Nathan Bedford Forrest A Biography
Nathan Bedford Forrest A Biography by Jack Hurst, published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on March 15, 1994, is a reprint edition comprising 448 pages. This biography explores the complex life of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a prominent figure in the Confederate cavalry during the Civil War. Hurst presents Forrest as a man of contradictions, known for his guerrilla tactics and fierce reputation, which earned him the moniker of a “devil” from General Sherman. The narrative delves into Forrest’s rise from humble beginnings to becoming a lieutenant general, while also addressing his controversial role in events such as the Fort Pillow Massacre and his later involvement with the Ku Klux Klan.
Readers will find a thorough examination of Forrest’s life, highlighting both his military genius and his brutal methods within the context of the Civil War period. The biography provides insights into his transformation from a frontiersman and slave trader to a businessman and racial moderate in the New South. Hurst’s extensive research and unflinching analysis contribute to a nuanced understanding of Forrest, making this work a significant addition to the literature on military history and the complexities of American identity during a tumultuous era.
Official synopsis Publisher
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.
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