Nathan Bedford Forrest by Dr. Barry Shollenberger

1. Quill and Musket Guest Lecturer Series Nathan Bedford Forrestby Dr. Barry Shollenberger

2. Overview “I went into the Confederate Army worth a million and a half dollars, and came out a beggar!” So stated Nathan Bedford Forrest in 1865 at the close of the Civil War. Like most Southern soldiers who survived the war, Forrest started over and lived out his life in obscurity except for a brief association with a group of “lost cause” Confederates who founded the Ku Klux Klan shortly after the hostilities ended. Forrest quit the group when he deemed their tactics too radical. With no military training and little formal education, Forrest distinguished himself by advancing from an enlisted private (1861) to Lieutenant General in February 1865. In between he became legendary for his tactics and raids that befuddled those Union commanders sent out to stop him. During his Atlanta Campaign in 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman remarked (in his frustration), “That devil Forrest must be hunted down and killed if it costs ten thousand lives and bankrupts the Federal treasury!” Such was the effect this one individual had on his Union adversaries.

3. Lecture Objectives As a result of completing this lecture, students should be able to: • Assess the role and influence of this Confederate general who was largely unknown outside the western theater of the Civil War. • Interpret the military tactics utilized by Forrest and recognize the “homespun” parlance as it relates to the theories of Jomini and Clausewitz. • Assemble evidence of the many military experiences of Forrest and trace the evolution of his leadership from Fort Donelson (Feb ‘62) to Selma (April ‘65). • Compare the difference between the public perception and historical reality of this larger-than-life Civil War personality.

4. Bibliographical Resources The following is a partial listing of primary materials that provide excellent background on the career of General N.B. Forrest: Henry, Robert Self. “Forrest: First With the Most.” Wilmington, N.C.: Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1987. Lytle, Andrew. “Bedford Forrest and His Critter Company.” Seminole, FL.: The Green Key Press, 1984. Wills, Brian Steel. “Nathan Bedford Forrest: The Confederacy’s Greatest Cavalryman.” Lawrence, KS.: University Press of Kansas, 1992.

5. Forrest’s First Raid – July 1862 • From Chattanooga with about 1,000 troopers, Forrest moved through Tennessee to Murfreesboro where he captured the entire command and stores valued at one million dollars. • He then moved to gates of Nashville and destroyed two railroad bridges that disrupted transportation in and out of the city. • The Federal commander, General Nelson, was forced to delay the offensive operations of General Buell by utilizing two Union divisions to protect the city. • Forrest made his way back to Chattanooga and his legendary career had begun.

6. Forrest’s Second Raid – December 1862 – January 1863 Operating out of west Tennessee, Forrest defeated a Union cavalry force at Lexington, TN and destroyed the railroad all the way into Kentucky. At Parker Cross Roads, on New Year’s Eve, Forrest was dealt a severe blow by General Grenville Dodge and was forced to retreat back to Mississippi. Forrest had thoroughly wrecked the Mobile & Ohio Railroad and captured and paroled several hundred Federal soldiers.

7. Operations During the Atlanta Campaign June-Nov. 1864: On June 10, 1864, Forrest inflicted a devastating defeat on Union General Sturgis at Brice’s Crossroads, MS. (See Slide #9). • Operating on Sherman’s supply lines in Tennessee and northern Alabama, Forrest, in two weeks time, captured 1,200 men, 800 horses, 7 guns, and had caused Sherman to send “Pap” Thomas back to Chattanooga with two divisions. • Forrest next made war on Federal river traffic on the Mississippi. Capturing, disabling, or destroying three dozen transports, barges, and gunboats, Forrest disrupted travel on the river for over a month before he was finally driven away. • His last action of the raid was a successful foray to Tuscumbia.

8. Fort Pillow (Massacre?) – April 12, 1864 Undoubtedly the most controversial of the engagements headed by General Forrest during the war. Fort Pillow had the mission of protecting Federal navigation on the Mississippi. Refusing to surrender (in the face of overwhelming odds) the fort was overrun and (at this point) accounts differ as to what happened. The Union version included charges of soldiers killed in “cold blood” after attempting to surrender. The Confederate version claimed the high casualties were caused by the Union soldiers trying to fight their way to the river (and the cover by the Union gunboat, “New Era”).

9. Brice’s Crossroads A Federal force of 7,800 soldiers was defeated by Forrest with less than half that number in a fashion rarely seen on any battlefield. The battle is still being studied in war colleges as a classic example of a “double envelopment” where both flanks are “caved in” and the defeated army is completely overwhelmed. The Federals lost 223 killed, 394 wounded, and 1,623 captured while Forrest reported 492 Confederates killed and wounded.

10. Forrest’s Vocabulary • “Git thar first with the most!” – Forrest’s way of emphasizing how important it was to initiate the hostilities before the opponent was ready. • “Hit ‘em on the end!” – The “end” was the flank and always a good place to attack. • “Keep the ‘skar’ on ‘em!” – When the enemy is on the run, don’t let up. • “War means fighting and fighting means killing” – No mamby-pamby chivalry for Forrest.

11. Conclusion • Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was one of the most successful military commanders of the Civil War. When asked after the war about successful officers, General Joseph Johnston remarked, “Forrest was the war’s greatest soldier. If he had had the advantage of a thorough military education and training, he would have been the great central figure of the war.”