Customer Reviews

Nathan Bedford Forrest: A Biography

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4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Overall, a first-rate biography, both from a military and from psychological and spiritual sense.

Though it indeed lacks maps, the knowledgeable student of the War for Southern Independence will find those included to be sufficient. The work is not, as some have intimated in these reviews, unfair or essentially negative in its presentation of the man, Forrest.

On the contary, Forrest fans will find it delightfully free of the anti-Forrest rancor which politically correct historical revisionsists are so famous for. Hurst understands that the so-called "distasteful activities" were 100% legal at the time, and presents them without undue bias. Forrest is in no way presented as any more racist than his contemporaries, and shown as he was, significantly more compassionate toward African Ameicans than many in these reviews would suggest (Did they even read the book? -- one wonders).

His celebrated ruthlessness in a fight is balanced by a historically well-established backwoods chivalry which markedly contrasts this uneducated but brilliant man (6 mo. total formal schooling), with some of his contemporaries such as the war-criminal-by-his-own-admission, Sherman. The admiration which he earned from his troops is also well-documented, though he accurately is depicted in this work as having shot both deserters and cowards in battle.

Forrest's amazing ability to size up situations at a glance, to see the unseen part of the field, and to comprehend distances and the geometry of operational and tactical logistics is well- covered.

Several longstanding misconceptions are properly laid to rest in this work, among them, that Forrest founded the Kuklos Klan - He did not. He was asked and accepted to be its first Grand Wizard (a title developed in his honor, since he was well-known as the "wizard of the saddle"). Forrest's subsequent Congressional testimony against the Klan is detailed, as is his (successful) effort to disband the Klan (the present-day Ku Klux Klan is dominated by midwesterners and northerners, is the third such organisation in history, and is descended from the first Klan in name only).

Forrest's signal bravery and inimitable style comes through in this work better than in any other I have read. He stands up off the pages, whether in his manner of chasing away other beaus in competition for his bride (yes, there is even romance in this story), in his regrettable knife-killing of a subordinate who shot him in a violent dispute over lost cannon (No damn man kills me and lives!), or in his pragmatic treatment of the slaves he unflinchingly bought and sold. He was a poor scrabbler, an ambitious climber, but an exemplary fighter of unique integrity and fearless grit.

The Fort Pillow battle is well-documented, presenting a dispassionate and careful discussion of the facts as ascertained from study of the collected records of all involved; as well as both the Yankee propaganda against him, and his own "Keep up the Skeer" propaganda. The dispassionate discussion sheds new light on this shattering defeat which resulted in such heavy losses for the all-black regiments involved. This controversial engagement is very well-treated by Hurst.

Forrest was a one-of-a-kind man from a very different time, and an unrecognizable place to modern Americans -- even westerners. That is borne out in this very exciting book. This work is not to be read by those seeking a cartoon caricature of this towering man among men -- the finest cavalryman yet produced by the English-speaking world.

JEFF WHITE
Major, United States Army MS, DMSM

Nathan Bedford Forrest is perhaps the most intersting figure of the Civil War. He was a failed business man, until he became a slave trader, who entered the war as a private and quickly rose to the rank of general. His military campaigns are legend as well as the ruthlessness of thier execution. He was the first Grand Wizard of the Klan as well as an individual who in his later life developed a more enlightened attitude toward blacks.

Hurst presents all of the above in a very descriptive manner. What is truly complementary to Hurst is that he presents a fairly evenhanded story of Forrest. His discussion of the Fort Pillow Massacre, in which Forrest's command killed hundreds of surrendering black Union soldiers, is the best example of Hurst's approach. While not attempting to excuse Forrest's conduct in any way, Hurst does put the massacre into the proper historical prespective.

The main fault of the book is its lack of maps. Many of Forrest's campaigns are complicated and difficult to understand because of the almost complete absence of maps. There are only 2 battle maps.

All in all it is a fine book.

The generals of the Civil War are remembered in contrasts. Sherman, Sheridan and Grant, were...well, common. They were hard drinking men, willing to sacrifice any number - thousands of men - believing the ends justified the means. They were not tall, handsome or dashing, so maybe that is why the Generals of the confederacy live so vividly in our imaginations. A lot of the Southerns were gentlemen, they were the epitome of the genteel South - or at least how we often see it in our imaginations, when we can divorce the spectre of Slavery from that vision. They were men in grey, who rode off to fight for what they believed, and no one more so than Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Only Forrest does not fit that stereotypical Southern Gentleman. He was born in a log-cabin (as was Lincoln and Jefferson Davis); he was a failed businessman same as Grant. He was hard living, coarse like Sherman and Sheridan. And quite possibly one of the most complex figures to come out of the period. He did not fight in the Army of Northern Virginia under Lee, which keeps him out of the general attention of those learning about the Civil War. His first notable occurrence in the Civil War was the Fort Pillow Incident, where - still today we do not understand what happened - how black and white men supposedly surrendering were put to death by Forrest's command. Jefferson David never understood Forrest's guerrilla-like methods of fighting - but one could not dispute the results. He believed calvary men were not as JEB Stuart, dashing figures leading gallant charges, but were fighting men who used horses to get from point A to point B, "the firstest with the mostest" as he is often misquoted saying. As such, military tactics are still questioned and studied today. He did not enter the war as one of the 'nobility' but came in as a private to rise to the ranks of Lieutenant General. A superb tactician, a ferocious fighter unequalled - he killed 30 men and had his horse shot out from under him 29 times! After the war, he was one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan, it's first Grand Wizard, only to turn around and repudiate it and tried disband it for his racial hatred.

Forrest has been called 'that devil forrest', the 'wizard of the saddle', Historian Shelby Foote called him one of the two great geniuses of the period (Lincoln being the other) and by Lee `the most extraordinary man the Civil War produced'. He was a slaver trader and owner, yet upon his death in 1877, it is well noted that his funeral was attended by hundreds of ex-slaves.

Jack Hurst gives a very balance view of this highly controversial figure and complex figure, showing his prowess, his faults and how he influences fighting of the period. Tries not to excuse or explain away Fort Pillow, but place it in proper perspective.

His work is wonderful look at the man often ignored or overlooked by general history.

The "Wizzard of the Saddle" gets his due in this well written and researched biography.

The life story of a man who possessed a genius for battle and was quite comfortable as a slave trader, committer of atrocity and founder of the Ku Klux Klan is fascinating. A common thread runs through all those roles: Nathan Bedford Forrest's willingness to do whatever it took to achieve his goal and a ferocious ability to focus on that course of action without regard to any distractions -- including morality or humanity.

Forrests genius for battle is explained in detail. His ability to organize men, motivate them and then use them as an instrument for war was surpassed by few in our Civil War (and perhaps by none when considering brigade and division sized engagements). That a man unschooled in war could possess such an innate grasp of the success factors required to win battles lends credence to the thought that successful leaders are born rather than made (as does George McCllelan's ineptness on the battlefied -- from a man who was overschooled in the art of war). Forrest also accomplished his remarkable record (winning outright almost all of his engagements) often with inferior forces. His maxims "get their first with the most" and "war means fighting and fighting means killing" summarize the focus that guided his war making philosophy. Certainly a product of his times, his pre war life as a slave trader and post war role as KKK founder also reflect his singlemindedness. A man without means, he was determined to create wealth and position for himself and his family -- an no route offerred a more certain path to success than that of the slaver in the antebellum South. Even though the southern aristocracy looked down on men who actually dealt in the flesh they required to live their idle lives. After the war, he was perhaps (the sources are sketchy) a founder and national leader of the KKK -- at a time when his refusal to lead that organization could have led to a more temperate and prosperous South for both white and black.

Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked life -- in whatever role he was playing. This book is an interesting look at the makeup of a man who was willing to do anything and everything required and who possessed supreme self confidence.

Most of the book focuses on Forrest's war years, as one would expect. The battle accounts are thrilling as the reader is able to view a general commanding with the audacity and tenacity possessed by few if any of his peers. As fascinating are the details of one of the South's most successful slave trading organizations as well as the peek at the founding and early life of the KKK that the book offers.

Although more maps would have been helpful in explaining Forrest's war years, this is my only complaint. The book is worth the read.

Recommended.

May last name is Forrest. As a child I heard stories about the determination and inner strength of my grandfather. I was told he got it from "The General." Later in life I researched the family tree and found that the "General" they were referring to was General Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was either my grandfather's great uncle or cousin. I was unable to narrow it down beyond that; however, my reading of the book was to gain insight about the man and the stories I was told as a child. There is an undeniable link in the genetics. Reading the book was like meeting my father and grandfather all over again; men of few words, proud, determined, mean as hell when crossed, and never understood the word, "No." The Forrest's have always been difficult men to get close to, and perhaps that is the reason. The book was well written and easy to follow. Perhaps I am somewhat partial because of my connection with the subject, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. END

Anyone wanting to learn about the colorful life of this memorable Confederate general, from his hard-scrabble youth through his slave-dealer days to his brilliant work as a tactician to his infamous involvement with the KuKlux Klan, will enjoy this well-written biography. Although a colorful and captivating figure, Forrest had his clear limitations--he was at times temperamental, cruel, violent, and racist.

Hurst spends a great deal of time explaining Forrest's motivations, and does a generally convincing job. But he also passes too much off to Forrest's being "a product of his times." While I am impatient with those who interpret history with the retrospective blinders of current beliefs and values, Forrest undoubtedly badly mistreated black people through most of his life, and went far beyond what many of his contemporary Confederate officers did in this regard. (Neither Lee nor Jackson nor Longstreet, to name but a few, had such a terrible history of relations with blacks before, during, or after the war; Forrest's relative cruelty and inhumanity might be explained but not excused in terms of his class origins and the region in which he lived.)

The book is a joy to read, however, and presents a full narrative of virtually every aspect of Forrest's life. The depiction of his unique military career is especially well done--though sadly lacking in maps, as most other reviewers point out. (The paperback edition also lacks any illustrations, except a frontispiece posed portrait of the general.) Almost equally interesting are the accounts of his involvement in the slave trade, politics, business, and the Klan.

The author has given us not only the best recent biography of Forrest, but also a fine treatment of the Civil War in what was then the American Southwest--the Tennessee-Mississippi-Alabama-Georgia theater. Even for readers with relatively little interest in the Civil War per se, this is a thorough, well-written account of a period and region important in American history.

Many books have been written on the "Wizard of the Saddle" dating from just after the War for Southern Independence to the present. I found Hurst's work to be the best of the contemporary works. It delves into his pre and postwar life further than any book on the subject I've read. His childhood makes a fascinating read in and of itself. This book takes you through NBF's military career from joining up as a private soldier through his meteoric rise to the rank of Lt. General, the only man in either army to do so. His astounding victories although nearly always being outnumbered and outgunned, his natural aptitude for command, although completely unlettered and all his great and small battles are recounted here. The thing that really sets this work apart from the rest though, is Hurst's depth of explanation concerning the General's life after the War and his involvement with and eventual disbanding of the KKK. If you are going to read only one book on Nathan Bedford Forrest, this should be it. Paul B

Nathan Bedford Forrest is in my opinion the most interesting soldier from the Civil War. A cavalryman who rose from private to lieutenant general, Forrest was a very dedicated soldier who fought with valor and honor, even though his education would be described as minimal at best. Jack Hurst's biography presents Forrest in a seemingly unbiased manner and focuses on all of his attributes. After reading the book I feel I know a lot more about the man, as well as hold a great deal more respect for him. However, Hurst's portrait of Forrest is extremely long winded and often repeats itself. Many pages of the book take a lot of time to read because the reader must re-read some of the sentences to understand what was said. All in all the book was very informative and should be read by die-hard fans of the Civil War generals, but the book could have been about 100 pages shorter and worded much better.

Jack Hurst has done a great service to the study of the civil war and to the legacy of General Forrest with this book. Along with the genius of his tactics the reader will also find the flaws in the man but it is the real flaws you will find, not the myths and half-truths that are so common in any discussion of this subject.

One begins to understand Forrest as he reads this book. It becomes very clear very early that Forrest has a very hot temper. It is a temper however that while quick to surface is just as quickly gone. That is when Forrest comes into focus. He is a man that in the heat of the moment would say and do things that he would regret. Time and again he is pictured going about after one of these flashes of temper trying to mend fences. In short, after Forrest had time to think about what he had said or done he almost always, in the end, did the right thing. Fort Pillow I think is an example of this. In his anger after the fort refused to give up he may well have unleashed his troops but there is good evidence that very shortly he rode into the fray and personally saved the lives of many Union troops, both black and white. The Klan is, I think, another example of this. Frustrated by the Brownlow government he seems to have saw the Klan as the only way to combat what was without a doubt a horrible regime. As the Klan began to get out of hand though and he saw what it had become he ordered it disolved. Frankly, it is probably lucky that Forrest was sought out to be Grand Wizard for the formation of such a group was almost inevetable and without someone of Forrest's stature at the top who could and did see the evil of the group, things might have been much worse. Forrest indeed eneded up advocating rights for blacks that even few in the north talked about.

His war record needs little review. Genius is a term often applied and one that is deserved. His campaigns are kind of hard to follow since when he put the ,"skeer" into a foe he wasn't about to let the enemy gather his wits so the battle would be a running one that went on for miles and days. Other reviewers have pointed out the need for maps and they are right. As a native of Tennessee I had trouble keeping up with all of the place names that flew by so a reader from Oregon will be in deep trouble. Still, even if you can't follow the battles well you will get a fairly good understanding of Forrest's tactics and the accounts are very readable.

If future editions add some maps this will be an easy five star choice and even without the maps it is a must read for the student of the civil war in the west. You can't understand the war in the west without understanding Forrest and this book is the best I have read on the subject yet.

Mr Hurst's work is a nice overview of the life and career of the hellraising Son of the Confederacy. What I particularly enjoyed was the fact that the text concerning military affairs was generally quite readable - often I get bogged down in the meaningless descriptions of "this" division and "that corp" and such and lose emphasis of the scope of the battle. Hurst keeps the sidebar stuff to a minimum. Just enough order of battle stuff to keep things flowing. I find it a pretty balanced account of one of the few geniuses of the Civil War.