terfered with the success of their favorite tragedian in England. In May, 1849, when Macready was acting Macbeth in the Astor place opera-house, the friends of Forrest hissed and interrupted the performance. The Astor place riot ensued, which resulted in the death of twenty-two men and the wounding of thirty-six others. In the succeeding year Mrs. Forrest brought her suit for divorce, which her husband met with a cross-suit. The trial occupied the courts for two years, and was finally decided in favor of the wife on all points and a decree for the payment of $3,000 alimony per annum. In this trial Charles O'Conor, the counsel for the defendant, won a national reputation by winning the case against John Van Buren, and securing for the lady an honorable verdict and a liberal alimony. Forrest left the court-room defeated and calumniated, but was lionized by the masses. On his appearance during the last period of the lawsuit at the Broadway theatre as Damon, the house was crowded to suffocation, and his success for sixty nights exceeded anything ever known in the history of the theatre. But the wealth that poured in upon him and the applause of his followers did not soften a temper soured by domestic sorrow. His quarrel with Macready and his part in the Astor place riot had added to his notoriety, while they weakened his fame, and still further embittered his temper. In 1853 he played Macbeth, with a strong cast and fine scenery, at the Broadway theatre for four weeks — an unprecedented run at that date — and at the end of this engagement he retired from the stage for several years. He became interested in politics, being spoken of as a candidate for congress, and did not return to professional life until 1860, when he appeared at Niblo's Garden, New York, as Hamlet, and played the most successful engagement of his life. Hereditary gout developed itself in a malignant form in 1865, during an engagement at the Holliday street theatre, Baltimore, the sciatic nerve was paralyzed, and he never regained the use of his hand or his steady gait. His California tour in 1866 was a failure. He played his last New York engagement in February, 1871, the plays being “Richelieu” and “Lear”; the weather was cold, and the houses empty. On the night of 25 March, 1871, he appeared in Boston at the Globe theatre, as Lear, played this part six times, and was announced for Richelieu and Virginius; but on the intervening Sunday caught cold. He struggled through the former rôle on Monday night, and rare bursts of eloquence lighted the gloom, but he labored piteously against the disease which was fast conquering him. Being offered stimulants, he signed them away, with the words, “If I die, I will still be my royal self.” This was his last appearance as an actor. He recovered from the severe attack of pneumonia; but the craving for public applause, which was his only happiness, induced him to give readings from Shakespeare in several large cities. The scheme failed, and was abandoned, to his deep mortification. A stroke of paralysis ended his life suddenly and without pain. His servant found him dead, alone, and apparently asleep, in his home in Philadelphia. The large sums that he had earned on the stage were judiciously and fortunately invested, and resulted in his amassing a large fortune. He had purchased, about 1850, a site on the banks of the Hudson, on which he erected a castellated structure. This estate, which he named Fonthill, he afterward sold at a large advance for a convent. In 1855 he purchased a mansion in Philadelphia, to which he retired after his temporary abandonment of the stage. There he collected the largest dramatic library in the United States. By avoiding New York and by legal evasions he succeeded in escaping the payment of alimony to his wife, but left his estate heavily in her debt. His will, besides bequests to his friends, contained a plan by which his fortune, in the hands of trustees, was to be used in the erection and support of a home for aged actors, to which purpose he devoted his Philadelphia home; but the claims of his living wife crippled the legacy, and some awkward provisions of the will weakened the purpose of the testator. Edwin Forrest was what his own inherited nature and the bias of his life made him. He was turbulent, colossal, and aggressive, but allied to humanity by a great tenderness of soul. His greatest parts were Lear, Othello, and Coriolanus. The characters of Tell and Virginius were also suited to his powers. A favorite part with himself was Aylmere in “Jack Cade,” a tragedy written for him by Judge Robert T. Conrad, which he first played in New York soon after his marriage. The Roman died with him. With him properly begins the royal line of American dramatic monarchs. A “Life of Edwin Forrest” was published by J. Rees (Philadelphia, 1874), and one by William R. Alger (1875). See also his biography, by Lawrence Barrett, in “The American Actor Series” (Boston, 1883).
FORREST, French, naval olficer, b. in Maryland in 1796; d. in Georgetown, D. C, 22 Dec, 1866. He became a midshipman, 9 June, 1811, and fought bravely in the war of 1812, distinguishing himself under Com. Perry in the battles on Lake Erie, and in the action between the "Hornet" and the "Peacock" on 24 Feb., 1813. He was
advanced to a lieutenancy, 5 March, 1817, made commander, 9 Feb., 1837, and captain, 30 March, 1844. During the war with Mexico he was adjutant-general of the land and naval forces, and
superintended the transportation of troops into the interior of that country. At the beginning of the civil war, when Virginia seceded, he joined the Confederates, and was given the command of the navy. He took charge at Norfolk navy-yard, and
afterward was appointed to the command of the
James river squadron. He then became acting
assistant secretary of the navy.
FORREST, Nathan Bedford, soldier, b. in Bedford county, Tenn., 13 July, 1821 ; d. in Memphis, Tenn., 29 Oct., 1877. While yet quite young he removed with his family to Mississippi, where
his father soon afterward died, leaving Nathan mainly responsible for the support of the household. In 1842 he removed to Hernando, Miss., and established himself as a planter, remaining there till about 1852, when he went to Memphis, Tenn., and became a real estate broker and dealer in slaves. When the civil war broke out he had amassed a considerable fortune. In June, 1861, he
joined the Tennessee mounted rifles, and in July
