The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-06-24

cavalry. Forrest drove every thing
to the entertainments and then
withdrew. AS the writer catered
the pike with his regiment Forrest
was coming down the pike at the
head of one Of his own regiments.
He appeared to be in dispute with
one of his lieutenants, and il ended
by Forrest humping him over
the back with his sword. He was
swift as lightning to strike, and he
claimed 10 exception from his rank
from any personal responsibility to
the humblest private.
AS the regiments met on the pike
the writer asked Forrest for orders.
Forrest pointing to the left said,
briefly:
go; get into the r'ar of them
fellows" and added after q second,
"and go quick F"
The writer took the road leading
to the left at stiff trot. In a short
time Forrest came Gathering along
at a gallop at the head of his escort
company, and remarked as he dash
ed ty:
II have concluded to go with
you. Follow on
The road turned down the river,
and Forrest, leaving orders for me
to form on the road fro ting the
turn, deployed his escort and struck
a brigade of infantry in ambush.
He Immediately turned and retreat
ed at full speed, passing through
the writer's regiment, saying with a
laugh: sect like hell. Colonel
Nothing to be made there"
The bullets came fast and thick.
The writer, finding his horses dis
posed to stampede, ordered the
men to go to firing, and fell back
as soon as they got steady.
The incident illustrates Forests
methods. Whenever he found the
enemy he went at them, as he joe
ularly remarked once, "Eend fore
most " He struck his hardest, and
he often whipped by his tentative
hardihood If he found it no go,
he got away with a rush. Nor were
his retreats panics, but cool, me-
thodical, but furious rushes for
safety, everything is thoroughly in
hand to him in a moment, and reso
lutte and undismayed, go to fight
ing.
His refusal to surrender at Fort
Donaldson was characteristic of the
man. He had no surrender in him,
and his habit was to take all the
chances. His resources of mind
and invention were absolutely in
exhausuble, and seemed equal to
any test. No odds dismsyed and
no danger daunted him. He wrung
victories from seeming impossible
lies. He never acknowledged defeat,
and he never stayed vanquished.
He permitted no reverse to stand.
He either turned it to victory OF
swept to new triumphs. He never
stopped to count the foe. He
struck it wherever he could, and
with all might, and he frequently
whipped by sheer audacity, and be-
cause his boldness indicated a
strength he did not possess. Gen.
Forrest may be designated felici-
tously as the genius Of bluff. No
other term so well portrays him.
Counting on the universal tenden-
Gy of men to accept as true what is
boldly claimed, he made 1t an inva
riaole rule to present and assume a
show of strength, and to strike with
the confidence born of conscious
power. He was the swiftest.
deadliest fighter the Confederacy
had, save Stonewall Jackson. He
attacked like a tornado; he retreat
ed like lightning.
If Forrest had won but a single
exceptional triumph, it might have
been deemed a lucky scratch, But
nearly every achievement of his Ca
reer was signalIzed by the very ro-
nance of intrepidity and strategic
invention. Perhaps the most re-
markable quality OF military char
acter was his disposition to push
his victories to their fullest frui-
ton. He never let up on a defeated
foe while his men had strength to
pursue or there was a man to fight.
He kept hitting a retreating enemy
as long as he had strength or there
was a foe man to strike.
AN HISTORIC MULE.
1t was this spirit that caused q
misconception of his conduct at
Fort Pillow The flag was not
lowered when the fort was really
captured, add the firing was kept up
under the mistaken idea that the
garrison was resisting, aud it is a
Curious instance of the blending of
the ridiculous with the tragic,
showing how grand historic fact
runs into farce, that the flag at Fort
Pillow was finally lowered by q
mule getting tangled in the rope
and breaking it. Forrest is known
to have credited this strange story.
In the decentralization of defeat, the
leaders being killed, no one had the
presence of mind to draw down the
symbol of defiance. Forrest kept
firing away because the flag was
still floating. Col. George W.
Adair, of Atlanta. Ca, who was
with Forrest a long time, serving
on his staff, stated that Forrest
narrated this novel incident as pos
sessIng historic verify,
His men idolized him. He was
dear to them and they were proud
of him. Their confidence was I'M
bounded in him, his courage and
generalship. One of the strongest
elements of his success and most
effective demonstrations of his ge-
MUS was his power to inspire his
men with bis spirit of resolution
and zeal. Himself full of hope,
nerve and disregard of fatigue aud
peril. he made his followers exhibit
these soldierly qualities in the high
est degree. He was a man of great
physIcsl strength, and he had as
many personal encounters with the
enemy as any soldier or officer in
our army. His personal proves was
something remarkable. He went
into the thickest of the fight with
an. absolute contempt for danger,
and took his chances in the melee
with his mea. He had numberless