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Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument

Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument was a bronze sculpture located in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States. Designed by Charles Henry Niehaus, it depicted Confederate lieutenant general and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest mounted on a horse and wearing a Confederate Army uniform. The statue was cast in Paris and originally installed in Forrest Park, later renamed Health Sciences Park in 2013. Forrest and his wife are buried in front of the monument after being moved there from Elmwood Cemetery in 1904. The first stone was laid on May 30, 1901, and the monument was unveiled on May 16, 1905. It was removed on December 20, 2017, and is now in the possession of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument, a bronze equestrian statue of a bearded man in military uniform against a blue sky.
The Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument shown as a weathered bronze equestrian statue beneath a bright blue sky.
October 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument showing a bronze equestrian statue on a multi-tiered pedestal in a park setting.
Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument in Memphis, with a bronze equestrian statue on a stepped pedestal.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument, an equestrian statue on a pedestal in a park with bare trees and a historical marker nearby.
Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument stands on a pedestal in a park beneath a clear blue sky.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument shown as an equestrian statue on a stone pedestal, with a crowd gathered around it in a park.
The Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument stands on a stone pedestal in a park, with people gathered nearby.
© Scan by NYPL · Public domain
Close-up of the Nathan Bedford Forrest grave marker with carved name and dates.
The Nathan Bedford Forrest grave marker in Forrest Park, Memphis, Tennessee.
July 2010 © Thomas R Machnitzki · CC BY 3.0

Identification

TitleNathan Bedford Forrest Monument
Typebronze equestrian monument
SubjectNathan Bedford Forrest

Creator

ArtistCharles Henry Niehaus
Artist significanceone of the most prominent sculptors in U.S. history
Other sculptor creditedLorado Taft
Artist's assessmentthe rider and horse were praised for their truth and vigor; Taft described the work as "adequate"
Model evaluationa photograph of the model suggested it would be one of the best equestrian statues in the country

Materials

Materialbronze

Physical characteristics

DepictionNathan Bedford Forrest mounted on horseback
Clothing depicteduniform of the Confederate States Army

Historical context

Commission year1901
Commission payment$25,000
Funding sourceprivate donations
Equivalent commission value in today’s money$676,000
Installation supportthe monument was installed in part thanks to Mary, wife of Judge Thomas J. Latham, who was a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy

Discovery and provenance

Casting locationParis

Location and ownership

Planned future locationgrounds of the SCV National Headquarters in Columbia, Tennessee
Current possessionSons of Confederate Veterans
Owner at time of removalMemphis Greenspace
Current locationHealth Sciences Park, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Former park nameForrest Park; renamed Health Sciences Park in 2013
Original locationForrest Park, Memphis, Tennessee, United States

History and restoration

Reported offersMemphis Greenspace received numerous offers, including from Tennessee legislators, Civil War-related sites, the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum, and the city of Savannah, Georgia
Buyer requirementsbuyers must be nonprofit organizations that will keep the statues and display them publicly somewhere outside Shelby County, Tennessee
Planned dispositionin May 2018, Memphis Greenspace planned to sell the monument
Removal contextremoved in the context of protests against Confederate symbols; removed together with a statue of Jefferson Davis
Removal dateDecember 20, 2017
Sale price of park propertyUS$1,000
Park sale detailsthe Memphis City Council unanimously approved the sale of Health Sciences Park to Memphis Greenspace, enabling removal of the monument
Reason for removal ordinanceincreased police spending needed to control protesters and counter-protesters after the August 2017 Unite the Right rally
Park sale dateDecember 20, 2017
Removal ordinance detailsthe Memphis City Council passed an ordinance to remove Confederate statues from public parks after October 13, 2017, including this monument and the Jefferson Davis Monument
Removal ordinance dateSeptember 2017
Removal attempta 2015 attempt by the Memphis City Council to remove the statue was blocked by the Tennessee Historical Commission in 2016
Unveiling dateMay 16, 1905
Burial informationNathan Bedford Forrest and his wife were moved from Elmwood Cemetery and buried in front of the monument
Reinterment ceremony dateNovember 11, 1904
First stone laidMay 30, 1901

Significance

Subject significanceNathan Bedford Forrest was a Confederate lieutenant general and an early Ku Klux Klan leader

Other

Associated figureJefferson Davis