by the side of us, and its fire was of no account, and,
of course, ours would not have been.
By Mr. Gooch:
Question. Would it have been possible for you to have used your
batteries from the boat with any effect upon the rebels?
Answer. No, sir; it would have been an utter impossibility to have done
so. If we had gone in and stopped five minutes there, the rebels could
have captured us without the least trouble in the world. The question
may be asked why we offered assistance at Columbus and not at Fort
Pillow. The fort at Columbus is clear in back from the river, and there
were infantry troops there to protect our landing. But Colonel Lawrence
said he did not expect the fight to occur for some time, even if there
was any fight at all, which he did not expect.
Question. At Columbus you could have landed your batteries under the
protection of our forces there?
Answer. Yes, sir.
Question. And you could not have done that at Fort Pillow?
Answer. No, sir; for at Fort Pillow we should have been right under the
fort, and could have been easily reached. This was all stated to General
Brayman, and I was quite surprised when I heard of the testimony in
regard to the matter.
* * * * *
38th Congress,} SENATE. {Rep. Com.
_1st Session_.} {No. 68.