Posted on 08/12/2007 11:13:36 AM PDT by CutePuppy
Another View of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest
USA Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.
August 11, 2007 URL:
http://www.newmediajournal.us/guest/c_johnson/08112007.htm
Is the history of our great nation important to you?
Union Gen. William T. Sherman said of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, "After all, I think Forrest as the most remarkable man our "Civil War" produced on either side." This came from a man who was once a foe of Forrest on the field of battle.
Why do some folks attack America's heritage?
Several years ago attempts were made to change the name of Forrest Park in Memphis, Tennessee. Now, there are people who try to change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High school in Jacksonville, Florida.
Was Gen. Forrest an early advocate for Civil Rights?
Forrest's speech during a meeting of the "Jubilee of Pole Bearers" is a story that needs to be told. Gen. Forrest was the first white man to be invited by this group which was a forerunner of today's Civil Right's group. A reporter of the Memphis Avalanche newspaper was sent to cover the event that included a Southern barbeque supper.
Miss Lou Lewis, daughter of a Pole Bearer member, was introduced to Forrest and she presented the former general a bouquet of flowers as a token of reconciliation, peace and good will. On July 5, 1875, Nathan Bedford Forrest delivered this speech:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I accept the flowers as a memento of reconciliation between the white and colored races of the Southern states. I accept it more particularly as it comes from a colored lady, for if there is any one on God's earth who loves the ladies I believe it is myself. (Immense applause and laughter.)
"I came here with the jeers of some white people, who think that I am doing wrong. I believe I can exert some influence, and do much to assist the people in strengthening fraternal relations, and shall do all in my power to elevate every man, to depress none. (Applause.)
"I want to elevate you to take positions in law offices, in stores, on farms, and wherever you are capable of going. I have not said anything about politics today. I don't propose to say anything about politics. You have a right to elect whom you please; vote for the man you think best, and I think, when that is done, you and I are freemen. Do as you consider right and honest in electing men for office.
"I did not come here to make you a long speech, although invited to do so by you. I am not much of a speaker, and my business prevented me from preparing myself. I came to meet you as friends, and welcome you to the white people. I want you to come nearer to us. When I can serve you I will do so. We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together. We may differ in color, but not in sentiment.
"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. 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."
Nathan Bedford Forrest again thanked Miss Lewis for the bouquet and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. Such a kiss was unheard of in the society of those days, in 1875, but it showed a token of respect and friendship between the general and the black community and did much to promote harmony among the citizens of Memphis.
Involve your family in study sessions to seek the truth about this nation's history and ask your local government officials not to change the name of streets and schools named for our American ancestors.
Calvin E. Johnson, Jr. is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and author of the book, "When America Stood for God, Family and Country."
...
The New Media Journal.us © 2007
furthermore, a personal letter from lincoln to a MA politician stated that after the war was over that ALL the Blacks were to be deported back to Africa BUT that "the red savages, who are creatures without souls, must be EXTERMINATED to the last one" (emphasis MINE).
lincoln was anything BUT a decent person.
free dixie,sw
bump
Still making this crap up as you go along, huh?
Because the slaves in Haiti launched a rebellion to end slavery. And the slave owners in the U.S. launched a rebellion to protect slavery.
Yes, the damnyankees perfected the art of cruelty and murder.
The only traces I can find today of the "Jubilee of Pole Bearers" are references to Forrest's speech. It may have been more of a social or fraternal organization, rather than a political group.
Forrest died of complications of diabetes in 1877. Maybe he was already ailing when he addressed the group. He'd gone bankrupt some years earlier when his railroad failed.
So perhaps Nathan Bedford Forrest was trying to get right with God. He may have felt guilty about something: "Men have come to me to ask for quarter, both black and white, and I have shielded them."
That adds something to our understanding of the man. But if Forrest helped create the conditions where White Southern politicians couldn't talk like this publicly to a Black organization for a century, that also shouldn't be ignored.
I made a note to myself to come back in a couple of months to see if anyone had taken you up on your offer.
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