Watchman News — Priory of Salem, Institute of Peace Studies
In recent years, a quote attributed to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest has been widely dismissed online as a modern invention:
“These boys stayed with me… and better Confederates did not live.”
Critics claimed the phrase originated in late-20th-century heritage activism.
That claim is false.
The quotation — with minor period variations — appears in Reconstruction-era primary sources, is reinforced by Forrest’s own sworn Congressional testimony, and is supported by both Southern and Northern wartime accounts.
This article documents that trail and honors the late H. K. Edgerton, who courageously repeated this history publicly when many preferred silence.
Edgerton’s speech repeating Forrest’s words can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1vQTMX2ELs
Forrest’s Congressional Testimony: His 45 Black Confederates
In June 1871, Forrest testified under oath before the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States.
This testimony appears in the official U.S. Congressional Serial Set:
Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States, and Testimony Taken (42nd Congress).
The full government volumes are available here:
https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/metabook?id=insurrection1872
Forrest stated that he took approximately 45 Black men from his plantation with him at the beginning of the war, promising them freedom regardless of outcome if they stayed with him. He further testified that he later issued emancipation papers to them before the conflict ended.
These men served primarily as teamsters, drivers, attendants, and headquarters support.
This is primary federal documentation.
Reconstruction Newspapers Preserve Forrest’s Praise
The famous wording appears in an August 28, 1868 interview published in the Комерційний Цинциннаті, where Forrest said:
“These boys stayed with me, drove my teams, and better Confederates did not live.”
During his July 5, 1875 reconciliation speech in Memphis, Forrest again spoke of the forty-seven enslaved men who went with him (forty-five still present at surrender) and repeated the same sentiment.
Some contemporary papers paraphrased this as:
“No finer Confederates ever fought.”
The phrasing varies; the meaning does not.
Named Black Confederates and Contemporary Witnesses
Beyond Forrest’s own words, multiple firsthand accounts confirm Black participation alongside his command.
Nim Wilkes
Black Confederate Nim Wilkes stated:
“I was in every battle General Forrest fought after leaving Columbia… I was mustered out at Gainesville (May 1865).”
(Rollins, 1994)
Louis Napoleon Nelson
Louis Napoleon Nelson served the Confederate States of America at Shiloh, Lookout Mountain, Brice’s Crossroads, and Vicksburg with the 7th Tennessee Cavalry under Forrest.
Sent originally to care for his master’s wounded son, Nelson picked up the rifle and continued fighting. After the war, Nelson and his former master became close friends, their farms bordering each other (Winbush, 1996).
Northern Confirmation: Lt. Col. Parkhurst
Even Union officers recorded Black Confederates in Forrest’s ranks.
Charles S. Parkhurst, reporting on Forrest’s July 13, 1862 attack at Murfreesboro, wrote:
“The forces attacking my camp were the First Regiment Texas Rangers, a battalion of the First Georgia Rangers… and quite a number of Negroes attached to the Texas and Georgia troops, who were armed and equipped, and took part in the several engagements with my forces during the day.”
(Official Records, Series I, Vol. XVI, Part I, p. 805)
This is a Northern battlefield eyewitness account.
Thomas Y. Cartwright and Better Confederates Did Not Live
Civil War historian Thomas Y. Cartwright later titled his work Better Confederates Did Not Live, drawing directly from these Reconstruction-era sources. His contribution to Journal of Confederate History, Vol. XI (Black Southerners in Gray) helped preserve this material for modern readers.
Cartwright did not invent the phrase — he documented it.
What Forrest Meant — and What He Did Not Mean
Historical clarity matters.
These Black men were:
-
enslaved or formerly enslaved
-
serving largely in logistical and support roles
-
not formally enlisted soldiers
Yet Forrest explicitly called them among his best Confederates, praising their loyalty, endurance, and service.
In Forrest’s own words, Black Southerners who stood with him were counted among his finest.
Edgerton Was Right — and He Was Dismissed
Before his recent passing, H. K. Edgerton publicly repeated this history and these quotes — only to be told they were fabricated.
They were not.
Edgerton stood on Congressional testimony, Reconstruction newspapers, named veterans, and even Union officers’ reports.
History now confirms his position.
Why This Matters
This is not about romanticizing war.
It is about resisting selective memory.
Black Southerners lived inside a difficult and layered reality of coercion, loyalty, survival, and regional identity. Forrest’s words — uncomfortable to modern ears — are part of that historical record.
Suppressing them does not heal wounds.
Truth does.
At Watchman News, and through the Priory of Salem Institute of Peace Studies, we believe reconciliation begins with honest documentation — even when history refuses to fit modern categories.
Peace is not built on silence.
Peace is built on truth.
In Memory
We honor H. K. Edgerton, who spoke these facts publicly when few would. May his courage remind us that reconciliation begins when evidence meets humility.
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