Steve,

    You had asked me to send you some pictures and facts concerning my Great Grandfather (Freelin Hise Moore) concerning his service with General Nathan Bedford Forrest.  I am sending you a picture of the 5th Annual Reunion of Forrest's Escort and Staff that was held in Lynchburg, Tennessee on September 7, 1886.  From the picture it appears as if it was made at the Court House.  I am also sending you a picture of my Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother.  Notice the Southern Cross, signifying service in the Confederate Army, on his suit.  It is my understanding that he was buried with that medal pinned to his suit coat.  I have since acquired a replica of that medal, and have confirmation from Richmond, Virginia that it was awarded to him.

    My Great Grandfather (Freelin Hise Moore) enlisted at Unionville, Tennessee in the Spring of 1862 in the Confederate Army.  The unit was commanded by Captain John C. Jackson.  He was then among a group (105) of men that were hand picked to serve as Forrest's Escort for General Nathan Bedford Forrest.  They left Shelbyville in October of 1862 for Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  He was wounded in the hip at Murfreesboro.  Later toward the end of the war he was wounded in the arm near Centerville, Alabama which was probably part of the Battle of Selma.  He served with the Forrest's Escort all the way through the war from October 1862 until the surrender at Gainesville, Alabama on May 9, 1865.  At the surrender the strength of Forrest's Escort was (110), five more than they started with in 1862.

    You had also asked for my recollections of Camp Forrest.  I joined the Army National Guard (566th FA Bn attached to the 3rd Army which would later be reorganized back to the original 1/115) in August of 1956.  We went to the Rifle Range at Camp Forrest on a regular basis for rifle qualifying.  We also had week-end training there on a regular basis all the way up until I retired in March of 1977.  All of the buildings had either been torn down or moved by that time, but the rifle range was still intact, and the original railroad tracks were still there, and still used.  There was only foundation pillars, concrete steps, pavement, and the original layout of streets and roads.  Some of the men who were in the National Guard when they were called up for WWII told me that because of the shortage of equipment they trained with sawhorses and pine poles to represent their artillery pieces.  They also used 2 by 4's for individual weapons for a short period of time until they got their individual weapons.

Doyle C. Landers