Nathan Bedford Forrest

Character Key: 
Display Name: 
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Sort Name: 
Forrest, Nathan Bedford
AKA: 
General Bed Forrest
Race: 
White
Gender: 
Male
Class: 
Upper Class
Rank: 
Secondary
Vitality: 
Alive
Occupation: 
Armed Forces
Date of Birth: 
Friday, July 13, 1821
Origin: 
Tennessee
Biography: 

Bayard describes Nathan Bedford Forrest as "a big, dusty man with a beard so black it looked almost blue and eyes like a sleepy owl" (691). He notes how inelegant Forrest's diction is - "He said 'fit' for fought," for example - but adds that "when you fought battles like he did, even Granny didn't mind how you talked" (692). In the Civil War Forrest was one of the Confederacy's most successful cavalry commanders, who led much of the fighting in the War's western theater (including Mississippi and Tennessee). In Bayard's narrative, he is both a fierce campaigner and a soft-hearted gentleman, identified in caste with Granny's family. In history, his story is more complex and controversial. Born into a very poor family, Forrest became wealthy as a planter and slave trader before the War. During the War he rose from the ranks from Private to Lieutenant General. After the War he was active as a founding leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

Ontological Status: 
Historical/Real
Individual or Group: 
Individual
Character changes class in this text: 

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