[80] Booth and his adjutant were killed in the battle, leaving Fort Pillow under the command of Major William Bradford. For Selma, of all places, to have a big monument to a Klansman is totally unacceptable". Instead, he noted that the state legislature would not likely approve the plate anyway. [122] A week later, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant in Virginia. [16] William Forrest worked as a blacksmith in Tennessee until 1834, when he moved with his family to Salem, Mississippi. [31] He was known as a tireless rider in the saddle and a skilled swordsman. [141][142] Brian Steel Wills quotes two KKK members who identified Forrest as a Klan leader. [175] The committee also noted, "The natural tendency of all such organizations is to violence and crime; hence it was that General Forrest and other men of influence in the state, by the exercise of their moral power, induced them to disband". Forrest continued to lead his men in small-scale operations, including the Battle of Dover and the Battle of Brentwood until April 1863. Morton. Forrest, who was a Freemason,[7] joined the Ku Klux Klan in 1867 (two years after its founding) and was elected its first Grand Wizard. [203] The bust of Forrest was stolen from the cemetery monument in March 2012 and replaced in May 2015. His eulogy was delivered by his recent spiritual mentor, former Confederate chaplain George Tucker Stainback, who declared in his eulogy: "Lieutenant-General Nathan Bedford.. 05 Feb 2023 19:31:11 After success in achieving the objectives specified by Hood, Forrest engaged U.S. forces near Murfreesboro on December 5, 1864. A successful cavalry commander during the Civil War noted for his tactics of mobile warfare,. When he expressed his opinion to one of General Forrest's granddaughters, she replied after a pause, "You know, we never thought much of Mr. Lincoln in my family". "[167] Former Governor of New York Horatio Seymour was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate, while Forrest's friend, Frank Blair, Jr. was nominated as the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Seymour's running mate. The school unveiled its latest mascot, a winged horse named "Lightning" inspired by the mythological Pegasus, during halftime of a basketball game against rival Tennessee State University on January 17, 1998. Army. 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. Hicks refused to comply with the ultimatum, and according to his subsequent report, Forrest's troops took a position and set up a battery of guns while a flag of truce was still up. He used his cavalry troops as mounted infantry and often deployed artillery as the lead in battle, thus helping to "revolutionize cavalry tactics",[3] although the Confederate high command is seen by some commentators to have underappreciated his talents. [15] John Allan Wyeth, who served in an Alabama regiment under Forrest, described it as a one-room building with a loft and no windows. Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, who is black, blocked the move. Sherman, who had recognized how formidable an opponent Forrest was in battle during the Civil War, replied after the crisis settled down. I do not hate it; I am opposing now only the radical revolutionists who are trying to destroy it. He served as the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, a secret vigilante organization which launched a reign of . 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. [227] Forrest's claim that the Fort Pillow massacre was an invention of U.S. reporters is contradicted by letters written by Confederate soldiers to their own families, which described extreme brutality on the part of Confederate troops. In the ensuing raids, he was pursued by thousands of U.S. soldiers trying to locate his fast-moving forces. Although the KKK appears in several fictions (for example, Absalom! [184][185], Just a few months before his death, Forrest attended an African-American barbecue in Memphis. [94] These statements were contradicted by U.S. Army survivors and by the letter of a Confederate soldier who graphically recounted a massacre. Born into a poor settler family, Nathan had a twin sister, Fanny. . His declaration had little effect, and few Klansmen destroyed their robes and hoods.[165]. [50], A few days after the Confederate surrender of Fort Donelson, with the fall of Nashville to U.S. forces imminent, Forrest took command of the city. Gene Kizer, Jr. You can be good citizens. [182][183] The Macon Weekly Telegraph newspaper also condemned Forrest for his speech, describing the event as "the recent disgusting exhibition of himself at the negro jamboree" and quoting part of a Charlotte Observer article, which read "We have infinitely more respect for Longstreet, who fraternizes with negro men on public occasions, with the pay for the treason to his race in his pocket, than with Forrest and [General] Pillow, who equalize with the negro women, with only 'futures' in payment". [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. Blood, human blood stood about in pools and brains could have been gathered up in any quantity. [62] Forrest chased Streight's men for 16 days, harassing them all the way. Congressman, RI: Biographies of the Civil War: 1: Apr 19, 2021: Committee Recommends Statue of Nathan Forrest Be Placed in Museum, Not in Public: Concerns About Civil War Monuments and Sites . The bodies of General Nathan Bedford Forrest . [189] In 1904, the remains of Forrest and his wife Mary were disinterred from Elmwood and moved to a Memphis city park that was originally named Forrest Park in his honor but has since been renamed Health Sciences Park. Nathan Bedford Forrest statue.jpg 2,048 1,536; 1.03 MB. Professions. Nathan Bedford Forrest High Resolution Photograph.jpg 861 1,385; 551 KB. Colonel Stephen G. Hicks: "if I have to storm your works, you may expect no quarter." [46] Forrest's command included his Escort Company (his "Special Forces"), for which he selected the best soldiers available. 29.--Gen. [221] He grasped the doctrines of mobile warfare[222] that would eventually become prevalent in the 20th century. In honor of Gen. Forrest's unwavering defense of Selma, the great state of Alabama, and the Confederacy, this memorial is dedicated. Grant . Legislative Branch-Dixon, Nathan Fellows II - U.S. [57] Again, Bragg ordered a series of raids to disrupt the communications of the U.S. Army forces under Grant, which were threatening the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. He emptied his Colt Army revolvers into the swirling mass of U.S. Army soldiers and pulled out his saber, hacking, and slashing. 1825 Pilot Knob Road. Beliefs/Organizations. 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. Nathan Bedford Forrest In The Civil War Forrest volunteered as a private in the Confederate Army on June 14, 1861, but at the request of Tennessee's governor, Isham G. Harris, he raised and equipped an entire cavalry battalion at his own expense; the former private was made a lieutenant colonel. One month later, while serving under General Stephen D. Lee, Forrest experienced tactical defeat at the Battle of Tupelo in 1864. [176] George Cantor, a biographer of Confederate generals, wrote, "Forrest ducked and weaved, denying all knowledge, but admitted he knew some of the people involved. As soon as they received the U.S. reply, they moved forward at the command of a junior officer, and the U.S. forces opened fire. -- Nathan Bedford Forrest #Military #Firsts "I have never on the field of battle sent you where I was unwilling to go myself, nor would I now advise you to a course which I felt myself unwilling to pursue. Not realizing that the rest of his men had halted their charge when they reached the full U.S. brigade, Forrest charged the brigade alone and soon found himself surrounded. [174] The popular vote was much closer: Grant received 3,013,365 (52.7%) votes, while Seymour received 2,708,744 (47.3%) votes. Death of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Brother at the Battle of Okolona February 23, 2022 Map of Okolona Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program. A surgeon removed the musket ball a week later without anesthesia, which was unavailable. Report of the Committee on the Conduct of the War. [228] According to this analysis, Forrest's troops were carrying out Confederate policy. He attended Georgia Institute of Technology from 1924 to 1934, and was commissioned in the Cavalry from West Point in 1928. . [255] Sexton said that he believed the removal of the bust "aligns with the teaching of communism. Eva, TN 38333. [168] The SeymourBlair Democratic ticket's campaign slogan was: "Our Ticket, Our Motto, This Is a White Man's Country; Let White Men Rule". He married Mary Frances Bassler on 19 November 1930, in Cook, Illinois, United States. [48][49] Forrest distinguished himself further at the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862. [112] Concerned about U.S. Army supply lines, Maj. Gen. Sherman sent a force under the command of Maj. Gen. Andrew J. Smith to deal with Forrest. The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest by Brian Steel Wills. Lieutenant Andrew Wills Gould, an artillery officer in Forrest's command, was being transferred, presumably because cannons under his command[66] were spiked (disabled) by the enemy[67] during the Battle of Day's Gap. He married Mary Ann Montgomery on 25 September 1845, in Hernando, DeSoto, Mississippi, United States. Nathan Bedford Forrest Quotes. "Preserve untarnished the reputation you have so nobly won". Nathan Bedford Forrest. Bragg failed to do so, upon which Forrest was quoted as saying, "What does he fight battles for? Forrest died of acute complications from diabetes at the Memphis home of his brother, Jesse. This unit, which varied in size from 40 to 90 men, constituted the elite of his cavalry. [248] Brett Joseph Forrest, a direct descendant of Nathan, spoke in support of the bust's removal. Words cannot describe the scene. His books include Nathan Bedford Forrest: A Biography , Men of Fire: Grant, Forrest, and the Campaign That Decided the Civil War, and Born to Battle: Grant and ForrestShiloh, Vicksburg, and. I loved the old Constitution yet. Afterwards, he admitted to 'gentlemanly lies'. Forrest became well known for his early use of maneuver tactics as applied to a mobile horse cavalry deployment. [109] When Sturgis's Federal army came upon the crossroads, they collided with Forrest's cavalry. Many in the United States, including President Grant, backed the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, which gave voting rights to Americans regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". Nathan Bedford Forrest died in Memphis, Tennessee on October 29, 1877. [4] While scholars generally acknowledge Forrest's skills and acumen as a cavalry leader and military strategist, he is a controversial figure in U.S. history for his role in the massacre of several hundred U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Pillow, a majority of them black, coupled with his role following the war as a leader of the Klan. The Fourteenth addressed citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws for formerly enslaved people, while the Fifteenth specifically secured the voting rights of black men. [197] It is now the site of the Arnold Engineering Development Center. [63][64][65], Not all of Forrest's exploits of individual combat involved enemy troops. Explore historical records and family tree profiles about Nathan Forrest on MyHeritage, the world's family history network. Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest was a skilled Confederate cavalry leader during the Civil War who served in the west and was a master of mobile warfare. In July 2021, Tennessee officials voted to move Forrest's bust from the State Capitol to the Tennessee State Museum. [82][83][84] According to historians John Cimprich and Bruce Tap, although their numbers were roughly equal, two-thirds of the black U.S. Army soldiers were killed, while only a third of the whites were killed. The effort was spearheaded by Take 'Em Down 901, an organization dedicated to removing Confederate iconography founded by activist Tami Sawyer. 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. But there is more to the story than that. 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