The Slaughter: An American Atrocity

by Carroll Case

Book Overview

A fact-based, fictional account of the alleged killing of 1,000 African American soldiers in 1943, on a base in southwestern Mississippi, "The Slaughter" is taken from both oral accounts and the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966649907
• ISBN13: 9780966649901
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: First Biltmore Corporation
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

This Story Keeps Moving Along; Answers Deserved

Carroll Case, a Mississippi reporter, partly documented the alleged 1943 mass murder at Camp Van Dorn of over 1,000 African-American soldiers of the 364th Regiment in his book, "The Slaughter." His book is a real page-turner. Even the history surrounding the name of the fort is fascinating. Historically, the base had an interesting start; it was named after Major General Earl Van Dorn , a Confederate Civil War hero who resigned his commission in the United States Army in 1861 offering his services to the Confederacy. Civil War enthusiasts would know that Van Dorn's most renowned battle was routing Union forces at Holly Springs, Mississippi in December 1862, and that he also had a reputation for drinking and womanizing. The general's life ended on May 7, 1863, not on the battlefield, but in his office in Spring Hill, Tennessee, where he was shot by a local doctor for allegedly having an affair with the doctor's wife. A later spin was put on the story, that the physician and his wife may have been Union spies. The real story opened in Louisiana where the 364th originated as the 367th, but trouble began for the black soldiers assigned there, after three of their men were accused of raping a white woman. Thurgood Marshall was involved as an NAACP attorney trying to help the black soldiers, but the 367th was "changed" to the 364th and the soldiers were shipped to Phoenix, and then on to the newly constructed base in Mississippi named after Van Dorn. Meanwhile, so many questions are left unanswered: Why did the Army construct a large lake and earthen dam on Camp Van Dorn property which are isolated from public access but connected by a private road directly to the railroad? Why did the Army tell the NAACP there was no more classified information on the 364th... and yet the NAACP has unearthed at least ten additional boxes of intelligence reports and records marked "TOP SECRET"? The case, obviously, is not closed. Currently, at least one of Mississippi's historians is quietly collecting records for another book they should provide some answers. "The Slaughter," however, is the place to start.

Ugly Chapter of American History Uncovered

"White MPs were called in... armed with machine guns...They shot everything that moved, until nothing did; not one defenseless soldier got away. When the shooting stopped, over 1200 members of the 364th were slaughtered." In December of 1943, over one thousand black soldiers were slaughtered at Camp Van Dorn, located just outside the sleepy southern town of Centreville Mississippi. These enlisted men weren't killed in combat with the enemy, but lined up and mowed down, unarmed, by white soldiers acting on orders from superiors in the US Army. Unbelieveable, isn't it? The first thought I had upon hearing about the incident was that it couldn't possibly be true. So, I got my hands on the book, The Slaughter, written by Carroll Case, a local, white Mississippi journalist who blew the cover off this shocking, long-rumored massacre. And as I examined the proof offered by the author in his carefully-researched text, the shock of recognition set in, even though the truth remains difficult to swallow. Nobody wants to think that a government-sanctioned Holocaust of African-Americans could have occurred during WWII. Or that it was successfully hidden for over 50 years, despite the military's ability to keep so many of its operations an absolute secret. But Mr. Case has pieced together the scenario which led to this unthinkable crime against humanity, relying on a combination of eyewitness accounts and declassified documents unearthed by way of a Freedom of Information Act inquiry. Thus, we learn, for instance, that the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, some five months before the atrocity, filed an affidavit with the Secretary of War on behalf of the 364th Infantry, an all-black regiment. NAACP attorney Milton Konvitz attached to his appeal the emotional letters of several members of the 364th which eloquently but desperately complained about their mistreatment on the basis of race. The book explains that the regiment had specifically been relocated from Phoenix to the Deep South because of insubordination. The black soldiers had repeatedly complained about the unequal treatment of blacks and whites in the armed forces. So, they were shipped to a remote outpost in Mississippi in order to have their rebellious spirit broken by an even more repressive social code. At Camp Van Dorn, however, matters only went from bad to worse as the African-American soldiers still refused to capitulate. And when white officers observed that the surly attitude of these Northern blacks were beginning to infect their obedient Southern brethren, extermination was ordered as the final solution.

Another U.S. intel coverup?

To all readers of this review, think through carefully the following: this is not the first nor the last coverup. Allow the truth to be exposed before denying the incident altogether. If presidential assassinations can be covered up, why can't the deaths of african-american soldiers be covered up. Especially in the 1940's when civil rights was unheard of. Regardless of the validity of Case's argument, this book is a good read. Chocked full of declassified info that should be investigated further.

Courageous Storytelling

The Slaughter is by no means the work of a professional researcher or an academician. The author says so himself. Carroll Case is a businessman who had heard rumors and tales of this horrible massacre all of his life. After a conversation with an employee of his who was an eyewitness to this crime, Case spent thirteen years investigating all aspects of the story and has endured personal tragedy as a result of his curiosity. He is convinced this took place because, among other evidence, he has heard eyewitness accounts. What better affirmation could there be than video tapes of this testimony, regardless of whether the witnesses are alive today? Case brought this incident to light when no other person had the courage to do so. In his preface, he says that to write the book in the form of a novel was necessary because the facts have, to date, not been confirmed. Mr. Case offers the circumstances as he knows them to be true, and offers the rest of the world a chance to decide for themselves. This is a story written by a man passionate about his experiences and passionate about seeing the Army explain to the American people just what did go on in 1943 in Centreville, Mississippi at Camp Van Dorn. In another of my favorite books, The Gold of Exodus, Larry Williams and Bob Cornuke did not come home from Jabal al Lawz with a fortune in gold proving they found the true Mount Sinai. They came home with a conviction and a Best Seller. We don't criticize their adventure story for lack of evidence, nor should we demand that Carroll Case produce the bodies of dead soldiers. The Slaughter was convincing enough for a United States Congressman to demand an inquiry by the Secretary of Defense; something few books in this decade have done. In addition, it raised enough important questions for the NAACP to demand a full accounting from the Secretary of the Army. All within three weeks of the publication date of this book.

Synester,intriguing,rollercoaster of a read.

Pandora's box has been opened and the contents are frightening !Could it be true that the United States Military machine conspired against some of its own soldiers during WWII ? Conspired to such an extent as to exterminate 1200 black soldiers in an attempt to regain control of a documented uprising in the deep south?As told by Carroll Case, The Slaughter, An American Atrocity, is not only believable as fiction but as fact is gut wrenchingly scary.Told in two parts, the first section reveals the facts that Case stumbled on after a happenchance conversation with an eye witness to the proposed massacre. After thirteen years of investigation , Case has uncovered what seems to be a governmental cover-up of monumental proportions.Official military documents as well as personal letters pleading for help, indicate a southern stew ready to boil over. What do you do with 1200 misfits threatening mutiny and spoiling a good war effort ? If Cases conclusion is correct, you eradicate the obstacle and you do so where redneck justice, folklore, fact and fiction all intermingle to blur the line between reality and creative imagination. After all, its 1943, the world is at war, and in the swampy backwoods of Mississippi, no one hears you scream. Not if your property of the U.S.Military. Not if your black.The second part of the book is an intriguing tale of cover-up, murder, greed, and justice, all moving with breakneck speed, keeping this reader spellbound until the last word.Set in Mississippi, the redneck is alive and well, as is "BIG BROTHER" in this current day small town thriller.Amidst the moss covered oaks, eccentric characters from the wealthy to the classless, lurk in the shadows at every corner propelling the reader foward, hanging on everyword.With a plot rich in deception and cover-up, Case has managed to weave fact into believable fiction. The use of eyewitness accounts as well as governmental documents in section one plants a seed of reality so indelible one has trouble separating the two.Undoubtedly this work will rekindle a roaring blaze in the voice of the civil rights activests. Aided by public awareness and desire for the truth, expect intense investigations to soon follow. THIS CAN NOT BE IGNORED.Should this atrocity be proven true, we may all find ourselves questioning our leaders and once again asking...... "at what price does freedom come."