Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13 1821 – October 29 1877), was a Confederate general and perhaps the American Civil War's most highly regarded cavalry and partisan ranger (guerrilla leader). Forrest is regarded by many military historians as the war's most innovative and successful general. His tactics of mobile warfare are still studied by modern soldiers.

After the war, Forrest's reputation suffered due to allegations of brutality in the Battle of Fort Pillow, as well as his role as a founder of the Ku Klux Klan.

Early life

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Nathan Bedford Forrest was born to a poor Scottish-Irish family in the Marshall County town of Chapel Hill, Tennessee. He was the son of blacksmith William Forrest and was the first of twelve children. Following his father's death, Forrest became the head of his family at the age of 17, and through hard work and determination, Forrest was able to pull himself and his family up from poverty. In 1841 (aged 20), he went with his uncle to Hernando, Mississippi. This uncle was killed during a raid by outlaws, and Forrest killed two of these outright with his gun and wounded two others with his knife. One of these wounded men survived and served under Forrest during the Civil War.He was to become a businessman, an owner of several plantations and, just prior to hostilities, a slave trader based on Adams Street in Memphis. In 1858 he was elected as a Memphis city alderman. [http://www.inmotionaame.org/gallery/detail.cfm;jsessionid=8030570241121831204263?migration=3&topic=5&id=342018&type=image&metadata=show&page=&bhcp=1 Forrest provided financially for his mother, put his younger brothers through college, and by the time the Civil War broke out in 1861, he had become a millionaire and one of the richest men in the Southern U.S.

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Eva, Tenn.-On November 6-8, Friday through Sunday, join Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park for its Skirmish with... http://bit.ly/3Oikcb
TriCountyStar (TriCountyStar.com) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:55:05 -0000
Eva, Tenn.-On November 6-8, Friday through Sunday, join Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park for its Skirmish with... http://bit.ly/3Oikcb
In his new novel, Madison Smartt Bell tackles the Confederacy's most controversial son, Nathan Bedford Forrest:.. http://bit.ly/GBv97
NashSceneRSS (Nashville Scene RSS) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:05:16 -0000
In his new novel, Madison Smartt Bell tackles the Confederacy's most controversial son, Nathan Bedford Forrest:.. http://bit.ly/GBv97
RT @wceberly: 145 yrs today 1864 Nathan Bedford Forrest attacks Union supply base at Johnsonville TN http://bit.ly/3wr7Qn #history #civilwar
kevindmccann (Kevin D. McCann) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:51:35 -0000
RT @wceberly: 145 yrs today 1864 Nathan Bedford Forrest attacks Union supply base at Johnsonville TN http://bit.ly/3wr7Qn #history #civilwar
145 yrs today, Nov 4, 1864, Confed Nathan Bedford Forrest attacks Union supply base at Johnsonville, Tennessee http://bit.ly/3wr7Qn
wceberly (W. Cary Eberly M.A.) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:08 -0000
145 yrs today, Nov 4, 1864, Confed Nathan Bedford Forrest attacks Union supply base at Johnsonville, Tennessee http://bit.ly/3wr7Qn
"Devil's Dream: A Novel About Nathan Bedford Forrest" by Madison Smartt Bell http://tinyurl.com/y9qa3v4
new_books (new_books) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:52:53 -0000
"Devil's Dream: A Novel About Nathan Bedford Forrest" by Madison Smartt Bell http://tinyurl.com/y9qa3v4
Devil's Dream: A Novel About Nathan Bedford Forrest - by Madison Smartt Bell - Pantheon. http://bit.ly/4fLsao
literature_book (New Literature Books) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:46:11 -0000
Devil's Dream: A Novel About Nathan Bedford Forrest - by Madison Smartt Bell - Pantheon. http://bit.ly/4fLsao

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