Bust Hell Wide Open

by Samuel W. Mitcham

At fourteen he became the head of his impoverished family, responsible for feeding eleven on the rough American frontier. By thirty-nine he had established himself as a successful plantation owner worth over $1 million. And at forty years old, Nathan Bedford Forrest enlisted in a Tennessee cavalry regiment—and became a controversial Civil War legend.

The legacy of General Nathan Bedford Forrest is deeply divisive. Best known for being accused of war crimes at the Battle of Fort Pillow and for his role as first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan—an organization he later denounced—Forrest has often been studied as a military figure, but never before studied as a fascinating individual who wrestled with the complex issues of his violent times. Bust Hell Wide Open is a comprehensive portrait of Nathan Bedford Forrest as a his achievements, failings, reflections, and regrets.

Genres: American History

352 pages, Paperback

Published December 31, 2019

About the author

Mitcham was educated Northeast Louisiana University, North Carolina State, and received his doctorate at the University of Tennessee. He was a professor at Henderson State University, Georgia Southern University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and was a visiting professor at West Point. He lives in Monroe, Louisiana.

Reviews

[Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth the read. Totally new information and clarity towards one of the most infamous men in the entire Civil War. Well written though slightly more CSA leaning than objective. I still enjoyed it thoroughly!

[Rory Aylward · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing really new here; just more NBF hagiography that sidesteps or explains the more problematic aspects of his life and career.

Forrest deserves a biography that looks at him straight on and tries to makes sense of him and not another inadequacy fueled fan boy devotional.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forrest warts and all.

[Christopher A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy and entertaining read about NBF’s civil war exploits. Could have been so much more if this attempted to show his personal life and give a little more insight into him as a man.