Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Today is Nathan Bedford Forrest Day. July 13th.

I've long admired General Forrest. One of the few really great commanders of a war that saw many good ones.
No matter your personal opinion, the man knew how to fight. As noted above, his tactics are still studied today. He should be admired and remembered for this if nothing else.
His personal bravery as well. Forrest had 29 horses shot from under him, and killed 30 enemy combatants. He himself said he "ended the war a horse ahead".
As an adolescent he hunted down a cougar that had stalked his mother. He rescued his future wife from a flooding River, afterwards "coach whipping" the men standing around laughing. The man had cast iron balls.
No one now living knows how much involved he was with the slaughter at Ft Pillow. Those who admire him say he tried to stop it. Those who detest him say he was responsible. Even at the time, the stories conflicted so much that the Union Army decided not to pursue charges.
By all accounts I've read, he detested the terrorist tactics of the KKK, and tried to distance himself from it after he found out the truth.
Of the mourners at his funeral, there were numbered 3000 blacks. If the man was racists, he must have hid it very well. He treated people with respect and courtesy, regardless. Another thing we should all learn from the General.
Whatever the truth, somehow I think the General would laugh at this whizzing contest by a bunch of half azzed, half informed Bozos with keyboards.
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Good post, even if you are north of the Mason-Dixon line.

The thing about this discussion is this......it's very evident to see that we're still fighting the War Between the States to one degree or another. The fact is that too many people are either ignorant, uniformed, stupid, or else have no desire to get the facts and know what really happened about something, before they write about it. Those who equate Forrest's name with the modern day KKK are a prime example.

This discussion reminds me somewhat of one that happened on here not long ago. There were posters that thought it was just fine for the Allies in WW2 to have bombed civilian targets, because those civilians were the enemy. But, on the other hand, the Nazis were wrong for their targeting of civilians. In other words......we won the war, so what we did was okay, the Germans lost, so we got to pass judgment.

Those on here who believe the Confederate states had no right to secede, and that every Southerner back then was a slaveholder, will always besmirch the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest. That's partly so because he pretty much whipped the Yankee's azzes at every turn, and is still widely considered by many to have been the best general on either side. The truth about who and what he was and did, means nothing to them, because he was a Confederate, and that's all that matters.

Then, there are those here who have actually took the time to read up on Forrest and find out everything we could about him. We know what the truth was, and the posts made by those people reflect that. This is a discussion that will be never ending, and one upon which the Fire will never be in agreement. And that's okay by me.

https://patriotpost.us/documents/514

From the article, his speech as reported in the Memphis paper:

On July 5, 1875, Gen. Forrest was invited to speak at the Memphis convention of the Independent Order of Pole-Bearers Association (predecessor to the NAACP). The Association was organized by Southern blacks after the war to promote black voting rights, etc.

At this, his last public appearance, he made what the New York Times described as a "friendly speech" during which, when offered a bouquet of flowers by a black woman, he accepted them as a token of reconciliation between the races and espoused a radically progressive (for the time) agenda of equality and harmony between black and white Americans.

His speech was recorded in the Memphis Daily Appeal as follows:

"Ladies and Gentlemen I accept the flowers as a memento of reconciliation between the white and colored races of the southern states. 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. ( Immense applause and laughter.) This day is a day that is proud to me, having occupied the position that I did for the past twelve years, and been misunderstood by your race. This is the first opportunity I have had during that time to say that I am your friend. I am here a representative of the southern people, one more slandered and maligned than any man in the nation.

"I will say to you and to the colored race that men who bore arms and followed the flag of the Confederacy are, with very few exceptions, your friends. I have an opportunity of saying what I have always felt - that I am your friend, for my interests are your interests, and your interests are my interests. We were born on the same soil, breathe the same air, and live in the same land. Why, then, can we not live as brothers? I will say that when the war broke out I felt it my duty to stand by my people. When the time came I did the best I could, and I don't believe I flickered. I came here with the jeers of some white people, who think that I am doing wrong. I believe that I can exert some influence, and do much to assist the people in strengthening fraternal relations, and shall do all in my power to bring about peace. It has always been my motto to elevate every man- to depress none. (Applause.) I want to elevate you to take positions in law offices, in stores, on farms, and wherever you are capable of going.

"I have not said anything about politics today. I don't propose to say anything about politics. You have a right to elect whom you please; vote for the man you think best, and I think, when that is done, that you and I are freemen. Do as you consider right and honest in electing men for office. I did not come here to make you a long speech, although invited to do so by you. I am not much of a speaker, and my business prevented me from preparing myself. I came to meet you as friends, and welcome you to the white people. I want you to come nearer to us. When I can serve you I will do so. We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together. We may differ in color, but not in sentiment. Use your best judgement in selecting men for office and vote as you think right.

"Many things have been said about me which are wrong, and which white and black persons here, who stood by me through the war, can contradict. I have been in the heat of battle when colored men, asked me to protect them. I have placed myself between them and the bullets of my men, and told them they should be kept unharmed. Go to work, be industrious, live honestly and act truly, and when you are oppressed I'll come to your relief. I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for this opportunity you have afforded me to be with you, and to assure you that I am with you in heart and in hand."

Whereupon, Forrest again thanked Miss Lewis for the bouquet and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. Such a kiss was unheard of in the society of those days, but it showed a token of respect and friendship between the general and the black community and did much to promote harmony among the citizens of Memphis.

When Forrest died in 1877 it is noteworthy that his funeral in Memphis was attended not only by thousands of whites and blacks. The funeral procession was over two miles long and was attended by over 10,000 area residents, including 3000 black citizens paying their respects.

Seems to me that the majority of the folks still fighting the War Between the States are the folks who fancy themselves "Southerners" rather than just plain "Americans" like me! And Kentucky was at best a border state, not a southern state. Some of us really need to get over ourselves.
I think that after 150 years, Generals Lee, Longstreet, Jackson, Johnson and Forrest himself would agree with me.
We Americans got enemies of our own, we ought to quit this stupid drawing of lines amongst ourselves.
The folks taking down statues and burning Stars and Bars ain't "Yankees". They're grinding an axe aimed at Americans. You southern fellows need to remember this when you start to spout off about Yankees
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You are a m o t h e r f u c k i n g idiot. Literally.

LOL....the way I see it, and this thread is a prime example, it's always when a "southerner" posts something, that some "Yankee" wants to try and "correct" them. Nathan Bedford Forrest was much more than a founder of the KKK, as ANY person who has done their homework would know. Yet, then someone from the South posts about July 13 being Nathan Bedford Forrest day, some poster, who ironically happens to be from a state outside the South, just has to tear Forrest apart and write some untruths about him.

After 69 years here on this earth, I've found that people from the South are much better "educated" on the history of the War Between the States as are their counterparts from the North.

FYI, the original post is by Robert White, a personal friend of mine and a fellow Pennsylvanian!
In my own experience, I know quite a few guys who are history buffs, but it's usually upbringing and factors like that as opposed to localities. On the campfire though, I find that the guys who consider themselves southerners THINK they know more.
I'm a country boy. I take folks at face value and avoid reading things into folks unless they actively give me a reason. I can tell you that around here, I see a helluva lot more open carry (handgun) than I do "man buns"!
I refuse to assume something about anyone based on locality. In my military service, I met more country boys from Michigan or Illinois than I did Texas or Georgia. Even California or Washington have there fair share of conservative country boys. As a matter of fact, I've found that considering yourself better than somebody else based on where you're from is usually the mark of an idiot.
Wifey and I were shopping at a private owned shop in Wyoming. Nice stuff the guy had, and I struck up a conversation. I said we were from PA, and he kinda snarled "that's a good place to be FROM".
Didn't take us long to put the items back and clear out.
I'm an American. I'm lucky enough to live in rural Pennsylvania. Does that make me better than someone from San Francisco or Seattle or some other liberal place?
I have traveled around enough to find proud freedom loving Americans in places you'd expect to find liberal snobs.
Assumptions based on location tells me maybe that guy needs to get out more.
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Southerner's are an emotional lot.

Every now and again they get something right. Maybe.

That’s a lot of words, Yankee.

of course I forgot about the ones who just enjoy the whizzing contest!
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FXT

I refuse to denigrate any patriotic supporter of our nation and its constitution for standing for those things he feels compelled to stand for.

Im wondering if you have the mental capacity to remember why we can still have AR-15s and semiauto 22s? It seems most cant remember Sen D Feinsteins bill called the Assault Weapons Ban which was supported by the left, commies, traitors, Police Chiefs and police organizations, etc and was defeated by ONE man after a horrific mass murder event. He also is, iirc, the one person to thank responsible for you STILL being able to purchase a gun at a gun show.

Least you forgot: if you watch to the end, you will see the LEO he defeated in the push to destroy your 2A.

Regardless of whether you like Ted Cruz (I do) or not, he is without a doubt nobody's dummy. He was hammering those gun grabbers with facts as he usually does whenever he holds court. That is why his tweet about NBF, so unnecessary, so counterproductive, so factually dubious, and just plain dumb has me scratching my head.

I'm chalking it up to him having a bad day or just shooting from the hip. Leaving the 1860's for a moment and coming back to the present day, all he did was give ammo to the left's quest to destroy the system by destroying history, because they don't think much more if any higher of George Washington or Thomas Jefferson than they do the confederates and would gladly whitewash them from history as well.

I have no problem with honoring All our historical figures. Nathan Bedford Forrest was an honorable man and fought to the best of his ability for the cause he believed in. Lincoln saved the union from being dissolved and lost his life for it. His successor was responsible for the mayhem that followed during reconstruction and the hatred that it bred continues to this day. It serves no good purpose to reopen old wounds.

We either stand together against the onslaught of Communism or submit to it while we settle old arguments. Our History is rich and we are the better for it. Whether Ted Cruz spoke justly or not is beside the point. It is a loose/loose situation because the left will destroy any argument about the true history behind the KKK.. They'll drown out any attempt to promote the true history about anything that doesn't fit their agenda.

I like Ted Cruz, he was my choice for the GOP's presidential nominee until Trump won. He is a smart guy, he is a supporter of our gun rights, and more importantly, he is a Constitutionalist.

However.....and this is something of a repeat of a previous post on this thread.....Cruz is no different from the majority of Republican politicians, in that they are stupid enough to think that if they pander to Blacks, Hispanics, queers, and any other kook group, they will get some of their votes. In other words, he is a 100% politician, in that the quest for votes overrides all else.

I will go with this^^^.

Given Cruz’s background I don’t think he places any special reverance on the confederacy. There was the spat above about who knew the most about civil war history. The distinction isn’t who knows the most history but in how it’s viewed. Northerners seem to view the war as distant history when southerners tend to fit the old Faulkner quote about the “past not being history, it isn’t even in the past”

I was born more than 100 years after war ended and even then it and reconstruction were constantly referenced when I was a kid to the point that in the early 1980s my grandmothers church fired the new preacher for playing battle hymn of the republic during a service. We spent several weeks in school each year covering the war and it was always expressed by the teacher as “us” vs “them”. Most people that grew up in the south probably had it pretty similar, so to us the war seems a lot more relevant and recent.

We see the split on here about whether people should consider themselves Americans or southerners first, when you think about it that’s the same primary split that people had in the 1860s when they chose sides

The disconnect that guys like Cruz, Mark Levin, and so many on this board have is that they revere Lincoln and don’t realize or acknowledge that he destroyed the Constitution and the Republic to save the Union. They don’t see that every governmental excess since then can be traced directly to the powers gained by the federal government and lost by the states in that war. The most important check of the mythical checks and balances of our Constitution was lost in that war. The states no longer have any power or independent authority whatsoever except that power or authority that one branch or the other of the federal government allows them to have as that the sole arbiter of what is and what is not constitutional is the federal government.

And it really wasn’t a secret back then as to how things changed and where it would lead. Robert E. Lee diagnosed where it would lead in his letters to Lord Acton after the war. And Karl Marx was ecstatic about the union victory, considered Lincoln to be the greatest man of the age, and wrote him several congratulatory letters to which Lincoln responded.

Sad.