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FORT PILLOW MASSACRE (1864)

On April 12, 1864, some 3,000 rebels under the command of Nathan Bedford Forrest overran Fort Pillow, a former Confederate stronghold situated on a bluff on the Tennessee bank of the Mississippi, some 40 miles north of Memphis. The garrison consisted of about 600 Union soldiers, roughly evenly divided between runaway slaves-turned-artillerists from nearby Tennessee communities and white Southern Unionist cavalry mostly from East Tennessee. Under a flag … Continue reading FORT PILLOW MASSACRE (1864)

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BATTLE OF TULAROSA (MAY 14, 1880)

May 1880 found Colonel Edward Hatch’s 9th Cavalry buffalo soldiers campaigning in the Southwest against the wily Apache leader Victorio.  A skilled practitioner of guerrilla warfare, Victorio – “The Triumphant One” – was proving difficult to catch, avoiding pursuit in Arizona and slipping into New Mexico.  Against this backdrop, a detachment of twenty-five dismounted cavalrymen from K Troop were dispatched to an abandoned post at … Continue reading BATTLE OF TULAROSA (MAY 14, 1880)

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Profile: Michael K. Williams (1966-2021)

Emmy-nominated actor and producer Michael Kenneth Williams was one of his generation’s most respected and acclaimed talents. By bringing complicated and charismatic characters to life–often with surprising tenderness–Williams established himself as a gifted and versatile performer with a unique ability to mesmerize audiences with his stunning character portrayals. Born in 1966 in Brooklyn, Williams was best known for his remarkable work on The Wire(2002). The wit … Continue reading Profile: Michael K. Williams (1966-2021)

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BOOKER WASHINGTON IN SEATTLE, 1913

An unusual incidence of interracial solidarity between blacks and Asian Americans occurred during Booker T. Washington’s visit to Seattle. In March 1913, Washington embarked on a national speaking tour in order to raise money for Tuskegee Institute, the chronically underfunded “Normal and Industrial School” in Alabama over whose fortunes he had presided since its founding in 1881. Washington’s barnstorming tours combined the racial uplift theme … Continue reading BOOKER WASHINGTON IN SEATTLE, 1913

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