The decision to move the resting place of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife from Health Sciences Park in Memphis came after the Sons of Confederate Veterans dropped a lawsuit challenging the move Tuesday. The decision to move their remains came after the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a non-profit organization of male descendants of Confederate veterans, agreed to drop a pending lawsuit against park owners, according to. Nathan married Mary Ann Montgomery (1826–1893), the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, in 1845 and had two children: William Montgomery Bedford Forrest (1846–1908), who enlisted at the age of 15 and served alongside his father in the war, and a daughter, Fanny (1849–1854), who died in childhood. [6] In the last years of his life, Forrest insisted he had never been a member,[7] and made a public speech in favor of racial harmony. [9][10] Forrest was the first son of Mariam (Beck) and William Forrest. [194] As an armory for the Confederacy, Selma provided a substantial part of the South's ammunition during the Civil War. In the battle of Fallen Timbers, he drove through the Union skirmish line. Forrest continued to lead his men in small-scale operations, including the Battle of Dover and the Battle of Brentwood until April 1863. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nathan-Bedford-Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest was bornon July 13, 1821 in Chapel Hill, United States, is Military commander. [239] The City Council then voted on December 20, 2017 to sell Health Science Park to Memphis Greenspace, a new non-profit corporation not subject to the Heritage Protection Act, which removed the statue and another of Jefferson Davis that same evening. Nathan Bedford Forrest was born in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, on July 13, 1821. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It appears the battle over the statues and graves of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife is officially over. As soon as they received the Union reply, they moved forward at the command of a junior officer, and the Union forces opened fire. The remains of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife will be removed from a Memphis park where a monument of him once stood. [199] In 2013, the board voted 7–0 to begin the process to rename the school. In addition to this, he got rich through his cotton plantations. [117], In the spring of 1865, Forrest led an unsuccessful defense of the state of Alabama against Wilson's Raid. He had exhausted his fortune during the war, and with the abolition of slavery he lost one of his most valuable avenues for making money. Due to the pandemic shutdown of the court system, things have been delayed. [246][247] However, since that time, Governor Bill Lee's administration introduced a bill – passed by the Tennessee legislature on June 10, 2020 – which released the governor from the former requirement that he issue a proclamation of that observance each year, and a spokesman for Governor Lee confirmed that he would not be signing a Forrest Day proclamation in July 2020. [183] 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.[184]. The Forrest family had migrated to Tennessee from Virginia, via North Carolina, during the second half of the 18th Century, while the Beck family had moved from South … [26][40], Public debate surrounded Tennessee's decision to join the Confederacy and both the Confederate and Union armies recruited soldiers from the state. In all, the maneuver cost Forrest 96 men killed and 396 wounded. [58] Forrest chased Streight's men for 16 days, harassing them all the way. [186] Consequently, Memphis sold the park land to Memphis Greenspace, a non-profit entity not subject to the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act, which immediately removed the monument as explained below. Obituary: Confederate Veteran Magazine-Page 63-Vol.1-February 1893 No.2 Death of Gen. Forrest's Wife-The lovely wife of Gen. N. Bedford Forrest died January 22nd, 1893, in Memphis, Tenn., where she had resided for many years. In 1845, Forrest married Mary Ann Montgomery (1826–1893), the niece of a Presbyterian minister who was her legal guardian. CSA 1821–1877, one of the South's finest heroes. By Melissa Alonso and Amanda Jackson, CNN. — The remains of General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife are set to be removed from Health Sciences Park in the next couple of weeks. [69][70][71], On December 4, 1863, Forrest was promoted to the rank of major general. Many memorials have been erected to Forrest, especially in Tennessee and adjacent Southern states. The family moved to Hernando, Mississippi in 1834, where William was a blacksmith and farmer. He acquired several cotton plantations in the Delta region of West Tennessee,[10] and became a slave trader at a time when demand for slaves was booming in the Deep South; his slave trading business was based on Adams Street in Memphis. Horse Shot from Under several Shot by Lt. Andrew Willis Gould (14-Jun-1863) Surrendered to Enemy 9-May-1865 Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard (first) Slaveowners Risk Factors: Diabetes. [36], 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. FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — On December 20, 2017, a more than 100-year-old statue of General Nathan Bedford Forrest was taken down from a public park in Memphis. Local lawyer and radio host Rose Sanders said, "Glorifying Nathan B. Forrest here is like glorifying a Nazi in Germany. "[142] Forrest was the Klan's first and only Grand Wizard, and he was active in recruitment for the Klan from 1867 to 1868. On April 21, Capt. [136] The organization had grown to the point where an experienced commander was needed, and Forrest was well-suited to the role. Military service: Confederate Army Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, born near Chapel Hill, Tennessee, on the 13th of July 1821. [39] In October 1861, Forrest was given command of a regiment, the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry. Gen. James Chalmers, attacked and recaptured Fort Pillow. MEMPHIS, TN (WREG) — The remains of General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife are set to be removed from Health Sciences Park in the next couple of weeks. This is the biography of a professional soldier who led the Confederate defense of Port Hudson, Louisiana during the epic siege from May 21 to July 9, 1863. His methods influenced future generations of military strategists, although the Confederate high command is seen by some commentators to have underappreciated his talents.[3]. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealth as a cotton plantation owner, horse and cattle trader, real estate broker, and slave trader. Afterwards, he admitted to 'gentlemanly lies'. [114] When Hood's battle-hardened Army of Tennessee, consisting of 40,000 men deployed in three infantry corps plus 10,000 to 15,000 cavalry, was all but destroyed on December 15–16, at the Battle of Nashville,[115] Forrest distinguished himself by commanding the Confederate rear guard in a series of actions that allowed what was left of the army to escape. Though Forrest had no prior formal military training or experience, he had exhibited leadership and soon proved he could successfully employ tactics. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — Two and a half years after Nathan Bedford Forrest’s statue was removed from a Memphis park, the bodies of Forrest and his wife will be removed as well.. City leaders voted in 2013 to change the name of three parks that honored Confederate figures in Memphis. In what would be known as the Third Battle of Murfreesboro, a portion of Forrest's command broke and ran. In honor of Gen. Forrest's unwavering defense of Selma, the great state of Alabama, and the Confederacy, this memorial is dedicated. Isham, who knew Forrest by his reputation as a businessman in Memphis, commissioned him a lieutenant colonel with the authority to recruit a battalion of mounted rangers. For the group, dropping the lawsuit has secured the statue of Forrest as well as other parts of deconstructed memorial structures. "Embarrassed by their city's early capitulation during the Civil War, white Memphians desperately needed a hero and therefore crafted a distorted depiction of Forrest's role in the war. In August 1866, Federal cavalrymen rode past Forrest’s house. In 1866, Forrest and C.C. Forrest's body currently rests in Health Sciences Park which was previously known as Forrest Park in honor of … Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was worth 1.5 million dollars in 1861, was now broke. [76] Forrest had reached the fort at 10:00 am after a hard ride from Mississippi,[76] and his horse was soon shot out from under him, causing him to fall to the ground. In August, a historical society called Friends of Forrest moved forward with plans for a new, larger monument, which was to be 12 feet high, illuminated by LED lights, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence and protected by 24-hour security cameras. [190], As of 2007[update], Tennessee had 32 dedicated historical markers linked to Nathan Bedford Forrest, more than are dedicated to all three former Presidents associated with the state combined: Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. [16][38], His superior officers and Governor of Tennessee Isham G. Harris were surprised that someone of Forrest's wealth and prominence had enlisted as a soldier, especially since major planters were exempted from service. [110] He continued to oppose Union efforts in the West for the remainder of the war. CNN's Kaylene Chassie, Nicole Chavez and Doug Criss contributed to this report. In November of 2020, we received court approval to take over the remains, since then our permit was approved … For Selma, of all places, to have a big monument to a Klansman is totally unacceptable". [51], Promoted on July 21, 1862 to brigadier general, Forrest was given command of a Confederate cavalry brigade. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847–1886, July 06, 1875, Image 1", "Ex-Confederates: Meeting of Cavalry Survivor's Association", "Confederate Veterans on Forrest: 'Unworthy of a Southern gentleman, "Council begins process of removing Nathan Bedford Forrest's remains", "Bust of Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest Is Unveiled", "Arnold Engineering Development Center, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee: An Air Force Materiel Command Test Facility", "Confederate soldiers have their own medal of honor", "Florida High School Keeps KKK Founder's Name", "Confederate general's name removed from Army's road", "Soldier turned down film job to fight, die in Korea", "Forrest Hall: The Evolution of Middle Tennessee's Mascot", "Forrest Hall Name Change Decision Delayed", "Commission denies MTSU's request to change the name of Forrest Hall", "May 1, 1863 [No. Bill Lee will no longer proclaim Nathan Bedford Forrest Day after legislature passes bill", Animated History of The Campaigns of Nathan Bedford Forrest, General Nathan Bedford Forrest Historical Society, List of Union Civil War monuments and memorials, List of memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic, List of Confederate monuments and memorials, Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials. Forrest was blamed for the massacre in the Union press, and this news may have strengthened the North's resolve to win the war. Despite having no formal military training, Forrest rose from the rank of private to lieutenant general. High schools named for Forrest were built in Chapel Hill, Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida. The members are sworn to recognize the government of the United States ... Its objects originally were protection against Loyal Leagues and the Grand Army of the Republic ...". A contemporary newspaper account from Jackson, Tennessee stated that "General Forrest begged them to surrender" but "not the first sign of surrender was ever given". Forrest became involved sometime in late 1866 or early 1867. [15][10][16] In 1858, Forrest was elected a Memphis city alderman as a Democrat and served two consecutive terms. Nathan Bedford Forrest III (April 7, 1905 - June 13, 1943) was a Brigadier General of the United States Army Air Forces, and a great-grandson of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. The removal also includes the pedestal under which the bodies are buried and everything around it -- … Consequently, his role at Fort Pillow was a stigmatizing one for him the rest of his life, both professionally and personally,[220][221] and contributed to his business problems after the war. The Horrors and Cruelties of the Scene Intensified. He had become interested in the area around Crowley's Ridge during the war, and took up civilian life in 1865 in Memphis, Tennessee. State lawmakers are punishing the city for it. [42] Forrest's command included his Escort Company (his "Special Forces"), for which he selected the best soldiers available. He wrote in his memoirs that Forrest in his report of the battle had "left out the part which shocks humanity to read". [222] Forrest's claim that the Fort Pillow massacre was an invention of Northern reporters is contradicted by letters written by Confederate soldiers to their own families, which described extreme brutality on the part of Confederate troops. Their unusual abilities as fighters, thinkers, and leaders made for a team of men who formed a unique brotherhood that lasted long after the war. Confederate Cavalry General. [212] He grasped the doctrines of mobile warfare[213] that would eventually become prevalent in the 20th century. Forrest had to recruit a new brigade, composed of about 2,000 inexperienced recruits, most of whom lacked weapons. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nathan-bedford-forrest-5015.php Forrest, who was a slave trader and early Ku Klux Klan leader, and his wife, Mary Ann, had their graves at Health Sciences Park, where a monument to Forrest used to be. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — Two and a half years after Nathan Bedford Forrest’s statue was removed from a Memphis park, the bodies of Forrest and his wife … [93] The New York newspaper obituary stated: Since the war, Forrest has lived at Memphis, and his principal occupation seems to have been to try and explain away the Fort Pillow affair. [166] Grant defeated Horatio Seymour, the Democratic presidential candidate, by a comfortable electoral margin, 214 to 80. Streight's goal changed from dismantling the railroad to escaping the pursuit. After success in achieving the objectives specified by Hood, Forrest engaged Union forces near Murfreesboro on December 5, 1864. "[172], After the lynch mob murder of four blacks who had been arrested for defending themselves in a brawl at a barbecue, Forrest wrote to Tennessee Governor John C. Brown in August 1874 and "volunteered to help 'exterminate' those men responsible for the continued violence against the blacks", offering "to exterminate the white marauders who disgrace their race by this cowardly murder of Negroes". [201][202][203] In 2005, Shelby County Commissioner Walter Bailey started an effort to move the statue over Forrest's grave and rename Forrest Park. He was not as successful in railroad promoting as in war and, under his direction, the company went bankrupt. For this, he would later be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on March 2, 1865. Nathan Bedford Forrest (Chapel Hill (Tennessee), 13 juli 1821 – Memphis (Tennessee), 29 oktober 1877) was een Zuidelijke generaal in de Amerikaanse Burgeroorlog. Under these laws enforced by Grant and the newly formed Department of Justice, there were over 5,000 indictments and 1,000 convictions of Klan members across the South. He commanded a Confederate rear guard after the Union victory. On June 13, 1863, Gould confronted Forrest about his transfer, which escalated into a violent exchange. Both parties told WREG they are happy they were able to reach this outcome outside the courtroom. [240][241] The Sons of Confederate Veterans threatened a lawsuit against the city. [166][167] Forrest played a prominent role in the spread of the Klan in the South, meeting with racist whites in Atlanta several times between February and March 1868. Similar accounts were reported in many Southern newspapers at the time. [155], 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 states. [76] Booth and his adjutant were killed in the battle, leaving Fort Pillow under the command of Major William Bradford. The statue depicts Forrest shooting behind himself and is flanked by Confederate battle flags. [8], 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. In addition to moving the iconic statue, his and his wife’s body will be relocated for the second time. Forrest spoke in encouragement of black advancement and of endeavoring to be a proponent for espousing peace and harmony between black and white Americans. Achilles Clark, a soldier with the 20th Tennessee cavalry, wrote to his sisters immediately after the battle: The slaughter was awful. Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, who is black, blocked the move. Back in the day, Forrest made his fortune out of engaging in the slave trade business. The tactics that he used while battling made him a renowned cavalry fighter during … [207], Forrest is considered one of the Civil War's most brilliant tacticians by the historian Spencer C. The graves of Forrest and his wife were disinterred from Elmwood Cemetery, where Forrest requested to be buried, and placed beneath the statue. In the hasty retreat, they stripped off commemorative badges that read "Remember Fort Pillow" to avoid goading the Confederate force pursuing them.[107]. This monument stands as testament of our perpetual devotion and respect for Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest. More than 100,000 men from Tennessee served with the Confederacy and over 31,000 served with the Union. WREG-TV [Memphis, TN], by Staff Original Article. After his father's death, Forrest became head of the family at age 17. [169] The popular vote was much closer: Grant received 3,013,365 (52.7%) votes, while Seymour received 2,708,744 (47.3%) votes. The Nathan Bedford Forrest statute before it was removed in 2017. [14], Forrest had success as a businessman, planter and slaveholder. The Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue is a 20 feet (6.1 m) tall statue of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest on a horse in Nashville, Tennessee, located near Interstate 65 at 701D Hogan Road. [165] The party advocated termination of the Freedman's Bureau and any government policy designed to aid blacks in the South. [77] Bradford refused to surrender, believing his troops could escape to the Union gunboat, USS New Era, on the Mississippi River. [125], On July 5, 1875, Forrest gave a speech before the Independent Order of Pole-Bearers Association, a post-war organization of black Southerners advocating to improve the economic condition of blacks and to gain equal rights for all citizens. Modern historians generally believe that Forrest's attack on Fort Pillow was a massacre, noting high casualty rates, and the rebels targeting black soldiers. He wanted nothing more to do with the Klan, but felt honor bound to protect former associates. WREG reported … Amid the aristocratic ranks of the Confederate cavalry, Nathan Bedford Forrest was untutored, all but unlettered, and regarded as no more than a guerrilla. One month later, while serving under General Stephen D. Lee, Forrest experienced tactical defeat at the Battle of Tupelo in 1864. (CNN)The remains of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife will be removed from a Memphis park where a monument of him once stood. [96], At the time of the massacre, General Grant was no longer in Tennessee but had transferred to the east to command all Union troops. He liked horses because he liked fast movement, and his mounted men could get from here to there much faster than any infantry could; but when they reached the field they usually tied their horses to trees and fought on foot, and they were as good as the very best infantry.[214]. The denial led the city council to pass legislation allowing it to sell parkland to Memphis Greenspace, a non-profit that provides park-based recreation to the city. A common report is that Forrest arrived in Nashville in April 1867 while the Klan was meeting at the Maxwell House Hotel, probably at the encouragement of a state Klan leader, former Confederate general George Gordon. [238] In a nearly unanimous vote on July 7, the Memphis City Council passed a resolution in favor of removing the statue and securing the couple's remains for transfer. [49], A month later, Forrest was back in action at the Battle of Shiloh, fought April 6–7, 1862. "They don't have to worry about further protests, further potential vandalism of the monuments," Van Turner, president of Memphis Greenspace and Shelby County Commissioner, said. [106] Sturgis ordered his infantry to advance to the front line to counteract the cavalry. [223], Whether the massacre was premeditated or spontaneous does not address the more fundamental question of whether a massacre took place ... it certainly did, in every dictionary sense of the word. The plans triggered outrage and a group of around 20 protesters attempted to block construction of the new monument by lying in the path of a concrete truck. Currently our beloved Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife, Mary Ann Montgomery Forrest, are still buried in Health Sciences Park, originally Forrest Park, in Memphis. The remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife Mary Ann Montgomery will be moved to Columbia, Tenn. in a few weeks, according to court records. DEO VINDICE". 'Ulysees S. Grant' rated Nathan Bedford Forrest as the most dangerous Confederate Cavalryman and the best on both sides. Forrest led other raids that summer and fall, including a famous one into Union-held downtown Memphis in August 1864 (the Second Battle of Memphis)[110] and another on a major Union supply depot at Johnsonville, Tennessee. Congress and Grant passed the Enforcement Acts from 1870 to 1871, to protect "registration, voting, officeholding, or jury service" of African Americans. [200] After several public forums and discussions, Westside High School was unanimously approved in January 2014 as the school's new name. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s remains to be moved from Memphis park. Now years later, the family has agreed to move the remains to … The remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest and wife will soon be exhumed from under the pedestal of where his mounted statue once stood and reinterred in Columbia, Tennessee, according to court filings. Sherman, who in the Civil War had recognized how formidable an opponent Forrest was in battle, replied after the crisis settled down. [98] The Chicago Tribune said Forrest and his brothers were "slave drivers and woman whippers", while Forrest himself was described as "mean, vindictive, cruel, and unscrupulous". The ridgetop commissaryhe built as a provisioning store for the 1,000 Irish laborers hired to lay the rails became the … [41] Forrest posted advertisements to join his regiment, with the slogan, "Let's have some fun and kill some Yankees!". “In April of 1867, representatives met in Nashville, at the Maxwell House, and turned out a flavor more to their liking. 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". [179][180], Forrest reportedly died from acute complications of diabetes at the Memphis home of his brother Jesse on October 29, 1877. Avoiding attack by never staying in one place long, eventually Forrest 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. Because everyone is asking, I understand that it is a sensitive subject and people are curious. The death of his father led young Nathan to become the head of the family. [95] President Abraham Lincoln asked his cabinet for opinions as to how the Union should respond to the massacre. With much talk of … … [105] When Sturgis's Federal army came upon the crossroads, they collided with Forrest's cavalry. [54][55], Forrest returned to his base in Mississippi with more men than he had started with. Soon, those remains will be moved from Memphis to Columbia, Tennessee where the … Forrest's legacy as "one of the most controversial—and popular—icons of the war" still draws heated public debate. I heard him make a speech in one of our Dens". "It's my right as an American to not support that, to not visit it. White Americans who made up the KKK hoped to persuade black voters that a return to their pre-war state of bondage was in their best interest. Later on, when Forrest was only 17 years old, his father and his twin sister passed away. [143][144][145][146][147][148][149], Following the war, the United States Congress began passing the Reconstruction Acts to specify conditions for the readmission of former Confederate States to the Union,[150][151][152] including ratification of the Fourteenth (1868), and Fifteenth (1870) Amendments to the United States Constitution. Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821 – October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. He and his twin sister were the first of their parents’ 10 children. A bust sculpted by Jane Baxendale is on display at the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville. Richard L. Fuchs, author of An Unerring Fire, concluded: The affair at Fort Pillow was simply an orgy of death, a mass lynching to satisfy the basest of conduct—intentional murder—for the vilest of reasons—racism and personal enmity. [187], Forrest was elevated in Memphis in particular—where he lived and died—to the status of folk hero. [89] The rebels said the Union flag was still flying over the fort, which indicated that the force had not formally surrendered. wkrn.com. This unit, which varied in size from 40 to 90 men, constituted the elite of his cavalry. He did not say it that way, and nobody who knows anything about him imagines that he did.[217]. A controversial figure, Forrest’s statute was removed from Health Sciences Park in 2017, but his remains and those of his wife’s were not. Nathan Bedford Forrest was born to William and Miriam Beck Forrest in Bedford County, Tennessee in 1821. [22], Nathan Bedford Forrest was a tall man who stood six feet two inches (1.88 m) in height and weighed about 180 pounds (13 st; 82 kg);[23][24][25][26] He was noted as having a "striking and commanding presence" by Union Captain Lewis Hosea, an aide to Gen. James H. Wilson. [20] In 1859, he bought two large cotton plantations in Coahoma County, Mississippi and a half-interest in another plantation in Arkansas;[21] by October 1860 he owned at least 3,345 acres in Mississippi. Forrest had enlisted as a private only a month before. [243] Brett Joseph Forrest, a direct descendant of Nathan, spoke in support of the bust's removal. [235] On March 10, 2012, it was vandalized and the bronze bust of the general disappeared. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — Two and a half years after Nathan Bedford Forrest’s statue was removed from a Memphis park, the bodies of Forrest and his wife will be removed as well. After serving as the president of the Selma, Marion and Memphis Railroad, he settled … Many in the north, including President Grant, backed the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, that gave voting rights to Americans regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". The day was worse for Union troops, who suffered 223 killed, 394 wounded and 1,623 missing. Posted By: Ribicon, 1/16/2021 11:34:47 AM Memphis, Tenn.—The remains of General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife are set to be … [139] The title "Grand Wizard" was chosen because General Forrest had been known as "The Wizard of the Saddle" during the war. [161], The Klan's activity infiltrated the Democratic Party's campaign for the presidential election of 1868. [59][60][61], Not all of Forrest's exploits of individual combat involved enemy troops. [46], A few days after the Confederate surrender of Fort Donelson, with the fall of Nashville to Union forces imminent, Forrest took command of the city. Tucker. Report of the Sub-committee", "Abraham Lincoln to Cabinet, Tuesday, May 03, 1864 (Fort Pillow massacre)", "Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and the KKK", "General Nathan Bedford Forrest Versus the Ku Klux Klan", "Memphis daily appeal. "[119], As a former slave trader and slave owner, Forrest experienced the abolition of slavery at war's end as a major financial setback. [165], During the presidential election of 1868, the Ku Klux Klan under the leadership of Forrest, along with other terrorist groups, used brutal violence and intimidation against blacks and Republican voters. [189] It is now the site of the Arnold Engineering Development Center. The only money to be found was $10 that his dutiful wife had saved for a rainy day. [17][18] By the time the American Civil War started in 1861, he had become one of the richest men in the South, having amassed a "personal fortune that he claimed was worth $1.5 million". Now often recast as "Getting there firstest with the mostest",[215] this misquote first appeared in a New York Tribune article written to provide colorful comments in reaction to European interest in Civil War generals. [236] An online petition at Change.org asking the City Council to ban the monument collected 313,617 signatures by mid-September of the same year. His remains are set to be moved as early as February due to a recent court order. The removal promoted the group to file a lawsuit against the City of Memphis and Memphis Greenspace. Report of the Committee on the Conduct of the War. The remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife Mary Ann Montgomery will be moved to Columbia, Tenn. in a few weeks, according to court records. Post commander Richard T. 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