Deciding Final Resting Place for Nathan Bedford Forrest

A legal hurdle was cleared this week to possibly bring the remains of Civil War general Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife, Mary Ann, to Columbia, The Daily Herald has learned.

The attorney for direct-line Forrest descendants and the Columbia-based Sons of Confederate Veterans said the family would be looking for a “proper burial site” if later court orders allow the remains to be exhumed in Memphis and moved. That approval could come as early as this month.

The descendants of the former slave owner and reputed Ku Klux Klan member dropped their lawsuit this week against the City of Memphis and Memphis Greenspace, opening the path for legal proceedings and a potential move, attorney Edward Phillips said. He would not confirm if Columbia were the preferred site of the family, adding that it is weighing options.

“The issue [of removing the bodies] has been settled through agreement,” Phillips said. “We are now ready to move forward with a joint petition in regard to the graves. This paves the way for dealing with grave sites of Gen. Forrest and his wife in an effective, efficient manner but also in a manner that ensures the utmost respect and reverence to this process. We are talking about a family grave site.