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Here's a few highlights
from NBF's resume…
He was called a 'devil' by
General William T. Sherman, who was
certainly a devil himself at times. He
literally scared the living hell of out
U.S. Grant, probably the only Confederate
ever to do so. He was both feared and
revered by his own men. He is the only
soldier in the war to rise from a civilian
volunteer to general. Forrest was
'technically' never defeated. He is said
to have had 29 horses shot out from under
him and he personally killed 30 Yankees.
After the war, he said that he had
'one-upped the enemy.' He is said to have
shot at his own men from time to time. And
he is considered to be the greatest
cavalry commander, even though he
technically did not command cavalry. He
led mounted infantry troops.
That's not a bad resume
for a soldier. In fact I can't think of a
better one. However as a man… He was also
functionally illiterate, a self made
millionaire who built his fortune as a
slave trader, and he was the first
appointed Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux
Klan. There is no denying the conflict of
service and sin in this man's life.
Forrest was a life-long
tough guy, a real 'man's man,' and a very
smart individual. He didn't just talk to
hear himself and he was a shrewd
businessman. He was also an expert at
spreading misinformation and trickery in
the field.
Reports show Forrest would
do things that were unconventional for the
times, but had a point to them. During the
war he would sometimes take prisoners and
pen them in his camp. Then he would have
troops ride past these POWs on horseback.
A few hours later, he would have the same
troops walk by. This process would usually
be repeated a few times giving the
illusion that his numbers were
large.
Later he would parole some
of the prisoners knowing that they would
run right back to their commanders and
tell of Forrest's inflated cavalry and
infantry numbers, even though they were
actually the same guys. He would also have
his men set twice as many fires as
required at night, so enemy scouts and
pickets would 'see' an army twice its
actual size. That's an example of street
smarts over book smarts. The fact that
this 'uneducated thug' was able to
repeatedly defeat the North's West Point
trained academics is startling
indeed.
Forrest has also been
called a butcher and is historically held
responsible for a massacre of colored
troops at Fort Pillow. The debate over
that event continues to this day. Hundreds
of years later, he is the most celebrated
and hated figure of the entire Civil War.
School boards, parents and special
interest groups are constantly battling in
court over his name being on southern
schools. Most people write him off as a
racist, a radical, and not worthy of
mentioning.
However, most of these
people do not consider how Forrest and the
South were ultimately betrayed by the U.S.
government following the war, or how he
became a born again Christian in the
golden years of his life. Forrest was a
sinner no doubt, but he truly became a
believer and spent his final days trying
to make restitution.
In his farewell address,
Forrest told his troops to be good
citizens as they had been good soldiers.
Unfortunately, the corruption of the
Carpetbaggers taking advantage of the
plight of the South destroyed any chance
of the magnanimous resolution that he had
promised his men. He reacted as anyone
would, with anger and discontent.
They called him "The
Wizard of the Saddle," but ultimately
Forrest became a child of God. Following
his calling, he pledged himself to Jesus
and immediately began witnessing to
friends and colleagues. Anxious to share
his newfound faith, he wrote to one of his
subordinates: "Major, I am not the same
man you were with so long and knew so
well. I hope I am a better man now than
then. I have been and am trying to lead
another kind of life."
He himself, resigned his
post in the KKK after serving less than
five years and officially disbanded the
Klan's earliest charter in retaliation of
the group's violent attacks on the local
black citizens. Forrest was a racist for
much of his life, we cannot ignore that
fact and there is no denying that. But his
abandonment of the Klan showed a
significant development in his views on
race in his final years.
After coming to Christ and
making a concerted effort to follow his
devout wife's example, Forrest came to see
freed blacks as the key to economic
recovery and said so frequently in public
comments, increasingly to the dismay of
some ex-Confederates. Perhaps the best
known instance of this new side of Forrest
in his final years was his appearance at a
convention in Memphis of a black civic
organization, the "Independent Order of
Pole-Bearers Association" on July 5, 1875.
This group was a predecessor to the NAACP.
There he made a brief, but
remarkable and extremely courageous speech
(given his reputation), which highlighted
his emerging views on the race question.
In it he said, "I came here with the jeers
of some white people, who think that I am
doing wrong. I believe I can exert some
influence and do much to assist the people
in strengthening fraternal relations and
shall do all in my power to elevate every
man to depress none. I want to elevate you
to take positions in law offices, in
stores, on farms and wherever you are
capable of going. I have not said anything
about politics today...
Do as you consider right
and honest in electing men for office. I
did not come here to make you a long
speech, although invited to do so by you
... I came to meet you as friends and
welcome you to the white people. I want
you to come nearer to us. When I can serve
you I will do so. We have but one flag,
one country; let us stand together. We may
differ in color, but not in sentiment.
Many things have been said about me which
are wrong and which white and black
persons here, who stood by me through the
war, can contradict. Go to work, be
industrious, live honestly and act truly
and when you are oppressed, I'll come to
your relief."
That's some pretty
powerful stuff coming from a former head
Klansman. Now some historians have
questioned his sincerity, but after
studying the events of Forrest's
conversion, which is too much to get to
today, I firmly believe that he was being
honest. He didn't seem to say anything
unless it had a real purpose. He wasn't
PC.
Forrest died a few years
after this, but he ultimately became a
disciple who was fully aware of his sins
and grateful for the opportunity to redeem
some of them. Many secular historians
still don't seem to understand the fact
that he was a different man after becoming
saved, and how much of his Christian
rebirth changed him.
The bottom line is that
Forrest was a disciple in his final years,
and he shows us that it is never too late
to change. He went from a racist and a
terrorist - to a Christian and an
activist. If he can do it, certainly we
can change our own evil ways. Whatever
they may be. After all, we are all sinners
too.
And if this guy can humble
himself before the Lord, we certainly
can.
KJV VERSES: NATHAN BEDFORD
FORREST (HUMILITY)
Let us hear the conclusion
of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep
his Commandments: for this is the whole
duty of man.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13)
If any man serve me, let
him follow me; and where I am, there shall
also my servant be: if any man serve me,
him will my Father honour.
(John 12:26)
So likewise ye, when ye
shall have done all those things which are
commanded you, say, We are unprofitable
servants: we have done that which was our
duty to do. (Luke
17:10)
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