One of the most imposing and intimidating Confederate Generals during the Civil War, Nathan Bedford Forrest was a name to reckon with. He started off as a private soldier and rose to the rank of a lieutenant general serving as a cavalry officer at numerous battles including the ones at Shiloh, Chickamauga, Brice’s Crossroads and Second Franklin. Despite having no military training, he reigned at the battles due to his sheer tactics and fierce swordsmanship. All throughout the war, he successfully conducted various raiding operations on federal supplies and communication lines. While he successfully led quite a many battles, it was the Battle of Fort Pillow in April 1864 that stained his illustrious career as he was known to have caused the murder of 200 Union unarmed troops, mostly blacks. Post war, he worked as a planter and railroad president, and served as the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.