Who Was Nathan Bedford Forrest?

While many historical figures are likened to myths over time, historian and curator Jim Hoobler says it’s important to remember they were simply men.

[SouthernGentleman]

“Let us stand together. We may differ in color, but not in sentiment. Many things have been said about me which are wrong, and which white and black persons here, who stood by me through the war, can contradict.” - Nathan Bedford Forrest

[c.coleman]

Jim Hoobler is a good historian, but it was 30 horses shot out from him; he also personally killed 31 men during the war: he later commented that he came out of the war "a horse ahead." Love him or hate him, NBF had a way with words.

[MegaMixking]

Forest was the best commander our country ever produced.

[travisbayles]

General Nathan Bedford Forrest was the best cavalry general North or South He was the only Confederate officer feared by both Grant and Sherman His raids are stuff of legend His brilliant tactics are still being studied in military academies all across America and beyond When asked who he thought the best general in the Confederate Army was General Robert E Lee replied He's a man I've never met and his name is Forrest Field Marshall Erwin Rommel of the German Afrika Corps used Forrests tactics to great success in World War II

[mikephillips]

Make another Nathan Bedford Forrest statue and put up around the property somewhere.

[MikeJones]

As a young man of color this is a beautiful story. Anyone can change. Glad he got the chance 💛

[kenclayton]

A great soldier.3 more of him...different war

[alexsacco]

What they’ll Never say is that he left the klan and devoted the rest of his life to civil rights

[marcellovinazzi]

W NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST, GREAT GENERAL

[Fixingtodraw]

Tennessee wasn’t divided in its allegiance to the American Confederate government.
Besides Union General
Ulysses S Grant owned 4 slaves.
Let’s eliminate that hypocrite from our history as well.
Mrs. Grant wrote in, The Personal Memoirs of Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant: “We rented our pretty little home (in St. Louis) and hired out our four
servants to persons whom we knew and
who promised to be kind to them. Eliza, Dan, Julia and John belonged to me. When I visited the General during
the war, I nearly always had Julia with me as nurse.” (Pages 82-83)
So I guess General Grant was fighting to free his own slaves!!!

[Dhracko_Chavok]

Plus he was a member of the controversial group of The Knights of the Golden Circle, along with other known people in the Civil War too.

[Koyle]

He got that damn statue because he’s forced Dunstan grandfather and put some goddamn respect on his name

[westerfrye]

Nathan Bedford Forest is among the greatest generals of all time. Along with Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson there were none greater in any war and they should always be remembered for not only their genius but also their humanity Stonewall and Lee both before and after the war and Bedford more so a few years after the war. But no general has been more influential in strategy used even today by our own military than Forest Bedford. He will forever be the strategist of American warfare.

[alexeubanks]

Fort pillow massacre has long since been debunked

[KennyLauderdale]

Lol. Dude said "go through it again" lol... Hilarious Shiiiid

[killcancer]

I have read several biographies of Nathan Bedford Forrest, and not once have I read of the man killing an unarmed man or a man after he surrendered. I would like a source for that.

[StevenSigmon]

He was not a founding member of the KKK. Please fact check. Founding members were six lawyers in Pulaski, TN.

[christophercross]

He was not one of the six founding members

[revmongoose]

If it is true he changed his ways after two years of forming the Klan, then that is good, Its not how we start, its how we end up.

[jasong]

If they have to discuss taking it down is really a problem