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Nelson W. Winbush, a Black and respected member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, as a child accompanied his grandfather Louis Napoleon Nelson to United Confederate Veteran Reunions. Private Nelson was a Black Confederate who saw service during the War Between the States Battles of Shiloh, Lookout Mountain, Brice’s Crossroads and Vicksburg—as a soldier and served as chaplain in the 7th Tennessee Cavalry, under Lt. General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
It should be also noted that after the War Between the States, Bedford Forrest returned home with the ‘free’ black men who fought with him. Sixty-five black troopers were with the General when he surrendered his command in May 1865. Forrest said of these black soldiers, “No finer Confederates ever fought.”
Some people have called General Forrest an early advocate for Civil Rights.
Forrest’s speech during a meeting of the “Jubilee of Pole Bearers” is a story that should be told. Gen. Forrest was the first white man to be invited by this group which was a forerunner of today’s Civil Rights group. A reporter of the Memphis Avalanche newspaper was sent to cover the event that included a Southern barbeque supper.
Miss Lou Lewis, daughter of a Pole Bearer member, was introduced to Forrest and she presented the former general a bouquet of flowers as a token of reconciliation, peace and good will. On July 5, 1875, Nathan Bedford Forrest delivered this speech:
In part:
Quote:
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.
Nathan Bedford Forrest again thanked Miss Lewis for the bouquet and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. Such a kiss was unheard of in the society of those days, in 1875, but it showed a token of respect and friendship between the general and the black community and did much to promote harmony among the citizens of Memphis.
This year, 2012, is the 107th anniversary of the dedication of a General Forrest Statue in Memphis, Tennessee.
"Nathan Bedford Forrest, civil rights advocate" is like "Benito Mussolini, anticolonialist and humanitarian" or "Osama bin Laden, advocate of religious tolerance"
I'd like to know the sources of the quoted material in the OP because if there are sources that demonstrate that blacks fought for the Confederacy (meaning they were armed, in units, had uniforms, received pay, held rank, etc. rather than just serving as cooks, latrine diggers, and earthworks construction labor) then that'd be a major find from an historiographical standpoint (as of yet, not one professional historian has made a case for the service of blacks in the Confederate States Army other than the ones who demonstrated that the CS Army benefited from slave labor).
Otherwise, I'm just going to guess that the quoted sections were just things made up by the SCV quacks who try to promote the idea of the legality of secession and divert the role of race in that destructive conflagration.
"Nathan Bedford Forrest, civil rights advocate" is like "Benito Mussolini, anticolonialist and humanitarian" or "Osama bin Laden, advocate of religious tolerance"
I suppose Sherman, Grant and even Lincoln were bastions of civil rights.
Whew... While Forrest's life can certainly be paradoxical regarding his views on blacks, I think the OP is laying it on a little thick here...
Forrest was an out and out racist for a good portion of his life. There is NO denying that. He participated in the slave trade and it is doubtful he was an advocate for blacks during the war... Some think he was instrumental in the massacre at Fort Pillow and others believe he simply did little to stop what occurred there, but that is another debate.
Yes, he was instrumental in founding the KKK and is considered the first "Grand Wizard"... Understand though that the KKK at that time was more about politics and fighting back against the carpet-baggers than it was about lynching uppity black people... In fact, Forrest left the KKK over this issue and the intimidation tactics used (ESPECIALLY against blacks) according to most sources I have read...
And yes, late in his life he seemed to come to peace with the changing of the tides and was a bit of a pioneer for advancing race relations in the South... Perhaps the more contact he had and the older he got his views changed as they often do for many people...
Either way, lets' not make him out to be a saint or anything when measuring the entirety of his life...
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