| Forrest's responses to interrogatories of
Committee of Confederate House of Representatives |
| |
| Interrogatory 1st. I was not at the city of
Nashville
at the time of its surrender, but was there at the time the enemy
made their entrance into that part of the city known as Edgefield,
having left Fort
Donelson, with my command, on the morning of its surrender, and reached
Nashville
on Tuesday, February 18, about 10 a.m. I remained in the city up to
the Sunday evening following. |
| Interrogatory 2d. It would be impossible to state,
from the data before me, the value of the stores either in the
Quartermaster's or Commissary Departments, having no papers then nor
any previous knowledge of the stores. The stores in the
Quartermaster's Department consisted of all stores necessary to the
department -- clothing especially, in large amounts, shoes, harness,
&c., with considerable unmanufactured material. The commissary
stores were meat, flour, sugar, molasses, and coffee. There was a
very large amount of meat in store and on the landing at my arrival,
though large amounts had already been carried away by citizens. |
| Interrogatory 3d. A portion of these stores had been
removed before the surrender. A considerable amount of meat on the
landing, I was informed, was thrown into the river on Sunday before
my arrival and carried off by the citizens. The doors of the
commissary depot were thrown open, and the citizens in dense crowds
were packing and hauling off the balance at the time of my arrival
on Tuesday. The quartermaster's stores were also open, and the
citizens were invited to come and help themselves, which they did in
larger crowds, if possible, than at the other department. |
| Interrogatories 4th and 5th. On Tuesday morning I was
ordered by General Floyd to take command of the city, and attempted
to drive the mob from the doors of the departments, which mob was
composed of straggling soldiers and citizens of all grades. The mob
had taken possession of the city to that extent that every species
of property was unsafe. Houses were closed, carriages and wagons
were concealed to prevent the mob from taking possession of them.
Houses were being seized everywhere. I had to call out my cavalry,
and, after every other means failed, charge the mob before I could
get it so dispersed as to get wagons to the doors of the departments
to load up the stores for transportation. After the mob was
partially dispersed and quiet restored a number of citizens
furnished wagons and assisted in loading them. I was busily engaged
in this work on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I transported 700 large boxes of clothing to the Nashville & Chattanooga
Railroad depot, several hundred bales of Osnaburg and other military
goods from the Quartermaster's Department, most, if not all, of the
shoes having been seized by the mob. I removed about 700 or 800
wagon loads of meat. The high water having destroyed the bridges so
as to stop the transportation over the Nashville & Chattanooga
Railroad, I had large amounts of this meat taken over the Tennessee
& Alabama Railroad. By examination on Sunday morning I found a
large amount of fixed ammunition in the shape of cartridges and
ammunition for light artillery in the magazine, which, with the
assistance of General Harding, I conveyed over 7 miles on the
Tennessee & Alabama Railroad in wagons, to the amount of 30 odd
wagon loads, after the enemy had reached the river. A portion was
sent on to Murfreesborough in wagons. The quartermaster's stores
which had not already fallen into the hands of the mob were all
removed, save a lot of rope, loose shoes, and a large number of
tents. The mob had already possessed themselves of a large amount of
these stores. A large quantity of meat was left in store and on the
river bank and some at the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad
depot, on account of the break in the railroad. I cannot estimate
the amount, as several store-houses had not been opened up to the
time of my leaving. All stores left fell into the hands of the
enemy, except forty pieces of light artillery, which were burned and
spiked by order of General Floyd, as were the guns at
Fort
Zollicoffer
. My proposition to remove these stores, made by telegraph to
Murfreesborough, had the sanction of General A. S. Johnston. |
| ***** |
| Interrogatory 7th. It was eight days from the time the
quartermaster left the city before the arrival of the enemy,
commissaries and other persons connected with these departments
leaving at the same time. With proper diligence on their part I have
no doubt all the public stores might have been transported to places
of safety. |
| Interrogatory 8th. Up to Saturday the railroads were
open and might have been used to transport these stores. Saturday
the bridges of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad gave way.
Besides these modes of conveyance, a large number of wagons might
have been obtained, had the quiet and order of the city been
maintained, and large additional amounts of stores might by these
means have been transported to places of safety. |
| Interrogatories 9th and 10th. I saw no officer
connected with the Quartermaster's or Commissary Departments except
Mr. Patton, who left on Friday. I did not at any time meet or hear
of Maj. V. K. Stevenson in the city during my stay there. |
| Interrogatories 11th, 12th, and 13th. From my personal
knowledge I can say nothing of the manner in which Major Stevenson
left the city. |
| Common rumor and many reliable citizens informed me
that Major Stevenson left by a special train Sunday evening,
February 16, taking personal baggage, furniture, carriage, and
carriage-horses, the train ordered by himself, as president of the
railroad. |
| Interrogatory 14th. All the means of transportation
were actually necessary for the transportation of Government stores
and sick and wounded soldiers, many of whom fell into the hands of
the enemy for want of it, and might have been saved by the proper
use of the means at hand. The necessity for these means of
transportation for stores will be seen by the above answers which I
have given. I have been compelled to be as brief as possible in
making the above answers, my whole time being engaged, as we seem to
be upon the eve of another great battle. The city was in a much
worse condition than I can convey an idea of on paper, and the loss
of public stores must be estimated by millions of dollars. The panic
was entirely useless and not at all justified by the circumstances.
General Harding and the mayor of the city, with Mr. Williams,
deserve special mention for assistance rendered in removing the
public property. In my judgment, if the quartermaster and commissary
had remained at their post and worked diligently with the means at
their command, the Government stores might all have been saved
between the time of the fall of Fort
Donelson
and the arrival of the enemy at Nashville. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| N. B. Forrest |
| Colonel, Commanding Forrest's Brigade of
Cavalry |
| {The original is
not dated, but is probably about June 1, 1862} |
|