Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue - Memphis Tennessee - 2012

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Memphis - Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue.jpg
Nathan Bedford Forrest - Memphis.jpg
 
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One of the best cavalry raiders of the war, that's what.

Wait, he was Confederate and his name wasn't Grant. Ergo, we should forget he ever lived, right?

Wrong, General Forest will never be buried by those wishing he'd be gone. Good luck with that.

Not wishing that at all, Drew.

Just curious over what we should not forget about the good general.

Would it be the reputation of being THE Wizard of the Saddle? A man whose personal courage who led from the front and had horse after horse shot out from under him? The brass to bluff his enemies to surrender without a shot being fired? And in the end, tell his men he respected and honored their service and courage for four long years of hard fighting, but to go home and become good citizens?

My point, what is it we are trying to remember so we don't forget?

One line don't of "Never forget" doesn't say it for me.
 
One of the best cavalry raiders of the war, that's what.

Wait, he was Confederate and his name wasn't Grant. Ergo, we should forget he ever lived, right?

Wrong, General Forest will never be buried by those wishing he'd be gone. Good luck with that.
Still don't think "Never Forget" is the right term though. We might use the term "Never Forget" when shown a picture of the tombstones at Gettysburg since there was a great show of heroism from a collective group of people and that the battle was extremely bloody and costly. Of course we are not going to forget who Nathan Bedford Forrest was anymore than we are going to forget someone like Sheridan. They have monuments like this out there, elementary schools are named after the guy, and he is in the history books.
 
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Ironically the location of Forrest Park is in a very poor blighted section of Memphis seldom visited by tourists and fans of the general. One of the proposals for relocating the statue and the remains of the Forrests to Elmwood Cemetery where he was first buried and is much more visited than Forrest Park ever was.

Elmwood Cemetery is a verdant oasis in a world of traffic, concrete and noise. The incredible number of trees and the birds creates a quiet peaceful area to enjoy as one walks among the tombs, masuoleums and structures. I have included the web site for this beautiful city of the dead below.

Why would this not be a most appropriate location for the mortal remains of Forrest, among the nearly 1,000 other men who chose to follow the Stars and Bars? Compared to being buried in the downtown section of Memphis? Seems like a simple decision to me?
Regards
David
http://www.elmwoodcemetery.org/about-us/
 
Ironically the location of Forrest Park is in a very poor blighted section of Memphis seldom visited by tourists and fans of the general. One of the proposals for relocating the statue and the remains of the Forrests to Elmwood Cemetery where he was first buried and is much more visited than Forrest Park ever was.

Elmwood Cemetery is a verdant oasis in a world of traffic, concrete and noise. The incredible number of trees and the birds creates a quiet peaceful area to enjoy as one walks among the tombs, masuoleums and structures. I have included the web site for this beautiful city of the dead below.

Why would this not be a most appropriate location for the mortal remains of Forrest, among the nearly 1,000 other men who chose to follow the Stars and Bars? Compared to being buried in the downtown section of Memphis? Seems like a simple decision to me?
Regards
David
http://www.elmwoodcemetery.org/about-us/

David,

As I seem to recall, the general wanted to be buried there in the first place.

Sounds like a very good idea to me.

Sincerely,
Unionblue
 
David,

As I seem to recall, the general wanted to be buried there in the first place.

Sounds like a very good idea to me.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

Forrest and his wife are buried in front of the monument, after being moved there from Elmwood Cemetery in a ceremony on November 11, 1904.[2]


2. The WPA Guide to Tennessee, Federal Writers' Project of the Works Projects Administration for the State of Tennessee, University of Tennessee Press, 1986 p. 224.
 
I don't know that much about Forrest but I do wonder if he would have wanted to buried in the Downtown section of Memphis. He never struck me as a vainglorious such as Stuart or Beauregard but that is just my poor opinion and Ole Nathan has no say in the matter.
Regards
David
 
Very glad I was able to visit & see the statue before all the PC nonsense took over.

Well, some things are politically correct. Or politically expedient, which is often the same thing.

I saw the Forrest statue but didn’t pay it much mind. I think the best things to see in Memphis are the Lorraine Motel museum, the Stax Soul Music Museum, the Sun Studio, Elvis’s house and the museum with the original Piggly-Wiggly store.
 
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I went to see Mud island, Confederate Park and Forrest statue, didn't go see Graceland, Elvis was really before my time, was just a old fat guy when I was kid. Lorraine museum wasn't there yet, I'd probably go see it, James Earl Ray grew up near here. Then I hit Tunica for a couple days

But CW sites usually take priority when I'm visiting historical sites, also saw Fort Pillow that trip
 
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