Forrest’s remains could reach Columbia in Feb.
According to a recent court order, the remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest are set to be moved to Columbia as early as February once a few more hurdles are overcome.
On Nov. 30, Chancellor Walter L. Evans ruled in the Chancery Court of Shelby County that the descendants of Forrest are permitted to relocate his remains and the remains of his wife, Mary Ann Montgomery Forrest, from Health Sciences Park in Memphis to the National Confederate Museum at Elm Springs in Columbia.
According to the descendants’ attorney H. Edward Phillips of Franklin, the relocation could occur as early as next month or early spring once proper permits are granted.
Forrest and his wife have been interred at the Memphis city park since 1904 after being disinterred from their original burial place, Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.
Over the years, Health Sciences Park (formerly Forrest Park) near The University of Tennessee Health Science Center became a spot of heated protests, demonstrations, counterdemonstrations and vandalism at the spot, where a statue once stood of the infamous Confederate general and founder of the Ku Klux Klan.
On Dec. 20, 2017, the statue was controversially and unexpectedly taken down from its stone pedestal at Health Sciences Park during late-night hours under the direction of the city and Memphis-based not-for-profit, Memphis Greenspace Inc.
The large monument, or statue depicting Forrest atop of a horse, is currently being kept at an undisclosed location, according Phillips, and will be placed at the gravesite along with the remains at Elm Springs.
Relocation costs will be paid by Memphis Greenspace.
The Tennessee Historical Commission was notified of the reinternment, in accordance with state statutes.
Descendants, about five family members in Forrest’s and Mary Ann Montgomery Forrest’s lineage, have been seeking a final resting spot for Forrest’s remains for a few years.
Because no known person has a right or easement to the burial ground, which is now a park, the Shelby County court has jurisdiction in relocating the graves. The November court order also terminates the use of Health Sciences Park as a burial ground.
The descendants named in the suit and Memphis Greenspace agreed to relocate the remains to Columbia in a previous May settlement.
According to the November court documents, the Sons of Confederate Veterans will oversee the reinterment at the National Confederate Museum.
According to Phillips, a permit to disinter the remains has been sought from the state of Tennessee. After the permit is granted, the descendants and Memphis Greenspace LLC must also seek permission from the city of Memphis. Finally, the parties must coordinate their efforts to disinter the remains for relocation to Columbia
Hope for closure
Phillips said the national museum was the chosen permanent burial place because of the location’s historical context and because of its close proximity to Forrest’s childhood home in Chapel Hill.
“No matter what one thinks or feels about Forrest,” his remains deserve peace at the legally designated burial site, Phillips said.
“You might not like whose buried there,” he said. “At the end of the day, you can’t help who your ancestors are, but you can make decisions to benefit everyone involved.”
Phillips has served as legal counsel for other cases involving historic Confederate monuments.
“My hope and wish is that there is closure for the family and that there is closure for the city and citizens of Memphis and that the resting place will never be disturbed again.”
Kerri Bartlett is the editor of The Columbia Daily Herald. She can be reached at kbartlett@gannett.com, 615-3088324 or follow her on Twitter at keb@1414.