Plymouth Massacre
Edward Boots, descendant of QM Sgt Edward N. Boots, 101st PA Infantry
I have researched the Battle of Plymouth and its participants since 1993. Besides studying the battle, the vast majority of my research is in regards to the individual Union soldiers, sailors and civilians involved. It's been my passion and mission for over 30 years to ensure they are not forgotten. I care deeply about each and every one as though they were family. I have put forth my best effort to identify every individual involved in the battle and have had a lot of help along the way from fellow researchers. I designed the Battle of Plymouth Monument that depicts important components of the battle and includes the U.S. Colored Troops.
I researched the Plymouth Massacre in the past but never felt that I was educated enough to talk intelligently on the subject. I shied away from answering questions because I knew I did not have a full understanding as to what happened. I have been researching these men for many years, but I renewed my interest in researching the various reports of a massacre. The main purpose of my research was to educate myself, with no original plan to publish my findings. I did not set out to prove or disprove the massacre but have approached the subject with an open mind and only to seek the truth.
Finding the truth regarding the reported massacre is challenging, frustrating and difficult. If you only look at a few sources, it is easy to either prove or disprove that there was a massacre. However, when you look at the evidence as a whole it becomes more of a challenge.
One thing that I feel is missing in the discussion is the bravery of the African Americans at Plymouth. These men, some free and some escaped slaves, were willing to put their lives at stake in fighting for a cause they believed in. It's hard to imagine what they were going through. I'm sure the bounty money for enlisting and a steady paycheck was an incentive to enlist and another benefit was the fact that they would not stay in Eastern NC. As soon as possible after enlisting, they were being sent to Virginia, far away from the plantations from which they had escaped. Above and beyond these incentives, they were fighting for the freedom of their people and were willing to die for it. I think of Alec Johnson, an African American Waiter to the Officers of Co. C, 85th NY Infantry. It is said that he “refused to surrender, and fell fighting on his own account, pierced with bullets.” He died not as a victim but as a hero. I'm sure that many soldiers were of a similar mindset. On April 19th, Gen. Wessells reportedly suggested that they leave while they could. Many left, but others chose to stay and fight knowing that they could be killed or returned to slavery. In the heat of battle, why would they surrender? When things became desperate on April 20th, Lieut. French of the 2nd U.S. Colored Cavalry told his men to escape if they were able. He, himself, changed his identity so as not to be captured as a white officer of Colored Troops. It's doubtful that the African Americans engaged in the battle would simply surrender unless there was no other option.
Massacre at Plymouth by Weymouth Jordan, Jr. and Gerald W. Thomas, that appeared in the North Carolina Historical Review, Vol. 72, No. 2, April 1995, is the most thorough published research on the subject to date. When I first read "Massacre at Plymouth" in 1995, I came away with the feeling that no matter whether you believed or disbelieved that a massacre occurred, there was enough information in there to prove your case. It contains so much information that it is a challenge for researchers, much less the casual reader, to comprehend the overall picture.
I have uncovered more details that weren’t included in their work. For instance, the 10th USCT were recruiting at Plymouth, but are not mentioned in their research and are rarely mentioned in any history of the battle. I continue to research that regiment and am anxiously waiting on more pension files to arrive. My research into the reported massacre is far from over.
Despite their in-depth research, "Massacre at Plymouth" is filled with such words as possibly, presumably, may have, etc. There is good reason for that. The authors admit, in their opening paragraphs, that historians differ as to their understanding of what actually happened. That is certainly understandable since there is very little actual proof on either side and there are accounts that are obviously exaggerated. I will add references from their work and will identify them by using the term “Massacre at Plymouth.”
It is important to note that most of the references to a massacre at Plymouth include the “Buffaloes,” which was a term used to describe Southerners who had enlisted in the Union army. The term "Buffalo Soldiers" came later and denoted African American cavalry soldiers. The Buffaloes would include the 2nd NC Union Volunteers garrisoned at Plymouth. Like the USCT, the "Loyal" North Carolina troops bravely chose country over state and had a lot to lose by surrendering; especially those that had deserted from the Confederate Army. They knew, if captured, that they could be put to death.
It must also be clear, that no logical discussion of the Plymouth massacre can be had without reference to the Fort Pillow Massacre in Tennessee which occurred April 12th, 1864. I feel it certainly could have had an effect on what happened at Plymouth. It’s a fact that the Federal Government never classified what happened at Plymouth as a massacre such as they did with Fort Pillow. The Fort Pillow Massacre was investigated by the Joint Committee on the Conduct of War and they published a book of their findings, of which I have an original 1864 copy. There is a large number of sworn testimony regarding Fort Pillow, but there is no record of their investigation into the so-called massacre at Plymouth.
The Federal government was certainly aware of the massacre rumors at Plymouth. According to Attorney General Edward Bates’ diary entry of April 26, he met with Lincoln’s cabinet and states, “At cabinet today, I find that this horrid story is not believed.” Congress most certainly would have wanted to add Plymouth to the butchery that happened at Fort Pillow to further prove their case as to the “barbarity” of the Confederates as a whole. The investigation into Fort Pillow was very detailed. I wish Congress, the U.S. Army, or someone of authority had published their investigation into Plymouth so that there would be little question today as to exactly what happened.
“Massacre at Plymouth” states that the Fort Pillow Massacre “was a matter of common knowledge in North Carolina, and could have provided a model for Confederates of comparable inclinations.” If it is true that the Confederates were aware of the Northern sentiment after Fort Pillow, I believe it could have actually had the opposite effect. There was huge public and political outcry, even from President Lincoln, concerning the Fort Pillow Massacre. It was covered in most of the Northern papers and there were immediate discussions of retaliation as the news began to spread quickly across the country. Due to this outcry, I believe that the Confederates may have actually scaled back in regards to the treatment of African Americans, despite comments that were made months or even weeks prior to the battle. I also believe the reports of what happened at Fort Pillow caused the USCT and their white officers to be concerned for their lives resulting in the mass exodus of USCTs from Plymouth, the attempts to escape after capture, and the individuals who chose to fight to the death instead of surrender.
Rev. Horace James was Superintendent of Negro Affairs in NC and was stationed at New Bern. He would have certainly interviewed the escapees who ended up there, and some of the information from his June 1864 report may have actually come from newspaper accounts. He doesn’t mention a massacre or even murder but does say that the “few” USCT soldiers found in uniform and government employees “were treated with shocking barbarity.” I wish he would have elaborated more.
It is important to note that neither the Federal Government, the Union army, Superintendent of Negro Affairs nor Gen. Wessells ever classified what happened at Plymouth as a “massacre.” The only time the term massacre is mentioned is in the newspapers and from a handful of soldiers. Although there is no way of determining how many witnessed the reported atrocities, there were close to 3,000 Union troops at Plymouth, and quite a number of escaped USCT, and the fact that only a handful of personal accounts were ever made is telling. There are far more accounts from survivors who don't even mention atrocities and official reports of the battle also do not mention any atrocities.
As the war drug on into 1864, Northern sentiment against the war grew. It was a re-election year for President Lincoln, and Congress most certainly would have wanted to add Plymouth to the butchery that happened at Fort Pillow to increase Northern sentiment towards continuing the war.
Northern newspapers were combining Pillow and Plymouth together, but what happened at each place was very different. It furthered the cause of increasing Northern sentiment against the Confederacy. However, due to lack of verification, the rumors of a massacre at Plymouth began to disappear from the newspapers within a month after the battle.
There is clear evidence that reports were exaggerated by some individuals and exploited for political purposes by the press. Despite not knowing who the victims are or why they were killed, I do believe there were atrocities committed by individual Confederates. However, the evidence shows that a “no quarter” command was never given by the officers as is evident by the number of survivors and their treatment.
For further study see the following links:
Timeline leading up to the Battle of Plymouth
Positively identified numbers of African Americans at the Battle of Plymouth
Confirmed African American Casualties
Confirmed 2nd NC Loyal Troop (Buffaloes) Casualties
African Americans in White Regiments