Nathan Bedford Forrest: Common Sense Soldier

By Brian Steel Wills, University of Virginia at Wise

Presentation to CCWRT on 17 September 2009, Summarized by Mike Rhein

Photography by Shane Gamble

©Cincinnati CWRT, 2009

Describing Confederate cavalry leader Nathan Bedford Forrest’s commanding presence in one of his early battles at Bowling Green, Kentucky, author Shelby Foote writes, “Standing in the stirrups, swinging his sword and roaring ‘Charge! Charge!’ in a voice that rang like brass, the colonel personally accounted for three of the enemy officers, killing two and wounding one; he shot the first, sabered the second, and dislocated the shoulder of a third by knocking him off his horse.” (The Civil War-A Narrative, Vol. 1)

In a vignette on Forrest (Two Flags Flying), author Donald J. Sobol paints a succinct picture of him: “Whether in person or by proxy, Nathan Bedford Forrest fought the Union forces in the West with the same result: victory. A born soldier, he understood war with ruthless honesty. ‘War means fightin’ and fightin’ means killin’,” he said. “And no one ever fought and killed more efficiently than this one-time Memphis slave trader.”

Our September speaker, Brian Steel Wills, professor at the University of Virginia at Wise and author of several publications on the Civil War including two on Forrest including The Confederacy’s Greatest Cavalryman: Nathan Bedford Forrest (1998), delivered a presentation that focused mainly on Forrest’s characteristics which made him such a feared leader. Professor Wills described Forrest as a “man of action” who had 29 horses shot under him in the war and killed 30 opponents in “hand-to-hand combat.” He quoted noted Civil War scholar James McPherson’s description of Forrest’s tenacious combat style as a “killing machine.”

A recruiting advertisement early in the war, according to Mr. Wills, accentuated Forrest’s fighting nature and style when he emphasized a penchant for “shotguns and pistols” for cavalrymen. The professor stressed a key point involving the character development of Forrest that led to his innate ability to lead fearlessly: “He was a product of the times in which he lived, a product of the frontier,” alluding to Forrest’s childhood in middle Tennessee (born in 1821). Mr. Wills used a quote from Forrest describing his rough formative years for the title of a publication, “Battle from the Start: The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest” (1993). He described Forrest as “self-reliant” in his youth, influenced by his mother who was also strong-willed. A hard worker, Forrest eventually accumulated wealth by the time he was 40 at the beginning of the Civil War through farming and slave trading.

With little formal education (“He taught himself English and math,” said Mr. Wills) and no military training before the war, Forrest enlisted as a private in the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry in 1861. However, he did not stay in this rank long. Through his natural leadership ability, sheer will, tenacity, he rose to lieutenant general by 1865. He was always at the front, leading his troops, sustaining wounds. Mr. Wills stressed that Forrest, with no tolerance for cowardice, “respected a man who didn’t back down.” One of his leadership characteristics, according to Mr. Wills, was that Forrest “focused on control and intimidation.”

Forrest, with fewer troopers and limited resources, managed to accomplish military wonders, even drawing praise from General R. E. Lee after the war. In referring to Lee’s laudatory comment, Mr. Wills said, “He did more with less.” Forrest’s relentless attacking style mixed with guile and ingenuity, frustrated many Union opponents in the field, even Gen. William Sherman who called Forrest “that devil.” Mr. Wills summed up Forrest’s military philosophy in his own words, such as “I want to do it rite,” “I want to fite” and “I got there first with the most.” He added more Forrest quotes describing his psychological approach in intimidating his foes, such as “Get the skeer in ‘em. Keep the skeer in ‘em.” Forrest finally succumbed to an overwhelming Union cavalry force, led by Gen. James Wilson, at Selma, Alabama, in April, 1865, but his exploits in the field, at times against seemingly impossible odds, stamped his legendary status then and ever since in our American military annals.

Mr. Wills mentioned that there were three controversies that marred Forrest's reputation: his slave trading career, his handling of the April, 1864 Fort Pillow, Tenn. "massacre," and his involvement in the Ku Klux Klan of which he was its first Grand Wizard. In the question-and-answer session, Mr. Wills gave a lengthy answer describing Forrest’s involvement in the Fort Pillow incident. According to Wills, "Forrest did not perpetrate the massacre; he lost control of the battle." His objective in attacking the fort was chiefly to take horses and equipment. He explained that Forrest arrived late to the attack and that once at the fort, he focused more on the nearby Union gunboat rather than the conduct of his troops. Mr. Wills added that Forrest "turned over 80 prisoners, including a few blacks. Had Forrest intended to commit a massacre, there would have been no prisoners to turn over.”

Mr. Wills’ presentation effectively delineated Forrest’s strong personality and fierce will as key factors in his natural capability to inspire his men to unbelievable feats and to instill fear in his foes, making him one of the greatest military leaders in American history.