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Col. Hurst in the Official Record of the War:

March 29,1864 - Col. Hurst complaining out Forrest atrocities.

• White’s Station, May 29, 1864

Brig. Gen. B.H. Grierson,
Memphis, Tenn.

Dear Sir:  Allow me to trouble you with some facts of great interest to me and my friends, and to which I desire to call your serious attention:  Within the last two weeks and since I had a conversation with you  a band of rebels, calling themselves Forrest’s men, have arrested and carried from their homes four of our best, most peaceable, and quiet citizens, and brutally murdered them in cold blood without the slightest provocation-Mr. B.A. Crawford, age fifty years, and William Bowlin, age fifty-five years of Weakley County, Tenn.; John C. Huddleston, age fifty-two years, and William Hurst, age eighteen years, the latter of McNairy County, Tenn.  These victims of this murderous band were the friends and relatives of the families of soldiers now in the U.S. service, who were at home endeavoring, by labor and economy, to make a support for and, to some extent, alleviate the distressed condition of the wives and children, widows and orphans of Union soldiers.  I have presented these cases as mere specimens of the various outrages to which loyal men and their wives and children are daily subject; and to ask of you, in the name of our friends, and in the name of the blood of our murdered relatives, in the name of honor and patriotism, and, lastly in the name of high Heaven, to assist us in giving our friends and country some aid, some assistance to protect and save life and the shedding of innocent and defenseless blood by thieves and murderers.  The plan that I would suggest and ask for your adoption is to remove my regiment to some point on the Tennessee River where they can obtain their supplies from Paducah and give us authority to arrest the fathers, brothers, and sons of these murderers, and hold them in prison as hostages for the safety of and good treatment of our citizen friends.  We think this may be done without injury to the service.  We know we cannot bring to life our murdered friends, but we hope in this to prevent a repetition of such crimes upon friends as dear to us and whose veins are filled with blood from the fountains of our own hearts.  Since writing the above a friend has laid on my table an account of three more horrible murders in Gibson County, one a very old man, under the following circumstances:  A party of Forrest’s men went to the residence of Francis Crawford, who, from age and infirmity, was unable to walk; they said to the old man they understood he was a damned old Union, and he must go with the to Forrest’s headquarters.  They then placed him on a wagon and started off.  After they were gone some half hour some of the party returned and informed the lady that if she would give them $200 they would release her husband.  The old lady set about and by borrowing raised the sum demanded, which they pocketed, the cursed and abused her; said they had her money and would kill the damned old tory besides.  In about three days after the body of the old man was found dead and horribly mangled near his home.  This old man has two sons in my regiment.   I love my country and am too proud of her flag to ever disgrace it by that mode of warfare that Tennesseans must and will adopt if such outrages are not suppressed.  Hoping you will give this your serious attention and le us hear from you soon.

I remain, your obedient servant,
Fielding Hurst
Colonel Sixth Tennessee Cavalry

Filed under: Civil War, Civil War in Tennessee, B.H. Grierson, Guerilla Warfare, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Official Record, Col. Fielding Hurst