Bill Lee Signs Nathan Bedford Forrest Day Proclamation, Is Not Considering Law Change", "Tennessee Governor Slammed Online for Signing Confederate General Proclamation", "Tennessee Gov. [200] A Tennessee-based organization, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, posthumously awarded Forrest their Confederate Medal of Honor, created in 1977. [93] The rebels said the U.S. flag was still flying over the fort, which indicated that the force had not formally surrendered. Their great-grandfather, Shadrach Forrest, moved between 1730 and 1740 from Virginia to North Carolina, where his son and grandson were born; they moved to Tennessee in 1806. Nathan Bedford Forrest was certainly an extraordinary man, a Herculean hero of the American wilderness who has blotted his copybook amongst the politically correct because of allegations stemming from his capture of Fort Pillow and his part in the original Ku Klux Klan. His declaration had little effect, and few Klansmen destroyed their robes and hoods.[165]. Hood ordered Forrest to conduct an independent raid against the Murfreesboro garrison. Gen. James Chalmers, attacked and recaptured Fort Pillow. 1887-1961. [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. Forrest probably organized a statewide Klan network in Georgia during these visits. [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. [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. [115] During Hood's Tennessee Campaign, he fought alongside General John Bell Hood, the newest commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, in the Second Battle of Franklin on November 30. Tucker. By then, all were fully armed with captured U.S. Army weapons. [243] On March 10, 2012, it was vandalized, and the bronze bust of the general disappeared. [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. [100], At the time of the massacre, General Grant was no longer in Tennessee but had transferred to the east to command all U.S. troops. [190], On July 7, 2015, the Memphis City Council unanimously voted to remove the statue of Forrest from Health Sciences Park, and to return the remains of Forrest and his wife to Elmwood Cemetery. [13][17] William died in 1837 and Forrest became the primary caretaker of the family at age 16. Services were held at Court Avenue Presbyterian Church in Memphis before he was buried at Elmwood Cemetery. [235], In the 1990 PBS documentary The Civil War by Ken Burns, historian Shelby Foote states in Episode 7 that the Civil War produced two "authentic geniuses": Abraham Lincoln and Nathan Bedford Forrest. [69] Forrest was thought to have been fatally wounded by Gould, but he recovered and was ready to fight in the Chickamauga Campaign. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, but in 1904 his remains were interred in Memphis's Forrest Park. [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. Parents and Siblings. 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. "[123], As a former enslaver, Forrest experienced the abolition of slavery at the war's end as a major financial setback. [80] By 3:30 pm, Forrest had concluded that the U.S. troops could not hold the fort; thus, he ordered a flag of truce raised and demanded that the fort be surrendered. They were later reburied in Columbia, Tennessee. RebelForrest.com | "Rebel Forrest" is a one-hour documentary on Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877) and has been presented at film festivals in Knoxville. Report of the Committee on the Conduct of the War. [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. [13] His blacksmith father was of English descent, and most of his biographers state that his mother was of Scotch-Irish descent, but the Memphis Genealogical Society says that she was of English descent. [62] Forrest chased Streight's men for 16 days, harassing them all the way. In Georgia, blacks and Republicans also faced a lot of violence. He acquired several cotton plantations in the Delta region of West Tennessee,[13] and became a slave trader at a time when demand for enslaved people was booming in the Deep South; his slave-trading business was based on Adams Street in Memphis. Nathan Bedford Forrest Born: 13-Jul - 1821 Birthplace: Chapel Hill, TN Died: 29-Oct - 1877 Location of death: Memphis, TN Cause of death: Diabetes complications Remains: Buried, Forrest Park, Memphis, TN Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Military Nationality: United States [122] A week later, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant in Virginia. The plans triggered outrage, and around 20 protesters attempted to block the construction of the new monument by lying in the path of a concrete truck. Forrest became involved sometime in late 1866 or early 1867. There, with the labor of over a hundred prison convicts, he grew corn, potatoes, vegetables, and cotton profitably, but his health steadily declined. Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal/USA Today Network CNN Crews have started to. [37] They had two children, William Montgomery Bedford Forrest (18461908), who enlisted at the age of 15 and served alongside his father in the war, and a daughter, Fanny (18491854), who died in childhood. You have been good soldiers. [14] He and his twin sister, Fanny, were the two eldest of 12 children. Avoiding attack by never staying in one place long, Forrest eventually led his troops during the spring and summer of 1864 on raids into west Tennessee, as far north as the banks of the Ohio River in southwest Kentucky and into north Mississippi. All available carts and wagons were pressed into service to haul six hundred boxes of army clothing, 250,000 pounds of bacon, and forty wagon-loads of ammunition to the railroad depots, to be sent off to Chattanooga and Decatur. Amazon affiliate links: We may earn a small commission from purchases made from Amazon.com . Nathan Bedford Forrest. Cassidy. [212] Leaders in other localities have also tried to remove or eliminate Forrest monuments, with mixed success. [13] Forrest's family lived in a log house (now preserved as the Nathan Bedford Forrest Boyhood Home) from 1830 to 1833. [239], A 2011 Mississippi license plate proposal to honor him by the Sons of Confederate Veterans revived tensions and raised objections from Mississippi NAACP chapter president Derrick Johnson, who compared Forrest to Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. [213] The ROTC building at MTSU had been named Forrest Hall to honor him in 1958, but the frieze depicting General Forrest on horseback that had adorned the side of the building was removed amid protests in 2006. [193][194], Many memorials have been erected to Forrest, especially in Tennessee and adjacent southern states. [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. 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". [9] In the last years of his life, Forrest insisted he had never been a member,[10] and made public calls for black advancement. Forrest's legacy as "one of the most controversialand popularicons of the war" still draws heated public debate. 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. [117] He eventually attempted, but it was too late. A surgeon removed the musket ball a week later without anesthesia, which was unavailable. Pelican Publishing, Feb 28, 2007 - History - 560 pages. But there is more to the story than that. Laying down the body, Forrest spread his handkerchief over his dead brother's face and, calling on a member of his escort to remain with the corpse, he mounted his horse and said to those who were present: "Follow me.". [241] Barbour refused to denounce the honor. At this, his last public appearance, he made what The New York Times described as a "friendly speech"[178][179] during which, when offered a bouquet by a young black woman, he accepted them,[180] thanked her and kissed her on the cheek. [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, 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. Streight's goal changed from dismantling the railroad to escaping the pursuit. 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. The association voted unanimously to amend its constitution to expressly forbid publicly advocating for or hinting at any association of white women and girls as being in the same classes as "females of the negro race". 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. [40], After the Civil War broke out, Forrest returned to Tennessee from his Mississippi ventures and enlisted in the Confederate States Army (CSA) on June 14, 1861. A successful cavalry commander during the Civil War noted for his tactics of mobile warfare,. In the ensuing raids, he was pursued by thousands of U.S. soldiers trying to locate his fast-moving forces. 100. Tennessee officials voted Thursday to remove the bust of a Ku Klux Klan and Confederate leader Nathan Bedford Forrest from the State Capitol and into the Tennessee State Museum. 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 2013, Forrest Park in Memphis was renamed the Health Sciences Park amid substantial controversy. Subsequently, then-Mayor A C Wharton urged that the statue of Forrest be removed from the Health Sciences Park and suggested that the remains of Forrest and his wife be relocated to their original burial site in nearby Elmwood Cemetery. 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 [58][59], Forrest returned to his base in Mississippi with more men than he had started with. Nathan Bedford Forrest was born on July 13, 1821 in rural Chapel Hill, Tennessee. Meskipun para cendekiawan umumnya mengakui kemampuan Forrest dan keterampilannya sebagai pemimpin kavaleri dan pakar strategi militer, ia masih menjadi figur kontroversial dalam sejarah rasial, khususnya karena . At once "a soft-spoken gentleman of marked placidity and an overbearing bully of homicidal wrath," Forrest is best remembered for the combination of brilliant military leadership and flamboyant bravery that drove his Confederate cavalry troops from victory to victory on the . I heard him make a speech in one of our Dens". Explore historical records and family tree profiles about Nathan Forrest on MyHeritage, the world's family history network. High schools named for Forrest were built in Chapel Hill, Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida. Nathan Bedford Forrest. 1834) Brother: Isaac Forrest (1835-1841) Brother: Jeffrey Forrest (1837-1864) Half Brother: James M. Luxton (1844-1924) Romance. Blood, human blood stood about in pools and brains could have been gathered up in any quantity. Nathan Bedford Forrest Quotes. [188], Forrest was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis. [198] The Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue in Nashville was particularly notable for its idiosyncratic depiction of Forrest on horseback. He denied membership, but his role in the KKK was beyond the scope of the investigating committee, which wrote: "Our design is not to connect General Forrest with this order (the reader may form his own conclusion upon this question)". The aphorism was addressed and corrected as "Ma'am, I got there first with the most men" by a New York Times story in 1918. At the onset of the war in 1861, Jeffery and Nathan each enlisted as a Private into Captain Josiah White's Tennessee Mounted Rifles, a command that would later be designated the 7th Tennessee Cavalry. Forrest's responsibility for the massacre continues to be actively debated by historians.[6]. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealth as a cotton plantation owner, horse, and cattle trader, real estate broker, and slave trader. CSA 18211877, one of the South's finest heroes. Our Confederate Ancestors: Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and His Men in Action. The Confederate army dispatched him with a small force into the backcountry of northern Alabama and western Georgia to defend against an attack of 3,000 U.S. Army cavalrymen commanded by Colonel Abel Streight. The white men fared but little better. [11], Nathan Bedford Forrest was born on July 13, 1821, to a poor settler family in a secluded frontier cabin near Chapel Hill hamlet, then part of Bedford County, Tennessee, but now encompassed in Marshall County. [147][148][149][150][151][152][153], Following the war, the United States Congress began passing the Reconstruction Acts to specify conditions for the readmission of former Confederate States to the United States,[154][155][156] including ratification of the Fourteenth (1868), and Fifteenth (1870) Amendments to the United States Constitution. [159], In an 1868 interview by a Cincinnati newspaper, Forrest claimed that the Klan had 40,000 members in Tennessee and 550,000 total members throughout the Southern United States. Grant . Now often recast as "Getting there firstest with the mostest",[224] this misquote first appeared in a New York Tribune article written to provide colorful comments in reaction to European interest in Civil War generals. In August 2000, a road on Fort Bliss named for Forrest decades earlier was renamed for former post commander Richard T. 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. When he received news of Lee's surrender, Forrest surrendered as well. 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. Bill Lee will no longer proclaim Nathan Bedford Forrest Day after legislature passes bill", "Memphis is digging up the remains of a Confederate general who led the early KKK", "Exclusive: Were General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife buried in Munford? Nathan Bedford Forrest. and The Mansion ), none of the eleven fictions that mention . [47], Forrest won praise for his performance under fire during an early victory in the Battle of Sacramento in Kentucky, the first in which he commanded troops in the field, where he routed a U.S. Army force by personally leading a cavalry charge that Brigadier General Charles Clark later commended. To Forrest, especially in Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida a week later without anesthesia which! Trying to locate his fast-moving forces, were the two eldest of 12 children of the eleven fictions mention., human blood stood about in pools and brains could have been to. Stood about in pools and brains could have been gathered up in any quantity 2012, it too... Soldiers trying to locate his fast-moving forces Forrest to conduct an independent raid against the garrison... Ancestors: gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his twin sister, Fanny, were the two eldest 12! When he received news of Lee 's surrender, Forrest was buried at Elmwood Cemetery and family tree profiles Nathan... 198 ] the Nathan Bedford Forrest was born on July 13, in! Forrest and his men in Action and hoods. [ 165 ] Klan network in Georgia blacks. The two eldest of 12 children Klan network in Georgia, blacks and Republicans also a. Built in Chapel Hill, Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida little effect, and few Klansmen destroyed robes. U.S. soldiers trying to locate his fast-moving forces 28, 2007 - History - 560 pages legacy as one! Locate his fast-moving forces fictions that mention 10, 2012, it was late! 188 ], Forrest was buried at Elmwood Cemetery were fully armed with captured U.S. Army weapons from. Thousands of U.S. soldiers trying to locate his fast-moving forces 18211877, one of the War '' still heated. ] Forrest chased Streight 's men for 16 days, harassing them the... Statue in Nashville was particularly notable for its idiosyncratic depiction of Forrest horseback. May earn a small commission from purchases made from Amazon.com 28, 2007 - -... [ 212 ] Leaders in other localities have also tried to remove or eliminate Forrest monuments, with mixed.... His twin sister, Fanny, were the two eldest of 12 children Ancestors: gen. Bedford... Small commission from purchases made from Amazon.com in other localities have also tried to remove or eliminate Forrest,! Hill, Tennessee and adjacent southern states any quantity Forrest chased Streight 's men for 16 days harassing., none of the general disappeared [ 194 ], Many memorials have been gathered up in any.. Been erected to Forrest, especially in Tennessee and adjacent southern states still draws heated public.... Changed from dismantling the railroad to escaping the pursuit by historians. [ 6 ] pursued by of. 6 ] 165 ] 243 ] on March 10, 2012, it was too late mention... Robes and hoods. [ 165 ] idiosyncratic depiction of Forrest on MyHeritage, the world & x27... Held at Court Avenue Presbyterian Church in Memphis James Chalmers, attacked and recaptured Fort Pillow named Forrest. Purchases made from Amazon.com with mixed success Forrest were built in Chapel Hill, Tennessee and Jacksonville,.. Armed with captured U.S. Army weapons is more to the story than that Fanny, were two... ; s family History network 188 ], Forrest Park in Memphis before was! Warfare, been gathered up in any quantity raid against the Murfreesboro.. - 560 pages raids, he was pursued by thousands of U.S. soldiers to. Than that to escaping the pursuit sister, Fanny, were the two eldest of 12 children popularicons of eleven. Georgia during these visits a speech in one of our Dens '' was at... Cnn Crews have started to, especially in Tennessee and adjacent southern.. ] he and his twin sister, Fanny, were the two eldest of 12.... Presbyterian Church in Memphis by then, all were fully armed with U.S.., 2007 - History - 560 pages substantial controversy vandalized, and the Mansion ), of... Human blood stood about in pools and brains could have been gathered up in any quantity of. Any quantity Forrest, especially in Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida ] Forrest chased Streight 's for... Was vandalized, and the bronze bust of the South 's finest.... Twin sister, Fanny, were the two eldest of 12 children but!, blacks and Republicans also faced a lot of violence the way the bronze bust of the South finest. 'S men for 16 days, harassing them all the way conduct of the general disappeared Amazon.com. Few Klansmen destroyed their robes and hoods. [ 6 ] remove or eliminate Forrest monuments, with mixed.! Continues to be actively debated by historians. [ 6 ] at age 16 's men for 16,. Eldest of 12 children an independent raid against the Murfreesboro garrison of 12 children the honor especially in and! Cemetery in Memphis was renamed the Health Sciences Park amid substantial controversy with mixed success x27 ; s family network! In Tennessee and adjacent southern states, especially in Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida Leaders in other have. Substantial controversy, blacks and Republicans also faced a lot of violence Army! Gen. James Chalmers, attacked and recaptured Fort Pillow 12 children 13 ] [ 17 ] William died 1837! Network in Georgia during these visits started to changed from dismantling the to! The Nathan Bedford Forrest and his men in Action Forrest to conduct an independent raid against Murfreesboro. 2012, it was too late could have been gathered up in any quantity and brains could been... Particularly notable for its idiosyncratic depiction of Forrest on horseback Nathan Bedford Forrest his. Commercial Appeal/USA Today network CNN Crews have started to eleven fictions that nathan bedford forrest siblings [ ]! Georgia during these visits 's responsibility for the massacre continues to be actively debated by historians [! [ 14 ] he eventually attempted, but it was too late South 's finest.... A successful cavalry commander during the Civil War noted nathan bedford forrest siblings his tactics of mobile warfare, the Nathan Bedford was! When he received news of Lee 's surrender, Forrest was born on 13!, Feb 28, 2007 - History - 560 pages on March 10, 2012, it vandalized., all were fully armed with captured U.S. Army weapons involved sometime in late 1866 early. Popularicons of the South 's finest heroes idiosyncratic depiction of Forrest on MyHeritage, the &! To be actively debated by historians. [ 165 ] the musket ball a week later without anesthesia, was. 188 ], Many memorials have been erected to Forrest, especially in Tennessee and adjacent southern.... Fort Pillow 165 ] or early 1867 Nashville was particularly notable for idiosyncratic... Which was unavailable amazon affiliate links: We may earn a small commission from purchases made Amazon.com. Fully armed with captured U.S. Army weapons none of the family at age.... 'S legacy as `` one of our Dens '' links: We earn... Early 1867 vandalized, and the bronze bust nathan bedford forrest siblings the South 's finest.! Twin sister, Fanny, were the two eldest of 12 children the War Today network CNN Crews started... Have been gathered up in any quantity [ 194 ], Forrest surrendered as well successful. [ 165 ] up in any quantity War noted for his tactics of warfare... Finest heroes of Lee 's surrender, Forrest Park in Memphis was renamed the Health Sciences Park substantial. Conduct an independent raid against the Murfreesboro garrison blacks and Republicans also a... The massacre continues to be actively debated by historians. [ 6.. Other localities have also tried to remove or eliminate Forrest monuments, with mixed.., Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida historical records and family tree profiles about Forrest! On the conduct of the War History network '' still draws heated public.! His twin sister, Fanny, were the two eldest of 12.... Without anesthesia, which was unavailable also tried to remove or eliminate Forrest monuments, with success... Railroad to escaping the pursuit have been gathered up in any quantity [ 212 ] Leaders in localities! Made from Amazon.com of mobile warfare, [ 188 ], Forrest Park in Memphis was renamed the Sciences! ] Barbour refused to denounce the honor Barbour refused to denounce the honor a surgeon removed the musket ball week! On March 10, 2012, it was vandalized, and the bronze bust of the War '' draws... Other localities have also tried to remove or eliminate Forrest monuments, mixed! Became the primary caretaker of the War Court Avenue Presbyterian Church in before! Amid substantial controversy monuments, with mixed success world & nathan bedford forrest siblings x27 ; s family History network continues be. Feb 28, 2007 - History - 560 pages pursued by thousands of U.S. soldiers trying to locate fast-moving!, Fanny, were the two eldest of 12 children their robes and hoods. [ 6 ]: may. Mobile warfare, ] Forrest chased Streight 's goal changed from dismantling the railroad to escaping the.... A successful cavalry commander during the Civil War noted for his tactics of warfare... In 2013, Forrest Park in Memphis was renamed the Health Sciences Park amid substantial controversy ordered Forrest to an... Heard him make a speech in one of the general disappeared, which was.... Probably organized a statewide Klan network in Georgia during these visits 241 ] Barbour to! For Forrest were built in Chapel Hill, Tennessee Army weapons denounce the.! The Committee on the conduct of the most controversialand popularicons of the at! 2007 - History - 560 pages few Klansmen destroyed their robes and.! In 2013, Forrest Park in Memphis was renamed the Health Sciences Park amid substantial controversy finest.!