Nathan Bedford Forrest

Nathan Bedford Forrest PDF Author: Jack Hurst
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307789144
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
Amid the aristocratic ranks of the Confederate cavalry, Nathan Bedford Forrest was untutored, all but unlettered, and regarded as no more than a guerrilla. His tactic was the headlong charge, mounted with such swiftness and ferocity that General Sherman called him a "devil" who should "be hunted down and killed if it costs 10,000 lives and bankrupts the treasury." And in a war in which officers prided themselves on their decorum, Forrest habitually issued surrender-or-die ultimatums to the enemy and often intimidated his own superiors. After being in command at the notorious Fort Pillow Massacre, he went on to haunt the South as the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Now this epic figure is restored to human dimensions in an exemplary biography that puts both Forrest's genius and his savagery into the context of his time, chronicling his rise from frontiersman to slave trader, private to lieutenant general, Klansman to—eventually—New South businessman and racial moderate. Unflinching in its analysis and with extensive new research, Nathan Bedford Forrest is an invaluable and immensely readable addition to the literature of the Civil War.

Nathan Bedford Forrest

Nathan Bedford Forrest PDF Author: Jack Hurst
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307789144
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
Amid the aristocratic ranks of the Confederate cavalry, Nathan Bedford Forrest was untutored, all but unlettered, and regarded as no more than a guerrilla. His tactic was the headlong charge, mounted with such swiftness and ferocity that General Sherman called him a "devil" who should "be hunted down and killed if it costs 10,000 lives and bankrupts the treasury." And in a war in which officers prided themselves on their decorum, Forrest habitually issued surrender-or-die ultimatums to the enemy and often intimidated his own superiors. After being in command at the notorious Fort Pillow Massacre, he went on to haunt the South as the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Now this epic figure is restored to human dimensions in an exemplary biography that puts both Forrest's genius and his savagery into the context of his time, chronicling his rise from frontiersman to slave trader, private to lieutenant general, Klansman to—eventually—New South businessman and racial moderate. Unflinching in its analysis and with extensive new research, Nathan Bedford Forrest is an invaluable and immensely readable addition to the literature of the Civil War.

Life of General Nathan Bedford Forrest

Life of General Nathan Bedford Forrest PDF Author: John Allan Wyeth
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 782

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Book Description
Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, renowned military genius, is accurately portrayed in this comprehensive volume. A brilliant, fearless military commander, Forrest was best known for his daring battlefield exploits, quick temper and keen intellect.

Tennessee in the Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Confederate cavalry

Tennessee in the Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Confederate cavalry PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780961596675
Category : Tennessee
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


The Artillery of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry, "the Wizard of the Saddle,"

The Artillery of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry, Author: John Watson Morton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description


Nathan Bedford Forrest

Nathan Bedford Forrest PDF Author: Nathan Bedford Forrest
Publisher: Pelican Publishing
ISBN: 9781455609222
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 568

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Book Description
This Civil War biography sheds new light on the life of the legendary Confederate general before, during, and after the conflict that defined his legacy. Shelby Foote called Nathan Bedford Forrest one of the most authentic geniuses produced by the American Civil War, and Ulysses S. Grant said that Forrest was the only Confederate cavalry leader he feared. Sherman wanted him killed even if doing so broke the broke the Federal treasury and cost ten thousand lives. Arguably the best cavalry leader of the Civil War and undoubtedly one of the greatest in the history of mounted warfare, Nathan Bedford Forrest has been acclaimed and vilified, revered and hated, and still he is a man whose life defies categorization. This in-depth biography goes beyond Forrest’s war exploits. Here, historians Eddy W. Davison and Daniel Foxx depict a man as complex, brilliant, revolutionary, and tragic as the times in which he lived. In addition to revealing details about his childhood, marriage, and life as a businessman and civic leader, this comprehensive biography explains the alleged massacre at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, and the reasons for Forrest’s leadership in the Ku Klux Klan.

The Confederacy's Greatest Cavalryman

The Confederacy's Greatest Cavalryman PDF Author: Brian Steel Wills
Publisher: Modern War Studies
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 514

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Book Description
This is the best biography of one of the most exciting, colorful, and controversial figures of the Civil War. A renowned cavalryman, Nathan Bedford Forrest perfected a ruthless hit-and-run guerrilla warfare that terrified Union soldiers and garnered the respect of warriors like William Sherman, who described his adversary as "that Devil, Forrest . . . the most remarkable man our Civil War produced on either side." Historian Bruce Catton rated Forrest "one of the authentic military geniuses of the whole war," but Brian Steel Wills covers much more than the cavalryman's incredible feats on the field of battle. He also provides the most thoughtful and complete analysis of Forrest's hardscrabble childhood in backwater Mississippi; his rise to wealth in the Memphis slave trade; his role in the infamous Fort Pillow massacre of black Union soldiers; his role as early leader and Grand Wizard of the first Ku Klux Klan; and his declining health and premature death in a reconstructing America.

The God of War

The God of War PDF Author: Robert S. Chambers
Publisher: King Phillip Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
The American Civil War career of Nathan Bedford Forrest and his Confederate cavalry as told through the fictional letters of Henry Wylie to his wife Elizabeth.

Failure in the Saddle

Failure in the Saddle PDF Author: David A. Powell
Publisher: Savas Beatie
ISBN: 1611210569
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Book Description
An award–winning, “deeply researched and thoroughly analyzed” account of the Confederate cavalry’s mistakes that turned Chickamauga into a Pyrrhic victory (Eric J. Wittenberg, award-winning author of The Battle of Brandy Station). Tales of the Confederate cavalry’s raids and daring exploits create a whiff of lingering romance about the horse soldiers of the Lost Cause. Sometimes, however, romance obscures history. In August 1863 William Rosecrans’ Union Army of the Cumberland embarked on a campaign of maneuver to turn Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee out of Chattanooga, one of the most important industrial and logistical centers of the Confederacy. Despite the presence of two Southern cavalry corps—nearly 14,000 horsemen—under legendary commanders Nathan Bedford Forrest and Joe Wheeler, Union troops crossed the Tennessee River unopposed and unseen, slipped through the passes cutting across the knife-ridged mountains, moved into the narrow valleys, and turned Bragg’s left flank. Threatened with the loss of the railroad that fed his army, Bragg had no choice but to retreat. He lost Chattanooga without a fight. After two more weeks of maneuvering, skirmishing, and botched attacks, Bragg struck back at Chickamauga, where he was once again surprised by the position of the Union army and the manner in which the fighting unfolded. Although the combat ended with a stunning Southern victory, Federal counterblows that November reversed all that had been so dearly purchased. David A. Powell’s Failure in the Saddle is the first in-depth attempt to determine what role the Confederate cavalry played in both the loss of Chattanooga and the staggering number of miscues that followed up to, through, and beyond Chickamauga. Powell draws upon an array of primary accounts and his intimate knowledge of the battlefield to reach several startling conclusions: Bragg’s experienced cavalry generals routinely fed him misleading information, failed to screen important passes and river crossings, allowed petty command politics to routinely influence their decision-making, and on more than one occasion disobeyed specific and repeated orders that may have changed the course of the campaign. Richly detailed, Failure in the Saddle offers new perspectives on the role of the Rebel horsemen in every combat large and small waged during this long and bloody campaign and, by default, a fresh assessment of the generalship of Braxton Bragg. This judiciously reasoned account includes a guided tour of the cavalry operations, several appendices of important information, and original cartography. Winner of the Civil War Round Table of Atlanta’s Richard Harwell Award

The Battles and Campaigns of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1861-1865

The Battles and Campaigns of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1861-1865 PDF Author: John R. Scales
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781611214475
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Nathan Bedford Forrest. The Tennessean was one of the most intriguing and controversial characters to emerge during the Civil War. Books and articles on the man span the gamut from hero worship because of his remarkable battlefield victories, to condemnation for his involvement with the slaughter at Fort Pillow and later, his association with the Ku Klux Klan. Retired Special Forces brigadier general John R. Scales plows entirely new ground with The Battles and Campaigns of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1861-1865, a careful and unique examination of Forrest's wartime activities and how his actions affected the war in the Western Theater. Each chapter covers specific raids or campaigns, all arranged chronologically. After describing the environment within which Forrest operated, which helps readers understand the larger situation within which his movements were made and his battles were fought, Gen. Scales narrates the decisions Forrest and his opponents made and the actions they took. Firsthand sources, including heavy use of documents and reports from the Official Records, coupled with 109 original maps, make it easy to understand the often complex background, movements, and engagements involving Forrest and his command. Scales' study is also a meticulous guide to Forrest's campaigns. For example, each action is augmented with detailed driving directions to allow readers to examine his battlefields and the routes his cavalry took during its famous raids. For the first time, students of Forrest's campaigns can follow in his footsteps, experiencing the terrain much the same way he did. A detailed review and assessment of each raid or campaign follows the description of the actions and the associated driving instructions. Throughout, General Scales relies upon his own extensive military background to help evaluate and explain how and why Forrest grew in command ability and potential as a result of his experiences--or didn't. The late award-winning author Albert Castel asked two major questions about Nathan Bedford Forrest: "Exactly what impact did Forrest's dazzling raids and victories have upon the overall course of the war?" and "Had Forrest been given a higher command and/or greater opportunities, what would have been the potential outcome as regards the fate of the Confederacy?" The Battles and Campaigns of General Nathan Bedford Forrest makes it much easier to answer both.

To the Battles of Franklin and Nashville and Beyond

To the Battles of Franklin and Nashville and Beyond PDF Author: Benjamin Franklin Cooling
Publisher: Univ. of Tennessee Press
ISBN: 1572337516
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 545

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Book Description
By 1864 neither the Union’s survival nor the South’s independence was any more apparent than at the beginning of the war. The grand strategies of both sides were still evolving, and Tennessee and Kentucky were often at the cusp of that work. The author examines the heartland conflict in all its aspects: the Confederate cavalry raids and Union counter-offensives; the harsh and punitive Reconstruction policies that were met with banditry and brutal guerrilla actions; the disparate political, economic, and socio-cultural upheavals; the ever-growing war weariness of the divided populations; and the climactic battles of Franklin and Nashville that ended the Confederacy’s hopes in the Western Theater.