"True or Not?" - Connie Chastain

UPDATE: Andy Hall at Dead Confederates has written a wonderful post on Forrest's Klan involvement. 

Connie Chastain over at SHPG, or as Brooks Simpson calls it, "The gift that keeps on giving," has posed a new question. Take a look.

This new uproar about Silas Chandler can only be in response to Kevin Levin's new co-authored article in the Civil War Times, which is available now. This new article by the way, has already seen some scrutiny by certain SHPG advocates to which Kevin has issued a challenge.  But back to Connie's question.

Primary Source evidence? I don't know of any that says Nathan Bedford Forrest organized and founded the Ku Klux Klan. So that means....none?  How about Nathan Beford Forrest's overall involvement with the klan? Well, we can use Google and our good friend wikipedia to run a small search that might have some results.

Wikipedia - Ku Klux Klan

Scroll down to the notes section and look at  "38." 

An oral account from an eye witness does count as a primary source.  So.....one?

This is not an attempt at history from Connie Chastain, nor has she ever made such attempt. She simply does not care about history. It does not fit her agenda. This is just another step in pushing "Confederate Heritage." Kevin Levin and Myra Chandler Simpson have put in the man hours to present a piece of scholarship. What we should do is peer review it. What this is above is just another attempt to be argumentative and to bash others. Connie's attempt at critique this time, is an irrelevant gesture to the understanding Silas Chandler. What she is advocating is that if we accept one, we must accept the other. I'm not buying it. If there is one primary source account that says Forrest was in the Klan, I'm not buying that either. There is nothing there to cross reference and so I say not determinable. If someone would like to drop a comment below referencing more material on that matter, I would be more than grateful. However, in regards to Silas; it has been shown on numerous occasions that the information saying he is a Confederate soldier is misinterpreted by many. Most information about him exists on the internet in the "Black Confederate" pages of SCV websites.

So to answer your question Connie; not. Forrest is in the lead 1-0 with my preliminary search. My question is, have you actually read the article yet?

Silas Chandler Coming to the Forefront

"he is pictured alone and out from behind the shadow of Andrew Chandler." - Kevin Levin

Coming to news stands near you is a new article about Silas Chandler. This new publication in the Civil War Times is co-authored by Kevin Levin at Civil War Memory and Myra Chandler Simpson, a descendant of Silas.  I am looking forward to reading this article in the hopes of it shedding some light on the life and narrative of Silas and his involvement in the Civil War.

For those of you late to the game, Silas Chandler has been a figure of myth and legend so to speak for some time. He has appeared on many websites over the years under the guise of Black Confederate (Here, Here and Here).

Recently on an episode of Antique Roadshow, Silas took main stage again when a famous photo of him and one Andrew Chandler. Andrew's family owned Silas as a slave and Andrew took him to war.

This presentation thrust Silas back on to center stage and I am hopeful the recent attention and appeal will bring this new article by Levin and Simpson to a more diverse crowd.

I want to thank both Levin and Simpson for taking the time and putting in the work and man hours to make a publication such as this possible. I am looking forward to the read and analysis.