Forrest Forrest's Farewell Address to His Troops

There's also the very real fear, especially after Lincoln's assassination, that there would be arrests and executions of high ranking officers and officials. Lee was already at home and resigned to waiting for them to come and get him. That's why he's so smiley in the famous back porch picture.

That's why Johnston broke out in a cold sweat when Sherman gave him the telegraph he'd received...which also contained a note by Stanton for Sherman to watch his back, they were after him. Nothing like a little leverage at the dealing table! Forrest just went home. All y'all know where to find me - down on the farm trying to grow some food...
 
As I surmised, his adjutant. Commanders rarely write their own stuff, that's why you have adjutants. I'm reasonably sure that's still the case today.
Most famous speeches have been written by l writters who know how to express feelings in words,who do not get the credit.Then its the speaker who delievers these words and cause them to have meaning or purpose.If Forrest spoke then he should get the credit for saying the words so that his soliders knew that it was over and now go home to your families with honor.Jefferson wrote the Declaration but he could not make a public speech or read it . It was performed by one who could motivate the people by just reading it.
 
Whoa


One at a time! Diane is the big expert, and we do know Forrest had only a limited education. We can see that in the few samples of his writing that exist. I wouldn't be surprised if part of his problem was being left handed in a time when it was a liability. But he had well educated aides a-plenty. I would also be surprised if he didn't imprint his own ideas.

I invite you to read further in the forum. There are some very good books on him, as well. I wouldn't think Forrest would do as well in Stuart's place, nor would the reverse be true, simply because knowledge of the people and terrain were their most effective weapons... and Stuart was simply following orders on his way to Gettysburg. The orders were simply poorly written. I'd refer you to our member Eric Wittenberg and his books, Plenty of Blame to Go Around and One Continuous Fight, plus others regarding the cavalry at Gettysburg and elsewhere... Brandy Station, for instance.
Thank you the book infomation. Have read "We Have the War UPON Us,the onset of the Civil War,November 1860-April 1861" William J. Cooper.A view of the politics of that time just before the war.This was one of the better books .To read of the war from a Southern woman's point of view",DON'T HURRY ME DOWN TO HADES;the civil war in the words who lived it' Susannah j. Ural.
 
Thank you the book infomation. Have read "We Have the War UPON Us,the onset of the Civil War,November 1860-April 1861" William J. Cooper.A view of the politics of that time just before the war.This was one of the better books .To read of the war from a Southern woman's point of view",DON'T HURRY ME DOWN TO HADES;the civil war in the words who lived it' Susannah j. Ural.

The topic of this thread is Forrest's Farewell Address. If you'd like to discuss Lincoln's election, we have the Lincoln forum and Secession and Politics; if you'd like to discuss family/womens issues, there is the Ladies Tea, Reconstruction and Civil War History. This forum is for all things Nathan Bedford Forrest. Please stay on topic - thank you!
 
Thank you the book infomation. Have read "We Have the War UPON Us,the onset of the Civil War,November 1860-April 1861" William J. Cooper.A view of the politics of that time just before the war.This was one of the better books .To read of the war from a Southern woman's point of view",DON'T HURRY ME DOWN TO HADES;the civil war in the words who lived it' Susannah j. Ural.
Thanks. Dr. Ural was, in fact, one of my professors at Sam Houston State. As Diane mentioned, we try to stay on topic, so I'm hoping you will review it and others in the proper forum.
 
The topic of this thread is Forrest's Farewell Address. If you'd like to discuss Lincoln's election, we have the Lincoln forum and Secession and Politics; if you'd like to discuss family/womens issues, there is the Ladies Tea, Reconstruction and Civil War
The topic of this thread is Forrest's Farewell Address. If you'd like to discuss Lincoln's election, we have the Lincoln forum and Secession and Politics; if you'd like to discuss family/womens issues, there is the Ladies Tea, Reconstruction and Civil War History. This forum is for all things Nathan Bedford Forrest. Please stay on topic - thank you!
Please to see my pose
Major Charles W Anderson definitely knew Forrest well enough to have written the whole thing all by himself and have it sent on out...but Forrest didn't work that way. He usually dictated to George Cable, his clerk, who then read it back to Forrest 'to get the pitch right' (Forrest was not a fast reader - this was one of many little tricks to hide that fact.) Anderson then edited it for grammar and so forth. If he added anything flowery, it was approved by Forrest and no one else.

I'm guessing you mean Ft Pillow, not Pulaski? Ft Pillow was where black soldiers met a disaster - Pulaski was where they delivered one. Forrest achieved his objective but only barely - he was beat. Stallworth I never heard of but Sheridan was Grant's chief of cavalry. When he operated in the western theater he had several chances at Forrest but declined them. Some was a reasonable declination but others...well, I don't think Sheridan had what it took to whip Forrest out of his boots. It took him 12,000 to do it to Stuart...

We have a couple threads comparing Forrest and Stuart - in many ways it's apples and oranges but in other ways, it works. Lee, if he absolutely couldn't have Stuart, would have been pleased with Forrest. He would have had much more confidence in him than in, say, somebody like Mosby. Forrest didn't say anything about the generals of the war except to say Grant was 'magnificent' but Lee had been his commander for a couple months and they got along! (Not saying much there...all was kaput by the time Lee took command of everything.)

And...Forrest was NOT the father of the KKK. He didn't have anything at all to do with the origins of the outfit, didn't found it, didn't create it, just joined it. Some years later he said in a letter to a friend that 'it was the worse mistake of my life'.
Thank you for your assistance in this.Can you answer this question; Did Stuart ever give a reason for being absent prior to the battle at Gettysburg? Was he given the incorrect directions to where he was to meet Lee?Though it does seem that Lee did not even know where his forces where.At Brandy Station,any first sargent would have know to place pickets out ,did Stuart.?
 
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Major Charles W Anderson definitely knew Forrest well enough to have written the whole thing all by himself and have it sent on out...but Forrest didn't work that way. He usually dictated to George Cable, his clerk, who then read it back to Forrest 'to get the pitch right' (Forrest was not a fast reader - this was one of many little tricks to hide that fact.) Anderson then edited it for grammar and so forth. If he added anything flowery, it was approved by Forrest and no one else.

I'm guessing you mean Ft Pillow, not Pulaski? Ft Pillow was where black soldiers met a disaster - Pulaski was where they delivered one. Forrest achieved his objective but only barely - he was beat. Stallworth I never heard of but Sheridan was Grant's chief of cavalry. When he operated in the western theater he had several chances at Forrest but declined them. Some was a reasonable declination but others...well, I don't think Sheridan had what it took to whip Forrest out of his boots. It took him 12,000 to do it to Stuart...

We have a couple threads comparing Forrest and Stuart - in many ways it's apples and oranges but in other ways, it works. Lee, if he absolutely couldn't have Stuart, would have been pleased with Forrest. He would have had much more confidence in him than in, say, somebody like Mosby. Forrest didn't say anything about the generals of the war except to say Grant was 'magnificent' but Lee had been his commander for a couple months and they got along! (Not saying much there...all was kaput by the time Lee took command of everything.)

And...Forrest was NOT the father of the KKK. He didn't have anything at all to do with the origins of the outfit, didn't found it, didn't create it, just joined it. Some years later he said in a letter to a friend that 'it was the worse mistake of my life'.
Why as he alway been given credit for the Klan's founding or as least one of the founders?Was he responsible for Ft.Pilow or did his soldiers take it on their own in an emotional upheavel at the time?Who did he surrender to?
 
Hello John.

Thanks for visiting the General Nathan Bedford Forrest forum.
You have asked some great questions.

Why is it then that all the stories I have read do give him the credit for being at least one of the founders?

Most people that repeat this myth do not understand the facts about Forrest's involvement with the KKK.
Forrest was indeed a leader of the first incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan, but he was not one of the founders.

In a nutshell, Forrest was recruited to bolster membership.

At the time, Nathan Bedford was a "Rock Star" among Confederate Veterans.
The Klan leadership correctly assumed if they could get NBF to join their ranks, many more would follow.

We have many threads that discuss this fact.
I encourage you to use this site's search engine to find these discussions.

he was a slave trader
Yes he was.
There's no denying that fact.
Again, there are many threads that go into detail about Forrest and the slave trade. One discussion can be found here:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/nathan-bedford-forrest-slave-trader.98487/#post-854600

Was Forrest responsible for what happened at Ft.Pillow or did his soldiers just do it own their own accord?

Once again, you've asked a valid question.
There's no easy answer and I doubt there ever will be.

When we asked Mike (@civilwartalk ) to create a Forrest forum, we also requested a sub forum specifically about Fort Pillow. He agreed and you can find some great threads about Fort Pillow in there as well.

Here's the link to the Fort Pillow sub forum:

https://civilwartalk.com/forums/ft-pillow.177/

Please let us know if you have any other questions about General Forrest.
 
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Farewell Address to His Troops

Headquarters, Forrest's Cavalry Corps

Gainsville, Alabama


May 9, 1865

The following text is from General Forrest's farewell address to his troops. It is a particularly interesting prelude to the experiences the South had during Reconstruction. Imagine that you are one of Forrest's troops on the receiving end of this proclamation. It is at the same time, very sobering and inspiring.



SOLDIERS:


By an agreement made between Liet.-Gen. Taylor, commanding the Department of Alabama. Mississippi, and East Louisiana, and Major-Gen. Canby, commanding United States forces, the troops of this department have been surrendered.


I do not think it proper or necessary at this time to refer to causes which have reduced us to this extremity; nor is it now a matter of material consequence to us how such results were brought about. That we are BEATEN is a self-evident fact, and any further resistance on our part would justly be regarded as the very height of folly and rashness.


The armies of Generals LEE and JOHNSON having surrendered. You are the last of all the troops of the Confederate States Army east of the Mississippi River to lay down your arms.


The Cause for which you have so long and so manfully struggled, and for which you have braved dangers, endured privations, and sufferings, and made so many sacrifices, is today hopeless. The government which we sought to establish and perpetuate, is at an end. Reason dictates and humanity demands that no more blood be shed. Fully realizing and feeling that such is the case, it is your duty and mine to lay down our arms -- submit to the “powers that be” -- and to aid in restoring peace and establishing law and order throughout the land.

The terms upon which you were surrendered are favorable, and should be satisfactory and acceptable to all. They manifest a spirit of magnanimity and liberality, on the part of the Federal authorities, which should be met, on our part, by a faithful compliance with all the stipulations and conditions therein expressed. As your Commander, I sincerely hope that every officer and soldier of my command will cheerfully obey the orders given, and carry out in good faith all the terms of the cartel.

Those who neglect the terms and refuse to be paroled, may assuredly expect, when arrested, to be sent North and imprisoned. Let those who are absent from their commands, from whatever cause, report at once to this place, or to Jackson, Miss.; or, if too remote from either, to the nearest United States post or garrison, for parole.

Civil war, such as you have just passed through naturally engenders feelings of animosity, hatred, and revenge. It is our duty to divest ourselves of all such feelings; and as far as it is in our power to do so, to cultivate friendly feelings towards those with whom we have so long contended, and heretofore so widely, but honestly, differed. Neighborhood feuds, personal animosities, and private differences should be blotted out; and, when you return home, a manly, straightforward course of conduct will secure the respect of your enemies. Whatever your responsibilities may be to Government, to society, or to individuals meet them like men.

The attempt made to establish a separate and independent Confederation has failed; but the consciousness of having done your duty faithfully, and to the end, will, in some measure, repay for the hardships you have undergone.

In bidding you farewell, rest assured that you carry with you my best wishes for your future welfare and happiness. Without, in any way, referring to the merits of the Cause in which we have been engaged, your courage and determination, as exhibited on many hard-fought fields, has elicited the respect and admiration of friend and foe. And I now cheerfully and gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to the officers and men of my command whose zeal, fidelity and unflinching bravery have been the great source of my past success in arms.

I have never, on the field of battle, sent you where I was unwilling to go myself; nor would I now advise you to a course which I felt myself unwilling to pursue. You have been good soldiers, you can be good citizens. Obey the laws, preserve your honor, and the Government to which you have surrendered can afford to be, and will be, magnanimous.

N.B. Forrest, Lieut.-General

Headquarters, Forrest's Cavalry Corps

Gainesville, Alabama

May 9, 1865
 
Forrest would have been suspected by many as being a die hard, one that would not accept surrender and the last Confederate to lay down his arms. I think he surprised a lot of people by the action that he took. I once read a story about him traveling with his troops toward the end down a road and he came to a fork in that road. He could have taken one of the forks and continued the struggle but he chose the other and the rest is history.
I guess he knew it was over probably felt pretty close to his boys at that point
 
Today is the anniversary of Forrest's surrender - I thought a little story by one of his own escort members might be in order!

This account of events preceding the surrender was written by a Confederate veteran who was present, and it's in Confederate Veteran, Volume 25:

"...When we left West Point, Miss., to dash across and intercept General Wilson's U.S.A. cavalry raid just above Selma, we did not expect 12,000 men, armed with seven-shooting rifles, to come against General Forrest's, 3,500 men available, armed with the one-shot Sharp rifle mostly; but that is what did occur. Near Bulger's Creek, south of Plantersville, as near as I can remember, when that bunch of Yankees with those seven-shooting rifles hit our line, we decided to retire to more advantageous positions at Selma. I will not at this time describe the celerity of our actions or the absence of placidity that pervaded our boys in reaching the Selma lines. However, when we reached the Selma lines and the boys looked them over with critical eyes, our illustrious commander decided that he did not want to utilize the Selma lines as a cemetery for his boys."

Forrest and his command looked like they'd been in a fight. Nathan Boone, the writer's commander and captain of Forrest's Escort, was rapped upside the head none too gently with a saber and had a pretty good scalp wound - he had his head wrapped up while listening to Forrest's short speech. In fact, there weren't too many listening who weren't bandaged up or leaning on a crutch!
im not sure if this is accurate or not but i believe i read somwhere that some of nathan bedfords forrests slaves followed him into the war and acted as a sort of bodyguard
 
His farewell address was all Forrest.

The writer of his speech but his words to paper.

Today they are known as speechwriters.

Very true.

Forrest never tried to hide the fact that he was lacking the educational level of his fellow Confederate Officer Corps,
but he had enough common sense to employ subordinates to write all of his orders. ect.
 
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