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. **

From Publishers Weekly

Turtledove revisits the controversial 1864 Battle at Fort Pillow, also known as the Fort Pillow Massacre, in this even-handed, readable historical novel (after Days of Infamy) about the bloodbath in western Tennessee, where the Civil War pitted "neighbor against neighbor." The defenders at the Union-held Fort Pillow were made up of a unit of nearly 300 Tennessee Unionists ("homemade Yankees," according to their neighbors in gray) and an equal number of African American artillery men. Turtledove sifts through the disputed historical record and scrupulously reconstructs the scene. Although greatly outnumbered, the fort's defenders at first rejected a Confederate surrender offer, and the rebels-enraged by traitorous whites and armed Blacks-stormed the fort, slaughtering twice as many blacks as whites, even while the Unionists tried to escape or surrender. For a comprehensive view of the battle, Turtledove shifts the narrative among a mix of fictional characters and historical figures: Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest; Major Bill Bradford, who replaced Major Lionel Booth as the garrison's Union commander; and Sgt. Ben Robinson, one of the Negro troops. Fans of Civil War history will especially enjoy this balanced account.
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From Booklist

Starred Review In April 1864, the Union garrison at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, consisted of 600 men, more than half of them black and many of the rest Tennessee unionists. They were commanded by Major William Bradford, who had gotten his command by raising regiments. Their position was attacked by General Nathan Bedford Forrest and 1,500 men, many of whom were also Tennesseeans. The Confederates overran the fort, and when the fighting was done, there were 226 Union survivors. Only 62 of the black troops survived unwounded. Major Bradford was killed shortly after being taken prisoner. Exactly what happened has been a subject of controversy from that day to this. An immediate congressional investigation found that Forrest's forces had deliberately murdered the black troops and their officers, and "the Fort Pillow Massacre" became a rallying cry for Union victory. The investigation's report, however, contains several errors of fact. Accounts of Forrest's campaigns written by Confederate sympathizers after the war maintain that Forrest's troops only fought--they didn't massacre--the Union troops. Turtledove's most impressive novel uses known facts and persons and extremely plausible extrapolations to paint a picture of one of America's least glorious affrays. After reading it, one is convinced that it happened that way. Turtledove also depicts the people of the time and place very vividly, making the novel a true window into history. Frieda Murray
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