The Myth of Nathan Bedford Forrest (The American Crisis Series: Books on the Civil War Era) - Softcover

Ashdown, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0742543013 ISBN 13: 9780742543010

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2006

Synopsis

Ashdown and Caudill explain how one of the Civil War's most colorful and controversial characters became a legend during the war and evolved into a mythical figure after the war and into the 21st century through literature, art, cinema, and TV. As Tony Horwitz discovered in Confederates in the Attic, the legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest continues to polarize the South even today as a symbol of the Lost Cause and hero to working-class Southerners on one hand, and emblem of slavery and lingering racial tensions on the other.

About this title

About the Author

Paul Ashdown is professor of journalism and public relations and acting director of the School of Journalism and Public Relations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Edward Caudill is professor of journalism as well as associate dean at the School of Journalism and Public Relations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Their previous book, The Mosby Myth: A Confederate Hero in Life and Legend was a History Book Club selection.

Review

This book is a fascinating compilation of material that focuses on Forrest and the mythology engendered by this controversial man. . . . The authors have contributed a solidly-researched volume to the existing literature on Forrest that helps explain the general's status as an icon of the white South. (Civil War News)

The Myth of Nathan Bedford Forrest is a provocative examination of the Confederate cavalryman's powerful and controversial legacy. Paul Ashdown and Edward Caudill demonstrate that the Forrest Myth is alive and well and is liable to be so for many years to come. (Brian Steel Wills, University of Virginia's College at Wise)

This valuable book reveals the complexities and variations of the conflicting interpretations of the legendary Nathan Bedford Forrest. With a great deal of new information and fresh insight, the authors demonstrate why, for many, Forrest is a symbol of Southern pride, courage, and untutored military genius, and for others, he is the butcher of Fort Pillow and founder of the Klan. (James Ramage, Northern Kentucky University, author of Rebel Raider: The Life of General John Hunt Morgan)

Unlike some Civil War generals, Nathan Bedford Forrest, the 'Wizard of the Saddle,' did not need to foster the creation of his own myth; he simply rode through the war in the West like a hurricane. Ashdown and Caudill narrate his life at breakneck speed, then take us step by step through the process by which the fascinated public turned the man into myth. We needed this book. And here it is. (David Madden, Louisiana State University, author of Sharpshooter: A Novel of the Civil War)

This wide-ranging interpretive work―which draws on the disciplines of history, journalism, American studies, and literature―is the first of its kind to deal with Forrest. (Library Journal)

This book-length analysis will generate passions on both sides of the Forrest image. (James I. Robertson Jr. Roanoke Times and World News)

The Myth of Nathan Bedford Forrest is a critical analysis of the popularity of the Tennessee cavalry men. . . . It's essential reading for anyone interested in the Civil War. (Greg Langley The Advocate)

The Myth of Nathan Bedford Forrest presents a good, if not in fact comprehensive, accounting of Forrest's various reincarnations as a mythical figure in American culture for nearly a century and a half. The authors' compilation of the general's assorted roles as a literary character is quite impressive. (Harry S. Laver, Southeastern Louisiana University H-War)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0742543013
• ISBN 13: 9780742543010
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240