by Pale Rider » Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:14 pm
)(*&^%$#@...
LMAO...A true 'Democratic' Republic would mean we would vote on everything...We elect Representatives who vote on our behalf...
Lost cause...overly romantic...rewrite history?
You act like 1st Bull Run was yesterday...
I LOVE History...why would I rewrite anything?...Its ALL IN THE PAST...
Forrest was a very intelligent, uneducated hayseed from TN, who, legally and morally IN THOSE days became a millionaire, selling slaves and land...He PAID FOR HIS OWN 'ARMY"....He was a military master, called 'The Devil in the saddle...Tecumseh Sherman ( who I also admire...and was just as ruthless and mean) is quoted if he lost 10,000 men and bankrupted the US treasury to kill Forrest, it would be worth it...Despite your odd hatred of the man...He had a set of titanium nuts...
It was a war, whether you agree or not...it happened...
BTW...You weren't in it...and I admire many of the great Generals of the past, regardless of which side they were on...Napoleon, Patton, Grant (when he wasn't drunk), Bradley, Rommel, Guderian...even Ole Georgy Zuckof...I NEVER said any were saints...Most were ruthless warrior bastards...I don't judge their penmanship or manners...
As far Bedford...Yes he was a controversial character to say the least...Massacre at Ft Pillow...he was tried and acquitted by the Union Army...He had black soldiers in his command...He was Grand Wizard of the KKK, he didn't start it...and left when he saw what it was and was uncontrollable...Was he a racist?...Sure was...Is Al Sharpton a racist?...Calypso Louie?...yes and hell yes...but...this a speech that Forrest gave in 1875 to a black audience in Memphis...
"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." (Prolonged applause.)
End of speech.1
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.
1. J.H. Sears, Charles Kelly Barrow "Black Southerners In Confederate Armies" (Pelican, 2007) "
And I agree with As the World turns...Im done...we agree to disagree...
AKA "Thread Killer"
"Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarters, or take any from you."
Edward "Blackbeard" Teach
