One of my favorite episodes of when I portrayed the general was in Perrysburg, Ohio, about 12 years ago. I was supposed to lecture an audience of about one hundred to one hundred fifty people connected with the county's historical society. They wanted me to speak for about an hour and a half. My format was I'd speak for 45 to 50 minutes and then take questions. To make a long story short, when I came out to the lectern, there were over four hundred people present and I spoke and answered questions for almost three hours!
One lady asked me my anniversary date. For a moment, like most husbands, I drew a blank. I said, Well I'll be, I've forgotten,...have any of you husbands been in that predicament?" The women in the hall just roared with laughter!
I took another question and right in the middle of explaining that question, I said the anniversary date. This time the men roared with laughter! It went very well. In fact they took up a donation from the audience and I got triple my usual fee! Guess they liked me.
I would NOT charge public schools for my time. That I would do for free. Private schools, historical groups, business groups,historical events, yes I charged. 150 dollars a day if I had to travel more than a hundred miles and if they wanted me to set up HQ. Other than that it was 100 dollars an hour for lectures and talks.
I will add, I also did military groups for free. I had a lady come up to me once after a very trying session, where I was drilled incessantly by two college professor's who were trying their best to trip me up, she said for an hour and half I was in the presence of JEB Stuart. You made me forget it was someone impersonating him. wow! What do you say to people like that!
The professors came up and spoke with me and let know who they were, I'd already guessed that. The one said, I've been teaching this for years. You've given me some very good points to ponder. Things, I've never thought about concerning the war.
Of course there are those who are straight out distracters. I had one gent one night flat was a nuisance. I finally asked him if he had ever served in the military to really know how things "Really were." He said "NO."
I took out my retired ID card and held it up.
I said, "that's funny sir because I don't remember things being that way." You could have heard a pin drop in that room!
That's enough! sorry!
It had its ups and downs, more I'm glad say, were on the up side.

On this date (15 May 1864) The Battle of New Market occurred. Included in the Southern forces were some cadets from the Virginia Military Institute.....10 of them were KIA, 47 WIA......Their memory is celebrated to this day......"Killed on the field of honor, sir!"

Duane A. Brinson Kailua-Kona, Hi.
U.S.M.C. 1985-1989

Yes sir, I hope you have seen the painting in the VMI Chapel. Its awesome!!! The museum there is also.
I must confess, My wife and I walked down the sidewalk in CW clothing to take each other's pictures in front of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. My being in unifrom as General Stuart, even on a Sunday, made a bit of a stir.

We also went over to Washington and Lee college. Where the Park Service graciously let General Stuart have time alone with General Lee.
Wow! The emotions that well up even now 9 years later! Its an experience never to be forgotten!

Had an all to brief visit to Lexington in October '06.....Saw General Jackson's grave, General Lee's grave, but missed alot...(V.M.I. Museum, General Jackson's home, etc..) Planning a more extensive visit this Oct. as I head up to Gettysburg.....Going from South Carolina to Gettysburg....Going to be AWESOME.....

Duane A. Brinson Kailua-Kona, Hi.
U.S.M.C. 1985-1989

P.S. On this date (16 May 1863) the Battle of Champion's Hill was fought .....

Duane,Wasnt there a movie about the VMI cadets marching on to the field with banners flying to meet the Yanks? Im been trying to think of its name and cant.I would like to see it again and again and again.And good morning to you General.Would you care for some coffee?

17 may 1864-In Arkansas Shelbys Confederate raiders captured Dardanelle and in Louisiana skirming flared at Yellow Bayou.

Thank you sir, I was up early this morning and had the maker fired up with some Folger's Black Silk. I like the Irish Creme I get from the Anderson's General Stores, here in Ohio also. Thank you again for the coffee offer. Have your people sleep in two extra hours in the morning and they are excused from morning fatigues. Sound okay?
I believe the cadets from the military academy in John Wayne's The Horse Soldiers were to symbolize that. But it seems to me that there is another movie that talks about the cadets and says,"We need them so they're going too. Something to that effect and they show them marching by. I can see it but can't think of it!

The one Im thinking of shows them marching on to the field and forming a battle line.And one of the Federal officers said something like"they are a bunch of kids"And the cadets charged the union line.Thanks for the extra two hours General.But my people have to decline your kindness.They said they have a job to do,and do it they will.

quote:

Originally posted by wilddavemsg:
Duane,Wasnt there a movie about the VMI cadets marching on to the field with banners flying to meet the Yanks? Im been trying to think of its name and cant.I would like to see it again and again and again.And good morning to you General.Would you care for some coffee?

There's a scene in the John Wayne/William Holden classic "The Horse Soldiers" (if you look closely you'll see Ken Curtis who played "Festus" in "Gunsmoke" also) Where cadets from a "Southern" military academy march off to battle. Only problem is "The Horse Soldiers" is loosely based on Col. Grierson's cavalry raid (can't remember where he started from, but he ended up in LaGrange La.) and Col. Grierson was nowhere near New Market...

Duane A. Brinson Kailua-Kona, Hi.
U.S.M.C. 1985-1989

Grierson was headed toward Baton Rouge.He had just traveled 600 miles in 16 days,76 miles in the past 28 hours.This was on 2 May 1863.Youre right,no way he could have been at New Market.

That is right on the money, but John Ford once said he was so impressed by the cadets sense of duty in doing that he wanted something in "The Horse Soldiers" to show it that so people would ask and find out about the real thing.
That's the same movie I was thinking about. The one you mentioned.
Ken Curtis, Biff Russell, John Agar, John Mitchum, Yvone De Carlo's husband, I forget his name, Hank Worden,Ward Bond, Denver Pyle and some others were in "The Wayne/Ford good old Boys Club." most of them came up through Poverty row "B" pictures in Hollywood and Duke and Ford never forgot their friends, they always had work for them in the movies they made. Biff Russell, that played "Trooper Dunker" in the Horse Soldiers is the father of actor Kurt Russell. John Mitchum was Robert's younger brother, Chris Mitchum is in alot Duke's westerns is Robert's youngest son.
Duke made "The Big Trail" in 1930 with Tyrone Power Senior and almost killed his career! He had to work 9 years in "B" westerns before he got another break from Ford in "Stagecoach."
They tended to do alot of things their own way when it came to American history.

Strrretcheeed things aaabbbbiiittt!

Im going to get that movie.It really does something for me to see those kids do what they did.

18 May 1861-Arkansas was officially admitted to the Confederacy.1864-President Davis expressed his disapppointment to General Johnston over the withdrawal in Georgia.

quote:

Originally posted by wilddavemsg:
Im going to get that movie.It really does something for me to see those kids do what they did.

The Civil War has been advertised as the last of the "romantic wars" and the first of the "modern wars". But I find nothing evokes a sense of romance and nostalgia like that one battle scene in The Horse Soldiers where the young cadets form up for a classic "fire and reload" battle formation. Even though the weapons were highly inaccurate and largely considered ineffectual beyond 75 yards, that battle formation was really intended to transform an ineffectual infantry unit into a killing machine. In it's ultimate, most disciplined form an entire column was turned onto its flank 4 ranks deep. The first rank would kneel and the second rank would fire over the heads of the first rank while the 3rd and 4th ranks stood behind. Upon the order to fire, all weapons in the front 2 ranks fired at once (volley fire). Then immediately ranks 3 and 4 stepped through the front 2 ranks, who were now busy reloading their weapons (a really skilled infantryman could reload a musket in less than a minute, rifles took much longer to reload), and repeated the process. A well disciplined unit could fire 3 or 4 vollies before they broke ranks for a frontal assault. Of course, 3 or 4 vollies of this kind of devastating fire (typically at a range of 50 yards or less) usually left the enemy in utter tatters. Nevertheless, I have to admit that for pure nostalgia and romance, nothing quite equals that classic battle formation.

That's the classic formation for Napoleonic Infantry and before, using muskets.
I can think of several other classic battle formations.
1. The Knights and Men-at-arms dismounted in the center with the archers and knife men on the wings.
2. The Greek and Macedonian Phalanx, which Cesear learned to defeat.
3. The staggered and offset Roman Legions used against the Gauls
4. The German Wedge
5. Infantry square to ward off cavalry.
(With that the Swiss pikemen in squares)

"Horse soldiers was one a my favorite movies. I also loved the scene where they are at the cabin, and discoverd a REB REGT. had cut thm off on the opposite side of tghe river, and a Reb Brigade was fast closing in. Only one thing to do.They get in cav troop , line of march. Then Col. says "Blow bugler BLOW" an the souund of charge is made,they cross the bridge and take out the guns. Blow tghe bridge an escape.

If you guys want to hash things out with Abe, come up or over or out to Fort Meigs in Perrysburg, Ohio the weekend of June14 and June 15. The event is called "Muster on the Maumee" Its a time line event and we'll have Romans, Vikings, Crusader knights on up to WWII and after.
The wife and I will be there with the president portraying Colonel Lafayette Baker and his wife.
Last year they even had a German Army (World WarII) headquarters set up! It was sharp, just like walking back sixty years! They even had a British Desert Rat outpost set up.
C'mon out and we'll sit under the canvas fly and "Jaw" awhile!You might learn something!

AirDefndr,Thats the scene Im talking about.Loved it.