John William De Forest (May 31, 1826 – July 17, 1906) was an American soldier and writer of literary realism, best known for his Civil War novel Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty.

Written from 1847 to 1850, The History of the Indians of Connecticut is critical of the settlers treatment of the Pequots and of King Philip's War, which is somewhat surprising given the early date of the scholarship.

In 1856, De Forest married Harriet Stillman Shepherd and the couple spent the early years of their marriage in Charleston, South Carolina.

He served constantly in the field until January 1865, taking an active part under Maj. Gen. Godfrey Weitzel's command in the southwestern states, and under Philip Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley.

In Miss Ravenel's Conversion, De Forest tried to come to grips with writing experiences he himself had had, and which did not fit any of the idealist and romantic patterns that war literature had followed so far.

Consequently, there are a number of scenes that portray war with a graphic sense of bloody reality (f. i. the siege of Port Hudson), but there are also burlesque and comical passages, as well as reflective moments.