The Union Colonel must have been mistaken -- for of war and all that -- as there is no record of any dead black rebel soldier or black POW or pensioner or any black regiment. Show me any factual evidence from any of the many Forrest biographers. Among all the record or the Confederate army in existence, no one has ever found a record of those (non-existent) black regiments. You mean to say that Nathan Bedford Forrest, murderer of dozens of black Union POWs and future Grand Dragon of the KKK, had black soldiers? Ridiculous!
Wrong.
Sons Dalton and Lee received Henderson's first and last Tennessee Colored Confederate pension check upon their father's death in September 1926.
Forrest didn't murder black Union POWs. Some of his Tennesse troops might have since the black Federal soldiers had reportedly been molesting and shaking down their families, but not Forrest. Here is report about Fort Pillow in the Memphis Argus shortly after Forrest's troops routed the Federals there. Memphis was at that time in Northern hands:
[US] Capt. Young, Provost Marshall, was taken prisoner, slightly wounded, and paroled the liberty of their camps, and allowed to see his wife. He says that our troops [the Federals] behaved gallantly throughout the whole action, that our loss [Federals again] in killed will exceed 200; he also stated that Gen. Forrest shot one of his own men for refusing quarters to our men.
That was apparently not the first time Forrest shot one of his own men for disobeying an order. He had quite a temper. From Wythe in That Devil Forrest, page 488, paperback:
During the stampede or retreat, which almost amounted to a panic, Forrest rode in among the infantry, and ordering the men to rally, and doing all in his power to stop the retreat. He rode up and down the lines, shouting, 'Rally, men -- for God's sake, rally!' The panic stricken soldiers, however, paid no attention to the general. Rushing toward a color-bearer, he ordered him to halt. Failing to have his command obeyed, he drew his pistol and shot the retreating soldier down. Dismounting, Forrest took the colors, remounted his horse, and, riding in front of the soldiers, waved their colors at them and finally succeeded in rallying them to do their duty.
According to what I've read on the web (always take such with a grain of salt), Forrest reportedly gave his own slaves a choice. Serve with me, and if we win, I'll make you free. If the Yankees win, you'll be free. If the Yankees lose and you do not serve with me, you'll still be a slave. Something to that effect anyway. Why wouldn't they come with him -- it was a path to freedom. I also gather that he freed them before the war ended.