7th Mississippi Infantry
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2013
- Location
- Southwest Mississippi
In the South we do not tell "Tall Tales" or embellish stories. I should not tell this but
But.
In the South we do not tell "Tall Tales" or embellish stories. I should not tell this but
Much better story than being injured by potatoes.Hah !
There's nothing wrong with embellishing 'a tale' . . . when everyone understands that's what it is and it's for entertainment.
But I had an Uncle ( World II Vet that outright lied).
Don't get me wrong, I loved him to death, and he was a character in his own right.
He did return from the War permanently injured.
And he had to walk with crutches from 1944 until his death a few years ago. He always claimed he had been shot in the leg during an amphibious landing somewhere in the South Pacific. Then the truth came out.
He was injured in an accident on his troopship no where near a combat zone.
Seems he was standing underneath a 1000 pound net of potatoes, when the hoist cable snapped.
I'm not laughing at his injuries at all . . . only his story about how he saw the eyes of the Japanese soldier up close . . . before he was shot on the beach.
Take it with a grain of salt because I'm talking out my nose, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Custer!
In my experience of men, as they get older the stories get better and bigger and longer.
And he had to walk with crutches from 1944 until his death a few years ago. He always claimed he had been shot in the leg during an amphibious landing somewhere in the South Pacific. Then the truth came out.
He was injured in an accident on his troopship no where near a combat zone.
Seems he was standing underneath a 1000 pound net of potatoes, when the hoist cable snapped.
Hah !This is called "reverse perspective" -- the far away they are, the bigger they get. It's a problem with old soldiers' war stories.
I dont want to derail this great thread, but just wanted to let you know that Longstreet's praise of Sickle's forward line "saving the Union army" at Gettysburg was published in the newspaper at least once. I can't say if Longstreet intended for it to be published or not, but it was. https://civilwartalk.com/threads/longstreet-to-sickles-on-gettysburg-1902.145172/#post-1798773He also tailored them to his audience. Whenever he was with his buddy, Dan Sickles, he enthusiastically agreed that by moving his line forward on the 2nd day, Dan had broken up his attack and did, indeed, "save the Union army at Gettysburg." I never heard of him saying that except when he and Sickles were together.
Missed that one. I've got one or two threads discussing newspaper reports of it, too.I dont want to derail this great thread, but just wanted to let you know that Longstreet's praise of Sickle's forward line "saving the Union army" at Gettysburg was published in the newspaper at least once. I can't say if Longstreet intended for it to be published or not, but it was. https://civilwartalk.com/threads/longstreet-to-sickles-on-gettysburg-1902.145172/#post-1798773
Custer did kill his own horse with a shot to the head. This happened while he was chasing buffalo. I think this was during the Washita Campaign but I can't remember for sure.
Love it !Southerners have longed been categorized as being slow, which is a poor choice of words in my opinion. We are deliberate! For example:
Like any good dip, there are 8 layers to a Southern goodbye:
1) "about to leave" warning
2) a "we've gotta go" statement
3) hugs
4) walking to the driveway
5) one more conversation in the driveway
6) more hugs
7) talking while everyone's piling in the car
8) pulling out of the driveway
Whereas in the North, all goodbyes are said inside before they close the door on you!
Regards
David
Southerners have longed been categorized as being slow, which is a poor choice of words in my opinion. We are deliberate! For example:
Like any good dip, there are 8 layers to a Southern goodbye:
1) "about to leave" warning
2) a "we've gotta go" statement
3) hugs
4) walking to the driveway
5) one more conversation in the driveway
6) more hugs
7) talking while everyone's piling in the car
8) pulling out of the driveway
Whereas in the North, all goodbyes are said inside before they close the door on you!
Regards
David
and there's three boxes of corn and squash on the floor... We could have opened a roadside stand!
Sharing the produce from one’s garden says a lot about the recipient. Won’t share my ‘matters with just anyone kinda of attitude. Plus if it was sweet corn then you are special but you must eat it soon as the sugar will turn to starch and then it ain’t sweet!
Regards
David
It wasn't Forrest. Having found and bought the book Bedford Forrest And His Critter Company, the opening preface gives theses statistics on page xi-"General Longstreet, alluding to the exaggerated number of horses said to have been killed under several of the most celebrated cavalry commanders engaged in the American Civil War, in a letter to the author of this article, dated Sept. 22, writes: 'Referring to seventeen horses killed in battle ... The seventeen horses can perhaps be accounted for when we reflect that the commander knew little of the power and importance of organization, and that going into the cavalry fights his unorganized forces may have shot his horses instead of the enemy. If he were riding for (Forrest), I doubt if he would have asked credit for seventeen horses killed.'"Gen. J. G. Wilson, The Outlook magazine, p. 59, January 1897Ok, which "celebrated cavalry commander" was it who claimed 17 dead horses?
Take it with a grain of salt because I'm talking out my nose, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Custer! JO Shelby ran Forrest a close second on dead horses - he had 24 shot out from under him. But Confederates had to get their own horses without reimbursment...which is one reason both Forrest and Shelby were darn good horse thieves. Make the other guy pay!