[201], A monument to Forrest in the Confederate Circle section of Old Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, Alabama reads "Defender of Selma, Wizard of the Saddle, Untutored Genius, The first with the most. Nathan Bedford Forrest was a self-taught man who made his fortune as a cotton planter and trader of enslaved people. [82] As the U.S. Army troops surrendered, Forrest's men opened fire, slaughtering black and white U.S. Army soldiers. [132], Forrest reportedly died from acute complications of diabetes at the Memphis home of his brother Jesse on October 29, 1877. Over 100,000 men from Tennessee served with the Confederacy, and over 31,000 served with the U.S. [93] The rebels said the U.S. flag was still flying over the fort, which indicated that the force had not formally surrendered. He attended Georgia Institute of Technology from 1924 to 1934, and was commissioned in the Cavalry from West Point in 1928. . This is the story of the Confederate cavalry leader that Shelby Foote called one of the authentic geniuses produced by the American Civil War. Forrest rarely drank and abstained from tobacco use; he was often described as generally mild-mannered, but according to Hosea and other contemporaries who knew him, his demeanor changed drastically when provoked or angered. [173] On March 31, the Klan struck, killing prominent Republican organizer George Ashburn in Columbus.[173]. In June 1861, he enlisted in the Confederate Army and became one of the few soldiers during the war to enlist as a private and be promoted to general without any prior military training. His declaration had little effect, and few Klansmen destroyed their robes and hoods.[165]. Forrest probably organized a statewide Klan network in Georgia during these visits. Nathan became wealthy in the 1850s as a cotton planter and slave trader: he was based in Memphis, Tennessee but owned land in western Tennessee and northern Mississippi. "War means fighting, and fighting means killing". It is reported that he had killed seven persons with this sword during the war. All of the sidewalks in the park were named after officers who served under himexcept for one, which was named for his war horse King Philip. Nathan Bedford Forrest, fdd 13 juli 1821 i Chapel Hill, Tennessee, dd 29 oktober 1877 i Memphis, Tennessee, var en amerikansk plantagegare och generalljtnant i sydstatsarmn under amerikanska inbrdeskriget. (Memphis, Tenn.) 18471886, July 06, 1875, Image 1", "Ex-Confederates: Meeting of Cavalry Survivor's Association", "Confederate Veterans on Forrest: 'Unworthy of a Southern gentleman', "Council begins process of removing Nathan Bedford Forrest's remains", "Memphis removes Confederate statues from Downtown parks", "Memphis to Jefferson Davis: 'Na na na na, hey, hey, goodbye', "Bust of Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest Is Unveiled", "Arnold Engineering Development Center, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee: An Air Force Materiel Command Test Facility", "Confederate soldiers have their own medal of honor", "Florida High School Keeps KKK Founder's Name", "Confederate general's name removed from Army's road", "Soldier turned down film job to fight, die in Korea", "Forrest Hall: The Evolution of Middle Tennessee's Mascot", "Forrest Hall Name Change Decision Delayed", "Commission denies MTSU's request to change the name of Forrest Hall", "Hank Aaron replaces Confederate general in school name", "May 1, 1863 [No. General Nathan Bedford Forrest Vest Sells For Amazing Price. In 1869, Forrest expressed disillusionment with the lack of discipline in the white supremacist terrorist group across the South,[8] and issued a letter ordering the dissolution of the Ku Klux Klan as well as the destruction of its costumes; he then withdrew from the organization. [109] When Sturgis's Federal army came upon the crossroads, they collided with Forrest's cavalry. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealth as a cotton plantation owner, horse, and cattle trader, real estate broker, and slave trader. For this, he would later be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on March 2, 1865. Forrest sent a full charge after the retreating army and captured 16 artillery pieces, 176 wagons, and 1,500 stands of small arms. The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest by Brian Steel Wills. Consequently, his role at Fort Pillow was a stigmatizing one for him the rest of his life, both professionally and personally,[229][230] and contributed to his business problems after the war. [132] Aiming to right his past wrongs, Forrest encouraged African-Americans to "work, be industrious, live honestly and act truly", as well as declaring that "when you are oppressed, I'll come to your relief". A bust sculpted by Jane Baxendale is on display at the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville. Nathan Bedford Forrest bust at Old Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, Ala. Universal Images Group via Getty By Connor Towne O'Neill July 13, 2020 10:00 AM EDT C onfederate General Nathan Bedford. 1834) Brother: Isaac Forrest (1835-1841) Brother: Jeffrey Forrest (1837-1864) Half Brother: James M. Luxton (1844-1924) Romance. [240][239] The Mississippi NAACP petitioned Governor Haley Barbour to denounce the plates and prevent their distribution. He was particularly famous for his determination to be "first with the most men." He was born in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, on July 13, 1821. As of 2007[update], Tennessee had 32 dedicated historical markers linked to Nathan Bedford Forrest, more than are dedicated to all three former Presidents associated with the state combined: Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. [249][250], As of 2019, Nathan Bedford Forrest Day was still observed in Tennessee, though some Democrats in the state had attempted to change the law, which required Tennessee's governor to sign a proclamation honoring the holiday. Streight's goal changed from dismantling the railroad to escaping the pursuit. We chose General Forrest". [39] A great-grandson, Nathan Bedford Forrest III (19051943), graduated from West Point and rose to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army Air Corps; he was killed during a bombing raid over Nazi Germany in 1943, becoming the first American general to die in combat in the European theater during World War II. Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821 October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. White Americans who made up the KKK hoped to persuade black voters that returning to their pre-war state of bondage was in their best interest. [243] On March 10, 2012, it was vandalized, and the bronze bust of the general disappeared. [45] Forrest posted advertisements to join his regiment, with the slogan, "Let's have some fun and kill some Yankees!". Obelisks in his memory were placed at his birthplace in Chapel Hill, Tennessee and at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park near Camden.[195]. [60][61], The U.S. Army gained military control of Tennessee in 1862 and occupied it for the duration of the war, having taken control of strategic cities and railroads. Parents and Siblings. Streight had orders to cut the Confederate railroad south of Chattanooga, Tennessee to seal off Bragg's supply line and force him to retreat into Georgia. [63][64][65], Not all of Forrest's exploits of individual combat involved enemy troops. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealth as a cotton plantation owner, horse, and cattle trader, real estate broker, and slave trader. [207] In 2008, the Duval County School Board voted 52 against a push to change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High School in Jacksonville. Paramount in his strategy was fast movement, even if it meant pushing his horses at a killing pace, to constantly harass the enemy during raids by disrupting their supply trains and communications with the destruction of railroad tracks and the cutting of telegraph lines, as he wheeled around his opponent's flank. After his cavalry captured a U.S. artillery battery, he broke out of a siege headed by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, rallying nearly 4,000 troops and leading them to escape across the Cumberland River. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years. Gen. James H. Wilson, defeated Forrest at the Battle of Selma on April 2, 1865. [16] William Forrest worked as a blacksmith in Tennessee until 1834, when he moved with his family to Salem, Mississippi. Nathan Bedford Forrest Escape From Fort Donelson Strain DuncansMarketplace (207) $995.00 Nathan Bedford Forrest American Civil War Double Sided Maple Veneer Wooden Christmas Ornament CivilWarChristmas (73) $16.95 FREE shipping Nathan Bedford Forrest Print Poster American Civil War General FroehlichArtStudio (32) $59.99 For other uses, see, Klan prosecution and Congressional testimony (1871), sfn error: no target: CITEREFNewton2014's (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFSelect_CommitteePolandScott1872 (, church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, List of American Civil War generals (Confederate), Nathan Bedford Forrest bust in the Tennessee General Assembly building, Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials, "Tennessee to remove bust of Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest from state Capitol", "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Nathan Bedford Forrest Boyhood Home", "Lieutenant-General N. B. Forrest and His Campaigns", "Civil War Myths, Mistakes and Fabrications", "The Fort Pillow Massacre. The following scene satirically depicts Hanks as Forrest in a Ku Klux Klan outfit, donning a hood and being superimposed into Klan footage from The Birth of a Nation. "[146] Forrest was the Klan's first and only Grand Wizard, and he was active in recruitment for the Klan from 1867 to 1868. [218] U.S. Army General William Tecumseh Sherman called him "that devil Forrest" in wartime communications with Ulysses S. Grant and considered him "the most remarkable man our civil war produced on either side".[219][220][4]. Amazon affiliate links: We may earn a small commission from purchases made from Amazon.com . [143] James R. Crowe stated, "After the order grew to large numbers we found it necessary to have someone of large experience to command. Perhaps the most highly regarded cavalry and partisan ( guerrilla) leader in the war, Forrest is regarded by many military historians as that conflict's most innovative and successful general. Although he could not change the course for the confederate loss to the union, he did . Nathan Bedford Forrest's critics have called him everything from a violent backwoodsman, illiterate redneck, and cruel slaver, to a crooked politician, unfaithful husband, and simple-minded hillbilly. The Tennessee Historical Commission denied removal on October 21, 2016, under the authority granted it by the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2013, which prevents cities and counties from relocating, removing, renaming, or otherwise disturbing without permission war memorials on public property. Tom Hanks' title character in the film Forrest Gump remarks in one scene that his mother named him after Nathan Bedford Forrest and "we was related to him in some way". By then, all were fully armed with captured U.S. Army weapons. When was Nathan born?, Where was Nathan born?, How many room were in Nathan's first house?, How many siblings did Nathan have? Nathan Bedford Forrest (13 July 1821 - 29 October 1877) was a Lieutenant-General of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and the founder of the Ku Klux Klan terrorist group. [173] The Klan's violent tactics backfired, as Grant, whose slogan was "Let us have peace", won the election and Republicans gained a majority in Congress. A Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan 'Grand Wizard' has been exhumed and moved from a park where a statue of him once stood in Memphis, Tennessee. In what would be known as the Third Battle of Murfreesboro, a portion of Forrest's command broke and ran. 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