Fort Pillow is a fort in Henning, Tennessee on the Mississippi River that was used by both sides in the American Civil War. It was built by General Gideon Johnson Pillow in early 1862.
Confederate troops evacuated Fort Pillow on June 4, 1862, in order not to be cut off from the rest of the Confederate Army.
The Battle Of Fort Pillow, TN
On April 12, 1864, men under the command of General Nathan Forrest, the first leader of the Klu Klux Klan, recaptured Fort Pillow. The fort was occupied by 262 African American and 295 white soldiers. Despite the fact that these men surrendered, Bedford's men massacred the Union soldiers in cold blood burning and burying some alive. President Abraham Lincoln condemned the incident.
