The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-06-13
DAILY LEADER.
LIIVFENANr.6ENERAL FORREST.
An IntervIex with him.

An Interview with him.
toorrosponssuos OF ths New oiIsa7s True psIta.l
MERIDIAN, Miss, Nay ID, i65.
Before the large chimney place of q
small cabin room, surrounded by q group of
Confederate officers and msn, the room
lighted by a small tsllow candle, 1 first saw
Lieutenant General n. b. Forrest COM
msnding q corps of cavalry in the rebel
army.
Forrest is s man of fine appearance,
about six feet high, dark, piercing hazel
| eyes, carefully trimmed moustsche and
chin whiskers, dark as night finely cut
features and iroD-grsy hair. His form Is
1.-the plainly indicating great physical &C.
tiYity and power. He was neatly dressed
in citizens clothes, of some gray mix ure,
the only indication of military service be-
ing the usual number of small staff but
tons on his vest 1 should have marked
him had l seen him on Broad WAY, and
when I was told that be was the Forrest
of Fort Pillow" 1 devoted my whole IT.
tention to him and give you the result of
q conversation. Except a guard OF some
hundred Federal soldiers, some half s mile
away, 1 was, with the exception Of another
person, the only YANKEES in the Ioom, and,
being dressed In citizens clothes, was never
suspected.
"General," said I Il little expectedto be
seated by you"
"Why so2' T.
"WeH, because your name has been in
the mouth Of nearly every person, for a
long time"
"Yes," said be, displaying the finest set
Of teeth that 1 think 1 have ever seen. II
have walked up the Yankees everywhere,
lately"
dere follows Forests version Of the
Fort Pillow affair, which has appeared in
our columns. "a
HYou have msde some rspid msrches
General" said 1. ayes, 4" said he; 81 have
five thousand men that car whip any ten
thousand in the world. Sturgis came out
70 whip me once, and was ten thousand
strong 1 marched off as if I wss going to
Georgia, and fell upon the head of his col
umn when he least expected me, and, with
twenty-thres hundre1 men, killed over
three thousand, CAPTURED as many more,
with all the trains and mules and drove
him back. I meant to kill every man in
federal uniform unless be gave up.D He
spike Of capturing q fort from Colonel
Crawford, in Athens, Ala, garrisoned by
!, 500 men. He ssid: ~ took him out,
showed him my forces-some brigsdes two
or three times, and one battery L kept
marching around AL the time. Ny men
oismounted, leaving every fourth man to
hold the horses, and formed the rest in
front as infsnLry and the darn fool gSve
up without firing 3 shot" a..
Speaking of S.reight's capture, he said it
was almost 3 shame. "His men rode among
them and shot them down like cattle. TheYY
were mounted on shsrp-edged saddles, and
were worn cut, and ne killed several of
them himself. Di mt hardy know Whist To
do with them" But the heart sickens at
the infamous conduct of this butcher. He
is one of the few men that are general
blowers" and yet will fight. Forrest is a
thorough brsvo-R desperate man in every
He was s negro trader before the
war, and in "personal s~ffairs," IS he called
them, had killed several men.
He had a body guard of one hundred
and fifty picked men. These he placed in
the resr, with orders to shoot any one who
bsck. 1 have spoken TO numbers
Of confederate officers, and they speak or
him with disgust, though they admit his !
and fitness for the csvslry service |
He has two brothers living, one of whom
is spoken of IS being a greater butcher
than the Lieutenant General. he is q
man without education or refinement mar
ried, L believe, TO a very pretty wife. Any
one would call him handsome.
Any n hearing him talk, would csll
him q brsggsdociO. As for myself, I \
would believe one-hslf he said, and only |
with him with my finger upon the
of my pistol. When I told him 1
was 8 Yankee, and late upon q prominent
generals staff, he looked about him, and
-moDg his staff, tor corrsbative proof
Of this, ready prepared, poured
forth upon his order. My not being q
hort band writer necessarily deprived me
Of the pleasure of a further contribution
to his rue history.
Two young KentucKians we're walking
the road when Forrest came up; he
called them deserters and deliberately shot
them. 1t appears that these young men
were upon Legitimate duty, and one Of
them under military age. The fathers of
these youths are upon Forests track,
sworn 10 kill him. Poetic justice requires
he should meet with 8 violent death.
Probably one hundrad men have fallen by
his hand. He ssys "the war is played )"
that, where he hveE, there are plenty Of
fish and that he is going 10 take sitent
along, and don't want to see any 4 for
months. What 8 charming hero
he would make for q sensational liking of
the CAnnibal islands, -s1as