Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest

<p>One of the most colorful and successful generals in America's Civil War was not a West Point graduate or even had a year of schooling. His name is Nathan Bedford Forrest. This self-made millionaire enlisted in the Confederate Army at age 40 and ended the war as a Lieutenant General. He was liked by his men and hated by his enemies. He was best known for leading his cavalry unit in support of the infantry and guerrilla actions and disliked for his participation in the slave trading industry the battle of Fort Pillow and being a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Can a man with military genius and controversial issues (slave trader Fort Pillow and Ku Klux Klan) be a great captain or do the controversial issues cause him to be just another general in America's history? This paper will examine factors that determine why individuals are labeled great captain. To receive a better understanding of Forrest a brief life history will be presented followed by examples of Forrest's links to the determining factors of great captains. Finally the controversial issues will be discussed and why these should not preclude Forrest from receiving the title of great captain.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>