Fort Pillow: A Novel of the Civil War

By Harry Turtledove

Book Overview

In April 1864, the Union garrison at Fort Pillow was comprised of almost six hundred troops, about half of them black.? The Confederacy, incensed by what it saw as a crime against nature, sent its fiercest cavalry commander, Nathan Bedford Forrest, to attack the fort with about 1,500 men.? The Confederates overran the fort and drove the Federals into a deadly crossfire.? Only sixty-two of the U.S. colored troops survived the fight unwounded.? Many accused the Confederates of massacring the black troops after the fort fell and fighting should have ceased. The "Fort Pillow Massacre" became a Union rallying cry and cemented resolve to see the war through to its conclusion. Harry Turtledove has written a dramatic recreation of an astounding battle, telling a bloody story of courage and hope, freedom and hatred. With brilliant characterization of all the main figures, this is a novel that reminds us that Fort Pillow was more than a battle - it was a clash of ideas between men fighting to define what being an American ought to mean.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312355203
• ISBN13: 9780312355203
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.4" x 1.1" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Remember, remember, the 12th of... well... April.

Harry Turtledove is known mostly as a master of the alternate history genre, and rightly so. His books "Guns of the South", "Ruled Britiania", the Worldwar and Timeline 191 series are exceptional examples of what alternate history can be. As those who have read the works of one H N Turteltaub already know, Turtledove can also write excellent historical fiction. "Justianian" is currently out of print, but well worth reading, if you can find it. "Fort Pillow" is not an alternate history story. It's the first (to my knowledge, anyhow), straight historical novel that Turtledove has published under his own name. Does it stand up to his other works? Emphatically yes. The Civil War is territory he's gone over before, but always in an alternate history. Seeing what he does with a regular historical fiction novel is impressive. As is usual with a Turtledove book we get viewpoint characters on both sides and at all levels. From the black artillery sargent, to a couple of US officers, all the way up to Nathan Bedford Forrest himself, we really get to see what the war in general, and this battle in particular, was like. That the massacre was a great infamy goes without saying. Regardless of which sources are right or wrong (USA vs CSA), a disproportionate number of black soldiers were killed during and after the fighting, as were the officers who commanded them. That we as a nation no longer remember this (even I hadn't known about it until the book came out, and I likes my history!), is an infamy almost as great, one that hopefully this book will go a long way to correcting.

A stunning story

A vivid and intense look into the horror and brutality of the civil war--written in the language that was used then to describe people. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a ruthless commander for the Confederate army, and his troops, approached Fort Pillow as if on wings. His men were driven by hatred for the escaped slaves and the Union army that trained them. Spurred on through the swamps and bogs, rain and cold by the demanding Nathan Forrest they reached Fort Pillow exhausted. However, fatigue quickly gave away to their desire to punish those slaves and the other soldiers. Major William Bradford and his Union troops at Fort Pillow were comfortable knowing the Confederate soldiers were far away. Though he was a major, his experience in actual combat was minimal. A lawyer by trade, he fought best with words. Major Booth had added his forces to the fort about two weeks earlier. Experienced in the heat of battle, he was the senior officer and Bradford resented him, but was grateful for his knowledge. The soldiers Major Booth brought with him were another story. Many were those escaped slaves--and people thought that they couldn't fight--and just weren't worth considering because they would likely turn tale in the heat of battle. Major Bradford knew all the training in the world couldn't change the color of a man's skin. Yet Major Booth seemed to have confidence in them. The truth would soon be uncovered. The first morning light brought the crack of Confederate rifles. The battle was one that went down in history for many reasons. The bravery and determination on both sides left many would-be heroes silenced for eternity. Their stories would be buried with their bodies, in mass graves, unremembered and forgotten over time. We take for granted our freedoms of today, yet we understand very little of the sacrifices that won those rights. Fort Pillow is more than a novel. It will let you feel and experience history as if you were there. It is graphic and candid, leaving nothing to the imagination. Read it if you dare, you'll never be the same. Armchair Interviews says: Powerful story well told.

A Dark Chapter in Civil War History

This is "historical fiction" rather than alternative history. It relates the slaughter of Union Negro troops at Fort Pillow after they had surrendered. This was done by Confederates under the command of Nathan Bedford Forrest who later founded the KKK. Turtledove makes the dry facts come alive and humanizes the people on both sides. Every American should read this book.

I was ther twice!

In 1980 while attending Memphis State University (MSU) my Tennessee History professor took the class to Fort Pillow and we walked the grounds described in this book. Reading the book brought back both the lecture and grounds I walked. This is a "For Real" look at a bloody chapter in our history. This was Americans killing Americans regardless of race. I indeed felt like I was there when it took place as well as 100+ years later. As a nation we are not perfect but have come a long way since 1863.

Warfare Tennessee Style

Fort Pillow (2006) is a novel of the Civil War. The fort was first constructed at the orders of Confederate General Gideon Pillow on the First Chickasaw Bluff of the Mississippi River. Not quite forty miles north of Memphis, the first line of fortifications ran a couple of miles from Coal Creek to the Mississippi. Later, a shorter second line was constructed inside the line laid out by Pillow. When Union troops took the fort, a third line about four hundred feet long was built across the tip of the triangle. Fort Pillow was defended by the Thirteen Tennessee Cavalry (US) under Major William F. Bradford. Shortly before the assault, a battery from the Sixth U.S. Heavy Artillery and another from the Second U.S. Light Artillery was ordered to the post. Most of these artillerymen were black, with white officers and mostly white sergeants. The artillery commander, Major Lionel Booth, was senior officer at the fort. In this novel, Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest orders the brigade at Sharon's Ferry and another at Eaton to attack Fort Pillow. While initially designating General Chalmers as the commander, Forrest quickly changes his mind and leads most of the Nineteenth Tennessee Cavalry (CS) to Fort Pillow. They engage the services of W.J. Shaw as a guide to the fort and follow him into the rainy night through bogs and woods. Amazingly enough, they find Fort Pillow just before dawn and, on April 12, 1864, immediately attack the Federal skirmish line. The defenders are awakened by the gunfire and, despite initial confusion, deploy two more companies to the skirmish line. The black artillerymen operate the guns like professionals. Those who are not required on the guns fight with muskets alongside the white cavalrymen. The blacks display as much or more combat spirit as the whites, but are more likely to taunt the confederates. Forrest offers his standard surrender terms, except that the black soldiers will also be treated as prisoners of war. The surrender terms are refused and Forrest orders the final assault. The confederates sharpshooters fire on the garrison from the higher ground on three sides, targeting Union officers more than the common soldiers. As the rebs scramble over the rampart, the black artillerymen fire the guns and then fight with whatever comes to hand. Some blacks try to surrender, but the rebs give no quarter. Their white officers are also killed out of hand for arming blacks. Of course, the homegrown yankees are also slaughtered, but not heavily as the black soldiers. This novel takes four contemporary or early accounts of the Fort Pillow massacre and weighs known facts against the propaganda. All four sources are tainted with political disinformation, but many lies are readily discernible from the official records. However, most of the details have been lost in the fog of history. This fictional account may well come closer to the truth than any of the publications of that period, but who knows what