Aaron H. Forrest (April 1864) was one of the six Forrest brothers who engaged in the interregional

slave trade in the United States The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominantly in the South. Slave ...

prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. He may have also owned or managed cotton plantations in Mississippi. He led a Confederate cavalry unit composed of volunteers from the

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before th ...

region of Mississippi during the American Civil War. He died in 1864, apparently from illness.

Slave trading

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealth ...

's five younger brothers were "ideal junior partners" who contributed to a "building a formidable slave-trading operation." Aaron Forrest was described in a highly critical anti-Forrest article of 1864 as "general agent and soul driver" for the business. Aaron Forrest started working for his brother Nathan Bedford Forrest's slave-trading business in or before 1855. That year he was listed as a clerk in the Memphis city directory, and was recorded as a visitor to Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1856, an newspaper ad placed by the jailor of

Dickson County, Tennessee Dickson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,315. Its county seat is Charlotte. Dickson County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropol ...

stated that, according to a "quite intelligent" enslaved man named Frank, Aaron Forrest lived in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, bought people in (among other places)

Nicholas County, Kentucky Nicholas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,135. Its county seat is Carlisle, which is also the only incorporated community in the county. Founded in 1799, the county is named ...

, and had been near

Coffeeville, Mississippi Coffeeville is a town in and one of two county seats of Yalobusha County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 905 at the 2010 census. It is named after John Coffee (1772 – 1833), a planter and military leader. The minor American Civ ...

, on or around April 30, 1856. For the fiscal year 1857, as a "transient vender" A. H. Forrest paid extra taxes to

Warren County, Mississippi Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,773. Its county seat is Vicksburg. Created by legislative act of December 22, 1809, Warren County is named for American Revolutiona ...

(county seat, Vicksburg) on sales of . In March 1858, there were letters waiting for A. H. Forrest and

William H. Forrest William Hezekiah Forrest (March 14, 1875), called Bill Forrest, was one of the six Forrest brothers who engaged in the interregional slave trade in the United States prior to the American Civil War. During the war he served under his brother Nat ...

at the Vicksburg post office. In ''

Slave-Trading in the Old South ''Slave-Trading in the Old South'' by Frederic Bancroft, an independently wealthy freelance historian, is a classic history of domestic slave trade in the antebellum United States. Among other things, Bancroft discredited the assertions, then c ...

'' (1931), historian

Frederic Bancroft Frederic Bancroft (October 30, 1860, in Galesburg, Illinois – February 22, 1945) was an American historian, author, and librarian. The Bancroft Prize, one of the most distinguished academic awards in the field of history, was established at Co ...

described the city of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

City Hotel in New Orleans. In April 1858, A. H. Forrest was a registered guest of the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans. In May 1859 the ''

New Orleans Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...

'' reported on a case involving the Forrest brothers that had come to the Louisiana Supreme Court:

A. H. Forrest & Co.

In around 1858, A. H. Forrest & Co. began operating in Vicksburg, Mississippi. According to Forrest biographer Hurst, "For eighteen months or more, that firm—often using the aid of other Forrest brothers—imported sizable 'gangs' of slaves, significant numbers of them from Missouri and evidently bought there by William H. (Bill) Forrest, who was active in St. Louis." In autumn 1859, perhaps to avoid taxes on "transient venders" such as he paid in 1857, Aaron Forrest began advertising that he had a slave depot in a fixed location in Mississippi, namely a site on Mulberry Street, Vicksburg, a block or two inland from the

. As Bancroft described the ads for this site, "Forrest could 'supply all atronswith just such Negroes as they may wish at any time', for, as he added, 'my Brother is constantly making purchases in the border States'. It is supposed that this A. H. Forrest was Aaron H., and that 'my Brother' was the well-known Nathan Bedford Forrest...It seems hardly within the range of possibility that there could have been two A. H. Forrests, each with a great-trader brother. It is much more likely that this firm, buying and selling in special regions, was only a branch of the main business centered in Memphis." In addition to advertising in Vicksburg, Aaron Forrest placed ads for this slave depot in newspapers in the Mississippi state capital,

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

, announcing newly trafficked stock "consisting of field hands, mechanics, nurses, washers and ironers, and cooks, which I will sell at rates which cannot fail to please the purchaser." In 1860, A. H. Forest & Co. announced the arrival of "40 likely young negroes" including a "No. 1 Carpenter and a Blacksmith." The conspicuous advertisement of 1860 that promised "African slave trade reopened" may be a winking reference to Nathan Bedford Forrest's involvement in the criminal trafficking of slaves from Africa on the ''

Wanderer Wanderer, Wanderers, or The Wanderer may refer to: * Nomadic and/or itinerant people, working short-term before moving to other locations, who wander from place to place with no permanent home, or are vagrant * The Wanderer, an alternate name for ...

''. The official U.S. government investigator wrote

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

: "At Vicksburg I learned from good authority that 30 of the ''Wanderer'''s cargo had been brought to that place last Spring and Sold by Forest & Co., Slave-dealers...At Memphis, I was informed at the negro depot of

Byrd Hill Byrd Hill (November 18, 1800 – September 28, 1872) was a Slave trade in the United States, slave trader of Tennessee and Mississippi prior to the American Civil War. Byrd Hill has been described as one of the "big four" slave traders in the cent ...

that 7 Africans had been sold there last Spring by one Forest, (Hill's predecessor). These were of the ''Wanderer'''s cargo, and were all that were sold in Memphis and all in fact which have been there. These statements were corroborated by reliable gentlemen, residents of Memphis, and personal friends of mine. I have no hesitancy in affirming their truth." There are no records for A. H. Forrest & Co. slave sales in

after 1860.

Plantations?

Two Civil War-era advertisements related to three lost and found enslaved men (Jim, Jeff, and Toney) who had been legally owned by Aaron Forrest hint that he owned or managed plantations near in

Coahoma County, Mississippi Coahoma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,151. Its county seat is Clarksdale. The Clarksdale, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Coahoma County. It is l ...

, and/or near

McNutt, Mississippi McNutt is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community located in Leflore County, Mississippi, Leflore County, Mississippi. McNutt is located west of Schlater, Mississippi, Schlater, just off List of state highways in Mississippi, Mississippi ...

, in what was then

Sunflower County Sunflower County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,450. Its largest city and county seat is Indianola. Sunflower County comprises the Indianola, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

and is now LaFlore County, Mississippi.

American Civil War

During the American Civil War, Aaron Forrest led an independent company of volunteers known as the Sunflower Rangers, which was reportedly organized August 1862. A database of Confederate officers records Aaron H. Forrest as the captain of an unidentified company of the 6th Mississippi Cavalry. In February 1863, Forrest's command was called the Cavalry Company of the 6th Battalion, Mississippi State Troops. Forrest was reportedly commanding a battalion in April 1863.

Dunbar Rowland Dunbar Rowland (August 25, 1864 − November 1, 1937) was an American attorney, archivist, and historian.Carrollton, 150 men.' General Chalmers' report at time of Federal raid to Grenada, August, 1863" * Under the heading "VARIOUS COMPANIES, STATE TROOPS" describes "Sunflower Rangers, of

, organized as independent cavalry 9 August 1862. Captain: A. H. Farrar. Lieutenants: S. H. Rogers, F. W. Goff, D. C. Portwood." In 1908, a '' Memphis Appeal'' newspaper article by W. F. Hamilton of

Carrollton, Mississippi Carrollton is a town in and the second county seat of Carroll County, Mississippi, Carroll County, Mississippi, United States, which is within the Mississippi Delta. The population was 190 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 40 ...

, entitled "Memories of the War" stated, "There was a company of cavalry which was organized principally in

Sunflower county Sunflower County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,450. Its largest city and county seat is Indianola. Sunflower County comprises the Indianola, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

and commanded by Capt. Aaron Forrest which rendered valuable service. Having lived in the swamp section of the state they were good boatmen and knowing the country they kept the enemy always in view and reported every movement of the enemy. They were fighting for their own homes and their carbines brought down many of McClernand's men off their boats and their bullets, entering through portholes of the gunboats, slew some of their gunners. Some of Capt. Forrest's men may be living today and are proud of the record for service that they made." Years after the war was over a veteran told a story of Forrest's company lying in wait to engage the Yazoo Pass expedition but being startled into retreat by a troop of

feral hogs The feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are Americanisms applied to feral pigs or boar-pig hybrids. Definition A feral p ...

that they thought were U.S. troops approaching from their rear. During an encounter with the 5th Illinois Cavalry during the same expedition, the Sunflower Rangers were apparently startled to discover that Yankees would set foot in their swamp; a skirmish resulted in six Confederate deaths, three injuries, 15 taken prisoner, and some number of captured horses. On February 9, 1864, Nathan Bedford Forrest reported to his commanders that Aaron Forrest "is on the Yazoo River with one regiment fighting gunboats and transports." According to a compensation request filed with the U.S. government, Aaron Forrest and company burned cotton and gin-houses belonging to

Greenwood LeFlore Greenwood LeFlore or Greenwood Le Fleur (June 3, 1800 – August 31, 1865) served as the elected Principal Chief of the Choctaw in 1830 before removal. Before that, the nation was governed by three district chiefs and a council of chiefs. A wea ...

on February 15, 1864: In March 1864, troops led by Capt. A. Forrest were involved in defending

Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, Missis ...

from a U.S. Army incursion now known as the Battle of Yazoo City.

Death

Sources generally agree that Aaron Forrest died in April 1864, but conflict on specific location and cause of death. * The ''

Official Records of the War of the Rebellion An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their s ...

'' contain a letter dated April 15, 1864 that reported "Colonel Aaron Forrest, brother of the general, died at

on Thursday night last." * In late April 1864, newspapers of Memphis, Tennessee and Macon, Georgia reported that Aaron Forrest died near and was buried at

Aberdeen, Mississippi Aberdeen is the county seat of Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,612. Located on the banks of the Tombigbee River, Aberdeen was one of the busiest Mississippi ports of the 19th century. Cotton ...

. * In May 1864 a long newspaper account written by one "G. W. A." (who was seemingly attached to N. B. Forrest's command) reported "Col. Aaron Forrest died, while at Trenton, of typhoid fever." * An 1899 biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest written by

John Allan Wyeth John Allan Wyeth (May 26, 1845 – May 22, 1922) was an American Confederate veteran and surgeon. Born and raised on a Southern plantation in Alabama, he served in the Confederate States Army and completed his medical studies in New York City a ...

stated, "Aaron Forrest, the fourth son, became a lieutenant-colonel of a Mississippi regiment of cavalry, and in the expedition to Paducah, Kentucky, in 1864, was taken ill with pneumonia, and died near Dresden, in west Tennessee." * Hurst's biography published 1993 states that on April 13, 1864, "Forrest was arriving at Jackson to find his brother Aaron, lieutenant colonel of a Mississippi cavalry regiment, dead of pneumonia contracted three weeks earlier during the first Paducah operation."

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest, Aaron H. 1830 births 1864 deaths 19th-century American slave traders Forrest family Nathan Bedford Forrest People of Mississippi in the American Civil War Post-1808 importation of slaves to the United States Confederate States Army officers