ABOUT THE KLAN AND NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST.

Contrary to popular belief the Klan was founded in 1866,all of the six founders were young Confederate veterans. they were Captain john C. Lester, Major James r. Crowe, John b. Kennedy, Calvin Jones, Richard r. Reed and Frank o. McCord.

This event, it is agreed took place in the law office of judge Jones at Pulaski, Tennessee. The Klan as one founder would later admit was created for pure amusement to break up the tedium of small town life. In the years to follow the Klan would take on a more political and vigilante approach to the so called reconstruction of the "new south".

The time now is around Feb. of 1867 Gov. Brown low had signed the freedman law and all slaves were considered free, the problem with that was these slaves had no place to go they had no means of obtaining money, no roofs over there heads, and no way of providing for there family. They wanted equality and they received it, at this time the south was still trying to put itself together after the war the plantation owners lost there land the politicians lost there seats and life had changed from what was a prosperous south. Now the white's had nothing and had to start over, worried about there own families  they started rebuilding, now they are told that there one time slaves are as equal as they are did not sit well with some and for good reason with no way to feed them self's the Negro resorted to stealing and murdering for money and food.

As a last bastion of white hope and encouragement the Klan took it upon them self's to put an end to this out break of lawlessness, if a Negro was seen with a gun the Klan was there to take it away, if a Negro was caught raping a woman the Klan was there to judge and punish the criminals. Though the Klan was not just there to punish they also took on the roll of helping widows and orphaned children of the civil war.

There has never been any serious doubt that the first and only Grand Wizard was general Nathan Forrest. In may of 1867 Forrest searched out Morton who served as his artillery chief who was grand Cyclops of a newly founded den at that time, saying that he had heard about the order and wanted to know more about it, Morton took him on a drive to the country and explained enough to make him eager to join. Without further ado Morton administered the preliminary oath and they returned to town, that night in room 10 of the Maxwell house Forrest was formally inducted and shortly after wood was elected Grand wizard. Several months later a need to reform the Klan was in order gen. Forrest revealed that three Klansmen in Tennessee had suffered death for refusal to obey such orders. In another case Forrest was reported sending a few of his old followers in the army to arrest some disguised night riders in Madison county who was rendering the Ku Klux name odious.

Much more is written about Nathan Forrest's attempt to clean up the Klan and in a way he helped in the way people viewed the Klan and in the way the Klan was to conduct it's business. Nathan Forrest was not the founder of the Ku Klux Klan but a leader and a foundation for generations of Klansmen and Klanswoman in days to come.