Forrest The Brothers Forrest

[larry_cockerham]

One who deserves honor, great grandson

Nathan Bedford Forrest III [Nathan Bedford Forrest II, Montgomery Forrest, Nathan Bedford Forrest I, William, Shadrack, William, James] was born April, 5, 1905 at Waldran, near Poplar in Memphis, Tenn. Moved to Biloxi, Miss. when he was 7 years old and later to Atlanta, GA. Graduated West Point June 9, 1928 and commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Cavalry.

In 1929 he transferred from the Cavalry to the US Army Air Corps.
Feb. 4, 1934 First Lieutenant
June 16, 1938 Captain
Jan. 31, 1941 Major
Jan. 5, 1942 Lieutenant Colonel
Mar. 1, 1942 Colonel
Nov. 2, 1942 Brigadier General

He achieved the rank of Brigadier General at the age of 37, four years earlier than his famous Great grandfather, Nathan Bedford Forrest attained the same rank.

General Nathan Bedford Forrest III died June 13, 1942 which is the official date as recorded, killed in action. He was originally reported missing in action when his plane was shot down. His body was found September 23, 1943 when it was washed ashore at the Seaplane Base at Bug, Reugen Island, Germany. He was buried Sept. 28, 1943 in a grassy little cemetery near Wiek, Germany. As per copy of information in the Memphis newspaper it was reported in 1947 that the Generals former wife is now Mrs. Frances Martin of Spokane, Wash., has indicated that she will request that the body be returned to the United States and buried in Arlington National Cemetery. General Forrest was married to Frances Brassler who was the daughter of George Brassler and Teresa Heinz.

He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, 1928, and advanced through the ranks to Brigadier General in November 1942. He was serving as Chief of Staff of the Second Air Force when reported missing-in-action on a bombing mission over Kiel, Germany, on June 13 , 1943. He had lived at 115 West 9th Street, Spokane, Washington. He is buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery.

 

[larry_cockerham]

brother Jeffrey

Biographical Sketch
Colonel Jeffery E. Forrest

Jeffery E. Forrest, a younger brother of the renowned "Wizard of the Saddle," Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest, was born on June 10, 1838, in Tippah County, Mississippi, the son of William and Miriam (Beck) Forrest. His father, a farmer and blacksmith, died four months before Jeffrey was born, and the son was in essence raised by his older brother, the future general. Before the war Jeffrey pursued his studies in De Soto County, Mississippi, and in Memphis, Tennessee. His now wealthy brother furnished the means for the best education. At the start of the war Jeffrey Forrest was managing a livery stable in Memphis, TN.

At the start of the civil War the two brothers enlisted together as privates and soon rose to high rank, Nathan as Lieutenant General and Jeffery to Colonel of the 8th Tennessee Cavalry. One of General Forrest's biographers suggested that Jeffery, raised by his brother almost like a son, "exhibited military ability of an order which approached. ..the genius of the great general."

Enlisting with his brother as a private in Company D of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry, Jeffery was elected second lieutenant of Company C of Forrest's cavalry regiment in June, 1861. Lieutenant Forrest had a horse killed under him at the Battle of Fort Donelson and was with his brother through the escape from that fort and the Battle of Shiloh. On March 11, 1862, Forrest was elected captain of Company C. However, he declined the election and resigned his officer's commission on June 17,1862. A young officer of great promise, Forrest soon rejoined the army and was commissioned major, then lieutenant colonel of the 8th Tennessee Cavalry. Forrest was transferred to Brigadier General Phillip D. Roddey's cavalry Brigade in northern Alabama and was distinguished in various skirmishes there throughout 1863. At one skirmish at Bear's Creek, Mississippi, in October, 1863, Lieutenant Colonel Forrest was shot through both thighs.

In 1864 General Forrest, by now building up a cavalry force in northern Mississippi, requested that Jeffery and his regiment join him. Though not yet recovered from his wounds, Colonel Forrest complied and was put in command of a brigade. "Exhibiting military ability of an order which approached more nearly the genius of the great general," Colonel Forrest brilliantly led his brigade against the invading Union cavalry of General W. Sooy Smith. On February 22,1864, near Okolona, Mississippi, while leading the pursuit against Smith's raiders, Colonel Forrest was shot in the neck and mortally wounded at the head of his troopers. In 1868 his remains were transferred from Aberdeen, MS to Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis. He is buried in the Forrest family plot under a government grave marker which gives incorrect years of birth and death.

 

[larry_cockerham]

brother William Hezekiah

Capt. William Hezekiah Forrest (third son of William Forrest and brother of Nathan Bedford):

William ran slave businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and Vicksburg, Mississippi, buying slaves from Aaron. Jack Hurst, in his Nathan Bedford Forrest, A Biography wrote: "The day of the last Forrest and Maples sales recorded in the Register's office, two younger Forrest brothers, William and Aaron, sold an eighteen-year-old slave named Bob for $1050 to Mary C. Temple." William had a home in Memphis. He joined the Confederate Army on Jun 14, 1861 as a private along with brothers Nathan and Jeffrey. All were to receive considerably more rank as the war progressed. Capt. John Watson Morton, writing in his 1908 The Artillery of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry about the scouting capabilities Gen. Forrest's organization said of Capt. Forrest: "Of his successful scouts, no better example can be cited than General Forrest's own brother, William Forrest, or "Bill" as he was affectionately called by all who knew him. Added to a shrewd, quick judgment, ready resources, and excellent intuitive powers, he had a winning nature, which endeared him to all his comrades."

July 10, 1862

Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest's brigade passed here enroute to its junction with additional units, to be followed by a further advance on the Federal garrison and stores at Murfreesboro. Leaving Chattanooga on July 9, the brigade here consisted of the 8th Texas Cavalry (Wharton), 2nd Georgia Cavalry (Lawton), and Woodward's Kentucky Cavalry Battalion, with a headquarters unit of 20 men, commanded by Captain William Forrest. Further accessions to strength were to join at McMinnville.


William served as a cavalry officer and led the charge against Col. Abel D. Streight's column at the Battle of Sand Mountain in Days Gap, Alabama where he was wounded April 30, 1863. William skirmished for two miles before he received a ball through his thigh, breaking the bone. Several of his men were lost in this battle. Col. Streight's men rode mules from their departure from steamships at Eastport, Mississippi. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest captured Streight's entire command on May 3, 1864 at Cedar Bluff, Alabama near the Georgia state line. William died in Hickman County, Tennessee.

 

[larry_cockerham]

brother Aaron

Capt. Aaron Forrest (fourth son): He was a partner with his brothers in the slave trade. He owned A.H. Forrest and Company in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1858. Sales stopped in 1860. Researcher Stewart Cruickshank in 2006 has found Aaron as a Captain in the 6th Mississippi Battalion of State Troops. He commanded an operation near Paducah, Kentucky in the spring of 1864 when he was taken ill with pneumonia and died in Dresden, Tennessee. Jack Hurst wrote: "Lt. Col. A. H. Forrest " is on the Yazoo River with one regiment fighting gunboats and transports". Stewart is still looking for confirmation of the Lt. Col. rank.

I found this reference to A.H. Forrest in 2006:

HARTFORD CITY was a small river steamer built at McKeesport, Pa., in
1856 and first homeported at Cincinnati, Ohio. In May 1862 she was
impressed into Confederate service out of Vicksburg, Miss., to tow rafts
and other craft for obstruction of Union gunboat navigation in the Yazoo
River. She later transported supplies out of that same Confederate base,
but sought refuge in the Yalobusha in July 1863 as the Federal fleet
took over control of the Yazoo. On 18 July 1863 Capt. A. H. Forrest,
CSA, at Carrollton, Miss., was ordered to send a detachment to burn the
steamboats including HARTFORD CITY, said to be located in the
Tallahatchie and Yazoo Rivers.

Forrest's Battalion State Troops Cavalry, aka 6th Battalion State Troops Cavalry

(from Dunbar Rowland's "Military History of Mississippi, 1803-1898"; company listing courtesy of H. Grady Howell's "For Dixie Land, I'll Take My Stand')

"Sixth Battalion Mississippi State troops, Capt. A.H. Forrest, near Carrollton, 150 men." General Chalmers' report at the time of the Federal raid to Grenada, August, 1863.
Capt. Forrest was captain of the Sunflower Rangers independent cavalry company. Other companies constituting this battalion have not been identified.

One extract from the Official Records of the War of Northern Aggression:

"HDQRS. FIFTH MIL. DIST., DEPT. MISS. AND E. LA.,
Grenada, July 18, 1863.

Capt. A. H. FORREST, Comdg. Battalion, Carrollton, Miss.:
CAPTAIN: The brigadier-general commanding directs me to say, in reply to your note of yesterday, that you will send a detachment to burn the steamboats Hope, Hartford City, Cotton Plant, and any others <ar38_1017> that may be in the Tallahatchee and Yazoo Rivers. You will also send out detachments southwest and east of you, with orders to burn all cotton, whether belonging to the Government or individuals, leaving the owners only sufficient for the use of their own families. They will commence by burning that nearest the enemy. The enemy are reported to be within 7 miles of Vaughan's Station, and advancing in this direction. You will throw out scouts to observe their movements, and will report them promptly to these headquarters. It is desired that only such cattle as are suitable for beef should be driven out of the bottom.
Your obedient servant, W.A. Goodman , Assistant Adjutant-General."

 

[larry_cockerham]

more on Aaron

Stewart Cruickshank in 2006 wrote:

"The story goes that Aaron Forrest died of pneumonia in Dresden
the county seat of Weakley County, TN. The DAR Cemetery books of Weakley county have listings of all the burials in Weakley county that have markers. There are only 3 Forrest's buried in Weakley County thru 1978 and Aaron is not listed."

The following is a Union report from the Tennessee Civil War
Sourcebook; (supplied by Joe Stout 2006)

(ca. April 13, 1864 - April 15, 1864
Scout from Jackson to Dresden to Columbus, Kentucky

HDQRS. OF THE POST, Columbus, Ky., April 15, 1864.
Capt. J. H. ODLIN, Assistant Adjutant-Gen., Cairo, Ill.:

CAPT.: I have a scout just in from Jackson, Dresden, and that line, and I have every reason to believe his reports reliable. He was employed by Gen.Smith and Col. Waring. He reports as follows: Gen. Forrest has two divisions-First Division, 3,400 strong, which is concentrated at Jackson, Tenn.; Second Division, 2,000 strong, concentrated at Dresden; 1,000 under Duckworth, from Jackson's command. Forrest said that a large force of our troops had landed at Pittsburg Landing, and that he was going to drive them back and across into North Alabama. The Second Division is said to be about to cross at the mouth of the Big Sandy into Middle Tennessee. My scout thinks their object is to get behind Chattanooga, somewhere about Winchester. Col. Aaron Forrest, brother of the general, died at Jackson on Thursday night last. Gen.'s Fitzhugh [Stephan D.?] Lee and Jackson, with 9,000 men, are reported near Memphis. I shall try and rebuild the telegraph between us to-morrow. All the small squads are ordered to join their commands immediately at Dresden, under Gen. Buford, who is on his march there. I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. HUDSON LAWRENCE, Col., Cmdg. Post.
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 32, pt. III, p. 374. )

It may be that he died in Dresden and the body was taken to
Jackson, TN or possibly he may have died in Jackson and not Dresden. This is a Union report so he would probably not have first hand knowledge.

I would appreciate any information you might have on Aaron
Forrest. I do have the Forrest genealogy online on Rootsweb World Connect at; Genealogy Files on World Connect
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=moedini

Joe Stout
Jeffery Forrest Camp #323
Dresden, TN

There is a marker for him in the Forrest section of Elmwood cemetery here in Memphis.

Gene Ingram Chalmers camp 1312

 

[larry_cockerham]

brother John

John Nathaniel Forrest (second son of William, brother of Nathan) b. 1822 d. 1876 Dresden, Marshall Co., TN. served in the Mexican War and was shot and paralyzed. He was a gambler who worked as jailer and clerk for brother Bedford. He resided in Memphis, Tenn. at Worsham House in 1862.

 

[richard]

Larry, I am told that another Forrest was in the US Army in the 1960's. Do you have any information on him?

 

[larry_cockerham]

None that I know of, though it's entirely possible for nephews or cousins to exist. The Forrest family as a whole is actually quite large. I've only looked at the Lt. General's siblings and offspring, without my normal exhaustive genealogy that I would apply to my own lines.

 

[TxSouthpaw]

Here is an excerpt from The Life of Johnny Reb, page 338.

The aversion of aristocratic privates to plebeian officers sometimes extended to men of high rank. A case in point is that of a young Mississippian gentleman whom the fortunes of war in 1864 placed under the authority of Nathan B. Forrest. The chagrined grandee wrote in his diary:

"The dog's dead: finally we are under N. Bedford Forrest...[a circumstance that] I have dreaded since the death of the noble Van Dorn...'The Wizard' now commands us...and I must express my distaste to being commanded by a man having no pretension to gentility - a negro trader, gambler, -an ambitious man, careless of the lives of his men so long as preferment be en prospectu. Forrest may be & no doubt is, the best Cav officer in the West, but I object to a tyrannical, hotheaded vulgarian's commanding me."

 

[larry_cockerham]

Here is an excerpt from The Life of Johnny Reb, page 338.

The aversion of aristocratic privates to plebeian officers sometimes extended to men of high rank. A case in point is that of a young Mississippian gentleman whom the fortunes of war in 1864 placed under the authority of Nathan B. Forrest. The chagrined grandee wrote in his diary:

"The dog's dead: finally we are under N. Bedford Forrest...[a circumstance that] I have dreaded since the death of the noble Van Dorn...'The Wizard' now commands us...and I must express my distaste to being commanded by a man having no pretension to gentility - a negro trader, gambler, -an ambitious man, careless of the lives of his men so long as preferment be en prospectu. Forrest may be & no doubt is, the best Cav officer in the West, but I object to a tyrannical, hotheaded vulgarian's commanding me."

Forrest, in my opinion, having studied the various quotes and descriptions of his actions for sometime now, had a certain degree of gentility, albeit a bit unpolished. Forrest, being uneducated in the social arts, had literally grown up on the Tennessee frontier a long way from town. He was hot-headed and often vulgar as charged, though rarely if ever profane. A negro trader and gambler, yes. Certainly ambitious. How else would one acquire $2 million in 1860. He was generally only tyrannical when forced by a foe to react and in an attempt to save men's lives. His command was one of the few that had to turn soldiers away and which had more members when the war ended than when it started. He must have been doing many things right. This diarist was one of the folks who apparently had been cross-ways with the General. A dumb move. Van Dorn was not a complete jewel either, though he must have been considerably better educated and polished than Forrest and would have been somewhat of a contrast. As the saying goes; it takes all kinds. If this gentleman lived long enough, I suspect he changed his opinion. I'd be curious to learn that result.

 

[TxSouthpaw]

The context of this passage was about class prejudice on the part of the aristocrats. I just looked at the first line of the paragraph following the Mississppian's diary entry:

Subsequent entries in this soldier's journal indicate no abatement of his antipathy to his commoner general.

 

[K Hale]

The kid should've moved to Virginia.

 

[larry_cockerham]

That substantiates my "crossways" theory somewhat. Lt. Arthur Gould is an example of the results of crossing Forrest. If the diarist was hung up on the characteristics he espoused in a gentile man of social graces, his opinion of Forrest would have been predictable. Not too surprising that he didn't change. To those that owed their lives to Forrest's tactics and control, much would have been overlooked in exchange for a chance at a future? Yes, Robert E. Lee and Forrest were men of different molds.

 

[TxSouthpaw]

I know very little about NBF but I hear Elennsar is an avid fan. On your rec, I'll pick up a couple of books about him. What would your top three be? Fair and balanced typre stuff.

 

[larry_cockerham]

I know very little about NBF but I hear Elennsar is an avid fan. On your rec, I'll pick up a couple of books about him. What would your top three be? Fair and balanced typre stuff.

My Californian friend doesn't seem to share my affinity for the South and my particular brand of respect for the man we refer to locally as THE general, but he's more than welcome to his opinions. No opinions = no discussion = no learning, the thing for which we all strive.

You asked for three books concerning Forrest. Bias must be in the eyes of the beholder, so keep that in mind. These are much different in that regard. To start, my choice would be:

1. Nathan Bedford Forrest by Jack Hurst. Jack is a retired columnist of national stature and lives in Middle Tennessee. His research is probably the most thorough of the contemporary writers and is an enjoyable read regardless of your views on the General.

2. The Artillery of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry by Capt. John Watson Morton 1908. This guy was Forrest's chief of artillery and is tooting his own horn to some extent perhaps, but he was there and knew the man very well. I was fascinated by Morton's detail and description of some events he witnessed.

3. The Campaigns of Nathan Bedford Forrest by Jordan and Pryor, both contemporaries of Forrest who were in the war and who collaborated with Forrest on the details. This one probably has the greatest detail on particular events. This is a big thick book usually only available on library loan.

4. I'll throw this one in as well. Nathan Bedford Forrest's Escort and Staff by Dr. Michael Raymond Bradley. This focuses on the men of the Escort and their individual records and the minutes of their annual meetings that continued until they reached the ends of their days. Dr. Bradley is a researcher of few peers with a phD in history and forty-plus years writing and teaching. His summary in the first few chapters of Forrest's life and career are as factual as it is possible to be at this point in time and are a quick, interesting read. Like most writers, much of his information, aside from his years of collecting and referring to actual documents, originated in the Jordan and Pryor and Morton works.

5. For Cause.. for Country by Jacobson and Rupp. Eric frequently contributes to this forum. His unbiased research of the battles for Spring Hill and Franklin in 1864 is the best documented I've ever found. Alas, not a Forrest work, aside from his presence at those two events.

 

[richard]

Larry, I just wanted to let you know that some of us yankees do read your posts. I am sorry to point out that Eric's book covers the events at Spring Hill and Franklin in 1864 instead of 1863.

It is an honest slip of the "keys" I am sure.

 

[TxSouthpaw]

Thanks, Larry. I'll pick up those books and put them in the pile.

 

[larry_cockerham]

Larry, I just wanted to let you know that some of us yankees do read your posts. I am sorry to point out that Eric's book covers the events at Spring Hill and Franklin in 1864 instead of 1863.

It is an honest slip of the "keys" I am sure.

Yep, I fixed it. Thanks. You've seen my feet in action so you should have little problem imagining that my fingers fly equally as fast.

 

[footeghost]

Larry at your finest From Private Ben in Califonia. Yes Ellensar won't be converted, to his credit but there are all different waco's here in Calif. As detailed here I am a fan. recovering from my (wounds) whatever be back full soon,

best to all Ben

 

[larry_cockerham]

Forrest and the black soldier

I stumbled across this summary of N.B. Forrest's relationship to his black soldiers this morning, written by Lee Millar:


"When the Civil War began, Forrest offered freedom to 45 of his slaves if they would serve with him in the Confederate army. All 45 agreed and enlisted. One later deserted; the other 44 served faithfully until the end of the war. Though they had many chances to leave, they chose to remain loyal to the South and to Forrest.

Part of General Forrest's command included his own Escort Company, his "Green Berets", made up of the very best soldiers available. This unit, which varied in size from 40-90 men, was the elite of the cavalry. Eight of these picked men were black soldiers and all served gallantly and bravely throughout the war. All were armed with at least 2 pistols and a rifle. Most also carried two additional pistols in saddle holsters.

At war's end, when Forrest's cavalry surrendered in May 1865, there were 65 black troopers on the muster roll.

Of the soldiers who served under him, Forrest said of the black troops: "Finer Confederates never fought."

Forrest was a brilliant cavalryman and courageous soldier. As author Jack Hurst writes: " a man possessed of physical valor perhaps unprecedented among his countrymen, as well as, ironically, a man whose social attitudes may well have changed ****her in the direction of racial enlightenment over the span of his lifetime than those of most American historical figures. When Forrest died in 1877 it is noteworthy that his funeral in Memphis was attended not only by a throng of thousands of whites but by hundreds of blacks as well." The funeral procession was over two miles long and was attended by over 10,000 area residents, including 3000 black citizens paying their respects."

That's why the Ft. Pillow comments of many just don't make much sense.