| Summary: | (Photograph appears to be retouched to show him with the rank of brigadier general. Original photograph appears to show him as colonel of the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry.) Forrest enlisted into service shortly after Tennessee seceded and was soon authorized to raise a battalion of cavalry, which he did with personal funds. Forrest was elected a lieutenant colonel in October 1861. After promoting through the grades, Forrest was promoted to brigadier general in July 1862, major general in December 1863, and lieutenant general in February 1865. Major campaigns and battles include Fort Donelson. Shiloh (wounded), Murfreesboro, the Kentucky campaign, West Tennessee, the Tullahoma campaign, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Okalona, Fort Pillow, Brice's Cross Roads, Tupelo (wounded), the Atlanta campaign, Franklin, Nashville, and Selma. Following the war, Forrest returned to Mississippi, where he farmed and engaged in several business ventures. Forrest was also one of the early members of the Ku Klux Klan. He died in Memphis, Tennessee, in October 1879 and is buried there. Sources: Boatner, Mark M. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: Vintage Books, 1988. Davis, William C., ed. The Confederate General. Vol. 2. National Historical Society, 1991.
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