Mexican American War.... Spine Injury... Nathan Forrest...

[5fish]

How could Nathan Forrest have a spine injury and ride around on horses for four years of war... His brother John was shot in the spine... It looks like a cover up. I have checked records and I can not find him, was he in the Mexican-American War...

https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/mexican-american-war/#:~:text=Anderson's%20Battalion%20of%20Mississippi%20Rifles%20mustered%20into%20service%20at%20Vicksburg,eight%20men%20to%20other%20causes

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It was later said that Forrest was "half-paralyzed cripple, shot through the lower spine" during the Mexican-American War.

Nathan Bedford Forrest, a future Confederate general and later a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, served in the Mexican-American War as a private in Anderson's Rifles, but was discharged due to a disability, possibly a spinal injury, before seeing combat.

Anderson's Battalion of Mississippi Rifles mustered into service at Vicksburg in September 1847 with 445 men, spent most of its war service in garrison at Tampico, and mustered out of service at Vicksburg in July 1848 with 342 men. It suffered no battle deaths and lost thirty-eight men to other causes

John N. Forrest - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

John N. Forrest was one of the six Forrest brothers who engaged in the interregional slave trade in the United States prior to the American Civil War. A disabled veteran of the Mexican–American War, he worked in family businesses, including as the jailor at Nathan Bedford Forrest's slave pen in downtown Memphis.

 

[5fish]

John N. Forrest was recorded as sick in the military hospital at Tampico in January and February 1848.[19] Forrest appeared on the company muster roll of March and April 1848,[20] and he was last paid on April 24, 1848.[3] On April 24 he was "discharged by surgeon's certificate of disability at Tampico Mex Apr 24 48" per his personnel record.[3] The nature of the disability for which Forrest was discharged is unclear. Although Anderson's Rifles were never in combat, he was later said to have been "half-paralyzed cripple, shot through the lower spine" during the Mexican–American War.[21] Captain Dorsey of Company C returned to Mississippi on June 21, 1848, on the Iona.[22] On June 27, the Vicksburg Daily Whig described Tampico as an unhealthy place as evidenced by the sickly look of the returning soldiers of the Mississippi Battalion.[23] Pvt. Forrest and company were officially mustered out on June 28, 1848, at Vicksburg.[

 

[diane]

John Forrest was the second oldest brother out of the twelve kids William and Miriam Forrest had. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his twin sister Frances were the oldest. Fanny died when an illness, probably typhoid, came through the Duck River counties - also killed his other two sisters and another set of twin boys Isaac and Bedford. Oldest to youngest were then Nathan, John, William, Aaron, Jesse and Jeffery. There were ten years between Nathan and William, a year between him and John.

John Forrest went to Texas as a volunteer from Mississippi to help the Texas republic - the years of conflict that led up to the Mexican-American War. John was shot in the spine and returned home to Mississippi. His brother Nathan, then 20 (this would be around 1841) went to Texas to take Austin up on his offer of some 7 - 20,000 acres of free land if one served in the Texan army. Land was the motivation for both brothers. Nathan arrived in Texas too late to serve and so didn't get the land, but he did catch malaria. He more or less hitch-hiked back to Hernando, working along the way, and arrived back home not exactly healthy. Neither Forrest brother served in the Mexican American War.

John was employed as a clerk by his brother in the slave trading business Bedford had in Memphis. For the most part things were alright for him until the war broke out. He became embroiled in a shoot-out with a Union soldier in downtown Memphis - the soldier was picking on him for being General Forrest's brother. John swung a crutch at the soldier who yanked it out from under him. He went down but pulled out a pistol and shot the soldier. This led to his arrest and mistreatment in jail - when Forrest heard of it he protested and demanded there be a trial and so there was. John was cleared. At the time of this incident, N B Forrest had just completed his highly successful West Tennessee Raid of 1862 and established a formidable reputation - it's likely Union authorities didn't want to complicate their lives at that moment. John then went to live with his mother on her plantation, later both were removed by the general to Texas. (That was because mom punched a mouthy Union soldier in the snoot. At 6 foot and 185 lbs, she decked him cold.)

After the war, John Forrest set up in the hotel in Memphis, paid for by his brother, and became an artist. He was good at it and earned a living, but not a great one. He did take to drink and apparently that was the cause of death.

The Forrest family had strong connections to east Texas - not always the most peaceful. William Hezekiah Forrest shot and killed a post master in Vineland, TX - unknown why but possibly over land. The post master was the owner of a large tract...and Bill was known for a hot temper. He would have been 20 then, his older brother about 30. After the CW was over, about 1867 or so, Leander McNally - the first commander of the Texas Rangers - picked up Bill in Gonzales (near the defunct town of Vineland) and charged him with this murder. This was part of his crack-down on klan activities in east Texas, and Bill was suspected of being the leader there. His famous brother showed up there and Bill got off. And there was more. Matt Luxton, Forrest's half-brother, was a Texas marshal - during the war he had been the leader of a notorious guerrilla band and Forrest was gunning for him during the war. (Marshal Luxton was a reason Forrest didn't attend their mother's funeral. Matt Luxton had gotten sick and she came to help but stepped on a rusty nail getting off the coach - she died of lockjaw and is buried in Texas.)

When Forrest famously charged alone into Union lines at Fallen Timbers, just after Shiloh, he was shot in the spine as well. Mid-body injuries were not an unusual thing for cavalry. Since he was hugging his horse's neck trying to escape being surrounded, the mini-ball went between the rib bones and the muscle, stopping just up against the back bone. Not a killing shot but too close to it, and Forrest's right leg was paralyzed for several days. Definitely thought about his brother!

 

[5fish]

I guess he family to Nathan Forrest

Volunteers from the State of Mississippi: Anderson's Rifles, Company C - Hardeman C Forrest

 

[diane]

I guess he family to Nathan Forrest

Volunteers from the State of Mississippi: Anderson's Rifles, Company C - Hardeman C Forrest

Yes, first cousin. Hardeman Carr Forrest was the son of Jonathan and Susan Patterson. Uncle Jonathan was the one who was at the center of the street fight in Hernando that got him killed. Forrest was his business partner at the time and so inherited the works.

I think Anderson's Rifles were in the 3rd Tennessee, or Forrest's Old Brigade. They were later folded into the 7th Tennessee, which was Forrest's command. He had lots of relatives among his Tennessee troops - he was like Robert E Lee in Virginia: couldn't spit without hitting a relative!

 

[5fish]

Jonathan Forrest (1803-1845) - Find a...

From the DeSoto County MSGENWEB Project: Jonathan Forrest – 12 Mar 1803 – 11 Mar 1845. Uncle of N. B. Forrest. Born in Tennessee, son of Nathan Forrest and Nancy Shepherd Baugh. He married Susan Read Patterson on October 26, 1826. He is listed in the 1830 Bedford County, Tennessee Census (p...

www.findagrave.com

Susan and six children were listed in the DeSoto County Census (p. 375). One son, Hardeman Carr Forrest, served in the Mexican War as a 2nd Lieutenant in Co. C, 1st Battalion Mississippi Volunteers. He moved to Ellis County, Texas by 1860 and served as captain of Co. C, 19th Texas Cavalry, C.S.A."

There occurred in 1845, in Hernando, an incident which severely tested the courage of [Nathan Bedford] Forrest, the result of which was to bring him prominently to the notice of the people in this section of Mississippi and Tennessee. An unfortunate personal dispute arose between Jonathan Forrest, his aged uncle, with whom he was associated in business, and four members of a family of planters who lived near by. The quarrel grew warmer, until at last, as was too common in those earlier days, a personal altercation took place, which ended in a bloody tragedy. Bedford Forrest had won the reputation of being a modest, sober, and energetic businessman. With the transaction which led to this fatal affair he had no interest or connection. When he saw that four men were preparing to attack his relative, he asserted that he was not a party to the controversy and did not want to engage in that quarrel, but he plainly told these persons that he would not stand quietly by and see his uncle unfairly assailed or maltreated; that if it was to be a fight it must be a fair one, not four against one. He had scarcely ceased speaking when one of the party drew a pistol and fired at him, but without effect, and this was the signal for a general fusillade. The older Forrest was shot down with a mortal wound.

 

[diane]

Jonathan Forrest (1803-1845) - Find a...

From the DeSoto County MSGENWEB Project: Jonathan Forrest – 12 Mar 1803 – 11 Mar 1845. Uncle of N. B. Forrest. Born in Tennessee, son of Nathan Forrest and Nancy Shepherd Baugh. He married Susan Read Patterson on October 26, 1826. He is listed in the 1830 Bedford County, Tennessee Census (p...

www.findagrave.com

Susan and six children were listed in the DeSoto County Census (p. 375). One son, Hardeman Carr Forrest, served in the Mexican War as a 2nd Lieutenant in Co. C, 1st Battalion Mississippi Volunteers. He moved to Ellis County, Texas by 1860 and served as captain of Co. C, 19th Texas Cavalry, C.S.A."

There occurred in 1845, in Hernando, an incident which severely tested the courage of [Nathan Bedford] Forrest, the result of which was to bring him prominently to the notice of the people in this section of Mississippi and Tennessee. An unfortunate personal dispute arose between Jonathan Forrest, his aged uncle, with whom he was associated in business, and four members of a family of planters who lived near by. The quarrel grew warmer, until at last, as was too common in those earlier days, a personal altercation took place, which ended in a bloody tragedy. Bedford Forrest had won the reputation of being a modest, sober, and energetic businessman. With the transaction which led to this fatal affair he had no interest or connection. When he saw that four men were preparing to attack his relative, he asserted that he was not a party to the controversy and did not want to engage in that quarrel, but he plainly told these persons that he would not stand quietly by and see his uncle unfairly assailed or maltreated; that if it was to be a fight it must be a fair one, not four against one. He had scarcely ceased speaking when one of the party drew a pistol and fired at him, but without effect, and this was the signal for a general fusillade. The older Forrest was shot down with a mortal wound.

The fight in the plaza in Hernando has a LOT of variations! Bedford Forrest was definitely trying to protect his elder relative and defuse the situation, which clearly didn't work. As to the 'controversy' Forrest did not want to be party to, it was between the Matlock family and the Forrest family, an outcome of literally generations of land disputes and inheritance issues. Robert Forrest, a cousin of N B Forrest's and another nephew of Jonathan Forrest's, married Sarah Matlock, the sister of the three Matlock brothers we'll hear about in a minute. Robert and Sarah had three children and a sizable piece of property inherited through Shadrach Forrest (a land speculator from North Carolina who was Forrest's great-grandfather). They died of either cholera or typhoid while the three children were still very young minors. Jonathan Forrest became their guardian and the administrator of the land they had inherited. The Matlock brothers - William, James and Jefferson - had been arguing and suing about custody of the children, as they were uncles, too. Finally it blew up one day when the Matlock brothers decided to just take the kids and arrived at Jonathan's livery business to find out where to go get them. What the overseer Bean was doing there was sketchy - support, a relation, something but probably simply extra muscle. That was due to Jonathan's business partner - Bedford already had a reputation as a duelist and a dangerous fighter. As it happened, he was not present when the confrontation started but arrived a little later. His uncle was on the porch with a shot gun, the Matlocks had pistols and Bean had a shotgun. Forrest had a two shot derringer. He talked to the Matlocks, who seemed inclined to leave off...but somebody with a shotgun started shooting. Whether it was Jonathan or Bean nobody knows - but likely Bean since it was Jonathan who fell down dead. And the fight was on! It was a good one, too. Forrest used his two shots very well, shooting both James and Jefferson, then got into a knife fight with William. His arm was slashed by Forrest's Bowie knife and later had to be amputated. Forrest went after Bean, who had run like a deer, and finally located him hiding under a bed in somebody's house. Didn't kill him but hauled him to the sheriff's. The sheriff arrested them both!

In the aftermath of this affair, Forrest was let out after a few hours (the sheriff said he'd arrested him so he could get his temper under control) and Bean was charged with murder. The Matlock brothers all survived. Later, when the war broke out, William Matlock joined Forrest's company and served as a cavalryman. He did not like Forrest one bit (can't imagine why not!) but he wanted to serve with him because he knew how to fight and win. Bedford didn't take custody of the three kids at the bottom of all this, but neither did the Matlock brothers. Not sure what happened with them. There was always a dispute about property in the Forrest family because of Shadrach's huge purchases and habit of reselling properties to relations. Great-grandfather's wife, Jane Ledbetter, had property of her own that became a bone of contention clear up to the Civil War - the property dispute was involving Bedford and his brothers' inheritance from their father. Sooo...every time one of the brothers turned 21, they got served papers for a lawsuit! Happy birthday, son - you've been served...

And, the Matlock-Forrest feud did not end even after the CW settled everybody's property disputes - you have no property now! After the war, one of William Hezekiah Forrest's scouts committed a murder and the major's testimony put him away for five years. He swore vengeance, of course. Sometime around 1870, this worthy rounded up three Matlocks and two regular ruffians and bushwhacked Bill on the Natchez Trace while he was travelling between Nashville and Memphis. Bill was known to be a ferocious fighter who might possibly have been somewhat crazy when there was blood in his eye - he took them out like a unit. However, he sustained some unknown injury to his stomach. He later became ill with a 'stomach infection' and died. Bill was the last casualty of the feud!