Law makes Tenn. mark 'Nathan Bedford Forrest Day'

Dave Boucher | The Tennessean, Nashville

NASHVILLE — As is prescribed in Tennessee state law, Monday is "Nathan Bedford Forrest Day."

The day comes amid a local and national debate over the necessity of publicly promoted Confederate symbols. That includes calls from Gov. Bill Haslam, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper and others to remove a large bust of Forrest, a Confederate general and early leader in the Ku Klux Klan, from the state Capitol.

Haslam officially signed the proclamation June 2, but state law leaves him with few options: Code says each year it is "the duty of the governor of this state to proclaim" July 13 as "Nathan Bedford Forrest Day."

"Yes, a proclamation has been issued, per statute," Haslam spokesman David Smith said Friday.

Haslam could have forgone the proclamation, but that would be risking violating state law. Lawmakers have filed legislation to stop the state producing license plates with the Confederate battle flag, also supported by Haslam. It would likely take similar legislation to change the law in order to end the recognition of "Nathan Bedford Forrest Day."

The governor's proclamation says Forrest is "a recognized military figure in American history and a native Tennessean." It also says Haslam asks citizens to "join me in this worthy observance."

Haslam said in June "Forrest would not be my choice of one of the Tennesseans that we honor" in the state Capitol. At no point has Haslam, Cooper or other leaders said Forrest should be forgotten or the bust should be discarded. Democrat and Republican leaders have said they believe a museum would be a more appropriate spot for the bust.

The decision to move the bust starts with the State Capitol Commission. To follow a state law created to stop the removal of any public monuments to the "War Between the States," the commission must ask the Tennessee Historical Commission for an exemption.

The commission is set to have a "discussion of artifacts at the Capitol" during its meeting Friday. House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick serves on the commission and recently wrote a letter to fellow commission members asking them to support moving the bust.

"Nathan Bedford Forrest's military prowess and exploits in the Civil War have been well-documented. However, his background as a slave trader and a founding member of the Ku Klux Klan overshadows his contribution to our state's history in the minds of many," McCormick wrote.

Supporters of Forrest are quick to note he didn't found the Klan and eventually disavowed the organization. He was one of its early leaders, though, and that involvement continues to drive calls for the removal of the bust and other monuments to Forrest around the state.

Metro Nashville council members recently voted to ask the state to block the view of a monument to Forrest that sits on private land along Interstate 65 south of downtown; the practical approach to making that happen is still being discussed.

In Memphis city leaders have initiated a process to remove Forrest's remains and a statue of the general out of a public square in the city. Originally buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Forrest's remains were moved to the downtown site in 1905 to coincide with the building of the statute, according to several media reports. Elmwood Cemetery has agreed to take back the remains, but it won't take the statue, reports the Commercial Appeal of Memphis.