Reviews
Nathan Bedford Forrest was one of the most remarkable soldiers to emerge from the Civil War. Controversial in his time and afterward, Forrest has been the subject of numerous biographies that usually focused on the man and what made him tick. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) John Scales' much-needed and long overdue The Battles and Campaigns of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1861-1865 is a wholly different type of study. General Scales relies upon his decades of professional service to analyze the military aspects of the cavalryman's Civil War career--why he did what he did, and whether it was effective. In addition, this new work includes more than 100 original maps with driving directions so anyone can follow the movements and campaigns of this amazing Confederate general. Scales' effort adds tremendously to our knowledge of both Forrest and the Civil War in the Western Theater. I highly recommend it., "...a careful and unique examination of Forrest's wartime activities and how his actions affected the war in the Western Theater... An impressively detailed work of outstanding scholarship, "The Battles and Campaigns of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1861-1865" is an invaluable contribution to the growing library of Civil War literature & history.", Students of Nathan Bedford Forrest have long sought to understand his campaigns and tactics, beyond the self-assessment that he 'got there first with the most men.' Now, John Scales takes the reader where Forrest and his men rode and fought, in meticulous detail, and with an eye to understanding why the engagements occurred where and when they did. Following the 'Wizard of the Saddle' has never been more meaningful., The Battles and Campaigns of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1861-1865 is a uniquely strong combination of narrative history, atlas, and tour guide. Anyone interested in western theater cavalry operations, and those of General Forrest in particular (of course), will benefit from reading this authoritative, and sometimes controversial, assessment of the fighting career of a general that many still consider the Civil War's greatest untutored military genius.
