Nathan Bedford Forrest | |
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American Civil War | |
Rank | General |
Born | July 13, 1821 |
Place of birth | Chapel Hill, Tennessee |
Died | October 29, 1877 |
Place of death | Memphis, Tennessee |
Battles engaged in | American Civil War
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Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877) was a Confederate General and cavalry leader in the American Civil War. After the war, he was one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan.
Forrest is regarded by some historians as the most brilliant tactician produced by either side during the Civil War, who, if employed in a different capacity, might have turned the tide in favor of the Confederacy. His victories at such battles as Okolona and Brice's Cross Roads were the result partly of instinct and improvisation, but also of attention to terrain and the abilities of his and the enemy's troops. However, his place in history has come under attack in recent years, due to such controversies as the Fort Pillow Massacre during the war and his later involvement with the Klan. Later, however, after seeing the damage the Klan caused, he condemned them and called for racial harmony, even addressing the Independent Association of Pole-Bearers, a predecessor to the NAACP.[1]
Categories: [American Civil War Commanders] [KKK Members]