Congress is exploring the possibility of designating the site of the Confederate massacre of hundreds of United States Colored Troops at Fort Pillow, Tennessee as a National Historical Park.
The incendiary combination of Black men and white southern Unionists, together in arms, represents a central yet generally neglected element of what made the Fort Pillow Massacre a uniquely infamous event in Civil War history. – True Blue : White Unionists in the Deep South
I hope it can be added to the NPS, only if it will be treated fairly within the historical record. If they allow it to be "sanitized" as the current administration instructs, leave it as a State Park until cooler heads prevail.
This was a great article, Fort Pillow should be part of the larger conversation in America. I am fearful however that with the emphasis of "brightening up" history to fit the Trump narrative might turn this into something else. It is a dark spot on history and spotlights the Confederate Cause of hate toward Black people. It is a story of heroism, and of cruelty, and anything that reeks of White Supremacist cruelty seems to be destined for erasure by this administration. Keep us all informed about how we can support the National Parks in this designation and in lobbying for truthful signage, not sanitized ones.
added note: someday I would like to research the brave white commanders of Black forces, what the threats of the Confederates against them and those they commanded, and did that affect their lives after the war. We have 2 such men buried in Newport, WA who commanded a Black regiment (?) and are recognized at the National African American Civil War Museum in DC. As far as I could research, these two men were early settlers here and no one seems to remember their past military service. Both the Colored Troops as they were called and their commanders have a special place in my heart in the story of Civil Rights.
Thanks, Becky. The scholarship on white officers of Black regiments is pretty extensive. I would start with Joseph Glatthaar's book *Forged in Battle.*
Re “Congress to Explore Designating the Site of a Confederate Massacre of Black Soldiers as a National Historical Park”: It’s great that that’s happening and that you have summarized and analyzed. Thanks very much.
Both Fort Pillow and Fort Monroe illuminate much about Black America. I’m no expert on the politics of the establishment of national parks. But I learned some about that during our struggle earlier in the present century to stop the Commonwealth of Virginia from heedlessly condo-izing the prime urban waterfront of Fort Monroe—and of Point Comfort, the colocated 1619 place—when the Army left. I’m guessing that somehow, in some way, people with some influence in Tennessee are having a hand in doing what Virginia mostly chose not to do. I’ll bet they end up with something more than a token, Potemkin national monument—and I’ll be glad if they do.
I’m staying tuned to both political dramas. In Virginia, there’s now a new effort to make Fort Monroe and Point Comfort into a very nice, attractive, pleasant park. Good. But less good if the historical dimension continues to recede in practical prominence. There is only one place on this planet where our slavery history both began and began to end.
OK, we have gone, in the past 30 years, from arguing about whether a massacre even took place at Fort Pillow to talking about memorializing the site of the massacre.
I have ceased to be optimistic in this kind of thing because everything I see coming out of our federal government only underscores and enhances my cynicism. Sure, time will tell. And won’t we be outraged…
Even under normal circumstances, these studies take time and would extend into the next administration. It's enough if the study is simply allowed to proceed.
The incendiary combination of Black men and white southern Unionists, together in arms, represents a central yet generally neglected element of what made the Fort Pillow Massacre a uniquely infamous event in Civil War history. – True Blue : White Unionists in the Deep South
I hope it can be added to the NPS, only if it will be treated fairly within the historical record. If they allow it to be "sanitized" as the current administration instructs, leave it as a State Park until cooler heads prevail.
This was a great article, Fort Pillow should be part of the larger conversation in America. I am fearful however that with the emphasis of "brightening up" history to fit the Trump narrative might turn this into something else. It is a dark spot on history and spotlights the Confederate Cause of hate toward Black people. It is a story of heroism, and of cruelty, and anything that reeks of White Supremacist cruelty seems to be destined for erasure by this administration. Keep us all informed about how we can support the National Parks in this designation and in lobbying for truthful signage, not sanitized ones.
added note: someday I would like to research the brave white commanders of Black forces, what the threats of the Confederates against them and those they commanded, and did that affect their lives after the war. We have 2 such men buried in Newport, WA who commanded a Black regiment (?) and are recognized at the National African American Civil War Museum in DC. As far as I could research, these two men were early settlers here and no one seems to remember their past military service. Both the Colored Troops as they were called and their commanders have a special place in my heart in the story of Civil Rights.
Thanks, Becky. The scholarship on white officers of Black regiments is pretty extensive. I would start with Joseph Glatthaar's book *Forged in Battle.*
Re “Congress to Explore Designating the Site of a Confederate Massacre of Black Soldiers as a National Historical Park”: It’s great that that’s happening and that you have summarized and analyzed. Thanks very much.
Both Fort Pillow and Fort Monroe illuminate much about Black America. I’m no expert on the politics of the establishment of national parks. But I learned some about that during our struggle earlier in the present century to stop the Commonwealth of Virginia from heedlessly condo-izing the prime urban waterfront of Fort Monroe—and of Point Comfort, the colocated 1619 place—when the Army left. I’m guessing that somehow, in some way, people with some influence in Tennessee are having a hand in doing what Virginia mostly chose not to do. I’ll bet they end up with something more than a token, Potemkin national monument—and I’ll be glad if they do.
I’m staying tuned to both political dramas. In Virginia, there’s now a new effort to make Fort Monroe and Point Comfort into a very nice, attractive, pleasant park. Good. But less good if the historical dimension continues to recede in practical prominence. There is only one place on this planet where our slavery history both began and began to end.
OK, we have gone, in the past 30 years, from arguing about whether a massacre even took place at Fort Pillow to talking about memorializing the site of the massacre.
Progress.
I have ceased to be optimistic in this kind of thing because everything I see coming out of our federal government only underscores and enhances my cynicism. Sure, time will tell. And won’t we be outraged…
Even under normal circumstances, these studies take time and would extend into the next administration. It's enough if the study is simply allowed to proceed.
Congress needs new faces. This is 😡