The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-01-03
GEN. FOREsps PECUL1AR1TIEs.

GEN. FOREST'S PECULlARIIlES'
Some Readable Stories. About the Sa.
lient Points of his Character.
Forests funeral was an impressive
one, and, strangely enough, there wa
only one Confederate uniform in ths
procession, and that was worn by tht
occupant of the hearse.
"While," says a correspondent, "tht
old soldiers and Confederate officers o.
Memphis fairly worshipped him, hi
was unpopular with a large portion O
the community, who feared and dis
liked him about evenly for his ferocity
and reckless temper"
The correspondent adds that he
came of terrible family, his siz
brothers all being fighting men, and
one of them, Bill, a desperado, the
only man of whom the General ever
was afraid. Forrest was one of the
greatest slave dealers Of the South
and it is said that he was kind to his
negroes, that he never separated mem
bers of a family, and that he always
told his slaves to 60 out in the city and
choose their own masters. There is nc
instance Of any slave taking advan.
tage of the permission to run away.
There were some planters in the vi.
cinity of Memphis to whom he would
not sell slaves at all, because they had
the reputation of being cruel masters.
As soldier his arbitrary ways and
impatience of control were always in
volving him in trouble with his supe-
riors. He ruled his men so that they
feared him more than they did the
enemy, and yet confded in him as
though he were incapable Of an error
or fault. The war ruined him, and
he set to work rebuilding his fortunes.
He bought an island plantation on the
Mississippi, below Memphis, and con-
tracted with the city for the labor Of
all her petty criminals at ten cents per
day per prisoner. He put up build
ings and made the island reformato-
ry, and managing the plantation with
his demoniac energy, was on the way
to make another fortune when the
malaria of the island atmosphere
struck him down.
Age did not make his temper any
milder than it had been, for the cor
respondent tells how he ordered a suit
of clothes from a Memphis tailor, and
after letting them lie in the shop till
they were moth-eaten, cursed the tailor
most vehemently for swindler, and
pulled out a pistol, roaring out his in
tention of shooting the dealer like a
rat. But he did not shoot, and next
day, in cooler mood, went round tothe
tailor and made him an apology so
thorough and humble that it was al
most painful to listen to.
Forrest was in many desperate en-
counters, one of the most desperate
being his fight with Gould, lieuten'
ant whom be had charged with cewar-
dice. As the General was sitting
unarmed and twirling a small pen
knife in his hand, Gould approached
him with a loaded pistol in his pocket,
and giving him the lie, pulled. the
trigger. The hammer caught in the
lining of Gould's pocket, when For
rest grabbed him with one hand and,
opening the knife with his teeth, Lite
rally disembowelled his antagonist ere
he could dc more than slightly wound
the General with another discharge Of
the pistol. :.
Forsest never acknowledged himself
to have been placed "in bad fix,"
except once. General Chalmers and
merchant in Memphis, named j. G.
Davis, had some small disagreement,
which inspired Chalmers with q strong
desire to ego and see him." On the
way Calmers met Gen. Forrest and
asked the General to go there along
with him. Forrest went, ignorant of
the real state of affairs. Scarcely had
the two Generals arrived at the
head of the stairs leading to Davis
business office, when the door was sud-
denly aang open and Davis knocked
Chalmers from the top Of the stairs to
the bottom. The next instant he pre-
sented heavy revolver at Forests
head, explaining:
"And this is what I've got for you
two Confederate Generals coming to
whip one man.
"Hold on! hold on, Mr. Davis !"
cried Forrest, "there's some mistake
here! I didn't know there was any
trouble between you"
He was glad to get away, and began
to inquire what sort of man that
j. c.. Davis was. Folks told him Da-
Wis was one of the most quiet, peacea-
BILE men in town.
"Well, he may be peaceable," re-
turned Forrest, "but he put me in the
tightest place 1 was ever in in my
life"
Yet he never showed any ill-will to
Davis afterwards, evidently admiring
his pluck.
Pr,rApKAR1E MINI1TE WRITING.