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Published On: Sat, Jul 11th, 2015

Tennessee approves plan to dig up, remove the remains of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest

A city council Memphis, Tennessee unanimously approved the plan to dig up the remains of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest grave from under his statue at the Health Sciences Park on Union Avenue.

The plan is to relocate the man’s remains, but the city council’s attorney added that Chancery Court would also have to sign off on the removal of the remains and the family of Forrest would be involved in the decision as well.

The removal of the statue has been proposed as an ordinance before the council which will have to be read before the council three times before it can be approved. From there it will be presented to the Tennessee Historic Commission but there is no timeline for when they will make a decision. The next time the commission is scheduled to meet is in October.

“It is no longer politically correct to glorify someone who was a slave trader, someone who was a racist on public property,” said City Council member Myron Lowery.

Lowery has spear headed the removal of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s grave and statue from the park once named after him. Lowery said recent tragedies were what has propelled the change, two years after the city changed the park’s name.

“It was clearly after what happened in South Carolina. It was clearly after what happened in the state capital of Tennessee,” he said.

Statue of General Nathan Bedford Forrest will be removed and his remains may be dug up  photo/ screenshot of WREG coverage

Statue of General Nathan Bedford Forrest will be removed and his remains may be dug up photo/ screenshot of WREG coverage

Forrest was the Democrat delegate from Tennessee, serving as a Lt. General during the Civil War. He became the first “Grand Wizard” of the Klu Klux Klan, amassing a fortune as a planter, real estate investor, and slave trader.

 

“I think it’s disgusting that people use the shooting in Charleston [S.C.] and use those victims to forward their own agenda and join this anti-Confederate hysteria that’s going on,” the Sons of the Confederate Veterans spokesperson, Lee Millar, told WREG, adding that the decision was a knee-jerk reaction.

“To attack something like that now I feel is just really misguided.”

The staff at Elmwood Cemetery, the oldest active cemetery in Memphis, offered to take Forrest’s remains, but said they didn’t want his statue currently standing above his grave.

 

Councilman Edmund Ford, Junior said there’s a more important question that must be asked.

“Even when all the flags have been taken down and when all the artifacts have been moved, what do we do next as a people?” he asked.

Full video coverage by WREG can be found HERE

 

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About the Author

- Roxanne "Butter" Bracco began with the Dispatch as Pittsburgh Correspondent, but will be providing reports and insights from Washington DC, Maryland and the surrounding region. Contact Roxie aka "Butter" at theglobaldispatch@gmail ATTN: Roxie or Butter Bracco

Displaying 7 Comments
Have Your Say
  1. MaryAnn says:

    All of these so called “activists” have no right to dictate their demands regarding our history. The honored dead of the Civil War deserve the same respect as all the fallen of all wars. LET THE SOULS REST IN PEACE! Maybe they’d like to tear down the Washington monument and dig up George and Martha, after all they owned slaves! Fair minded people need to stand up for what is right and end this catering to these groups. These “demanders” need to put all this energy into something constructive…like cleaning up their cities and taking responsibility for their offspring.

  2. William MacRae says:

    If you think Forrest does not deserve his place of rest then what the hell is Ted Kennedy’s communist ass kissing corpse doing in Arlington national cemetery ? Get his sorry ass out of there . It was Robert E Lee’s home in the first place

  3. Dylann Roof: The Startling Truth About His Gun | The Liberty Professor says:

    […] For those who worship at the altar of Federal Government, the horrendous act of Dylann Roof has become an opportunity to finally nail the lid on the coffin of States’ Rights. The reversal of American history is nearly complete. Those who would speak up to correct this mistake are finally being silenced. Their flags are being lowered. They are being ridiculed as nothing more than symbols of racism. Some even propose that the display or sale of them on private property should be forbidden. Even the dead are being driven from their tombs. […]

  4. Fred says:

    Digging up and destroying history……Is only hiding the truth from our children & teaching hate & non forgiving.are we going to rename many counties

    As for the confederate flag I have no opinion either way.
    Oh my what we Going to do Now? We have over 200 cities named after Confederate Soldiers even Parks.
    In Gettysburg, Pa we have Statues of Confederate Officers and others. Do the research.Oh my my my is this terrible When is America going to forget the past and move on.
    Vicksburg, Miss in The South has Union Officers statues oh my my my what are we going to do.So terrible.
    The same people that demand freedom of speech attack others on social media for their opinion.
    You will Say Statues on Federal owned land, Oh that is different.
    Maybe we should Change the name of USA to the State Of Confusion.
    Somehow we think we are smarter than our ancestors.
    Why not leave things alone & preserve history for our Children? We surely want them to know the terrible truth?
    Fred

  5. Lee Sanders says:

    Memphis is in Tennessee and Tennessee has Laws protecting monumenys from this sort of thing. Do your research before you make an idiot of yourself.

    2014 Tennessee Code (Title 4 – State Government, Chapter 1 – General Provisions, Part 4 – Miscellaneous; § 4-1-412 – Tennessee heritage protection)  “No statue, monument, memorial, nameplate, or plaque which has been erected for, or named or dedicated in honor of, the French and Indian War, American Revolution, War of 1812, United States-Mexican War, the War Between the States, Spanish American War, the Mexican border period, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada), Operation El Dorado Canyon (Libya), Operation Just Cause (Panama), Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm (Persian Gulf War I), Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Persian Gulf War II), and is located on public property, may be relocated, removed, altered, renamed, rededicated, or otherwise disturbed.”
    Further, “No statue, monument, memorial, nameplate, plaque, historic flag display, school, street, bridge, building, park, preserve, or reserve which has been erected for, or named or dedicated in honor of, any historical military figure, historical military event, military organization, or military unit, and is located on public property, may be renamed or rededicated.”

    • Olivia says:

      Thank you Mr. Sanders your quotes from the Tennessee codes is great.I never thought of that.How
      ever, I wouldn’t believe this going to stop the removing of Forrest’s body. The Man named Root who is absolutely out of his mind took caare of that. He now has set the tone for all of America. Isn’t that a shame. The thousands of lives lost so that there would be a place on this soil to call home either in the north or south.People this is our history be proud don’t hide it. Ir happened to our country and we survived as a nation. One nation under God. Slaves sre free because that flag flew. If it had not happened and that flag had flown we might still have slaves. I am a proud southern girl. I believe when one is laid to he or she should stay at rest.

  6. Estate Planning Attorney Charleston South Carolina | Best Stock Market Place says:

    […] Tennessee approves plan to dig up, remove the remains of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest – “It was clearly after what happened in South Carolina. It was clearly … amassing a fortune as a planter, real estate investor, and slave trader. “I think it’s disgusting that people use the shooting in Charleston [S.C. […]

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