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.