Myths of Nathan Bedford Forrest
http://www.nathanbedfordforrest.net/index.htm
A speech given to a civil rights group "Jubilee of Pole Bearers" on July 5, 1875
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/122906/opl_7020282.shtml
It seems the General has been falsely smeared just to keep the pot stirred.:wink2::up:
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I remember a story about him calling some Confederate General (Bragg I believe) he was under a bastard and a scoundrel and that he would kill him if he ever had a chance; I always thought that was funny.
Honestly other than that I don't know much about him other than he is considered by some as the first Grand Wizard of the KKK (which because it is so disputed I won't judge, but if he was then any respect I have for him goes down the drain).
So I'm not arguing here GA, so no need to embarass me. Oh and thanks for giving some life back to this forum again and you know the CW topics can bring that along. :wink2:
You just didn't pick the right topic to get me to bite on. :up:Boik14 likes this. -
I'll put my faith in congress on this one because they wanted blood yet were unable to find any on both counts of his "so called" misdeeds.
Boik14, sking29 and azfinfanmang like this. -
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Hmm, a humane slave owner. Oxymoron, anyone?
In all seriousness, I applaud the foresight to have some interest of the families he reunited and treated better then everyone else. But being the best slave owner isn't a real compliment.gafinfan likes this. -
Let me ask you this seriously, in your opinion, who is the better person the one who sees a problem and says its wrong but does nothing else or the person who sees that same problem and does his best to correct it by taking action?Boik14 likes this. -
How did he correct the problem by still owning slaves? He didn't suddenly free them until he felt he was going to die. Lets not make him in to something he isnt. He's not a hero nor should he be viewed as one. He may have been nicer and more hospitable then the rest of the slave owners but he was by no means ahead of the curve. Its more like everyone else was really that far behind the curve. :up:gafinfan likes this. -
IMHO the issue is not so cut and dry as it appears today. If that fact were true then we would have never had slavery to begin with, don't you think? I'm not trying to paint our ancestors as angels or demons, they were a product of their times, no more no less, just as we are today. I will be willing to bet 150 years from now we will be looked at with the same judgemental eye as we judge those of 150 years ago. I wonder just what names they will call us?:wink2::shifty:Boik14 likes this. -
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Youre right that issue is not as cut and dry as it appears now. The need for cheap labor to help with agriculture was a necessity then. However the way we went about it as a country certainly left a lot to be desired. :wink2:gafinfan likes this. -
Couldn't agree with you more.:up:
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While Forrest was better then his neighbors, being the best of the worst doesn't really make you any good. :wink2: -
http://forums.thephins.com/showpost.php?p=728334&postcount=10
Actually that whole thread "Why Was The Civil War Fought" discussed this quite a bit. It may be useful or it may not, just referencing it. :up:
GA and I agreed in the end. :yes: -
Also how can you be free when you arent equals? Whites didnt have to put up with this kind of stuff: "In the South free blacks had curfews and restrictions against purchasing alcohol and firearms. They were not allowed to testify in a court case against a white person. In Florida and Georgia free men had to report to white guardians periodically. All of these laws and codes were designed to keep African Americans in a subordinate role in US society. Most free blacks, denied the education and opportunities open to whites, lived in poverty. "gafinfan likes this. -
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MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member
I remember from reading his biography in grade school, the quote attributed to him: "get there fustest with the mostest."
I always thought the South had the better leaders overall, but the North had the manpower and manufacturing base to wear them down, which they eventually did.
The page says he was the greatest American cavalry leader. I guess that is somewhat subjective and could be true. Was he better than John Mosby or JEB Stuart? Or was he better than George Custer, who whipped Stuart at Gettysburg? Or does the LBH debacle taint Custer's legacy enough that he could never be rated the greatest?
Some folks may say the greatest American cavalry leader ever was Crazy Horse. -
Later on, what with better mounts and equipment those Northern boys got better, superior numbers tend to do that!:yes: -
MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member
Do you think NBF was the best cavalry commander ever, like that web page says? Good arguments could be made for Mosby too.
I think Stonewall was the South's best general in every way. Lee I read never won another major battle after the death of Jackson. -
Jackson's greatest strength was in surprise and command on the fly. In fact I rate him and George Patton as our two greatest field leaders. If you look at their rise and fall they are so much alike it is scary, to me! Mustangs (in their thinking) both, not very good as paper pushers or peacetime leaders. Hard on fellow officers, love the common solder with a passion, put bravery under fire as the true measure of young officers, and inspired loyalty that was unmatched.
Two stories about Stonewall you may be unaware of: 1. He would not even let his commanders know his plan of action before a battle, the only General north or south to never have his plan fall into enemy hands! and 2. Once during a lull Lee called a staff meeting over lunch, Jackson went to sleep under the staff table. Lee would not allow Jackson to be disturbed, they ate in silence.