Trivia 9-19-16 Writer

[Trivia Master]

Born in Florida, I served my state as a Private and 2nd Lieutenant. I fought in one battle, where we completely annihilated the enemy . l left the service after a fortnight to give the Union cause a chance. I am more well known under my nom de plume. Who am I?

Credit: @Reb

 

[donna]

I think the answer is Mark Twain , Samuel Clemens. He joined Confederate militia, The Marion Rangers and was in it for 2 weeks.

 

[JohnDLittlefield]

It would appear that you are none other than Samuel Langhorne Clemens (aka Mark Twain) born in Florida, Missouri. I served two weeks with the Marion Rangers before leaving the service.
source: general knowledge and
http://civilwarsaga.com/mark-twains-civil-war-experience/

 

[Copperhead-mi]

Born in Florida, Missouri, Samuel L. Clemens wrote under the pen name of Mark Twain.

 

[Brenal]

Samuel Langhorne Clemens aka Mark Twain

 

[DR_Hanna]

Sounds like Sam Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, born in Florida, MO, spent about 2 weeks in the Confederate service, but can't find a reference to any rank of 2nd luey.

 

[Stony]

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910),[1] better known by his pen name Mark Twain.
source-http://www.abroadintheyard.com/mark...why-he-turned-his-back-on-american-civil-war/
Learned something today as I usually do. Great story.

 

[kholland]

Mark Twain, born in Florida, Missouri. He tells about that battle where his forces had 15 men and the enemy 1. "So began and ended the only battle in the history of the world where the opposing force was utterly exterminated, swept from the face of the earth – to the last man. And yet you don't know the name of that battle; you don't even know the name of that man".

 

[UCVRelics]

Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain

 

[MajGenl.Meade]

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain

http://www.abroadintheyard.com/mark...why-he-turned-his-back-on-american-civil-war/

"When your secretary invited me to this reunion of the Union veterans of Maryland he requested me to come prepared to clear up a matter which he said had long been a subject of dispute and bad blood in war circles in this country – to wit, the true dimensions of my military services in the Civil War, and the effect they had upon the general result. I recognise the importance of this thing to history, and I have come prepared. Here are the details.

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) at the time of the Civil War
I was in the Civil War two weeks. In that brief time I rose from private to second lieutenant. The monumental feature of my campaign was the one battle which my command fought – it was in the summer of '61. If I do say it, it was the bloodiest battle ever fought in human history; there is nothing approaching it for destruction of human life in the field, if you take into consideration the forces engaged and the proportion of death to survival. And yet you do not even know the name of that battle. Neither do I. It had a name, but I have forgotten it. It is no use to keep private information which you can't show off.

In our battle there were just 15 men engaged on our side – all brigadier-generals but me, and I was a second-lieutenant. On the other side there was one man. He was a stranger. We killed him. It was night, and we thought it was an army of observation; he looked like an army of observation – in fact, he looked bigger than an army of observation would in the day time; and some of us believed he was trying to surround us, and some thought he was going to turn our position, and so we shot him.

Poor fellow, he probably wasn't an army of observation after all, but that wasn't our fault; as I say, he had all the look of it in the dim light. It was a sorrowful circumstance, but he took the chances of war, and he drew the wrong card; he over-estimated his fighting strength, and he suffered the likely result; but he fell as the brave should fall – with his face to the front and feet to the field – so we buried him with the honours of war, and took his things.

So began and ended the only battle in the history of the world where the opposing force was utterly exterminated, swept from the face of the earth – to the last man. And yet you don't know the name of that battle; you don't even know the name of that man.

Now, then, for the argument. Suppose I had continued in the war, and gone on as I began, and exterminated the opposing forces every time – every two weeks – where would your war have been? Why, you see yourself, the conflict would have been too one-sided. There was but one honourable course for me to pursue, and I pursued it. I withdrew to private life, and gave the Union cause a chance. There, now, you have the whole thing in a nutshell; it was not my presence in the Civil War that determined that tremendous contest – it was my retirement from it that brought the crash. It left the Confederate side too weak."

 

[roberts]

Samuel Langhorne Clemens better know as Mark Twain.

 

[adisciu9]

Samuel Clemens ("Mark Twain")

 

[JOHN42768]

I'm guessing a little play on words. Born in Florida, Mo. He was elected 2nd lt and only was in the guard for around 2 weeks. I'm going with Samuel Langehorn Clements or "Mark Twain"

 

[1stMN]

Mark Twain

Source: http://www.biography.com/people/mark-twain-9512564

 

[MRB1863]

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, possibly better known as Mark Twain. Born in Florida Missouri.

 

[Wallyfish]

I was Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). I was born in Florida Missouri and in 2 weeks went from Private to Second Lieutenant.

It is no use to keep private information which you can't show off. In our battle there were just 15 men engaged on our side – all brigadier-generals but me, and I was a second-lieutenant. On the other side there was one man. He was a stranger. We killed him. It was night, and we thought it was an army of observation; he looked like an army of observation – in fact, he looked bigger than an army of observation would in the day time; and some of us believed he was trying to surround us, and some thought he was going to turn our position, and so we shot him.

Poor fellow, he probably wasn't an army of observation after all, but that wasn't our fault; as I say, he had all the look of it in the dim light. It was a sorrowful circumstance, but he took the chances of war, and he drew the wrong card; he over-estimated his fighting strength, and he suffered the likely result; but he fell as the brave should fall – with his face to the front and feet to the field – so we buried him with the honours of war, and took his things.

So began and ended the only battle in the history of the world where the opposing force was utterly exterminated, swept from the face of the earth – to the last man. And yet you don't know the name of that battle; you don't even know the name of that man.

Now, then, for the argument. Suppose I had continued in the war, and gone on as I began, and exterminated the opposing forces every time – every two weeks – where would your war have been? Why, you see yourself, the conflict would have been too one-sided. There was but one honourable course for me to pursue, and I pursued it. I withdrew to private life, and gave the Union cause a chance. There, now, you have the whole thing in a nutshell; it was not my presence in the Civil War that determined that tremendous contest – it was my retirement from it that brought the crash. It left the Confederate side too weak."



http://www.abroadintheyard.com/mark...why-he-turned-his-back-on-american-civil-war/

 

[57th Indiana Infantry]

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

"When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not."

 

[GELongstreet]

Very clever wording (if I´m right). In that case you are Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.

 

[MaryDee]

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. Good one, @Reb--he was born in Florida, Missouri!

https://books.google.com/books?id=L...ivil war private lieutenant pseudonym&f=false
Wikipedia article, "Mark Twain"
For his amusing account of his Civil War service, "The Private History of a Campaign that Failed": http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/phctf.html
For what he did just after leaving Confederate service, see his Roughing It.

 

[LoriAnn]

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (also known as Mark Twain).

Source