The Myth of Nathan Bedford Forrest

Nathan Bedford Forrest was born in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, in 1821 and grew up to be a plantation owner and a slave trader. He joined the Confederate cavalry in the American Civil War, ultimately becoming a Lieutenant General. Forrest had the reputation of being a speculator and a gambler, a racist and a murderer. His name, image and history are surrounded by myth and controversy. Paul Ashdown is a professor of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee. He tells WUOT's Chrissy Keuper one of many myths about Forrest is that he started the Ku Klux Klan...

Posted by mpowell7 at February 28, 2008 06:35 AM | Links to this post
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