Courtview Headquarters of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest

Courtview Headquarters of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest

Courtview; Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest; Greek Revival Architecture; Sarah Independence McDonald; University of North Alabama; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL

The Greek revival mansion built in 1855 by George Washington Foster required an act of the Alabama legislature to close Court Street. Foster’s daughter Sarah Independence McDonald and her family lived there until 1900, when it was purchased by Emmet O’Neal. Therefore, it had a commanding view of the town and river below. Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest chose this vantage for his headquarters while the Army of the Tennessee prepared for its ill-fated invasion of Tennessee. In 1922, Thomas M. Rogers bought the house and in 1948 the University of North Alabama acquired it.

Michael Williams, University of North Alabama

Hannings, Bud. 2013. Every day of the Civil War : a chronological encyclopedia. n.p.: Boston, Massachusetts : Credo Reference, 2013., 2013. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).

Alabama Cultural Resource Survey

1855-1948

Photo from following websites:
http://battleofselma.com/?page_id=1208
Photo from following websites:
https://www.una.edu/history/Historic%20UNA/rogers-hall.html

Photo of Rogers Hall/Courtview, Historic Marker for Rogers Hall, and Nathan Bedford Forrest