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Looking Back: Mississippi Forrest Lamar Cooper, the Complex Legacy of a Civil War General

Hayden Mitchell

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Published in Looking Back Mississippi Forrest Lamar Cooper

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Mississippi Forrest Lamar Cooper was a complex and controversial figure in American history. Born in Tennessee in 1824, Cooper moved to Mississippi as a young man and quickly rose to prominence as a skilled cavalry commander during the Civil War. His raids and ambushes were legendary, and he became known as the "Wizard of the Saddle." However, Cooper's legacy is also marred by his involvement in the massacre of African-American troops at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, in 1864.

Cooper was born in Hickman County, Tennessee, on October 17, 1824. His father was a farmer and his mother was a devout Christian. Cooper received a limited education, but he was a voracious reader and had a natural talent for leadership. In 1843, Cooper moved to Mississippi and settled in the town of Pontotoc. He quickly became involved in local politics and was elected to the state legislature in 1851.

Looking Back Mississippi

by Forrest Lamar Cooper

4.3 out of 5

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When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Cooper joined the Confederate Army and was commissioned as a colonel. He quickly distinguished himself as a skilled cavalry commander, and his raids and ambushes were instrumental in several Confederate victories. In 1863, Cooper was promoted to brigadier general and given command of a cavalry division. He continued to lead his division with distinction until the end of the war.

However, Cooper's legacy is also marred by his involvement in the massacre of African-American troops at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, in 1864. On April 12, 1864, Cooper's division attacked Fort Pillow, which was garrisoned by a force of Union troops that included a large number of African-American soldiers. After a brief battle, the Confederates overwhelmed the fort and began to massacre the Union troops. Over 300 African-American soldiers were killed in the massacre, many of them after they had surrendered.

Cooper's involvement in the Fort Pillow Massacre was widely condemned, and it has haunted his legacy ever since. In 1865, Cooper was indicted for war crimes, but he was never tried. After the war, Cooper returned to Mississippi and became a prominent politician and businessman. He served in the state legislature and was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1875. However, his association with the Confederacy haunted him for the rest of his life. Cooper died in 1894, and he is buried in Pontotoc, Mississippi.

Mississippi Forrest Lamar Cooper was a complex and controversial figure. He was a skilled military commander who played a significant role in the Confederate war effort. However, his legacy is also marred by his involvement in the massacre of African-American troops at Fort Pillow. Cooper's life and career are a reminder of the complex and often contradictory nature of American history.

Image Credits

* Public domain image of Mississippi Forrest Lamar Cooper from the Library of Congress * Public domain image of the Fort Pillow Massacre from the National Archives and Records Administration

Looking Back Mississippi

by Forrest Lamar Cooper

4.3 out of 5