A Battle from the Start: The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest

by Brian Steel Willis and Brian Steel Wills

Book Overview

A biography of the Confederate cavalry leader describes his poor childhood in Mississippi, his adulthood as a millionaire slave trader, his rise through the ranks of the Confederate army, and his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060168323
• ISBN13: 9780060168322
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 457 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Another interesting perspective!

Being a fan of Forrest I was happy to see that Wills went to great pains to only write about true occurrences that he could back up with documentation. Wills covers the myths and potentially wrong information developed by this great commander over the years and dispels them by trying to be fair and accurate in what took place. Myths can become larger than life and Forrest is no stranger to such talk over the years. Such potentially false information of Forrest isn't conveyed in this book.Wills' coverage presents Forrest from early adulthood pre-war life all the way up until his death in 1877. His battlefield coverage may not be as complete as other books on Forrest although he does cover many campaigns and exploits of this great Southern leader. I felt Wills had skipped some exhaustive detail as found in other books about Forrest post-war career such as his involvement with the KKK, political world and business ventures. Wills covers these but keeps the information quick, informative and focused. Wills tries to realistically look at Forrest and present better facts which I appreciated. Any fan of Forrest owes it to them to read this book to get new and fair insight into a rather large and sometimes mythical character that struggled through life in multiple hardships, conflict and destiny.

Underappreciates the Drama

This book is considered the best history of Forrest. It's a Northern book, basically. This may well be the best approach to take on this character, otherwise he does tend to get out of hand. Forrest is still infamous, especially for Fort Pillow. Wills goes after him for all he's worth but in the end doesn't come up with anything. It's a decent exoneration. Forrest was cleared of Pillow officially and historically despite low-blows from a propagandizing North that hasn't let up on him yet (see "Forrest Gump"...and most any public Northern remark about Forrest even today). Forrest had slaves and as much guilt there as other Southerners, but the special venom reserved for him in the North is odd. I found other quotes of Forrest refering to slaves not as property but as a working class to be noteworthy, but they aren't much considered anywhere. It actually seems like he was better than many Southerners in this regard, but still gets picked out for special hatred. Forrest's race "rep" relates his infamy but actually didn't have all that much bearing on the bulk of his amazing military career. In some ways it adds to his interest---he seemed to take a decent if fiesty independent stance there as everywhere else in his career. Anyway, someone who's infamous needs to be looked at more closely than usual. So Wills doesn't give an inch. Most of Forrest's astounding exploits are delivered not only dryly but begrudgingly. You often have to read between the lines to sense what really happened. Great achievements will be mentioned with a line but minor, almost-unrelated harping is given as much play as possible. Even so, the greatness of the drama and character of Forrest comes thru. Now, the Lytle bio is a good read but sappy. In the end "That Devil Forrest" by Wyeth is probably the best...dry, clear but with appreciation for the magnitude of Forrest's actions. Wyeth also examines the roots of his infamy, but because it's an older book perhaps requires more independence in the reader. Wills walks you by the hand, often protecting us more than necessary.

Great Book

I personally love reading about the civil war. but all the books I have read have been mainly focused on the eastern theater. This book gave me a great glance of the western theater. This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

Great Bio

This biography read like a novel. I couldn't put it down. My father grew up near Selma where Wilson defeated Forrest and burned the foundry. This gave the book a personal touch. I highly recommend it if you would like to learn a little more about the man.

A Southern Commander at his best!

Brian Steel Mills as brought forth an enticing work on the life of Nathan Bedford Forrest. He's held back nothing in this work and really tells it like it is. The episodes of Forrest's life are brought to light and in remarkable clarity without the dullness of over dramatic writing.From Forrest's early days to his failing health, this work gives the reader keen insight into the man and his legend. A truly remarkable work that was absorbing and enjoyable to read.I highly reccomend this book to Civil War scholars and history buffs alike.