As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
| Commanders and leaders | |
|---|---|
 Andrew J. Smith | |
| Units involved | |
Right Wing,  16th Army Corps |  Forrest's Cavalry |
| Strength | |
| 13,000 infantry 3,000 cavalry 24 guns | 2,100 infantry 7,000 cavalry 20 guns |
| Casualties and losses | |
| 69 dead and 533 wounded or missing | 215 dead and 1,125 wounded or missing |
It is astounding when one comes across the blatant embracing of murder in the United States military as a policy when the military can not defeat a superior commander.
The subject of this is General Nathan Bedford Forrest, also known as the "devil" but General William Tecumseh Sherman, who seemed to have a rather fixation on General Forrest.
The following quotes are after Sherman and Grant sent out two assassination cavalry troops to hunt down General Forrest and murder him, yes murder him, as that is what Sherman was writing.
Sherman would send General AJ Smith to Tupelo Mississippi with his two best fighting generals in Smith and Mower. The Confederates were defeated by attacking entrenched positions. This was General Stephen Lee commanding, who supplanted Nathan Bedford Forrest, who would have fought a different battle. Forrest was severely wounded, but survived, much to Sherman's fury again.
Nathan Bedford Forrest was not superior. He simply was better in he was faster at battle. You have to have an army moving, not entrenched for warfare like this, and that is what the problem for the South was under Stephen Lee.
In reviewing the battle, AJ Smith was more sound, kept up the fight which was necessary, but Mower was what Mower did in he was steady. This was more a mauling like Grant engaged with against Robert E. Lee.
My one puzzlement in this was, as Forrest was such a threat, then why was not General Sherman a Major General going into combat against a Lt. General who he deemed such a huge threat to defeat him, instead of sending out the original Smith and then Sturgis, and finally Smith and Mower, who basically terrorized the region as Sherman was engaged in, in Georgia?
A rather non chivalrous thing in the US military if they can't beat someone, they murder them.
Perhaps the South should have embraced such assassination tactics before their best in Jackson, Stuart and Hill were killed.
In context:
In reading further, my God given insight was correct in General Forrest would not assume command at Tupelo, because he was covered with boils, so the operation fell to that other General Lee, who did not fight as Forrest would. In fact Forrest's command never fired a shot as they were in another area. Lee refused Forrest's artilleryman's advice to concentrate fire on the Union lines, blow a hole through them and let the cavalry do it's work. Lee oversaw a slaughter of Confederates again.
In the battle, General Forrest was shot in the foot and due to his fatigued condition almost died. General Washburn was telegraphing Sherman that Forrest had died of lockjaw, which he had not.
Sherman stated it would be worth 10,000 Union troops lives to kill Forrest. I have a great deal of respect for General Sherman, but for all his talk of his officers being scared of Nathan Bedford Forrest, he only sent others out to fight him, and was phobic about Forrest coming out of Mississippi and striking Sherman's troops and obliterating that army of terrorism in Georgia.
I only conclude in the deaths of General Thomas Jackson, the wounding of Nathan Bedford Forrest by the hand of God with boils, and the Union still could not murder him, that God preserved the Union not for right, but because of His Purpose, as the opportunities the South had early, and were delayed, should have rolled up the North with greater forces.
The fact is that after the the Union declared a victory and crippling defeat of Forrest's cavalry, the Union commander, General AJ Smith, refused to follow up, stating the heat was too much for his exhausted army. After experiencing Confederates in combat in Tupelo, Smith was terrified of coming out of his works and fighting them. So he fled back to Tennessee in not following up orders to keep after Forrest until he was dead.
That is where things stood, in General Grant was going to order another expedition to go after Nathan Bedford Forrest.
In his career up to this point, unaided by Richmond, hindered by General Bragg, having to arm and recruit 3 armies as his forces were taken from him, in Union Tennessee, had 5 Union armies which had been directed against him, and all failed.
Nathan Bedford Forrest was one of thee most especial Soldiers to ever appear on planet earth. No one ever accomplished what he did in war.
Nuff Said
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