A cavalry and military commander in the war, Forrest is also one of the war's most unusual figures. A crude man who had made his fortune as a slave trader, was noted for his violence. He was one of the very few in either army to enlist as a private and end the war at the rank of general. Forrest discovered and established new doctrines for mobile forces, earning the nickname The Wizard of the Saddle. He was accused of responsibility for war crimes at the Battle of Fort Pillow for leading Confederate soldiers in a massacre of unarmed black Union Army prisoners, but in the face of conflicting evidence was later cleared by the US Congress. After the war Forrest opposed Reconstruction policies and federal occupation by serving as the first Grand Wizard of the KKK and commander of the Grand Dragons of the Realms. In their postwar writings, both Confederate President Jefferson Davis and General ROBERT E. LEE stated the Confederate high command had failed to adequately use Forrest's talents.
In April 1864, the Union garrison at Fort Pillow, comprised 295 white Tennessee troops and 262 U.S. Colored Troops, all under the command of Maj. Lionel F. Booth. Confederate Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked the fort on April 12 with a cavalry division of approximately 2,500 men. The Confederates launched a determined attack at 11:00 am, occupying more strategic locations around the fort, and Forrest demanded unconditional surrender. Bradford asked for an hour for consultation and Forrest granted twenty minutes. Bradford refused surrender and the Confederates renewed the attack. Casualties were high and only sixty-two of the U.S. Colored Troops survived the fight. Many accused the Confederates of perpetrating a massacre of the black troops, and that controversy continues today. The Fort Pillow Massacre became a Union rallying cry and cemented resolve to see the war through to its conclusion.
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