Confederate Statue on I-65 (Franklin, Martin: attorney, tornado, upkeep)

[Rids78]

I've never really been clear on who it is on the horse but guessing it's one of the four generals killed in the Battle of Franklin and surrounding days but this spring that memorial has been left in a sad state. Nearly all of the flags are torn or missing or both. Who is responsible for the upkeep of that?

(and as a bonus question - who is it on the horse? Forrest?)

[nashvols]

It is Nathan Bedford Forrest. It's a cheap statue and a poorly kept "monument". It is privately owned. It's an eyesore.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by nashvols

It is Nathan Bedford Forrest. It's a cheap statue and a poorly kept "monument". It is privately owned. It's an eyesore.

It was controversial when it was built, too. Besides being controversial because of the background of the person riding the horse, as I recall TDOT cut down a bunch of trees so that this "monument" could be seen from the interstate even though it was privately funded and built on private property. I wish a mini tornado would take it away. It's not just an eyesore, it's an embarrassment.

[BirdieBelle]

Yes, we've dealt with this since 1998.

The sculptor was an MBA- and Vanderbilt educated attorney named Jack Kershaw who represented James Earl Ray in his appeal of his conviction for assassinating Martin Luther King. Kershaw was the one who pushed the conspiracy theory that involved a mysterious, never-found person named Raul. Ray ended up firing Kershaw and hiring another attorney to pursue his appeal.

Kershaw was known to be a very eccentric man who founded the League of the South, so yes, he was a staunch segregationist. He died in 2010. The statue is built on land that was part of a large South Nashville farm his wife's family owned that Jack and his father-in-law worked. His wife's maiden name was Noel, a prominent Nashville family.

They didn't have any children, and the monument is maintained by local Confederate groups.

[Rids78]

Thanks for the details.

[bspray]

Haven't there been several attempts over the years to destroy it? I remember hearing about something maybe back in the early 2000's where someone tied a chain around the statue and ran it across the train track and fastened it to a tree expecting a train to destroy the statue bu the chain broke? Haven't there been multiple attempts to destroy it?

[STL2006]

There are few Confederate personalities as controversial as Forrest. He wasn't just Confederate, he was hardcore Confederate.

One of his better know quotes: "COME ON BOYS, IF YOU WANT A HEAP OF FUN AND TO KILL SOME YANKEES."

At Fort Pillow in 1864, instead of treating the 300 black garrison soldiers as POWs, he executed them.

YIKES.

[Drake744]

People who aren't from here must see that and think we're backwards morons. Just like, you know, the stereotype.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by Drake744

People who aren't from here must see that and think we're backwards morons. Just like, you know, the stereotype.

Unfortunately I've had to correct a number of people who thought it was a public monument.

[southernsmoke]

Originally Posted by STL2006

There are few Confederate personalities as controversial as Forrest. He wasn't just Confederate, he was hardcore Confederate.

One of his better know quotes: "COME ON BOYS, IF YOU WANT A HEAP OF FUN AND TO KILL SOME YANKEES."

At Fort Pillow in 1864, instead of treating the 300 black garrison soldiers as POWs, he executed them.

YIKES.

Well, it's not exactly clear what happened at Fort Pillow. And furthermore, even accepting the most anti-Forrest narrative as true, your characterization is exaggerated, misleading and inaccurate.