The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, May 16th, 2011, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This
is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow
the signs to the Science Museum and Greer Stadium. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm and is always open to the public. There is no charge to attend.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC

“The Bodyguard and Staff of Nathan Bedford Forrest”

Few Civil War commanders elicit as many responses today as the controversial Nathan Bedford Forrest. Love him or hate him, he was arguably the finest cavalry commander of the war, north or south. His record in combat was one of the best during the war in terms of victories and his reputation was such that he tied down two full Union corps in 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign. General Sherman called him, “that devil Forrest.” What is not known are the men behind the man including his escort/bodyguard and his staff. Forrest was not a professional solder and for the technical aspects of running his command he needed a competent staff to keep his men equipped. While most Civil War generals had escorts, most were not used in combat whereas Forrest often used his as Napoleon used his Old Guard – the final strike force designed to win the day. Forrest’s escort was recruited from picked men who stayed with him for the whole war. Even after the war, veterans of Forrest’s staff and escort attended reunions as late as 1909.

Historian, author and retired history professor Michael Bradley, a well-known speaker in Tennessee, has written a fine book on Forrest’s escort and staff and this program will be drawn from that book looking at the men, their exploits and reunions. Dr. Bradley is also the author of a book on the Tullahoma Campaign and a forthcoming biography on David C. Kelly, one of Forrest’s subordinates. He is past commander of the Tennessee Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans and lives in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He will be bringing copies of his books for sale at the meeting.

Please join us for what will prove to be an informative program.

The Nashville Civil War Roundtable is made possible by Nashville Metro Parks and the Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Military History.

If you would like to do an article on the Nashville Civil War Roundtable please contact club president Krista Castillo at Fort Negley Park - (615) 862-8470.