- Joined
- Dec 31, 2009
- Location
- Smack dab in the heart of Texas
We've had a few lively discussions on this before, but something popped up on a Texas History forum that might bear looking into. First, let's take a gander at Forrest and his hapless victim, as depicted by artist Bradley Schmel. "Forrest Takes a Hostage" is the name of the piece.
The story is that during the Battle of Fallen Timbers (April 8, 1862), during a wild melee around what had been a Confederate Hospital taken over by Sherman's forces, here came Forrest into the middle of Sherman's men (and Sherman himself)...
Here's Sherman's account. "“Forrest’s cavalry came down, with a yell, firing away with their pistols, over the skirmish line, over the supports right in among us. My Aide-de-Camp, McCoy, was knocked down, horse and rider, into the mud, but I, and the rest of my staff ingloriously fled, pell mell, through the mud, closely followed by Forrest with pistols already emptied.”
According to Forrest's biographers, Jordan and Pryor (the one you really need to read because they actually talked with the man), Forrest was basically surrounded by the enemy and was shot at the point of the hip, with the bullet coming to rest lodged against his spine. To get out of the mess he was in, Forrest supposedly picked up a scrawny Federal private and slung the poor guy up behind him on the horse, using him as a shield to get away.
According to Sherman in his 1881 paper on the Battle of Shiloh, “I have seen Forrest since the war; have talked to him about this very matter, and he explained that he was left behind by Breckinridge to protect this hospital camp, and if possible to check the pursuit by our forces which was naturally expected after the close of the battle of Shiloh. I’m sure that had he not emptied his pistols as he passed the skirmish line, my career would have ended right there.”
Nothing about the guy. Hmmmm....
But this thread isn't really about whether it happened--it's about whether he could have done it. Let's look at a little incident taking place a bit later--in Texas.
“Adobe Walls was a trading post on the Canadian River in the Texas panhandle. It was believed to have been constructed around 1854.
The Second Battle of Adobe Walls on June 27, 1874 was an encounter between the Comanches and their allies against the buffalo hunters. The white buffalo hunters began to intrude on Comanche hunting grounds and were threatening the tribe's food source. Although the buffalo hunters could not be dislodged, the aftermath of the battle ended buffalo hunting in that particular region. It was also the event which began the Red River War of 1874-1875. This military campaign was launched by the United States Army to subjugate the tribes of the Southern Plains and to forcefully relocate them to established reservations in Indian Territory.
In the Adobe Walls battle, the Comanche warrior Quanah Parker stood out by bravely riding through a gauntlet of gunfire to rescue his fellow injured Comanche. From his horse, Quanah leaned down and picked up the warrior Howea. Quanah firmly hung from his horse by his arm and foot still strongly holding onto Howea. Both men rode fast through the battle and reached safety.”
Historical photo of noted Yamparika Chief Howea (Gap in the Woods), circa 1872. Photograph courtesy of William Soule, Wilbur S. Nye Collection.
Now, this guy isn't starving. At all. Obviously, Quanah wasn't using a cavalry saddle with stirrup. He also wasn't 6'2" (although he's described as taller than the average Comanche, and thinner) and on an adrenaline high. I'm still sticking to my long-time theory that if Afghans can play a game called Buzkashi with a goat hide filled with sand, Forrest COULD have picked up a petite Yankee and slung him behind him on the saddle long enough to ride off.
What's your opinion--could it have been done?
The story is that during the Battle of Fallen Timbers (April 8, 1862), during a wild melee around what had been a Confederate Hospital taken over by Sherman's forces, here came Forrest into the middle of Sherman's men (and Sherman himself)...
Here's Sherman's account. "“Forrest’s cavalry came down, with a yell, firing away with their pistols, over the skirmish line, over the supports right in among us. My Aide-de-Camp, McCoy, was knocked down, horse and rider, into the mud, but I, and the rest of my staff ingloriously fled, pell mell, through the mud, closely followed by Forrest with pistols already emptied.”
According to Forrest's biographers, Jordan and Pryor (the one you really need to read because they actually talked with the man), Forrest was basically surrounded by the enemy and was shot at the point of the hip, with the bullet coming to rest lodged against his spine. To get out of the mess he was in, Forrest supposedly picked up a scrawny Federal private and slung the poor guy up behind him on the horse, using him as a shield to get away.
According to Sherman in his 1881 paper on the Battle of Shiloh, “I have seen Forrest since the war; have talked to him about this very matter, and he explained that he was left behind by Breckinridge to protect this hospital camp, and if possible to check the pursuit by our forces which was naturally expected after the close of the battle of Shiloh. I’m sure that had he not emptied his pistols as he passed the skirmish line, my career would have ended right there.”
Nothing about the guy. Hmmmm....
But this thread isn't really about whether it happened--it's about whether he could have done it. Let's look at a little incident taking place a bit later--in Texas.
“Adobe Walls was a trading post on the Canadian River in the Texas panhandle. It was believed to have been constructed around 1854.
The Second Battle of Adobe Walls on June 27, 1874 was an encounter between the Comanches and their allies against the buffalo hunters. The white buffalo hunters began to intrude on Comanche hunting grounds and were threatening the tribe's food source. Although the buffalo hunters could not be dislodged, the aftermath of the battle ended buffalo hunting in that particular region. It was also the event which began the Red River War of 1874-1875. This military campaign was launched by the United States Army to subjugate the tribes of the Southern Plains and to forcefully relocate them to established reservations in Indian Territory.
In the Adobe Walls battle, the Comanche warrior Quanah Parker stood out by bravely riding through a gauntlet of gunfire to rescue his fellow injured Comanche. From his horse, Quanah leaned down and picked up the warrior Howea. Quanah firmly hung from his horse by his arm and foot still strongly holding onto Howea. Both men rode fast through the battle and reached safety.”
Historical photo of noted Yamparika Chief Howea (Gap in the Woods), circa 1872. Photograph courtesy of William Soule, Wilbur S. Nye Collection.
Now, this guy isn't starving. At all. Obviously, Quanah wasn't using a cavalry saddle with stirrup. He also wasn't 6'2" (although he's described as taller than the average Comanche, and thinner) and on an adrenaline high. I'm still sticking to my long-time theory that if Afghans can play a game called Buzkashi with a goat hide filled with sand, Forrest COULD have picked up a petite Yankee and slung him behind him on the saddle long enough to ride off.
What's your opinion--could it have been done?