An intimate biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest, arguably the most interesting figure to emerge from the Civil War - widely admired as a military genius.

At 14 he became the head of his impoverished family, responsible for feeding 11 on the rough American frontier. By 39 he had established himself as a successful plantation owner worth over $1 million. And at 40 years old, Nathan Bedford Forrest enlisted in a Tennessee cavalry regiment - and became a controversial Civil War legend.

The legacy of General Nathan Bedford Forrest is deeply divisive. Best known for being accused of war crimes at the Battle of Fort Pillow and for his role as first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan - an organization he later denounced - Forrest has often been studied as a military figure, but never before studied as a fascinating individual who wrestled with the complex issues of his violent times. Bust Hell Wide Open is a comprehensive portrait of Nathan Bedford Forrest as a man: his achievements, failings, reflections, and regrets.