We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together. We may

The Confederate cavalryman and later controversial figure, Nathan Bedford Forrest, spoke words of reconciliation and unity when he declared: “We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together. We may differ in color, but not in sentiment. Many things have been said about me which are wrong, and which white and black persons here, who stood by me through the war, can contradict.” These words, though spoken by a man whose name is often entangled in division and violence, ring with an appeal to healing. They remind us that even in the aftermath of great conflict, there exists the possibility—however fragile—of seeking a common bond that transcends the wounds of the past.

The flag here represents more than cloth fluttering in the wind. It is the emblem of a shared destiny, a symbol under which a people might cast aside former enmities and strive for unity. By declaring, “one flag, one country,” Forrest acknowledged that the war which had torn the nation in two must give way to reconciliation. Though he had fought fiercely for the Confederacy, his words reflect the recognition that once the guns fell silent, survival and peace demanded loyalty to a single nation.

Yet the most striking part of his saying is the acknowledgment of color. In a time when racial bitterness still scarred the land, Forrest called upon black and white alike to share in sentiment, to recognize their common humanity, and to stand as one people beneath the same banner. Whether spoken from true conviction or from a moment of political calculation, the words themselves contain the seed of a timeless truth: that the worth of a person is not measured by the shade of their skin, but by the fidelity of their heart and the loyalty of their deeds.

History bears witness to the context. Forrest had been a general of renown, feared and respected as a cavalry leader in the Civil War. Yet after the war, he was also entangled in violence and accused of ties with the Ku Klux Klan, which made his later appeals to reconciliation all the more complex. Still, in 1875, at a gathering where both black and white citizens were present, he gave this address, speaking directly to those who had once been enslaved, urging unity and understanding. It was a remarkable moment, where words sought to heal, even if the speaker’s legacy was weighed down by contradiction.

We may see in this a reflection of countless other moments when former enemies sought to bridge the chasm of war. Recall Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, where he pleaded for “malice toward none, charity for all,” in the midst of the nation’s greatest bloodshed. Or think of the postwar rebuilding of Germany and Japan, where nations that once sought one another’s destruction became partners in peace. These stories remind us that even the fiercest conflict need not end in eternal hatred, if hearts are willing to seek reconciliation.

The deeper meaning of Forrest’s words is this: division may be natural in times of strife, but unity is essential in times of peace. A people who remain forever at war within themselves will never prosper, for their strength will be wasted on bitterness. The flag cannot be honored if those beneath it cannot look upon one another as fellow citizens. To declare “one country” is not only to claim a common land, but to embrace the responsibility of common care, common loyalty, and common hope.

For us who live today, the lesson is clear: in every family, every community, every nation, there will be differences—of color, of creed, of origin, of opinion. But if we allow those differences to divide us, we will fall. If instead we hold to the truth that unity is greater than division, that sentiment can bind where color separates, then we may build a future stronger than the past. Let us guard our words, let us labor for peace, and let us remember that in the end, we are bound not by what makes us different, but by the flag we choose to honor together.