I will have the matter of Sturgis critically examined, and, if he be at fault, he shall have no mercy at my hands. I cannot but believe he had troops enough. I know I would have been willing to attempt the same task with that force; but Forrest is the very devil, and I think he has got some of our troops under cower. I have two officers at Memphis that will fight all the time—A. J. Smith and Mower. The latter is a young brigadier of fine promise, aud I commend him to your notice. I will order them to make up a force and go out and follow Forrest to the death, if it cost 10,000 lives and breaks the Treasury. There never will be peace in Tennessee till Forrest is dead.
William Tecumseh Sherman, telegram to Secretary of War Stanton-June15, 1864
Unbelievably, after the War Sherman and Forrest became friends, Sherman concluding that Forrest was the most remarkable man to arise on either side in the War. Ironic but fitting that two of the most controversial figures of the War enjoyed personal amity after the greatest War in our history.
Forrest reminds me of Oliver Cromwell. Who would have expected men with their histories to become military geniuses.
Genius always needs opportunity. Imagine how many geniuses live their lives completely unaware of their latent abilities due to lack of opportunity.
Reminds me of our aircraft designers at the end of WWII going to Japan to praise the designer of the “Zero” for creating a masterpiece of a fighting machine.
It reminds us that truth even surpasses, in greatness, man’s wars.