Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #142170 in Books
• Published on: 1994
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Synopsis
Traces the life of the Civil War calvalry officer, describes his complex personality, and recounts his involvement in the establishment of the Ku Klux Klan.

Customer Reviews

An absorbing study of a man driven
The generals of the Civil War are remembered in contrasts. Sherman, Sheridan and Grant, were...well, common. They were hard drinking men, willing to sacrifice any number - thousands of men - believing the ends justified the means. They were not tall, handsome or dashing, so maybe that is why the Generals of the Confederacy live so vividly in our imaginations. A lot of the Southerns were gentlemen, they were the epitome of the genteel South - or at least how we often see it in our imaginations, when we can divorce the spectre of Slavery from that vision. They were men in grey, who rode off to fight for what they believed, and no one more so than Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Only Forrest does not fit that stereotypical Southern Gentleman. He was born in a log-cabin (as was Lincoln and Jefferson Davis); he was a failed businessman same as Grant. He was hard living, coarse like Sherman and Sheridan. And quite possibly one of the most complex figures to come out of the period. He did not fight in the Army of Northern Virginia under Lee, which keeps him out of the general attention of those learning about the Civil War. His first notable occurrence in the Civil War was the Fort Pillow Incident, where - still today we do not understand what happened - how black and white men supposedly surrendering were put to death by Forrest's command. Jefferson David never understood Forrest's guerrilla-like methods of fighting - but one could not dispute the results. He believed calvary men were not as JEB Stuart, dashing figures leading gallant charges, but were fighting men who used horses to get from point A to point B, "the firstest with the mostest" as he is often misquoted saying. As such, military tactics are still questioned and studied today. He did not enter the war as one of the 'nobility' but came in as a private to rise to the ranks of Lieutenant General. A superb tactician, a ferocious fighter unequalled - he killed 30 men and had his horse shot out from under him 29 times! After the war, he was one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan, it's first Grand Wizard, only to turn around and repudiate it and tried disband it for his racial hatred.

Forrest has been called 'that devil forrest', the 'wizard of the saddle', Historian Shelby Foote called him one of the two great geniuses of the period (Lincoln being the other) and by Lee `the most extraordinary man the Civil War produced'. He was a slaver trader and owner, yet upon his death in 1877, it is well noted that his funeral was attended by hundreds of ex-slaves.

Jack Hurst gives a very balance view of this highly controversial figure and complex figure, showing his prowess, his faults and how he influences fighting of the period. Tries not to excuse or explain away Fort Pillow, but place it in proper perspective.

His work is wonderful look at the man often ignored or overlooked by general history.

Best contemporary treatment of Forrest I've read
Many books have been written on the "Wizard of the Saddle" dating from just after the War for Southern Independence to the present. I found Hurst's work to be the best of the contemporary works. It delves into his pre and postwar life further than any book on the subject I've read. His childhood makes a fascinating read in and of itself. This book takes you through NBF's military career from joining up as a private soldier through his meteoric rise to the rank of Lt. General, the only man in either army to do so. His astounding victories although nearly always being outnumbered and outgunned, his natural aptitude for command, although completely unlettered and all his great and small battles are recounted here. The thing that really sets this work apart from the rest though, is Hurst's depth of explanation concerning the General's life after the War and his involvement with and eventual disbanding of the KKK. If you are going to read only one book on Nathan Bedford Forrest, this should be it. Paul B

Superb insight... even if I do say so myself- J. Forrest
May last name is Forrest. As a child I heard stories about the determination and inner strength of my grandfather. I was told he got it from "The General." Later in life I researched the family tree and found that the "General" they were referring to was General Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was either my grandfather's great uncle or cousin. I was unable to narrow it down beyond that; however, my reading of the book was to gain insight about the man and the stories I was told as a child. There is an undeniable link in the genetics. Reading the book was like meeting my father and grandfather all over again; men of few words, proud, determined, mean as hell when crossed, and never understood the word, "No." The Forrest's have always been difficult men to get close to, and perhaps that is the reason. The book was well written and easy to follow. Perhaps I am somewhat partial because of my connection with the subject, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. END