Although Forrest had threatened Bragg’s life, Bragg, realizing Forrest’s importance to the Confederate war effort, never reported the incident. Wife of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest Mary Ann Montgomery was born October 2, 1826, daughter of Elizabeth Cowan Montgomery and William Montgomery, a Presbyterian minister. He is remembered both as a self-made and innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading Southern advocate in the postwar years as a figure. Later, Forrest joined that army in time to take part in the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20, 1863), where his command held the army’s right flank before pursuing the retreating Union forces. Nathan Bedford Forrest was the only soldier to rise from the rank of private to general during the U.S. Civil War. General Nathan Bedford Forrest is an ancestor of Forrest Gump (who was named after him), a Civil War general and first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, According to the Forrest Gump film, Mrs. Gump named Forrest after this KKK Wizard to remind him that "sometimes we all do things that just don't make no sense.". Although this victory was strategically indecisive, it proved invaluable in cementing Forrest’s reputation, and throughout the year he conducted other successful raids in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. Nathan Bedford Forrest, (born July 13, 1821, near Chapel Hill, Tennessee, U.S.—died October 29, 1877, Memphis, Tennessee), Confederate cavalry commander in the American Civil War (1861–65) who was often described as a “born military genius.” Historians agree a massacre did occur but differ in their conclusions over whether the killing was premeditated or occurred in the heat of battle. Stonewall Jackson was a leading Confederate general during the U.S. Civil War, commanding forces at Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nathan-bedford-forrest-5015.php Forrest, and of Forrest's cavalry, by T. Jordan and J.P. Pryor”, p.411 60 Copy quote. Forrest surrendered his command at Gainsville, Alabama, in May 1865. At the start of the Civil War, Forrest enlisted as a private in the Tennessee Mounted Rifles. After leading a new command to a dramatic victory over Union forces at Mufreesboro, Tennessee, in July, Forrest was promoted to brigadier general. General Nathan Bedford Forrest is an ancestor of Forrest Gump (who was named after him), a Civil War general and first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, According to the Forrest Gump film, Mrs. Gump named Forrest after this KKK Wizard to remind him that "sometimes we all do things that just don't make no sense.". The couple would have two children over the course of their marriage. On April 12, 1864, Confederate forces had surrounded Fort Pillow, a union garrison near the Mississippi River, occupied by nearly 300 Black troops, most newly freed enslaved people, and nearly the same number of white soldiers. In 2017 the city of Memphis, Tennessee, removed a statue of Forrest from a park once named for him, an event that was among the most public contemporary repudiations of Forrest’s legacy. He was the first of blacksmith William Forrest's twelve children with wife Miriam Beck. Ulysses S. Grant served as U.S. general and commander of the Union armies during the late years of the American Civil War, later becoming the 18th U.S. president. With his fresh—if relatively untried—division, Forrest resumed his raids against Union forces. Corrections? It is located on a secluded ridge overlooking Kentucky Lake. Upon hearing of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, Forrest chose to surrender his forces in May 1865. He is remembered both as a self-made and innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading Southern advocate in the postwar years as a figure. He was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans from 1919 to 1921. A county in Mississippi, a city in Arkansas and a state park in Tennessee all bear his name, along with many streets and schools and buildings. Forrest led 700 cavalrymen through the snow, past the Union lines, and escaped to Nashville where he coordinated evacuation efforts. This campaign was a disaster for the Confederacy, and, following the Battle of Nashville (December 15–16), Forrest fought a stubborn rearguard action to cover the retreat of the broken army. He was the oldest son of William and Mary Beck Forrest, and would be one of ten siblings, including a twin sister who died at an early age. In May 1863 Forrest foiled Union Col. Abel D. Streight’s attempt to cut the Western and Atlantic Railroad, a vital supply line for the Confederacy’s Army of Tennessee. He seemed to thrive on the gamble and uncertainty in business. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nathan-Bedford-Forrest, HistoryNet - Biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest, American Battlefield Trust - Biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest, Nathan Bedford Forrest - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), massacre of Black Union troops stationed at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, in April 1864, American Civil War: Battle of Chickamauga Creek. He received a Medal of Honor and his story was told in the film 'Sergeant York.'. “The campaigns of lieut.-gen. N.B. Between 277 and 295 Union troops were killed. Their report enraged the Northern populace, and “Remember Fort Pillow!” became a rallying cry for African American Union troops. By the third year of the war, the Confederacy was facing severe manpower shortages and a dearth of supplies—including the horses necessary to maintain active cavalry campaigning. He and his twin sister, Fanny, were the two eldest of blacksmith William Forrest's twelve children with wife Miriam Beck. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. C onfederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest died in 1877, yet the slave trader and Klan leader still haunts the American landscape. Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park began as a local park constructed by the Works Progress Administration, a Depression Era work recovery program. Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821 – October 29, 1877) was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years. In the war’s early months he earned a reputation as a doggedly, if sometimes brutally, determined commander who exercised a natural acumen for battlefield tactics. One soldier stuck his rifle into Forrest’s side and fired, lifting Forrest off his saddle and lodging a mini ball near his spine. In 1865, Forrest and his men were struggling just to avoid capture. He spent his remaining years overseeing a prison camp near Memphis and living with his wife in log cabin salvaged from this plantation. Gen. Forrest was the first white man to be invited by this group which was a forerunner of today's Civil Right's group. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. By the outbreak of the Civil War, he was one of the richest men in Tennessee, if not all of the South. If you read Eddy W. Davison's "Nathan Bedford Forrest: In Search of the Enigma," on page 464 and 474-475, you can see that Forrest not only publicly disavowed the KKK and worked to terminate it, but in August 1874, Forrest "volunteered to help 'exterminate' those men responsible for the continued violence against the blacks." Now, as a Tennessee State Park, it is home to the Tennessee River Folklife Interpretive Center and Museum situated on one of the highest points in West Tennessee, Pilot Knob. This in turn led to Forrest’s being promoted to lieutenant general. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He was a daring and successful cavalry leader who had few peers. And for the past 22 years, a monument to Forrestt has sat right there off I … Forrest Battle Flag – Confederate 12 star flag – Outdoor This flag was used during Civil War by General Nathan Bedford Forrest. OUR BOOK DU JOUR: Fed up with the Liberals’ fake history which claims that Forrest was a bigot, a cruel slaver, the instigator of the alleged “racist massacre” at Fort Pillow, & … Forrest took part in the defense of Fort Donelson, Tennessee (February 1862), from which he and the majority of his command escaped, refusing to capitulate with the rest of the Confederate forces when the fort’s massive garrison surrendered. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! After several hours of continuous rifle and artillery fire by Confederate forces, Forrest sent a note to the Union commander demanding unconditional surrender. He was the oldest son of William and Mary Beck Forrest, and would be one of ten siblings, including a twin sister who died at an early age. In 1978, a bust of the slave trader, Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest was installed in the Tennessee … After his promotion Forrest began acting as a semi-independent cavalry commander. Nevertheless, he found himself in command of fewer men, who were equipped with inferior horses and poorly supplied. Despite contradictory evidence regarding Forrest’s orders and response to the actions of his troops, it is clear that in many instances Forrest’s men killed African American soldiers who were attempting to surrender. Nathan Bedford Forrest Biography, Life, Interesting Facts. Nathan Bedford Forrest's bust in the Tennessee State Capitol has been a source of contention since the KKK leader's tribute was installed in … Controversy surrounds his degree of responsibility at the Battle of Fort Pillow, where nearly 300 surrendering Black soldiers were slaughtered. 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