Forrest's Fighting Preacher: David Campbell Kelley of Tennessee - Paperback

by Michael R. Bradley (Author)

Every leader needs a trusted confidant. For Nathan Bedford Forrest, one of the Civil War's greatest military minds, that man was David Campbell Kelley. Kelley began adulthood in the clergy, serving for two years as a missionary in China and returning home just a year before the Civil War. He then raised a company of cavalry from his family's large congregation that became part of Forrest's original regiment. Kelley quickly became Forrest's second in command, assisting in some of his most daring engagements, offering support in key decisions and serving as his unofficial chaplain. Following the war, Kelley returned to preaching, helped establish Vanderbilt University and launched a campaign for governor of Tennessee. Now, for the first time, author Michael R. Bradley brings Kelley's dynamic life to the fore.

Author Biography

Michael R. Bradley earned his PhD from Vanderbilt University and taught U.S. history for thirty-six years at Motlow College in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Now professor emeritus, he remains an active author and speaker. He has written a number of Civil War books in addition to this biography of David C. Kelley. Dr. Bradley is a life member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and is the immediate past commander of the Tennessee Division of the SCV. He and his wife live in Tullahoma, Tennessee.