St. David's Field, Tennessee 1863 ???

[samgrant]

The opening scenes of the movie "Dances with Wolves", the Civil War scene is purported to take place at St. David's Field, Tennessee in 1863.

In the book he dreams of a field hospital in Pennsylvania, which would suggest Gettysburg, but the dream happens in April 1863.

So is St. David's Field a real place, or is it made up?


===

[johan_steele]

It's a Kevin Costner thing... need more be said?

[Elennsar]

It's a Kevin Costner thing... need more be said?

A fact or two may have slipped in the editing process, though.

[ole]

I don't know, but if I were to make a movie only indirectly involving a battle, I'd invent the battle to avoid all the kvetching about accuracy.

[M E Wolf]

Dear SamGrant;

Nothing comes up specificly for "St. David's Fields."

Haven't looked into 'churches' that could have been in the vicinity of the date at Tennessee--yet. (That would be a very long manual search and imperfect).
=====================
O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXVIII/2 [S# 47]
Correspondence, Orders, And Returns Relating To Operations On The Coasts Of South Carolina And Georgia, And In Middle And East Florida, From June 12 To December 31, 1863.
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.--#1
HDQRS. DEPT. SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA,
Charleston, S. C., July 4, 1863.
Brig. Gen. Q. A. GILLMORE,
Commanding U.S. Forces, Port Royal, S.C.:
GENERAL: In the interest of humanity, it seems to be my duty to address you, with a view of effecting some understanding as to the future conduct of the war in this quarter.
[excerpt]
The pillage and destruction of towns, the devastation of the open country, setting fire to houses, the same publicist expressly declares to be measures "no less odious and detestable when done without absolute necessity." This, Vattel expressly says, "is equally applicable to the operations of a civil war, the parties to which are bound to observe the common laws of war." Even the Duke of Alva was finally forced to respect these laws of war in his conduct toward the "confederates in the Netherlands."
Wheaton is no less explicit than Vattel on all these points. He declares that private property and land can only be taken in special cases; that is, when captured on the field or in besieged places and towns, or as military contributions levied upon the inhabitants of hostile territory. (See page 395, Law of Nations.)
The pages of the American publicist furnish the most striking condemnation of the acts of your soldiery on the Combahee, and at Jacksonville, Bluffton, and Darien, in connection with the burning, by the British, of Havre de Grace, in 1813, the devastations of Lord Cochrane on the coast of Chesapeake Bay, and in relation to some excesses of the troops of the United States in Canada.
The destruction of Havre de Grace was characterized at the time by the Cabinet at Washington as "manifestly contrary to the usages of civilized warfare." That village, we are told, was ravaged and burned, to the "astonishment" of its unarmed inhabitants, at seeing that they derived no protection to their property from the laws of war.
Further, the burning of the village of Newark, in Canada, and near Fort George, by the troops of the United States, in 1813, though defended as legitimate by the officers who did it, on the score of military necessity, yet the act was earnestly disavowed and repudiated by the Government of the United States of that day. So, too, was the burning of Long Point, concerning which a military investigation was instituted. And for the destruction of Saint David by stragglers, the officer who commanded on that occasion was dismissed the service without trial for permitting it. (Wheaton on the Law of Nations, page 399.)
[My Note: Havre de Grace is in Maryland]
The Government of the United States, then under the inspiration of southern statesmen, declared that it "owed to itself, and to the principles it ever held sacred, to disavow any such wanton, cruel, and unjustifiable warfare ;" which it further denounced as "revolting to humanity and repugnant to the sentiments and usages of the civilized world."
[excerpt]
In conclusion, it is my duty to inquire whether the acts which re-suited in the burning of the defenseless villages of Darien and Bluffton, and the ravages on the Combahee, are regarded by you as legitimate measures of war, which you will feel authorized to resort to hereafter.
I inclose two newspaper accounts, (*) copied from the journals of the United States, giving relations of the transactions in question.
Respectfully, general, your obedient servant,
G. T. BEAUREGARD,
General, Commanding.
------------------------------------------------------------
It is 1863 this is written--just not in April; unless what Beauregard is talking about happened in April.
--------------------------------------
ALERT - TROJAN VIRUS ON AOL.COM'S INQUIRY TO ST. DAVID'S FIELD-DON'T OPEN LINK WITH IZABEL, ETC. IT IS FISHING/PHISHING FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD WINDOWS ANTI-VIRUS PROTECTION BUT, ITS A VIRUS--(Caught by McAfee)

Respectfully submitted,
M. E. Wolf

[johan_steele]

All I have to say about Dances w/ Wolves: NEVER watch the movie w/ a Lakota speaker they'll be rolling in the aisles as what is up on the screen is NOT what's being said.

I'm not a fan of Costner, an amusing story on the subject: During the filming Mr Costner walked up to the language consultant and asked him for the Lakota word for "fast, sleek, black and beautiful" he was told "Porsche." He walked away practicing the word.... it took him a while to catch the joke.

[larry_cockerham]

Back home we call 'em porches. I've never heard of St. David anything in Tennessee. That don't mean it ain't here, but it's hidden if it is.