I am a highly biased reviewer due to the fact that I drew the maps for this book. I deeply thank everyone who has purchased this book and/or given it a positive review. It warms my heart that there are still real Americans that can appreciate a real American hero, and not cave in to the forces of Political Cowardice.

Being a Civil War buff, I greatly appreciated the angle Davison and Foxx took to capture the lost story of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest was a pivotal character in the war, yet so much of his story has been swept aside in light of General Lee and other figures who were more recognized or perhaps more publicized. This is a must read for Civil War aficionado's and those just diving into the pages of history because it is so well written and ties Forrest into so many important historical happenings. Bravo! Write another one!

The authors did a great job of trying to put the pieces of a very interesting warrior. Bedford was that a warrior. This is now my favorite book on Forrest. I have read many. They have come close to telling it as accurate as I have read. They had respect for him as a leader for battle but also recognized he had failings in temperament. He was a more agressive Patton in battle. He did slap soldiers for being out of line and maybe even as a coward. This is a more total history of the man and if you want to read a book that a movie could be made this is it. It is nearly unbelieveable that he was able to do what he did with no military background just common sense and will to fight and win. It is a shame that his history could not be told exactly as it was without some unknowns in the background. It is good for the North that the leaders of the Souith did not recognize his ablility until it was to late. A very readable and interesting book about the Civil War in the west.

I picked this book up and almost returned it after looking at the campaign maps. They were well made but gave me the impression this was a bland recounting of every little military move by Forrest. Luckily I kept the book and found a gripping story of his life, personality and campaigns. I felt like I really had an idea of what kind of person or leader he was after reading the book. This is an excellent story. It was one of those books you hope never ends.

For anyone with an interest in the Civil War's most interesting character , General Nathan Bedford Forrest , this new book is a MUST ; "Nathan Bedford Forrest , In Search of the Enegma" , by Eddy W. Davison & Daniel Foxx (and forward by Ed Bearss) !!

I own many books , old & new , on General Forrest's life and activities . This is the very best that I have ever read on this topic . There are plenty on good ones and some are on very specific topics , such as the new books "Forrest's Escort & Staff" , by Michael R. Bradley and "Men of Fire" , Grant & Forrest at the Battle of Fort Dolelson , by Jack Hurst ! These 2 new books concerning General Forrest are excellent & are must reads for "Forrest entheusists" , but are basically on very specific topics concerning Forrest . "In Search of the Enegma" covers Forrests life , with emphasis on the civil War , of course , but is in search of The Man , behind the legend !

It is extremely well written , in every way , but I must comment on the way that "battles & engagements & troop activity" of General Forrest's are described ! Everyone with an interest in General Forrest has read about his part in battles at Shiloh or Brice's Crossroads or the Tupelo & Memphis Raid ,for example . I have from several good books ! I have never had such normally "complex battle situations" ; with moving men & horses & confussion & indecisions & mistakes & foul weather & poor communications & heroism & bravery & inactions & retreats----so clearly described & made more understandable than ever before ! Davison & Foxx turn a battle into a "moving picture in your mind" ! You are "there" & you "feel" the situation . You understand more about the "Why's" of how these battles & engagement , concerning Forrest , turned out as they did & its very interesting reading & not "dead facts" !

These two authors , Davison & Foxx , give first hand accounts , often from "non-famous" soldiers & civilians , recorded long after the war , that add "something new or a different prespective" on General Forrest ! The indepth research is fantastic ! You find out from Union reports , just what was being discussed concerning Forrest & his command , as certain actions were about to take place or were happening ! You see how unique Forrest was in almost always "creating the illusion" of haveing a much , much larger force than was reality , to his enemy . Also , you see how confussing Forrests actions & objectives were to the opposite side in a conflict !

Just a splendid work on Nathan Bedford Forrest , by two excellent researchers & story-tellers !

A MUST Read , for anyone interested in Forrest !

Just the over-all best book on this topic of Nathan Bedford Forrest , that I have ever read ! Highly recommended to all who want to know & understand more on "Forrest The Enegma" and Forrest The Man !

I have a whole library of nearly every book ever written about or mentioning Forrest. Heck, after all, my son is named after him! The book is thoroughly written and well researched. The material contained within is found in a multitude of other sources, but the beauty of this book is that the authors have all the pertinent information in one large volume and presented it wonderfully. No joke, you'd have to buy a ton of books (if you could find them all)and spend more time reading than your eyes could take, to get the information presented in this volume. If I were to buy one book to learn about Forrest, then this one would be it. The definitive work and an excellent value.

The collaborative work of American Civil War experts Eddy W. Davison (Adjunct Professor of History, Ottawa University, Phoenix, Arizona and a member of the Board of Directors of the Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable), and Daniel Fox (Professor Emeritus of History, Ottawa University, Phoenix, Arizona), "Nathan Bedford Forrest: In Search Of The Enigma" is the man almost universally acknowledged as the best cavalry leader the Confederate army had in leading the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry. But in the decades following the civil war, Nathan Bedford Forrest was also the subject of enduring controversy as a man both acclaimed and vilified, respected and hated, and generally difficult to categorize. This new and detailed biography reveals Forrest to be complex, possessing a military genius and a generally tragic figure of his times. The biographers cover his childhood, marriage, life as a businessman who became a self-made millionaire in Memphis, Tennessee, his work as a civic leader, and offers explanation for the alleged massacre at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, his dramatic call for full citizenship for Black Southerners, and his post-civil war involvement with the infamous Ku Klux Klan. A very strongly recommended addition to academic and community library Civil War Studies and American Biography collections, "Nathan Bedford Forrest" is a work of meticulous and detailed scholarship -- and a prized contribution to the growing body of Civil War literature.

I have read many books about this unusual military genius, but this one is far and away the most complete, up-to-date and informative. Most highly recommended to allstudents of the War Between the States.

Best biograqphy of Forrest since Brian Wills book. Both should be read in conjunction with each other to get a fuller picture of the man.Forrest was a product of his times and should be accepted as such.

This is as fine a study of the great General Forrest as I have ever read. It is well written, and gives a fair and balanced portrait of an enigmatic American icon. Without education, Forrest became a millionaire before the Civil War, and a highly successful officer during it. He never learned Cavalry tactics [except as a gift from God], but his campaigns are used for instruction in every Military Academy on earth. Reviled as a racist, [though he did NOT found the KKK] he advocated educational, economic, and political rights for Blacks 100 years before it became fashionable. This book presents Forrest superbly, and, by the way, has some of the finest battle descriptions I've ever read, as well as a lot of information on his family, and his pre- and post- war careers.



So, why only three stars? Well, on page 348 we read "General Hood's wounds should have disqualified him for command, not to mention his addiction to alcohol and laudanum". General Hood had, indeed, suffered two severe wounds, and people did get hooked on opiates during the war [usually given for dysentery], but there are NO contemporaneous accounts of his ever using drugs. There are, however, accounts of him being a total abstainer from alcohol. Numerous authors have accused Hood of drug use, citing a pamphlet that a respected historian wrote in 1972 SPECULATING that Hood used drugs during the Tennessee Campaign of late 1864. He has been atoning for that mistake for 35 years, but the pamphlet is still out there, available to be cited as fact, with the error passed on thru successive books, each volume creating a citation for the next. While Hood was recovering from having his leg shot off at Chickamauga, he spent months in Richmond, and was around both President Davis and General Bragg on a frequent basis. Bragg was intelligent, perceptive, and loyal, not to mention critical, unpleasant, and negative; he would have kicked Hood all the way out Broad Street on the slightest suspicion of drug use. General Hood was also around Mrs. Mary Chesnut [who did not especially like him] often enough that any sign of substance abuse would have been recorded in her famous "Diary," and would have been all over Richmond in an hour. Hood is in the diary, but NOTHING about drugs and alcohol. Really, y'all, this talk must stop. Where is the evidence of General Hood's drug use?

This is as fine a study of the great General Forrest as I have ever read. It is well written, and gives a fair and balanced portrait of an enigmatic American icon. Without education, Forrest became a millionaire before the Civil War, and a highly successful officer during it. He never learned Cavalry tactics [except as a gift from God], but his campaigns are used for instruction in every Military Academy on earth. Reviled as a racist, [though he did NOT found the KKK] he advocated educational, economic, and political rights for Blacks 100 years before it became fashionable. This book presents Forrest superbly, and, by the way, has some of the finest battle descriptions I've ever read. So, why only three stars? Well, on page 348 we read "General Hood's wounds should have disqualified him for command, not to mention his addiction to alcohol and laudanum". General Hood had, indeed, suffered two severe wounds, and people did get hooked on opiates during the war [usually given for dysentery], but there are NO contemporaneous accounts of his ever using drugs. There are, however, accounts of him being a total abstainer from alcohol. Numerous authors have accused Hood of drug use, citing a pamphlet that a respected historian wrote in 1972 SPECULATING that Hood used drugs during the Tennessee Campaign of late 1864. He has been atoning for that mistake for 35 years, but the pamphlet is still out there, available to be cited as fact, with the error passed on thru successive books, each volume creating a citation for the next. While Hood was recovering from having his leg shot off at Chickamauga, he spent months in Richmond, and was around both President Davis and General Bragg on a frequent basis. Bragg was intelligent, perceptive, and loyal, not to mention critical, unpleasant, and negative; he would have kicked Hood all the way out Broad Street on the slightest suspicion of drug use. General Hood was also around Mrs. Mary Chesnut often enough that any sign of substance abuse would have been recorded in her famous "Diary," and would have been all over Richmond in an hour. Hood is in the diary, but NOTHING about drugs and alcohol. Really, y'all, this talk must stop. Where is the evidence of General Hood's drug use?

This is as fine a study of the great General Forrest as I have ever read. It is well written, and gives a fair and balanced portrait of an enigmatic American icon. Without education, Forrest became a millionaire before the Civil War, and a highly successful officer during it. He never learned Cavalry tactics [except as a gift from God], but his campaigns are used for instruction in every Military Academy on earth. Reviled as a racist, he advocated educational, economic, and political rights for Blacks 100 years before it became fashionable. This book presents Forrest superbly, and, by the way, has some of the finest battle descriptions I've ever read. So, why only three stars? Well, on page 348 we read "General Hood's wounds should have disqualified him for command, not to mention his addiction to alcohol and laudanum". General Hood had, indeed, suffered two severe wounds, and people did get hooked on opiates during the war [usually given for dysentery], but there are NO contemporaneous accounts of his ever using drugs. There are, however, accounts of him being a total abstainer from alcohol. Numerous authors have accused Hood of drug use, citing a pamphlet that a respected historian wrote in 1972 SPECULATING that Hood used drugs during the Tennessee Campaign of late 1864. He has been atoning for that mistake for 35 years, but the pamphlet is still out there, available to be cited as fact, with the error passed on thru successive books, each volume creating a citation for the next. While Hood was recovering from having his leg shot off at Chickamauga, he spent months in Richmond, and was around both President Davis and General Bragg on a frequent basis. Bragg was intelligent, perceptive, and loyal, not to mention critical, unpleasant, and negative; he would have kicked Hood all the way out Broad Street on the slightest suspicion of drug use. General Hood was also around Mrs. Mary Chesnut often enough that any sign of substance abuse would have been recorded in her famous "Diary," and would have been all over Richmond in an hour. Hood is in the diary, but NOTHING about drugs and alcohol. Really, y'all, this talk must stop. Where is the evidence of General Hood's drug use?

An outstanding tactical study of Forrests' campaigns as well as a fine biographical study of the man. One of the best of many books written on Forrest since General Thomas Jordan and J. P. Pryor wrote the The Campaigns of Lieut.-Gen. N. B. Forrest that came out in 1868 just after the war.The Authors obviously admire Forrest but do not gloss over his shortcomings . They clearly show how time and again Forrest had an innate genius for warfare that is seldom seen to this degree throughout military history.

I recently finished the new biography on Nathan Bedford Forrest titled Nathan Bedford Forrest: In Search of the Enigma by Eddy W. Davison and Daniel Foxx.

I believe that Davison and Foxx's new book will be ranked as one of the top two or three books written about Forrest.

I agree with famed historian Edwin C. Bearss that Davison and Foxx's book along with Brian Steel Wills, "Nathan Bedford Forrest, The South's Greatest Cavalryman", and Robert Henry's "First with the Most" are the best of all the tomes on Forrest.

In Search of the Enigma contains in depth and vivid battle narrative that brings Forrest's war exploits to life as never before. However, unlike other biographies on Forrest, Davison and Foxx do not shy away from the more controversial aspects of Forrest's life and military career. In fact, this is the first work on Forrest that contains an exhaustive examination of the Battle of Fort Pillow and Forrest's association with the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction. The chapter on Reconstruction includes the entire trial transcripts from Forrest's interrogation by the Senate Sub-Committee during the Ku Klux Klan hearings in Washington. The book also contains the most detailed and colorful maps ever produced covering Forrest's military career. Davison and Foxx have created a new and thought- provoking study on the most controversial general of the American Civil War. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in the Civil War, the Confederate Cavalry, or Nathan Bedford Forrest.

As a retired US Army officer as well as a military historian, I was very interested in reading the newest biography of General Forrest (purchased from Amazon after reading Edwin C. Bearss's review). I am a long time student of the US Civil War as well as a past instructor of US Military History at the US Army Intelligence School plus as an instructor at Fort Leavenworth and at the NATO EW School in Italy, plus various civilian instructor positions in history and political science.
I know N B Forrest to be one of the most studied cavalry officers in all of military history and this new book just reinforces his reputation as a great cavalry commander. The collection of campaign and battle maps are outstanding and are very helpful in following Forrest's movements during the war.
Additionally, the chapter on Forrest's post war activities (although not military history) provides new information on his role in Reconstruction and in the Ku Klux Klan that has previously not been known among us non-Forrest devotees.
I consider this book a must read and recommend it to all Civil War buffs.