iers as prisoners of war. I have in my possession about 35 to 40 Federal soldiers who were captured here yesterday, and about 500 who were captured at Union City. I propose to exchange man for man, according to rank, so far as you my hold Confederate Soldiers. Hicks quickly replied to Forrest: “ I have no power to make the exchange. If I had, I would most cheerfully do it.” In reading this, Forrest continued to Mayfield. He and his men camped at George Schmidts farm which was located about halfway between Paducah and Mayfield. Forrest tied his horse to a black oak tree in the front yard. The scene is described as follows: The “Death Wagon” was parked under a small tree to the right of the front entrance, and the groans heard throughout the nigh – faint calls for help like those of the dauntless defenders and fearless assailants who after the Battle of Waterloo and while yet alive found a common grave in the well at the Chateau of Hougoumont. Upon getting back to Mayfield, Forrest fulfilled his promise of a personal leave for his troops. He allowed his men from West Kentucky to go home for a few days with orders to meet again in Trenton, Tennessee. Not a single man deserted.An underlying factor of this battle was definitely the African American troops that fought for the Union cause. The African American troops made up over one third of the fort’s defenders. One historian speculates, “that if Kentucky Confederates had captured the fort” they would have massacred the black soldiers as they did in the Fort Pillow incident. John Robertson said, “A second purpose of Forrest’s raid was to deliberately make an example of areas that were recruiting blacks.” In Hicks’ summary of the battle he states “I have been one of those men who never had much confidence in colored troops fighting, but those doubts are now all removed, for they fought as bravely...
