Updated: 08 Feb 2018
Act Four:
Human remains were discovered in a public park. Were they the Army’s slaves? – The Washington Post
A Monument the Old South Would Like to Ignore – The New York Times
Saint Cloud Hill abandons controversial proposal for Nashville’s Greer Stadium – The Tennessean
Sometime between last spring and last week, this historic Noblit-Lytle home was dismantled. Historical markers have vanished in the area in the last decade as well. This is the site of the Battle of Sugar Creek, the last stand of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, in the Volunteer State.
Inscription. “Thomas H. Noblit (1812-1899), who served the community as justice of the peace, doctor, merchant, and farmer, built this log dogtrot farmhouse in the 1840s. The Civil War battle at Sugar Creek occurred nearby in December 1864. In the 1890s, his son-in-law, William Franklin “Will” Lytle (1858-1942), renovated the house in the Queen Anne style. Will’s daughter, Mary Will Lytle (1897-1990), was among Tennessee’s first women dentists.” …read more
Wednesday December 20, 2017: Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest‘s statue on Union Street in Memphis, Tennessee was removed around 9 p.m. local time.
“By 10:30 p.m., cranes had maneuvered into Memphis Park and around a statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. About 15 minutes later, a crane hoisted the statue onto a truck as a crowd cheered and struck up songs, including Hit the road Jack.” …read more
The statues where removed to an undisclosed location. What will become of General Forrest and his wife? They are buried underneath the pedestal at the former Nathan Bedford Forrest Park, now the Health Sciences Park (Madison Ave & S Dunlap Street).
Jefferson Davis Park is now named Memphis Park (North Front Street).
Exclusive Virtual Reality Tour of General Forrest’s Statue prior to the removal, and the pedestal a few days latter.
#confederatestatues
Revised 22 December 2017
December 21, 2017 – Lt. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest’s statue was removed by the city of Memphis, Tennessee to an undisclosed location. They city bi-passed the state law on removing historical monuments from public land – so they sold it.
What will they do with his General and Mrs. Forrest buried beneath it?
February 2017:
It was with some trepidation, that I set off for Memphis to shoot Nathan Bedford Forrest. The former Nathan Bedford Forrest Park has been renamed the Health Sciences Park on Union Street. Arriving at 7 AM, I had the place to myself. Metered parking was available on South Dunlap street (no weekend fee). To my relief, there had been no desecration of the monument.
Recent efforts my the Memphis City Council to remove the statue to another city was rejected by the Tennessee Historical Commission… read more
I proceeded north towards Henning, Tennessee to shoot Fort Pillow State Historic Park. It was about and hour and a half drive. Bass boats periodically droned up and down Cold Creek below the fort. It’s not easy to find and not very well marked. I am going to submit an update to Google Maps.
Parking at the trail and head on Crutcher Lake Road, it was about a mile hike to the restored earthworks. In the hour and a half I spent there, on a clear warm Saturday morning, I encountered no visitors.
Suggested reading on the larger historical perspective of this controversial figure of American history:
“Having once been a racist, Nathan Bedford Forrest became an outspoken advocate of black civil rights in Memphis, culminating in his beautiful yet largely forgotten speech before the black civil rights Pole-Bearers Association in 1875. Encouraging the black people in attendance to take an active part in their country’s government, he told them he was with them ‘heart and hand’ to help their cause in any way he could.” – Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Redemption
Check this 3D like 360º virtual tour of Fort Pillow and Nathan Bedford Forrest park. Historical markers are embedded in the tour.
Forrest Park: Madison Ave & S Dunlap Street, Memphis, TN 38103
Fort Pillow: 3122 Park Road Henning, TN 38041
Recommended Reading:
#fortpillow #nathanbedforforrest
Complete with three replica 3-inch Ordinance rifles and 6 new interpretive signs, Franklin increases the amount of reclaimed battlefield. More than 20 acres now make up Carter Hill Battlefield Park, which continues to expand. The signage also includes extensive details on the Williamson County African American experience during the American Civil War.
Parking is not available on the site, but Carter’s Court and the Carter House are right next door and across the street.
#battleoffranklin
