The ghost of Nathan Bedford Forrest haunts the South, but not in the way you might think.
This is no Halloween tale, but the lasting legacy of a Confederate general who became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Admired by some (who tout his military prowess and “up from the bootstraps” success during the Civil War) and reviled by others (who decry his brutal racism and years as a slave trader), Forrest remains a polarizing figure in American history.
Monuments to Forrest can be found throughout the South, including statues, busts, historical markers and buildings that bear his name. Some have been removed or relocated in recent years, and they’re part of a larger conversation about the validity and future of Confederate monuments in the United States.
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