Rating: 
Summary: Nathan Bedford Forrest: A Biography
Review: A generally perceptive and even-handed biography, hampered I felt by a bit of special pleading on the author's part. Covers Forrest's pre-war life, wartime career, and postwar doings. The account of Fort Pillow is sensible, acknowledging there was a massacre, but putting it in context. Hurst may go a bit too far in presenting Forrest in late life as a reformed soul, practically a civil rights hero, but it's an interesting viewpoint.It's not Hurst's fault that the information he gives made me view Forrest less positively than I had done before. I was startled to learn how frankly unprofessional Forrest was as a military officer, how impossible he was to work with; I'm surprised he was never court-martialled. And, without denying his native tactical genius or his sheer fighting ability, his no-quarter policy seems frankly foolish, and it cost the Confederacy lives when US troops retaliated--not an aspect discussed by Hurst. Characterizing Forrest as the South's greatest cavalryman, as his biographers tend to, seems contrarian to me. Nevertheless, this is a decent biography; recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Really should be 4.5 stars
Review: Awesome...a perfect balance of Forrests' character and military campaigns. Good focus on Forrest benevolent side as well as his flaws (which were not as many as some think). A must for any Civil War buff (especially on the southern side) and a great read for anyone curious about this slavetrader turned soldier turned klansman turned Christian.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: He was a born military genius. A man born on the margins of survival in the rural South, who supported his family after his father's early death.
He did what had to be done to save his Mother and siblings from abject
poverty. He was a successful businessman in the pre war American South and yes he did sell slaves. You must remember that this was a perfectly legal
business. PC whining about yesterday's values miss the point. He was
a millionaire before the war, when a million dollars was probably worth
50 million or more in today's dollars. As Alexis de Toqueville said, (I'm paraphrasing) the slaves of the South were treated better and all in all lived better than blacks in the North. They were raised from infancy through old age and many of their years were unproductive to the slave owner, but still they were supported. Back to the book. This book lays out the commitment of Forrest to the "cause", when he
raises and arms a large group of fighting men at his own expense. He
was the only man to rise from a private to a General in either army. The book shows Forrest at his heroic best when defeating vastly superior forces with double envelopment tactics, which he invented on the spot out of necessity. He also employed psychological tactics against the enemy and once he had them retreating he would run them down for days and nights without sleep, food or rest, until they had been
killed or surrendered. He labored under the incompetent General Bragg, until he forces a re-assignment to another superior. His many talents were frequently wasted making up for Bragg's mistakes, but he attacks them with tremendous focus and determination. Forrest was a dominating personality and foe. Slow to anger, but once aroused his physical appearance would change and this alone
was frequently enough to put down any personal challenge to his person. He personally killed something like 28 of the enemy and had 30 horses
shot out from under him. He was the most hands on leader and fighter
I've found in either army. He personally led most of the cavalry charges
and once when finding himself all alone in the middle of the enemy
cavalry, he swung his horse around and picked up a short Union soldier
and held him across his back as a shield to prevent the enemy from
shooting him. He dropped the short Union shield when safely away from
enemy. Oh, and Fort Pillow, I'm not sure what really happened there, but incomparison to what Grant's understudy, Sherman did on his trip of total devastation through Georgia, it pales in comparison for these war crimes. West Point taught it's soldier's what was a war crime and Sherman knew what he was doing to civilian's and their property was a great war crime. A war crime rarely mentioned. Once the war was over he did work to re-integrate the Southern Soldier
back into life in the Union. He could have been an unstoppable Guerilla
leader has he chosen this path. But ultimately he recognized the need
for peace to prevail. Hurst paints a vivid picture of a man who lived on the edge of extinction
and put all of his energy into winning every confrontation, but was not
used by Jefferson Davis for maximum effect because he wasn't a West Pointer. This was a big loss to the CSA. In the end, he died a man at peace with his God, but lived a life that
is well worth examining and admiring. Nature produces few specimens
like Forrest. When Lee was asked who was his best fighter in his Army,
he said, "Forrest, a man I've never met". I found this book throughly entertaining and suggest that all who have
an open mind will read and have a hard time putting down this book.
There are also other excellent books on Forrest, an object of endless
fascination.
Rating:
Summary: A Man Worthy Of Objective Study and Admiration
Review: He was a born military genius. A man born on the margins of survival in the rural South, who supported his family after his father's early death.
He did what had to be done to save his Mother and siblings from abject
poverty. He was a successful businessman in the pre war American South and yes he did sell slaves. You must remember that this was a perfectly legal
business. PC whining about yesterday's values miss the point. He was
a millionaire before the war, when a million dollars was probably worth
50 million or more in today's dollars. As Alexis de Toqueville said, (I'm paraphrasing) the slaves of the South were treated better and all in all lived better than blacks in the North. They were raised from infancy through old age and many of their years were unproductive to the slave owner, but still they were supported. Back to the book. This book lays out the commitment of Forrest to the "cause", when he
raises and arms a large group of fighting men at his own expense. He
was the only man to rise from a private to a General in either army. The book shows Forrest at his heroic best when defeating vastly superior forces with double envelopment tactics, which he invented on the spot out of necessity. He also employed psychological tactics against the enemy and once he had them retreating he would run them down for days and nights without sleep, food or rest, until they had been
killed or surrendered. He labored under the incompetent General Bragg, until he forces a re-assignment to another superior. His many talents were frequently wasted making up for Bragg's mistakes, but he attacks them with tremendous focus and determination. Forrest was a dominating personality and foe. Slow to anger, but once aroused his physical appearance would change and this alone
was frequently enough to put down any personal challenge to his person. He personally killed something like 28 of the enemy and had 30 horses
shot out from under him. He was the most hands on leader and fighter
I've found in either army. He personally led most of the cavalry charges
and once when finding himself all alone in the middle of the enemy
cavalry, he swung his horse around and picked up a short Union soldier
and held him across his back as a shield to prevent the enemy from
shooting him. He dropped the short Union shield when safely away from
enemy. Oh, and Fort Pillow, I'm not sure what really happened there, but incomparison to what Grant's understudy, Sherman did on his trip of total devastation through Georgia, it pales in comparison for these war crimes. West Point taught it's soldier's what was a war crime and Sherman knew what he was doing to civilian's and their property was a great war crime. A war crime rarely mentioned. Once the war was over he did work to re-integrate the Southern Soldier
back into life in the Union. He could have been an unstoppable Guerilla
leader has he chosen this path. But ultimately he recognized the need
for peace to prevail. Hurst paints a vivid picture of a man who lived on the edge of extinction
and put all of his energy into winning every confrontation, but was not
used by Jefferson Davis for maximum effect because he wasn't a West Pointer. This was a big loss to the CSA. In the end, he died a man at peace with his God, but lived a life that
is well worth examining and admiring. Nature produces few specimens
like Forrest. When Lee was asked who was his best fighter in his Army,
he said, "Forrest, a man I've never met". I found this book throughly entertaining and suggest that all who have
an open mind will read and have a hard time putting down this book.
There are also other excellent books on Forrest, an object of endless
fascination.
Rating: 
Summary: too long, two major errors
Review: I feel this book could have been 100 pages shorter.
Additionally, the author almost quotes Carl Sanburg, on the "Fort Pillow massacre". For one, the Fort stalled, before they surrendered, then they changed their mind, then they changed it again, after the Forrest resumed the attack. The facts also show, that Blacks were not only taken prisoner, but had to bury their dead Union soldiers. Additionally, many of the Union soldiers carried their rifles to the boats, to try and fight under the protection of the river boats. Finally, Sherman also stated, in the investigation after the war, "No Massacre occured". As another reviewer stated, Forrest did NOT found the KKK. He was asked to be their leader. Forrest ordered it disbanded, in less than two years of it's existence. There is not historical documentation stating Forrest created the KKK. It seems to be just authors quoting each other. Other parts of this book are good. Forrest was a self-made millionare by the slave trade. He was very much admired after the Civil War by the African-Americans, and thousands attended his funeral. Indeed, of the 45 slaves that he took with him though the war, promising them freedom, all but one stayed with Forrest. One slave, "A large Negro, named Napoleon" was captured, and asked to take "the oath" [ allegience to the Federal Government, and to not support the Confederacy] Napoleon refused, and later escaped and went back to Forrest's army. Forrest never was given command of a large army, as Bragg, or Joe Johnston had. The reason---President Jefferson Davis, seemed to favor West Pointers. ( Nepotism--or the WPA, as it is called today==West Point Protective association) In addition to this, you might read "Forrest and his Critter Company", or "The Wizard of the Saddle" or "That Devil Forrest"--( this last book was written by a soldier that rode with Forrest)
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: I gave it a 4 because the military campain analysis is not the best, but there are other, better books for this. This book gives insight into Forrest as the person, including his action after the war. It does a superb job of adressing the issues of the Klan and racism, and I gained a newfound respect for General Forrest. After reading this there is no doubt in my mind that this man is almost completely misunderstood. The details included and Hurst's own conclusions from these are logical and insightful, and bring out Forrest's true colors: As perhaps the first true civil rights leader and racial equality advocate. This book is must for anyone wishing for a full understanding of this incredible man.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, the real Forrest.
Review: Jack Hurst has done a great service to the study of the civil war and to the legacy of General Forrest with this book. Along with the genius of his tactics the reader will also find the flaws in the man but it is the real flaws you will find, not the myths and half-truths that are so common in any discussion of this subject. One begins to understand Forrest as he reads this book. It becomes very clear very early that Forrest has a very hot temper. It is a temper however that while quick to surface is just as quickly gone. That is when Forrest comes into focus. He is a man that in the heat of the moment would say and do things that he would regret. Time and again he is pictured going about after one of these flashes of temper trying to mend fences. In short, after Forrest had time to think about what he had said or done he almost always, in the end, did the right thing. Fort Pillow I think is an example of this. In his anger after the fort refused to give up he may well have unleashed his troops but there is good evidence that very shortly he rode into the fray and personally saved the lives of many Union troops, both black and white. The Klan is, I think, another example of this. Frustrated by the Brownlow government he seems to have saw the Klan as the only way to combat what was without a doubt a horrible regime. As the Klan began to get out of hand though and he saw what it had become he ordered it disolved. Frankly, it is probably lucky that Forrest was sought out to be Grand Wizard for the formation of such a group was almost inevetable and without someone of Forrest's stature at the top who could and did see the evil of the group, things might have been much worse. Forrest indeed eneded up advocating rights for blacks that even few in the north talked about. His war record needs little review. Genius is a term often applied and one that is deserved. His campaigns are kind of hard to follow since when he put the ,"skeer" into a foe he wasn't about to let the enemy gather his wits so the battle would be a running one that went on for miles and days. Other reviewers have pointed out the need for maps and they are right. As a native of Tennessee I had trouble keeping up with all of the place names that flew by so a reader from Oregon will be in deep trouble. Still, even if you can't follow the battles well you will get a fairly good understanding of Forrest's tactics and the accounts are very readable. If future editions add some maps this will be an easy five star choice and even without the maps it is a must read for the student of the civil war in the west. You can't understand the war in the west without understanding Forrest and this book is the best I have read on the subject yet.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Man, Mediocre Presentation
Review: Nathan Bedford Forrest is in my opinion the most interesting soldier from the Civil War. A cavalryman who rose from private to lieutenant general, Forrest was a very dedicated soldier who fought with valor and honor, even though his education would be described as minimal at best. Jack Hurst's biography presents Forrest in a seemingly unbiased manner and focuses on all of his attributes. After reading the book I feel I know a lot more about the man, as well as hold a great deal more respect for him. However, Hurst's portrait of Forrest is extremely long winded and often repeats itself. Many pages of the book take a lot of time to read because the reader must re-read some of the sentences to understand what was said. All in all the book was very informative and should be read by die-hard fans of the Civil War generals, but the book could have been about 100 pages shorter and worded much better.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book about interesting figure
Review: Nathan Bedford Forrest is perhaps the most intersting figure of the Civil War. He was a failed business man, until he became a slave trader, who entered the war as a private and quickly rose to the rank of general. His military campaigns are legend as well as the ruthlessness of thier execution. He was the first Grand Wizard of the Klan as well as an individual who in his later life developed a more enlightened attitude toward blacks. Hurst presents all of the above in a very descriptive manner. What is truly complementary to Hurst is that he presents a fairly evenhanded story of Forrest. His discussion of the Fort Pillow Massacre, in which Forrest's command killed hundreds of surrendering black Union soldiers, is the best example of Hurst's approach. While not attempting to excuse Forrest's conduct in any way, Hurst does put the massacre into the proper historical prespective. The main fault of the book is its lack of maps. Many of Forrest's campaigns are complicated and difficult to understand because of the almost complete absence of maps. There are only 2 battle maps. All in all it is a fine book.
Rating:
Summary: Forrest
Review: Shelby Foote said that the Civil War produced two great geniuses, Abraham Lincoln and Nathan Bedford Forrest. Jack Hurst's book deals with the latter. Nathan Bedford Forrest started the war as a private, and ended it a Lieutenant General. He was the only man in either army to rise that far. In between, he created a legend. Arguably the most talented cavalry commander in American history, Forrest caused so much trouble amongst the Union Army that General William Sherman put a price on his head. After the war, he became infamous as one of the founders of the KKK. This book deals with all of these, in an incredibly thorough and unbiased manner. This is a great book.
| 
