Forrest Why did Forrest dislike John Chalmers?

I thought he changed his attitude when he saw Forrest charge into the melee than what he saw in his suffering. But we can never really know---unless he wrote about it later.


He did write about it...... "Forrest and His Campaigns" by James R. Chalmers. A not so long paper published by the Southern Historical Society.

He got off to a bad start with NBF but his writing leaves it out. He does admit to being a Bragg fan-boy. He genuinely likes Forrest in this treatment and they were allies and friends after the war. Anyway you can read it here.




CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CORRECT THE TITLE OF THE THREAD??>>>IT IS ANNOYING AND WILL MISDIRECT USERS>>>
 
Chalmers was also not a very good infantry division commander at Stones River under Bragg.
 
Wasn't Chalmers still a brigade commander at Stones River? I thought that he served under Jones Withers.

Ryan

You're right - he was under Withers. At Shiloh, he was a brigadier general...which is why he didn't listen to a mere colonel telling him Buell was present!

Incidentally, Forrest gave Chalmers a nickname - Little 'Un. By that time, they both had come to respect one another and Chalmers was pleased with the tag. And he had a little one-upmanship on Forrest - he got John Wilder to surrender...once he'd convinced him it was really the only option he had, which involved proving to him yes, he really could blow him all to itty bitty pieces. Wilder had arrived blindfolded at Chalmer's tent and asked, "What do you think I should do?" Chalmers' mouth fell open and when he could use it again he said, "You should surrender. Really, I think it is in your best interests." "Well," said Wilder, stroking his beard, "it does appear you have all the men you say you have, and you do have enough artillery. I suppose I should surrender." Forrest usually got beat or broke even when he ran into Wilder!
 
Wasn't Chalmers still a brigade commander at Stones River? I thought that he served under Jones Withers.

Ryan
You're absolutely correct, Ryan; in my defense, I was in a hurry to beat the clock when I wrote it yesterday. Nevertheless, he apparently handled his regiments clumsily, sending them in piecemeal because his front was constricted between the burning (?) McCool House and a bend in Stone's River, making it impossible to form a proper brigade front and suffering probably needless casualties in yet another doomed frontal assault against the Round Forest.
 
You're absolutely correct, Ryan; in my defense, I was in a hurry to beat the clock when I wrote it yesterday. Nevertheless, he apparently handled his regiments clumsily, sending them in piecemeal because his front was constricted between the burning (?) McCool House and a bend in Stone's River, making it impossible to form a proper brigade front and suffering probably needless casualties in yet another doomed frontal assault against the Round Forest.

No worries, my friend. I'm currently working my way through Peter Cozzens' No Better Place to Die in anticipation of my trip to Tennessee at the end of the month so it was fresh in my mind.

Ryan
 
Oh, dear! I think Larry pretty well nailed it. DixieRifles is right, too. Okolona was where Chalmers really changed his attitude about Forrest. He lost his brother there and acted in a very human manner, right down to making an uncharacteristically impulsive attack that would have ended in catastrophe if not for Black Bob. He also had a major guilt trip about fuming over the tent Forrest had literally snatched from over his head when he found out Forrest's reason for taking it so abruptly was to try to save another brother from dying - which didn't work. The dismissal letter was generated from that grief-anger area that comes with such a loss. It seems to me that Chalmers at first regarded Forrest as a lowlife bully not fit for the position he held, but every time he saw the real man under the outside armor he gained respect.

As usual, I think you nailed it as well.

Great synopsis @diane !
 
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