TENNESSEE. 



731 



''(ft, would bo burned down ; but if any such 



invent had, the di-in>-ilii>n ci|" tin- small 



>>! prevented the realization. An 



t was made by ome parties to gain posses- 



muskets which a Tow days before had 



1 iti by the Tliir.l colored artillery. 



r ninl iiiiin lion- wu* on iluty il;iy and 



during the week. On the 4th they 



! br * detachment I had ordered over from 



stated, the rioters were composed of the 



I tin- r.ililde and negro-haters in 



!i a sprinkling of Van all led 



on and encouraged by demagogues and ollire-huiit- 



ilii'in under the influence of whis- 



ears in evidence before the commission, 



'IT of the city, made a 



apeei-l -rs, in which he said, " We are not 



yet prepared, but let us prepare to clean every negro 



out of town." 



parolled Confederates were mixed up 

 with '. ; and Wednesday, the 



larger portion facing registered voters. Who com- 

 posed < hi'-sdav night remains 

 to be. UKOROE STOXKMAN, 

 Major-General Commanding. 



MEMPHIS, TKJTX., Ma/ 18, 1806. 

 To Litutenant-Gtneral Grant : 

 I have the honor to report that it appears upon 

 .Cation by the commission, that tl*rc were 

 killed outright during the recent riots at Memphis, 

 twenty-four negroes, eight of whom wore discharged 

 soldiers. CKORGE STOXKMAN, 



Major-General Commanding. 



The losses in property were estimated at 

 about $120,000. 



The Memphis C^mmrrfitd pave the following 

 detailed statement of the principal occurrences 

 on the second and most terrible day of the 

 riot : 



What is presented below, however, can be relied 

 upon, as it either came under our own observation, 

 or the information was imparted to us by others who 

 were present. Day had no sooner dawned on the 

 morning of yesterday than the conflict began to rage 

 anew between the whites and blacks, notwithstand- 

 ing thi efforts made by the county and city officers 

 to check it. Shots were exchanged, the negroes 

 firing from a mound lying due east from the forts on 

 t, and from their shanties, which lav just 

 in the rear of South Street, outside the corporate 

 limits, and which cover an area of land about a 

 square mile in extent. The whites were scattered 

 along South, Cousey, and Hernando Streets, and sub- 

 ' to the firing of the first few shots became so 

 infuriated and blind with rage, adverting to the pro- 



;^s of the day previous, and more particularly 

 to the killing of Dunn, that all efforts of the officials 



nipting to restrain them were entirely disre- 

 garded. It was during this period of frenzy and of 

 rage that about six negroes were killed. When the 

 news, wild and exaggerated as it was, reached the 

 upper part of the city about ten o'clock, that the riot 

 was in progress on South Street, and had assumed 

 large proportions, it creaffcd considerable consterna- 



I'arties were running here and there in search 

 of fire-arms, horses, etc.. while others were congre- 



on street corners discussing as to what course 

 should foe pursued. Sheriff Wiuters and his efficient 

 d.-j. uties, General Wallace and others, immediately 

 set about summoning a posse of three hundred men. 



; as a body of twenty or thirty men were col- 



. they were supplied with shot-guns and ammu- 

 nition. Several squads were then armed and equipped. 

 Upon arriving at the front, the cause which had 

 called them together had fortunately almost ceased 

 to exist, for the day at least. 



Previous to the arrival of either the heri(T fore* 

 or the Sixteenth United States regulars, chief of j>o- 

 r.-tt was engaged in organizing and drawing 

 up into line the. members of the police and such i iii- 

 tens as were in the vicinity of the corner of 

 mid M;iin .-tr.-n. It was while these men were 

 standing in line on the ground known as the Old 

 Nun-is Cemetery, that tifieen or twenty negro sol- 

 diers banded together, and took possession or a cabin 

 situated on a hillock about one hundred and fifty 

 yards distant, and poured two or three volleys into 

 the ranks of Captain Garrett's men, none of whom, 

 strange to say, were in any degree injured. Mayor 

 Park, while standing in the vicinity, narrowly es- 

 caped being wounded, perhaps killed, several of the 

 balls scattering the dust over his garmeiits. After 

 remaining about the sheds twenty minutes or there- 

 ulioutH, the negroes coolly retired within the fort, 

 taking their arms and ammunition with them. The 

 next hour, were it not for the strenuous exertions of 

 the sheriff's force which had arrived on the ground, 

 and the police under charge of Captain Garrett, 

 might have been fraught with the most disa.stn/m 

 evils, so high and so uncontrollable were tin.- p .-- 

 sions of the crowd. By stationing guards at the dif- 

 ferent crossings leading beyond South Street, the 

 excitement was partially allayed, and the crowd, 

 numbering about five hundred in all, began to dis- 

 perse, and leave for their homes. After this, peace 

 and quiet prevailed generally throughout the day, 

 being disturbed but once, and that was caused by 

 the burning of a negro school-house and about five 

 negro cabins which were first pillaged by a set of 

 thieving voung rascals, not unknown in the criminal 

 annals of Memphis, and were set fire to and burned 

 to the ground. Captain Smythe, commanding a 

 squad or regulars, arrived on the spot, and through 

 the assistance rendered him was enabled to stay the 

 progress of the flames and prevent a repetition of 

 similar conduct. While talking to a number of ne- 

 groes within the fort yesterday, it became evident to 

 us that the excitement extended among the negroes 

 to even a greater degree than among the populace. 

 Among the wild stories which they heard were, that 

 the negro women and children were being burned, 

 and that almost every negro in the upper port of the 

 city had been killed. Some spoke in a rather concilia- 

 tory tone, while others were quite indignant. The 

 police, yesterday, again displayed that discretion 

 and judgment which is so highly commendable, in 

 rescuing negroes from the hands of the crowd, and 

 committing them to places of safety. The best evi- 

 dence of this is the fact that no less than eight or ten 

 negroes in the fort said to us that, if it were not for 

 the police, they would not then be alive. About five 

 o'clock yesterday evening the scene of the late riot 

 appeared as if nothing had happened. Negroes could 

 be seen here and there on the streets, some at work 

 and others walking carelessly along. The same 

 state of affairs was perceptible over the entire south- 

 ern part of the city. 



On the 22<1 6f February the " Union Rtato 

 Convention" met at Nashville, Hon. Henry 

 Cooper presiding, and adopted resolutions op- 

 posing any attempts of Congress to force negro 

 suffrage upon the South ; opposing also any in- 

 terference with the constitution ; for approv- 

 ing of a guaranty of the payment of the publio 

 de!>t, and the pardon and protection of all the 

 inhabitants of the land in the enjoyment of life 

 and liberty ; indorsing the policy of the 1 

 dent, and especially his message vetoing tho 

 Freedtnen's Bureau Bill. 



A novel instance of criminal jurisprudence 

 was reported to have occurred at Slurfivesboro, 

 where two freedmon had a quarrel, in which 



