Impressed with his gallantry Mrs. Montgomery agreed. Try again later. Chapel Hill. [143] The title "Grand Wizard" was chosen because General Forrest had been known as "The Wizard of the Saddle" during the war. After his bloody defeat at Franklin, Hood continued on to Nashville. Part of General Nathan Bedfords Obituary, A Brief Biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest, Nathan Bedford Forrest and Mary Ann Montgomery, Assessing Civil War Historiography and Nathan Bedford Forrests Place in It, Black Women Writers of the 19th Century II, Mary Granville Pendarves Delany 1700-1788. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. His rearguard action during the Confederate retreat from Nashville undoubtedly saved the Army of Tennessee from extinction. Try again later. If so, login to add it. [11], Nathan Bedford Forrest was born on July 13, 1821, to a poor settler family in a secluded frontier cabin near Chapel Hill hamlet, then part of Bedford County, Tennessee, but now encompassed in Marshall County. A common report is that Forrest arrived in Nashville in April 1867 while the Klan was meeting at the Maxwell House Hotel, probably at the encouragement of a state Klan leader, former Confederate general George Gordon. Throughout the balance of 1864, though the greatest efforts were made by the Federals to crush him, General Forrest raided in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama, with almost unvarying success. I accept it more particularly as it comes from a colored lady, for if there is any one on God's earth who loves the ladies I believe it is myself. [51][52] Forrest arranged for heavy ordnance machinery, including a new cannon rifling machine and fourteen cannons, as well as parts from the Nashville Armory, to be sent to Atlanta for use by the Confederate Army. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. He had at least 3 sons and 1 daughter with Jane Taylor Cook. Try again later. By 1861, he had become one of the wealthiest men in the South. Forrest became involved sometime in late 1866 or early 1867. [99] President Abraham Lincoln asked his cabinet for opinions as to how the Union should respond to the massacre. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Name: William Montgomery (Willie) Forrest Sex: M Birth: 26 SEP 1846 in Hernando, DeSoto Co. Mississippi Death: 7 FEB 1908 in Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee Burial: Elmwood Cem., Memphis, TN . Forrest set up winter headquarters at Hopkinsville, in southwestern Kentucky, on December 20, lodging his troopers in floored tents as they contended with the cold and an outbreak of measles. William Montgomery Forrest was born on month day 1846, at birth place, Mississippi, to Nathan Bedford Forrest and Mary Ann Forrest (born Montgomery). Others, dropping their guns in terror, ran back toward the Confederates with their hands up, and of these some were spared as prisoners, while others were shot down in the act of surrender. In June 1862, he assumed command of a cavalry brigade. Thanks for your help! [69] Forrest was thought to have been fatally wounded by Gould but he recovered and was ready to fight in the Chickamauga Campaign. For Selma, of all places, to have a big monument to a Klansman is totally unacceptable". (CSA), William Montgomery Forrest, Death of Capt. Mary used her strength of faith to overcome her husbands anger and resentments. The Civil War In June 1861, Forrest enlisted as a private in Captain Josiah Whites Tennessee Mounted Rifles, along with his youngest brother and fifteen-year-old son. In 1845, Jonathan Forrest was killed in a street fight over a business dispute. These lightning blows of Forrests caused USA General William Tecumseh Sherman great alarm. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Our Arctic Series Cold Climate Heat Pumps are both the most advanced and cost effective air source heat pump on the market, with the ability to heat your home, office, shop, and pool/hot tub. According to Con-federate Veteran, young Willie attempted to join his father and two uncles into the Tennessee Mounted Rifles, but his age and small size disallowed him. They commissioned him as a lieutenant colonel and authorized him to recruit and train a battalion of Confederate mounted rangers. 0 cemeteries found in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, USA. William Bill Forrest was born in Desoto County, Mississippi on September 26th, 1846 to Nathan Bedford and Mary Ann Forrest. Forrest became well known for his early use of maneuver tactics as applied to a mobile horse cavalry deployment. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. 0:54. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Husband of Jane Taylor Forrest He sidestepped some questions and pleaded failure of memory on others. He used his cavalry troops as mounted infantry and often deployed artillery as the lead in battle, thus helping to "revolutionize cavalry tactics",[3] although the Confederate high command is seen by some commentators to have underappreciated his talents. [46] Forrest's command included his Escort Company (his "Special Forces"), for which he selected the best soldiers available. He passed awayon 7 FEB 1908in Memphis, Shelby, TN. One of the wounded Matlock men survived and served under Forrest during the Civil War. The Confederate army dispatched him with a small force into the backcountry of northern Alabama and western Georgia to defend against an attack of 3,000 Union cavalrymen commanded by Colonel Abel Streight. Originated after 10/1/2011 or before 7/1/2007 (These limits were determined under the provisions of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008). From the 1850 federal census, William M. Forrest lived with his father, mother, and sister at DeSoto County, Mississippi. Forrest continued to lead his men in small-scale operations, including the Battle of Dover and the Battle of Brentwood until April 1863. [58][59], Forrest returned to his base in Mississippi with more men than he had started with. Learn more about merges. Please reset your password. In February 1862, Forrest took part in the defense of Fort Donelson, and refused to surrender with the rest of the Confederate forces. This browser does not support getting your location. [243] An online petition at Change.org asking the City Council to ban the monument collected 313,617 signatures by mid-September of the same year.[244]. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Connections. It has been said that he never split a family and did not knowingly sell slaves to cruel masters. [171] In Louisiana, 1,000 blacks were killed to suppress Republican voting. Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest surrendered his command at Gainesville, Alabama, on May 9, 1865, under the agreement between CSA General Richard Taylor and USA General E. S. Canby. Add to your scrapbook. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Fort Pillow Massacre Historians still argue over Forrests responsibility for the Fort Pillow Massacre, in which many Union African American troops were killed. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Maximum Loan Limits for Mortgages Acquired in Calendar Year 2021 and. [213] A major push to change its name failed on February 16, 2018, when the governor-controlled Tennessee Historical Commission denied Middle Tennessee State University's petition to rename Forrest Hall. Without in any way referring to the merits of the cause in which we have been engaged, your courage and determination, as exhibited on many hard fought fields, has elicited the respect and admiration of friend and foe. [73][74][75], On December 4, 1863, Forrest was promoted to the rank of major general. [129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136], Forrest was an early member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), which was formed by six veterans of the Confederate Army in Pulaski, Tennessee, during the spring of 1866[137][138][139] and soon expanded throughout the state and beyond. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of William Forrest (8578580)? William supported his family as a blacksmith who had been part of the westward expansion across Tennessee, moving from one village to another as opportunity presented itself. In August, a historical society called Friends of Forrest moved forward with plans for a new, larger monument, which was to be 12 feet high, illuminated by LED lights, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence and protected by 24-hour security cameras. Oops, we were unable to send the email. [47], Forrest won praise for his performance under fire during an early victory in the Battle of Sacramento in Kentucky, the first in which he commanded troops in the field, where he routed a Union force by personally leading a cavalry charge that was later commended by his commander, Brigadier General Charles Clark. Failed to delete memorial. The native Tennesseean had amassed a fortune, which he estimated at $1,500,000, as a slave trader and plantation owner before . [82] As the Union troops surrendered, Forrest's men opened fire, slaughtering both black and white soldiers. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. On April 18, 2018, the Tennessee House of Representatives punished Memphis by cutting $250,000 in appropriations for the city's bicentennial celebration. [169], During the presidential election of 1868, the Ku Klux Klan under the leadership of Forrest, along with other terrorist groups, used brutal violence and intimidation against blacks and Republican voters. Try again later. FORREST'S SON, WILLIAM MONTGOMERY FORREST, poses in this only known image of him in Confederate uniform. Forrest is often erroneously quoted as saying his strategy was to "git thar fustest with the mostest". After serving as the president of the Selma, Marion and Memphis Railroad, he settled on managing a plantation manned by convict labour. He married Jane Taylor Cook in 1868 in Hernando, Mississippi and they had four children. in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, USA , United States, Died on October 29, 1877 when he was 7 years old and later to Atlanta, GA. Sports betting may work on Beale Street. [207] At the time the school was all white, but now more than half the student body is black. The frontier hardships drove Nathan to work hard and to become a successful businessman. He is remembered as a self-educated, brutal, and innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading Southern advocate in the postwar years. The bronze casting of more than heroic size (one and one-half life size), weighs 9,500 pounds. In fact, it was only disbanded when its work was essentially done blacks and Republicans had been terrified into not voting and when it came under intense criticism. Nearly ruined as the result of this failure, Forrest spent his final days running an eight-hundred acre farm on land he leased on President's Island in the Mississippi River, where he and his wife lived in a log cabin. Returning to Mississippi, Forrest was promoted to lieutenant general on February 28, 1865, and took command of the cavalry in the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. Congress and Grant passed the Enforcement Acts from 1870 to 1871, to protect "registration, voting, officeholding, or jury service" of African Americans. [103][104], S.C. Gwynne writes, "Forrest's responsibility for the massacre has been actively debated for a century and a half. Failed to remove flower. Yet, historian Albert Castel quotes several eyewitnesses on both the Union and Confederate sides as saying that Forrest ordered his men to stop firing. Capt. 5.] [57] Again, Bragg ordered a series of raids to disrupt the communications of the Union forces under Grant, which were threatening the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. [196] It is now the site of the Arnold Engineering Development Center. Although he repeatedly denied membership even to Congress Forrest in fact led the Klan through one of its most successful periods, when robed terrorists succeeded in rolling back Reconstruction. This is a carousel with slides. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Wife of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. The Confederates charged across the short distance between their lines and the fort, helping one another scale the parapet, from which they fired down into the fort. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of William Forrest (8578580)? In August 2000, a road on Fort Bliss named for Forrest decades earlier was renamed for former post commander Richard T. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Smith at Tupelo, where Forrest was wounded while directing the pursuit of retreating Federal troops. For this, he would later be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on March 2, 1865. WILLIAM MONTGOMERY FORREST married Jane Taylor Cook Forrest and had 3 children. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. His only son, Nathan Bedford Forrest III, was a senior officer of the United States Army Air Forces killed in action in the European Theater of World War II. His blacksmith father was of English descent, and most of his biographers state that his mother was of Scotch-Irish descent . His younger sister, Francis Fannie Ann was born in 1849 but passed away at age 6 in 1854. On June 13, 1863, Gould confronted Forrest about his transfer, which escalated into a violent exchange. There was an error deleting this problem. Oops, something didn't work. By this time, his fame as a cavalry leader had become legendary, and his exploits continued until the end of the war. Try again later. [50], A few days after the Confederate surrender of Fort Donelson, with the fall of Nashville to Union forces imminent, Forrest took command of the city. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. On September 25, 1845, Nathan Bedford Forrest married Mary Ann Montgomery. [160][161] He said he sympathized with them, but denied any formal connection, although he claimed he could muster thousands of men himself. On February 3, 1863, Forrests command suffered a defeat at Dover, Tennessee, while under the command of Major General Joseph Wheeler. Obey the laws, preserve your honor, and the government to which you have surrendered can afford to be and will be magnanimous. Forrest rarely drank and abstained from tobacco usage; he was often described as generally mild mannered, but according to Hosea and other contemporaries who knew him, his demeanor changed drastically when he was provoked or angered. panther. Many in the north, including President Grant, backed the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, that gave voting rights to Americans regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". In June 2021, the remains of Forrest and his wife were exhumed from Health Sciences Park, where they had been buried for over 100 years and a monument of him once stood. William was 15 years old. The Civil War scholar Bruce Catton writes: Forrest used his horsemen as a modern general would use motorized infantry. In the 1870s, Forrests health began to fail, and for several years he was plagued by illness. His acts have photographed themselves upon the hearts of thousands, and will speak there forever. In April 1864, in what has been called "one of the bleakest, saddest events of American military history",[5] troops under Forrest's command at the Battle of Fort Pillow massacred hundreds of troops, composed of black soldiers and white Tennessean Southern Loyalists fighting for the Union, who had already surrendered. 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