Nathan Bedford Forrest...back by popular demand!

Due to the overwhelming favorable response I got to last week's particular story, and also to the fact that I spent this past weekend in Memphis (General Forrest's hometown), I've decided to grace you all with another story about "The Wizard of the Saddle."

This one takes place in 1863, in the greatest state of the Confederacy (and, begrudgingly, the Union) -- Alabama. Yankee colonel Abel Streight attempted that spring to conduct a raid across the State, with the ultimate goal of knocking out the important railroad station in Rome, Georgia (one of those lesser Southern states). It was up to General Forrest to stop him. Gather round, folks, and listen to the tale as told by Dabney Maury...

"When Forrest, with about 1200 men, set out in pursuit of Streight, he was more than a day behind him…after a hot pursuit of five days and nights, during which he had lost two-thirds of his forces from broken-down horses, he overhauled his enemy and brought him to a parley. This conference took place n sight of a cut-off in the mountain road, Captain Morton and his horse artillery, which had been so long with Forrest, passing in sight along the road till they came to the cut-off, into which they would turn, re-entering the road out of view, so that it seemed that a continuous stream of artillery was passing by. Forrest had so arranged that he stood with his back to the guns while Streight was facing them.

Forrest, in his characteristic way, described the scene to me. He said, 'I seen him all the time he was talking, looking over my shoulder and counting the guns. Presently he said, "Name of God! How many guns have you got? That's fifteen I've counted already!" Turning my head that way, I said, "I reckon that's all that has kept up." Then he said, "I won't surrender till you tell me how many men you've got." I said, "I've got enough to whip you out of your boots." To which he said, " I won't surrender." '

'I turned to my bugler and said, "Sound to the mount!" Then he cried out, "I'll surrender! I'll surrender!" I told him, "Stack your arms right along there, Colonel, and march your men away down that hollow." '

'When this was done,' continued Forrest, 'I ordered my men to come forward and take possession of the arms. When Streight saw they were barely 400, he did rear! demanded to have his arms back and that we should fight it out. I just laughed at him and patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Ah, Colonel, all is fair in love and war, you know." ' "