H.R. 1130

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    Please support current congressional bill HR 1130 which would enable an assessment of Fort Pillow National Battlefield. Find more information here.                                                                           

                                                                          Previous Legislation

                                                                                   HR 5209

     The Fort Pillow Battle Field is presently in the Fort Pillow State Park in Tennessee and for the past 153 years, uniformed and a number of unenlightened citizens of Tennessee celebrate the Battle of Fort Pillow and a Confederate Victory.

       At Fort Pillow Battle Field Park of Tennessee, Confederate States of America’s General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was the first Grand Wizard and a founder of the Ku Klux Klan, (an organization of terror and violence against African-Americans), is celebrated. Every year, Confederate cannons and rifles fire in joyful re-enactment of a Confederate victory and the subsequent massacre of Union soldiers, women, and children at Fort Pillow on April 12, 1864. Commemorating the mass murder of the forces which represented democracy and freedom is the current modus operandi of the state of Tennessee’s park authority. How do you celebrate a race-based massacre, in the spiritually-evil birthplace of the KKK and bury the truth? The truth is that, at Fort Pillow, 400 soldiers were killed. After surrendering, 300 Union soldiers were murdered. The truth is that the Massacre at Fort Pillow did not terrorize United States Colored Troops (”USCT”) into not fighting for their liberty and for the United States of America. The Fort Pillow Massacre instilled in African American soldiers and other Union Forces, a profound, fighting spirit and divine purpose of shattering the chains of Black Chattel Slavery in both the Confederacy and the United States. After Fort Pillow, African American soldiers clearly understood that surrender was not an option. In each and every battle, African American soldiers’ actual orders were to fight for victory or to die trying. As 209,147 United States Colored Troops marched onto battlefields, their battle cry was, “Remember Fort Pillow!”. These men successfully fought for liberty for themselves, their families, their communities, their friends, and for the preservation of all that our country stands for. We have an opportunity to tell the truth about the April 12, 1864 Massacre at Fort Pillow. We can remedy injustice and historical inaccuracies that presently exist at Fort Pillow State Park in Tennessee. A National Battlefield Park would end any spirit of racism at the state park, revive the truth, and bring honor to African Americans and other Union forces killed and massacred at Fort Pillow, Tennessee. Don’t be on the “wrong side of history”.  Finally, fix this transgression that has been otherwise ignored for over 150 years. Please support H.R. 5209. Remember President Lincoln’s statement: “Without the military help of the Black Freedman, the war against the South could not have been won.”  Vote for H.R. 5209.