Evening star., 1909-07-18

from the mill. 4 member of the house
hold said that the young soldier had not
gone to the mill; in fact. had remained
in bed. and was there at that moment.
The mother sent message to the lag
gard to 90 at once after the corn meal.
The lieutenant sent back word that lie
was Confederate officer and did not
propose to go on such an efrand. and for
his mother to send one of the negroes.
y.
The coffee pot the mother was pouring
from wobbled, but she filled the cup. She
was past sixty. Leaving the room, she
went out to a willow tree and cut some
stout switches. Then she went to the
room of the younger Confederate officer.
The next minute there were yells and
cries from the room. and then the lieuten-
ant dashed down stairs, took up the meal
sack, vaulted onto horse and raced to
the mill. When he returned he had two
soiled, but he was much chastened.
The father Of Forrest had died when
Nathan, the eldest son, was about sixteen,
and the boy became the head of the
household. That accounts for his lack of
education. Although he enlisted as pri-
vate and some of his brothers got com
missoned at the beginning of the war.
Nathan Forrest did not remain private
many days. AS a man Of wealth and in
fuence he was called on to raise bat
talon. This he did, and when it was
raised he got a commission as lieutenant
colonel. AS major of his battalion he
had the Rev. David c. Kelley. who served
with him throughout the war and who
always said grace at the generals table.
The clergyman had little idea that For
rest would survive the war. SO fierce
was the passionate conduct of Forrest
from the beginning to the end of a battle
that Kelley at first considered him little
short of mad. but soon the clergyman
discovered that this wild excitement did
not affect Forests Judgment. and that
in success or defeat he never failed to
meet any emergency promptly and well
X
In the first few years OF the war For
rest was looked upon as little more than
a raider, and it was not until 1864 that
his genius began to be appreciated by JEFF
ferson Davis and other officials in Rich
mond. Long before that Grant, Sherman
and other northern commanders knew
Forrest for his true worth. At Fort Dom
elson, where in the engagement of Feb
ruary 13, 1862, Grants right wing was
driven back by Forrest, the man Of Ap-
pomattox formed his opinion OF the slave
trader. No one was more surprised than
was Forrest when he learned that Floyd
and Buckner proposed to surrender the
fort. Pillow at first was reluctant to SUP
render. but Floyd and Buckner prevailed.
Forrest refused to acquiesce. He offered
to take the whole army out, and. when
Pillow refused. Forrest took his own COM
mand and escaped. together with about
as many other men who followed his ex-
ample. The fall Of Fort Denelson was
the first great disaster the Confederacy
suffered.
Forrest PLAYED a prominent part in the
battle of Shiloh, and at Monterey he was
desperately wounded. 1t was only
short time after he recovered from this
wound that he swept down on Murfrees-
boro. Tenn. with 400 men and captured
1900 prisoners. four pieces of artillery
and large amount of supplies. Gen.
Wolseley, commander-in-chief OF the Brit
ish army, considered this one of the
most remarkable achievements of For