The Truth About Nathan Bedford Forrest

Disinformation regarding the character and heroism of Nathan Bedford Forrest has been part of the attack of those who would slander Southern heritage and the truth of the Cause for which our Confederate ancestors established and defended their nation.  Vandalism has resulted in Memphis and Selma perpetrated by those ignorant of the truth resulting in the despicable theft and destruction of memorials to one of the great generals produced during the War for Southern Independence and has hindered the rightful honoring of all brave Confederate veterans.

Sons of Confederate Veterans Commander in Chief Michael Givens eloquently states, "In recent years, the Cause of the Confederacy, indeed the cause of American Liberty, has been under attack at an ever-increasing intensity. The bully-club of choice is mainly “slavery” with the proposed notion that the invaders from the North left their homes and families, risking mortal danger, on a benevolent mission to end the burdensome institution (that was financed and perpetuated to a large degree by their own kith and kin). One only needs to study a little history to realize that that nursery-rhyme was far from reality, but facts will never be found in the arsenal of the liar. The Cause of the South was simply independence and self-determination. The Cause was quelled (not lost). These United States were formed as a result of a victorious war of independence and self-determination. Our Confederate ancestors were merely continuing the legacy and heritage of that American brand of liberty. But, the liberty ideal did not fit the narrative of invasion and usurpation as was perpetrated by Mr. Lincoln and his hosts in the name of “saving the union.” A new and more globally palatable excuse was needed—the abolition of slavery. Slavery is indeed the very antithesis of liberty, and what better way to one-up the Southern Cause than to claim the mantle of liberty as their own—hence all the confusion to this day. Our ancestors fought a bloody, internecine war that resulted in the near destruction of a unique people, who then suffered a tyrannical military occupation that was designed to reprogram the mind of the South to be more in line with that of the oppressors. The surviving Southern veterans of the War came together as the United Confederate Veterans with the intention of setting the story straight and educating the country on the truthful aspects of the War. After the shooting had ceased, our ancestors were again at war—fighting for the intellectual honesty of that struggle. The struggle continues today and is now in the hands of the sons of those venerable men of the Confederacy - the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  The victors of the War of Northern Aggression distracted their fellow countrymen from the true facts concerning the War. They painted a picture of the South as Hades, populated by demons of varying degrees of evil. The leaders of modern misinformation needed to provide their doe-eyed minions with a chief-demon, the Devil himself to help explain the depths of depravity of the typical Southerner. To them, General Nathan Bedford Forrest fit the bill perfectly. He was a slave trader before the War and led the
“infamous” assault on Ft. Pillow during the War. They took these truths and twisted them into the vilest and most reprehensible actions of a malevolent racist—all with the intention of cutting the legs from under the true story of the South. Today, General Forrest has become the poster-boy for the current propaganda efforts."