Was Nathan bedford Forrest considered a hero or a villan?

Answer 1

Yes. Both.

Many in the North consider him evil and many in the South consider him a hero.

Those who hate him point to two things: the Massacre at Fort Pillow and his involvement with the Klu Klux Klan after the war. There is a lot of discussion about both. Some even say the KKK was needed to keep the Northern scalawags from taking over the local governments of the Southern States. Then the KKK changed after Forrest resigned and it was used to terrorize the blacks.

Even though Forrest was not educated, he was a great businessman before and after the war. It didn't seem to be his nature to want to kill and destroy. However, during the war he excelled in his fighting ability.

The book "As They Saw Forrest" by Robert Henry is a collection of writings about General Forrest by people who knew him and even a British royalty. His name was feared by many Union soldiers. He was known to have persuaded some Union soldiers to surrender their position even when they out-numbered Forrest. His fighting abilities were held in high esteem during the war.