Equestrian Statue of General Forrest, (sculpture).

Equestrian Statue of General Forrest, (sculpture).

Niehaus, Charles Henry, 1855-1935, sculptor.

Gruet, founder.

Republic Marble Company, contractor.

Equestrian Statue of General Forrest, (sculpture).

General Nathan Bedford Forrest, (sculpture).

Forrest Monument, (sculpture).

Cornerstone laid May 30, 1901. Dedicated May 16, 1905. Removed Dec. 20, 2017.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: Tennessee marble.

Sculpture: approx. 12 x 10 1/2 x 3 1/2 ft.; Upper base: approx. 5 x 11 x 4 ft.; Lower base: approx. 2 x 13 x 6 ft.; Platform: approx. 3 x 42 x 39 ft.

C. H. Niehaus/E. Gruet Jne (Base, south side, top:) Nathan Bedford Forrest/MDCCCXXI MDCCCLXXVII (South side, on platform, facing upwards, left:) Nathan Bedford Forrest/July 13, 1821/October 29, 1877 (South side, on platform, facing upwards, right:) Mary A. Forrest/October 24, 1826/January 22, 1893 (Base, west side:) 1904/Erected by his countrymen in honor of the/military genius of Lieutenant General Nathan/Bedford Forrest/Confederate States Army/1861-1865 (Base, east side:) Those hoofbeats die not upon fame's crimsoned sod/But will ring through her song and her story;/He fought like a Titan and struck like a God/And his dust is our ashes of glory./Virginia Frazer Boyle signed Founder's mark appears.

Forrest sits astride his horse. He wears a military uniform and has a beard. His proper right hand holds a hat and rests on his hip, his proper left hand holds the reins. A saber hangs from the saddle on his proper left side. The sculpture rests on a simple rectangular base that steps out at the bottom. The base is on a platform which is surrounded by benches and plantings.

Portrait male -- Forrest, Nathan Bedford -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- General

Animal -- Portrait -- King Philip

Administered by City of Memphis, Memphis Park Commission, Park Maintenance Division, 2599 Avery Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38112

Formerly located Forrest Park, Memphis, Tennessee 1905-Dec. 20, 2017.

Forrest Monument Association donated twenty thousand dollars towards the total cost of thirty-five thousand dollars. General Forrest and his wife had been buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, but were later interred beneath this monument on Nov. 11, 1904. The saber was stolen three times, and was found and returned only once. IAS files contain related article from Press Scimitar (Memphis, TN), Feb. 10, 1965. See IAS files for additional information on the history of the sculpture. On March 4, 2009 Forrest Park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, TN0090, 1989.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Tennessee survey, 1992.

Monumental News, June, 1903; May, July, 1905.

Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), May 31, 1901.

New York Times, Dec. 22, 2017, pg. A13.

Monumental News, July, 1905, pg. 475.

Press Scimitar (Memphis, TN), Feb. 10, 1965.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System