Nathan Bedford Forrest was born on July 13, 1821 near Chapel Hill, Tennessee. Many people described him as a "born military genius." A famous quote that was his motto was "Get there first with the most men." He was very well known for the infamous raid on Ft. Pillow on April 12, 1864. At the fort he slaughtered more than 300 blacks after they surrendered the fort.
Forrest was a self-taught man that bought horses, cattle, and slaves as well ...view middle of the document...
He felt that working with other Confederate troops was pointless so he moved his troops out of the fort, just before Fort Donelson was surrendered. He led his troops in the Battle of Shiloh and was very successful so he was promoted to brigadier general. He was brilliant in his ways in the autumn campaign.
The following winter he was an active member of raiding enemy lines of communication. When Forrest, now a major general, received notice from the Confederate government that he was to "take no more Negro prisoners" he devised a plan. When they assaulted Fort Pillow he massacred 300 black men, women, and children inside the fort after they surrendered.
In June of 1864 Forrest and his men defeated a superior Union force at Brice's Cross Roads Mississippi. Throughout the next year he made several successful attacks in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama.
After the war he was a successful advocate in the railroad business. He was also the first Grand Wizard of the original Ku Klux Klan, a secret society that believed in white supremacy. He late realized this was a bad idea, but the Klan had grown to big for him to stop it.
