ERIK SCHELZIG, Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE – A bust of Civil War general and early Klu Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest has been moved from outside the doors of the Tennessee House chamber but still remains in a place of prominence on the main floor of the state Capitol.
The rearrangement of the Capitol busts was spurred by a new bust to honor Sampson W. Keeble, the state’s first black lawmaker who served in the House from 1873 to 1874. The likeness of Keeble is meant to serve as a “commemorative emblem” to all 14 black lawmakers who served in the 19th century.
Until Wednesday, the busts outside the House chamber were of Forrest and Union Adm. David G. Farragut, who in 1864 famously ordered “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” as he led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Ala.
The busts of the two Tennesseans facing each other were meant to represent the two sides in the Civil War, Tennessee State Museum Director Lois Riggins-Ezell said.