Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest was born in Bedford County, Tennessee on July 13, 1821. He was the son of William and Marian Beck Forrest. William Forrest was a blacksmith. Unfortunately, he died when Nathan was only 16 years old, leaving Nathan with the task of supporting the family. Nathan did not have a formal education and started out as a farm laborer. Nathan Bedford Forrest was almost illiterate but started trading horses and cattle. Before joining …showed first 75 words of 750 total…

…showed last 75 words of 750 total…and most powerful Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. He soon commanded 100,000 Klansmen throughout the Old Confederacy. Forrest commanded the Klan for several years. The number of members grew and the violence became more brutal. For these reasons, Forrest decided to leave the Ku Klux Klan. Forrest returned to his home and began making more money. He became the President of the Marion Railroad. A couple years later he died from diabetes on October 29, 1877.