To get some discussion going -

I live in Memphis, TN, where we have a statue of the man downtown which has been a subject of much debate, especially in recent years. Many attempts have been made for it to be removed. Quoting from wikipedia,:

"In 2005, Shelby County Commissioner Walter Bailey started an effort to move the statue over Forrest's grave and rename Forrest Park. Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, who is black, blocked the move. Others have tried to get a bust of Forrest removed from the Tennessee House of Representatives chamber.[80] Leaders in other localities have tried to remove or eliminate Forrest monuments, with mixed success."

Regarding the KKK:

"Forrest was an early member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Historian and Forrest biographer Brian Steel Wills writes, 'While there is no doubt that Forrest joined the Klan, there is some question as to whether he actually was the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.'"

Also,

"In July 1875, Forrest demonstrated that his personal sentiments on the issue of race now differed from that of the Klan, when he was invited to give a speech before an organization of black Southerners advocating racial reconciliation, called the Independent Order of Pole-Bearers Association. At this, his last public appearance, he made what the New York Times described as a "friendly speech"[10] during which, when offered a bouquet of flowers by a black woman, he accepted them as a token of reconciliation between the races and espoused a radical agenda (for the time) of equality and harmony between black and white Americans"

Excerpt from speech:

"Many things have been said about me which are wrong, and which white and black persons here, who stood by me through the war, can contradict. I have been in the heat of battle when colored men, asked me to protect them. I have placed myself between them and the bullets of my men, and told them they should be kept unharmed. Go to work, be industrious, live honestly and act truly, and when you are oppressed I'll come to your relief. I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for this opportunity you have afforded me to be with you, and to assure you that I am with you in heart and in hand."

Finally, regarding his combat prowess during the Civil War:

"'He [Forrest] was the only Confederate cavalryman of whom Grant stood in much dread,' a friend of Ulysses was quoted as saying.[25]"

I have no idea if this thread will survive and without the hordes of ACists here to light themselves on fire and debate this **** even if the mods take pity and let this live, it's probably not going anywhere, but you can boil this whole ****ing thing down to the notion there are people who listen to a CONFEDERATE ****ING GENERAL prattle on about how they will ride to the relief of the oppressed colored men and with those stirring worlds of complete bull**** think he probably has some Sacred Honor that the modern world just didn't recognize.

Only on the ****ing internet man. And well, I guess Tennessee.

dvaut i am so glad you have come!! i am honored, truly, that you did take the time to respond, even if you actually said nothing substantive and want to turn it into a "Flame ACists" thread. so sorry, unfortunately there is nothing for me to respond to in your post.

perhaps this is better suited for Politics Unchained. my apologies.

I like his hot dog eating contest and his grandson Gump.

falcon too woke

There are no confederate civil war heroes, wtf

I can the see the resemblance.

Also, even if there were heroic Confederates, Forrest is one of the most notorious CSA war criminals.

I am disappoint at the discussion so far, but hey that's fair and whatever kind of thread you want this guys to be is fine with me. I had just taken an interest in him more lately as I, too, did not know much about him and assumed he was racist. Even if he was a racist during the Civil War and Fort Pillow was a massacre orchestrated by him, it seems he at least changed his mind later in life.

Of course, that is his descendant, Nathan Bedford Forrest Gump!!

One man's war criminal is another man's war Hero. The British thought Washington was a Revolutionary War criminal!

He looks like a racist. I'm gonna say guilty.

Hey guys, lol at you for judging this Confederate war criminal and KKK crusader without knowing what was deep in his heart a century ago. It is high time we had this intellectual and rationale inquiry. Let the appeal trial begin!!

This trial sponsored by Libertarianism. How have you fought for freedom today?

lol agreed

Yeah cytri, that's exactly what is going on in this thread so far. lmao gmafb

I always liked Coats' description of the South's relationship with the Civil War as the idea not only losing but knowing you shouldn't have even had the chance to win in the first place being too painful to confront so they made up heros.

Yeah, but hey man, if someone wanted to occupy your land, would you not put up a fight - even if you knew you were going to lose?

As an ACist, I carry no water for the Confederacy. ****'em, honestly. But I am surprised that left-liberals cannot fathom how much "better" things would be for them today if the South had been allowed to secede. The country is still divided to this day, and along the same borders - you've got the North, South, and now the West. Should be 3 countries imo. I wonder if a building in NYC would have been terrorized had a man from Texas not been running everything. Like, you guys could have a different Barack Obama as president every time! Without us pesky Southerners getting in your way.

I'll give you Florida right now, free of charge.

lmao, we don't want it!!

Most of us real Southerners sneer at Floridians east of Tallahassee. Libs constantly assume Florida as one of us and couldn't be more wrong.

No the US as a whole, even the Southern states are better off with the Confederacy losing. I know I prefer it, I live in a Southern state and had two ancestors fight in the Civil War for the South.

I grew up in Florida and I took a Florida history class where the teacher described it well, the farther south you go the more its like the north and the farther north you go the more its like the south.

It's an absolute travesty things can still be so bad hundreds of years later but it doesn't so easily follow that the mistake was in the union.

If we had hindisght (or better foresight) we would probably conclude that a different approach to the USA was needed. More federal laws and more focus on integration. More recognition that the consititution would become part of the problem if too hard to amend.

Which southern states have the best songs written about them? I'm thinking either Kentucky or Tennessee.

Ivan, welcome back. I'm glad you're ok. Things were pretty crazy last I saw you.