As a history student (and history major in college), I love to read stories from our past. I have shelves of books on Lincoln, Churchill, Truman, and the Civil War. I have walked the battlefields with family members: Shiloh with my wife, Harper’s Ferry with both my sons, Gettysburg with my sons, and Vicksburg with my oldest son and his younger daughter.
Winston Groom, known to most as the author of “Forrest Gump,” is a well-respected writer of historical stuff including Vicksburg 1863. What makes Groom’s books enjoyable is the human interest stuff he drops into the narrative. Like this, for instance….
ONE. Rebel General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a case study in a hundred things–ego, confidence, brilliance, foolhardiness, etc–caught up with Union Colonel Abel Streight near the Georgia line. Flying a flag of truce, Forrest invited Streight to surrender. At the time this was outrageous since Forrest was out-numbered three to one.
Streight agreed to surrender if Forrest could convince him that he had a completely superior force.
Forrest was ready.
He had arranged for his soldiers to haul the only two pieces of artillery they possessed around in a circle, “across and behind a high cut in the road, so that it would appear to Streight that whole batteries were being brought up to the front.”
Finally, Streight gave in. “How many guns have you got? There’s fifteen I’ve counted already!” Forrest said, “I reckon that’s all that’s kept up.”
Sensing the futility of his position, the Yankee colonel handed over his 1,466 troops with all their horses, artillery, and equipment. When he learned that Forrest had only 400 men and two guns, he demanded that his men and arms should be returned and that they should fight it out. Forrest laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Ah Colonel, all is fair in love and war, you know.”