Fort Pillow massacre ...

38THr CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. REPORT
1st Session. No. 65.
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FORT PILLOW MASSACRE.
MAY 6, 1864. —Resolved, That forty thousand extra copies of the Report of the Joint Comr:mittee on the Conduct of the War, &c., with the accompanying testimony, in relation to the
late massacre at Fort Pillow, be printed for the use of the members of this house.,JOINT RESOLUTION directing the Committee on the Conduct of the War to examine into the recent attack
on Fort Pillow.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled, That the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War be, and they are hereby,
instructed to inquire into the truth of the rumored slaughter of the Union troops, after
their.surrender, at the recent attack of the rebel forces upon Fort Pillow, Tennessee; as,
also, whether Fort Pillow could have been sufficiently re-enforced or evacuated, and if so,
why it was not done; and that they report the facts to Congress as soon as possible.
Approved April 21, 1864.
2lr. GoocH, from the Joint Select Committee on the Conduct of the War,
made the following
REPORT.
YThe Joint Committee on the Conduct and Expenditures of the War, to whom was
referred the resolution of Congress instructing them to investigate the late
massacre at Fort Pillow, designated two members of the committee-Messrs.
Wade and Gooch-to proceed forthwith to such places as they might deem
necessary, and take testimony. That sub-committee having discharged that
duty, returned to this city, and submitted to the joint committee a report, with.accompanying papers and testimony. The report was read and adopted by
the committee, whose chairman was instructed to submit the same, with the
testimony, to the Senate, and Mr. Gooch to the House, and ask that the same
be printed.
REPORT OF SUB-COMMITTEE.
ilessrs. WADE and GOOcH, the sub-committee appointed by the Joint Committee on the Conduct and Expenditures of the War, with instructions to proceed
to such points as they might deem necessary for the purpose of taking testimony
in regard to the massacre at Fort Pillow, submitted the following report to the
joint committee, together with the accompanying testimony and papers:
In obedience to the instructions of this joint committee adopted on the 18th
ultimo, your committee left Washington on the morning of the 19th, taking with
them the stenographer of this committee, and proceeded to Cairo and Mound
City, Illinois; Columbus, Kentucky; and Fort Pillow and Memphis, Tennessee;
at each of which places they proceeded to take testimony.
Although your committee were instructed to inquire only in reference to the
attack, capture, and massacre of Fort Pillow, they have deemed it proper to
take some testimony in reference to the operations of Forrest and his command
immediately preceding and subsequent to that horrible transaction. It will
-appear, from the testimony thus taken, that the atrocities committed at Fort