Fort Pillow, a Civil War Massacre, and Public Memory

Civil War Battlefields and Historic Sites Recaptured

Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historiography, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877)
Cover of the book Fort Pillow, a Civil War Massacre, and Public Memory by John Cimprich, LSU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Cimprich ISBN: 9780807139493
Publisher: LSU Press Publication: April 8, 2011
Imprint: LSU Press Language: English
Author: John Cimprich
ISBN: 9780807139493
Publisher: LSU Press
Publication: April 8, 2011
Imprint: LSU Press
Language: English

At the now-peaceful spot of Tennessee's Fort Pillow State Historic Area, a horrific incident in the nation's bloodiest war occurred on April 12, 1864. Just as a high bluff in the park offers visitors a panoramic view of the Mississippi River, John Cimprich's absorbing book affords readers a new vantage on the American Civil War as viewed through the lens of the Confederate massacre of unionist and black Federal soldiers at Fort Pillow.
Cimprich covers the entire history of Fort Pillow, including its construction by Confederates, its capture and occupation by federals, the massacre, and ongoing debates surrounding that affair. He sets the scene for the carnage by describing the social conflicts in federally occupied areas between secessionists and unionists as well as between blacks and whites. In a careful reconstruction of the assault itself, Cimprich balances vivid firsthand reports with a judicious narrative and analysis of events. He shows how Major General Nathan B. Forrest attacked the garrison with a force outnumbering the Federals roughly 1,500 to 600, and a breakdown of Confederate discipline resulted. The 65 percent death toll for black unionists was approximately twice that for white unionists, and Cimprich concludes that racism was at the heart of the Fort Pillow massacre.
Fort Pillow, a Civil War Massacre, and Public Memory serves as a case study for several major themes of the Civil War: the great impact of military experience on campaigns, the hardships of military life, and the trend toward a more ruthless conduct of war. The first book to treat the fort's history in full, it provides a valuable perspective on the massacre and, through it, on the war and the world in which it occurred.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

At the now-peaceful spot of Tennessee's Fort Pillow State Historic Area, a horrific incident in the nation's bloodiest war occurred on April 12, 1864. Just as a high bluff in the park offers visitors a panoramic view of the Mississippi River, John Cimprich's absorbing book affords readers a new vantage on the American Civil War as viewed through the lens of the Confederate massacre of unionist and black Federal soldiers at Fort Pillow.
Cimprich covers the entire history of Fort Pillow, including its construction by Confederates, its capture and occupation by federals, the massacre, and ongoing debates surrounding that affair. He sets the scene for the carnage by describing the social conflicts in federally occupied areas between secessionists and unionists as well as between blacks and whites. In a careful reconstruction of the assault itself, Cimprich balances vivid firsthand reports with a judicious narrative and analysis of events. He shows how Major General Nathan B. Forrest attacked the garrison with a force outnumbering the Federals roughly 1,500 to 600, and a breakdown of Confederate discipline resulted. The 65 percent death toll for black unionists was approximately twice that for white unionists, and Cimprich concludes that racism was at the heart of the Fort Pillow massacre.
Fort Pillow, a Civil War Massacre, and Public Memory serves as a case study for several major themes of the Civil War: the great impact of military experience on campaigns, the hardships of military life, and the trend toward a more ruthless conduct of war. The first book to treat the fort's history in full, it provides a valuable perspective on the massacre and, through it, on the war and the world in which it occurred.

More books from LSU Press

Cover of the book Alabamians in Blue by John Cimprich
Cover of the book The Garden Diary of Martha Turnbull, Mistress of Rosedown Plantation by John Cimprich
Cover of the book The House of Blue Light by John Cimprich
Cover of the book The Problem of Democracy in the Age of Slavery by John Cimprich
Cover of the book How the South Joined the Gambling Nation by John Cimprich
Cover of the book Bone Remains by John Cimprich
Cover of the book Not in Vain by John Cimprich
Cover of the book Hearts of Darkness by John Cimprich
Cover of the book Faulkner's Imperialism by John Cimprich
Cover of the book The Conquest of Labor by John Cimprich
Cover of the book The Southern Middle Class in the Long Nineteenth Century by John Cimprich
Cover of the book Selected Letters of Robert Penn Warren by John Cimprich
Cover of the book Wharton, Hemingway, and the Advent of Modernism by John Cimprich
Cover of the book Revolution, Romanticism, and the Afro-Creole Protest Tradition in Louisiana, 1718--1868 by John Cimprich
Cover of the book Negotiating in the Press by John Cimprich
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy