Fort Pillow State Historic Park

Fort Pillow State Historic Park
Cannons at Fort Pillow in 2006
Fort Pillow is located in Tennessee
Fort Pillow
Fort Pillow
Location in Tennessee
TypeTennessee State Park
LocationLauderdale County
Nearest townHenning, Tennessee
Coordinates35°38′10″N 89°50′32″W / 35.63611°N 89.84222°W / 35.63611; -89.84222
Area1,642 acres (6.64 km2)
Created1971 (1971)
OpenYear round
Websitetnstateparks.com/parks/fort-pillow
Fort Pillow
BuiltJune 6, 1861 (1861-06-06)
NRHP reference No.73001806
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 11, 1973[1]
Designated NHLMay 30, 1974[2]

Fort Pillow State Historic Park is a state park in western Tennessee that preserves the American Civil War site of the Battle of Fort Pillow. The 1,642 acre (6.6 km²) Fort Pillow, located in Lauderdale County on the Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, is rich in both historic and archaeological significance. In 1861, the Confederate army built extensive fortifications and named the site for General Gideon Johnson Pillow of Maury County. It was attacked and held by the Union Army for most of the American Civil War period except immediately after the Battle of Fort Pillow, when it was retaken by the Confederate Army. The battle ended with a massacre of African-American Union troops and their white officers attempting to surrender, by soldiers under the command of Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ "Fort Pillow". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2008.