On April 12th, 1864, at a little insignificant fort, several hundred black union soldiers fought a hopeless battle against a Confederate general who was destined to become the first grand wizard of the KKK. This battle had a domino effect, trickling down the long road of history. Today, it is just a footnote in most history books; However, no other event of the civil war has such a profound impact on the twentieth century, especially on the American culture and our way of thinking.
-excerpt from the documentary

In the latter part of the Civil War, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked Fort Pillow with 1,500 troops. At that time, the fort was defended by 550 Union soldiers, half of which were Black. After gaining the advantage, Forrest demanded total surrender. The Unionists refused and the ensuing Confederate assault resulted in very heavy Federal casualties, especially among the brave, yet fated, African-American soldiers. The explosive controversy whether it was a massacre continues to this day.

Director Stan Armstrong effectively uses footage of the historic fort, battle scenes with Civil War re-enactors and mixes in a number of expert interviews to make an very informative documentary of this little known, yet significant event in American history.