Nathan Bedford Forrest was born in Bedford County, Tennessee, on July 13, 1821, the eldest of nine children born to William and Mariam Beck Forrest. At age sixteen, after his father's death, he took on the responsibility of providing for the family. In 1845 he married Mary Ann Montgomery; they had two children, but only one, William, lived to adulthood. He became a self-made millionaire through various business ventures, and much of his wealth was used to equip troops he recruited for the war effort against the North. After Abraham Lincoln issued a call for troops on April 15, 1861, Forrest joined the Confederate Army on June 14, 1861, one month shy of his fortieth birthday. He was the only recruit on either side to enlist as a private and rise to the rank of Lieutenant General. Forrest often defeated larger Union forces led by career officers and was often in the thick of the fight; twenty-nine horses were shot out from under him, he was wounded four times, and he is reported to have killed 30 men in hand-to-hand combat. His only defeat came in the defense of Selma on April 2, 1865. In his farewell address, he said, "I have never on the field of battle sent you where I was unwilling to go myself, nor would I now advise you to a course which I felt myself unwilling to pursue," and he urged his men to be good citizens and preserve their honor. After the war, Forrest helped support widows and orphans of those who served under his command. He died on October 29, 1877, and he and his wife are buried at Elm Springs, SCV Headquarters, Columbia, Tennessee.