Reports of the Committee on the Conduct of the War Part 55

Answer. I owned 215 acres of the fort, bordering on the river, and the very land we fought on. I was putting in 100 acres of cotton just outside the fortifications, which was my princ.i.p.al business.

Question. You lived outside the fort?

Answer. Yes, sir--slept there. I was in the fort every day; it was only about a mile from the landing--not a mile from the fortifications.

Question. Just say when you saw Forrest's men; the day and the time of day, and what you did.

Answer. On Tuesday morning, the 12th of this month, I was awakened about five o'clock, or half past five, by a little darkey boy, who came up to my room and says: "Oh, Mr. Benton, all of Forrest's men have come, and they are just going into the fort. What will I do?" I got out of bed and looked out of the window towards the fort, and saw about three or four hundred of Forrest's men drawn up in line, and some one was making a speech to them, which was answered by cheering. They cheered, and then the pickets fired. I put some things in my valise and started for the fort in a roundabout way, and got in, by running the pickets, about six o'clock, and went immediately to Major Booth and asked for a gun, and took my stand with the soldiers inside the breastworks, where I remained and shot at every person of Forrest's men that I could get a chance at, firing forty-eight shots in all, until the flag of truce was sent in.

Question. About what was the time of day it came in?

Answer. It came in about two o'clock, I should think--half past one or two o'clock in the afternoon.

Question. Had they made any attack then?

Answer. Oh, yes, sir.

Question. Had they tried to carry the fort by storm and been repulsed?

Answer. At one time the confederate troops had all disappeared.

Question. Were four hundred all there were there?

Answer. Those were all I saw there. This was when they first made their appearance when I first saw these four hundred. After getting into the fort we saw more than a thousand coming in at the different pa.s.ses, and the sharpshooters were stationed on every hill on every side of us except the river side.

Question. Do you recollect how many attacks they made to carry the fort before the flag of truce came?

Answer. It is not proper to call their fighting but one attack upon the fort, although they all, or nearly all, seemed to be driven outside the outside works at one time, and soon came back fighting harder and in greater force than before.

Question. Did they use artillery?

Answer. Yes, sir. They did not hurt us with that; they shot at the gunboats.

Question. When the flag of truce came in did they make any disposition of their troops around the fort there?

Answer. Yes, sir; after the flag of truce was sent in and the firing ceased they came up on all sides to within ten yards of the very embankments that screened us.

Question. While the flag of truce was waiting?

Answer. Yes, sir; more especially on the northern side, just under the bank looking towards Coal Creek.

Question. How long was that flag inside of our lines?

Answer. One hour was the time. I suppose it was all of an hour.

Question. Do you know the nature of it?

Answer. It was for an unconditional surrender.

Question. It was refused by Major Booth?

Answer. By Major Bradford, yes, sir. Major Booth had been killed. He asked for time to consult with the gunboat, and finally returned the answer that there was none of Hawkins's men there, and he never would surrender.

Question. Did not Major Bradford make any protest against troops coming up under the flag in that way?

Answer. I don't know, sir.

Question. When the flag went back did they commence firing again?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Kept it up for how long?

Answer. They commenced firing again, but the firing didn't last fifteen minutes. Up to this time there had not been twenty killed on our side.

Question. What was the strength of the garrison?

Answer. 580, I think, just.

Question. How many of these were negroes?

Answer. About 380--nearly 400--I don't know exactly to a man.

Question. How many citizens besides yourself?

Answer. William W. Cutler, of Chicago, and a young man by the name of Robinson; he was a soldier but in citizen's clothes, and got off on that plea.

Question. The second flag that came in--about how long was it after the first?

Answer. Well, there was no _second_ flag of truce, except the one. There was no firing in the interim.

Question. Was there no firing while the first was in?

Answer. No, sir, not a single shot fired on either side. After the flag of truce had been rejected, or the surrender had been rejected, they were so close to the fort that about 3,000 of them just sprang right in, and the whole garrison threw down their arms at once. The bigger portion of the darkeys jumped down the bank towards the Mississippi river, without any arms at all, and were followed by Forrest's men and shot indiscriminately, black and white, with handkerchiefs held over them in a great number of instances--as many as fifty I should think.

Question. Did you see any of those prisoners formed in line and shot down?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. How many?

Answer. They were collected at least four different times.

Question. How long a line?

Answer. Well, it was more in a collection than it was properly in a straight line. There was a line probably as long as this room, or longer--about thirty or thirty-five feet.

Question. These lines were scattered by rebel shots several times?