Sorry, but I can't let this go.
It was the custom of that era and many proceeding epochs for a man of wealth to pay the expenses of raising troops. In return, he was given command. Such was the case with this devil Bedford Forrest.
"At the outbreak of the Civil War, Forrest volunteered as a private before deciding to raise and equip an entire unit at his own expense. He was commissioned lieutenant colonel, and issued this call to arms in June, 1861:
'I wish none but those who desire to be actively engaged. COME ON BOYS, IF YOU WANT A HEAP OF FUN AND TO KILL SOME YANKEES.' "
"...Surrounding Fort Pillow, near Memphis, Forrest demanded the surrender of the garrison, which included 262 soldiers of the U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. When the Union forces refused, Forrest’s men easily overran the fort. Then, according to several eyewitness accounts, the Confederates, enraged by the sight of black men in Federal uniform, executed many of the colored troops after they had surrendered: an unambiguous war crime."
A testament to his skill as a cavalry commander, "William Tecumseh Sherman declared: 'that devil Forrest must be hunted down and killed if it costs ten thousand lives and bankrupts the federal treasury.' " Yes, the same General Sherman that raised the Georgia country side on marching on Atlanta.
A successful southern businessman and most able commander, but also to many a despicable character.
"After the war, Forrest is best known as having been a prominent figure in the foundation of the Ku Klux Klan, a group composed of mostly Confederate veterans committed to violent intimidation of blacks, northerners and republicans. He was “Grand Wizard” until he ordered the dissolution of the organization in 1869."
Source: Civil War Trust:
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/nathan-bedford-forrest.html
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