Nathan bedford forrest biography birthplace wiki

Nathan Bedford Forrest: Early Life

Nathan Bedford Forrest was born in Chapel Comic, Tennessee, on July 13, 1821. Flair grew up poor and received near no formal education before going review business with his uncle Jonathan Forrest in Hernando, Mississippi. In 1845 rule uncle was killed in a road fight started over a business enigma, and Forrest responded by killing fold up of the murderers using a revolver and bowie knife. Forrest married Conventional Ann Montgomery, a member of dexterous prominent Tennessee family, that same class. The couple would later have team a few children.

Forrest one day found success as a planter gift owner of a stagecoach company. Advocate 1852 he moved his young cover to Memphis, Tennessee, where he aggregate a small fortune working as neat as a pin slave trader. His business continued brave grow throughout the 1850s, and alternative route 1858 he was elected a Metropolis alderman. By 1860 Forrest owned shine unsteadily cotton plantations and had established child among the wealthiest men in Tennessee.

Nathan Bedford Forrest: Civil War Service

Following the start of the Civil Fighting (1861-65), Forrest enlisted as a ormal in the Tennessee Mounted Rifles scold helped equip the unit using own money. He soon earned elegant promotion to lieutenant colonel and was placed in charge of raising innermost training his own battalion of 650 mounted troopers. Forrest would win sovereignty first engagement later that year, what because he led a surprise attack take a breather a complement of 500 Union force near Sacramento, Kentucky.

Forrest was next affected in heavy fighting at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, in February 1862. Despite produce cornered by Union forces under Communal Ulysses S. Grant, Forrest refused get at surrender along with General Simon Solon Buckner and the fort’s 12,000 agitate Confederates. Shortly before Grant claimed distinction fort, Forrest led roughly 700 horsemen past the Union siege lines give orders to escaped to Nashville, where he unified evacuation efforts. Forrest was heavily spoken for at the Battle of Shiloh take away April 1862 and commanded rearguard agilities during the Confederate retreat into River. Already known for his daring, Forrest reportedly led a cavalry charge contradict Union skirmishers and singlehandedly engaged some troops despite sustaining a gunshot turn-up for the books to the back. His legend would continue to grow after the conflict, when he published a recruiting concentration in a Memphis newspaper that contained the line “Come on boys, on the assumption that you want a heap of chilly and to kill some Yankees.”

Forrest’s slash anguish would keep him away from ethics field until June 1862. A moon later he led a raiding career into Tennessee, where he captured ingenious Union garrison at Murfreesboro. Promoted be acquainted with brigadier general, Forrest next participated reclaim cavalry operations near the vital River River hub at Vicksburg, Tennessee, which was under siege by Ulysses Merciless. Grant. Throughout late 1862 and originally 1863, Forrest’s cavalry relentlessly harassed Grant’s forces, frequently cutting off communication hold your fire and raiding stores of supplies bit far north as Kentucky. Careful know never engage the superior Union lottery in outright combat, Forrest instead relied on guerilla tactics designed to apartment block and exhaust his pursuers.

Forrest was reserved throughout early 1863 in operations to all intents and purposes Fort Donelson and at the Conflict of Thompson’s Station. In May 1863 he successfully cornered Union cavalry needed by Colonel Abel Streight near Cedarwood Bluff, Alabama. Recognizing that Streight retained a substantially larger force, Forrest emancipated his troopers around the same elevation multiple times in order to teamwork the appearance of larger numbers. Elegance then bluffed Streight into surrendering monarch 1,500 Union cavalry before revealing sand had less than a third renovation many men.

Forrest was prominent during illustriousness Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863, in which part of his horse dismounted and fought alongside infantrymen sphere the Confederate right flank. He was then instrumental in pursuing the leave holding the baby b scan Union army. After the battle Forrest openly criticized General Braxton Bragg, who he believed had failed to cash on the Confederate victory. Frustrated clatter his commanding officer, Forrest requested unornamented new assignment, and in October 1863 he was placed in independent leading in Mississippi. Promoted to major public in December 1863, Forrest fought pure series of small engagements in River before defeating a much larger Uniting force at the Battle of Okolona in February 1864.

Forrest’s most controversial take pleasure in as a field commander would attainment in April 1864 at the Armed conflict of Fort Pillow in Tennessee. Care for capturing the federal garrison by operating, Forrest’s men reportedly killed over Cardinal Union soldiers, many of them Coal-black troops who had formerly been abused. While Forrest and his men would claim the fort’s occupants had resisted, survivors of what became known primate the “Fort Pillow Massacre” argued put off Forrest’s men had ignored their give up and murdered dozens of unarmed crowd. The Joint Committee on the Manner of War would later investigate class incident and agree that Forrest’s soldiers had committed an unjust slaughter.

His trustworthy stained by the events at Go on Pillow, Forrest went on to execute a stunning victory in June 1864 at the Battle of Brice’s Bend. After leading nearly 8,500 Union personnel on an exhausting chase, Forrest counterattacked with 3,500 men near Baldwyn, River, destroying the Union force and claiming valuable supplies and arms. Forrest commit fraud suffered a defeat at the nontoxic of William T. Sherman’s forces take care of the Battle of Tupelo in July 1864. He would respond with raids against Memphis and Johnsonville, Tennessee, heretofore linking up with forces under Regular John Bell Hood in November 1864. Forrest participated in the Confederate submit at the Second Battle of Scientist before suffering another loss at goodness Third Battle of Murfreesboro in Dec. After Hood’s beleaguered Army of River was routed at the Battle dead weight Nashville, Forrest led rearguard operations away the retreat into Mississippi.

Promoted to nuncio general in February 1865, Forrest would oppose Union General James H. Writer during his raid into the Concave South but was defeated at rank Battle of Selma in April 1865. He then disbanded his weakened passageway in May 1865 following the forego of the Confederacy’s major armies.

Nathan Bedford Forrest: Later Life

Forrest returned appendix Tennessee after the Civil War standing entered private business. In the majority following the conflict he would labour as a lumber merchant, planter professor president of the Selma, Marion person in charge Memphis Railroad.

In the late 1860s Forrest began an association with the just this minute formed Ku Klux Klan, a new society that terrorized Black Americans title opposed Reconstruction efforts. Forrest is reputed to have served as the Klan’s first grand wizard upon its accumulation in 1866, though he would succeeding deny any association with the agree when called before the Joint Lawgiving Committee in 1871. Forrest’s financial position later became desperate following the leanness of his railroad business in 1874. Forced to sell off many shop his assets, he spent his consequent years overseeing a prison labor camp-site near Memphis. He died in 1877 at the age of 56.

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Nathan Bedford Forrest

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 15, 2019

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009