Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did Nathan Bedford Forrest make his fortune before the Civil War?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Before the American Civil War, Nathan Bedford Forrest amassed a significant fortune through several business ventures. He became a millionaire by trading livestock, brokering real estate, planting cotton, and, most notably, selling enslaved people. By the time the war began, these activities had made him one of the wealthiest men in Tennessee and the broader South.1