NF Shelby Foote, "Stars in Their Courses."

Non-Fiction

Drew

Major
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
This is a C-SPAN interview with Foote from 1994. It was supposed to be about his book on Gettysburg, but the interviewer took him everywhere but there.

He's as entertaining and interesting as ever and I thought I'd share. It's worth a little under an hour on a cold winter's evening.


Civil War author, Shelby Foote - Stars in Their Courses - The Gettysburg Campaign - 1994 Interview - YouTube

This even better:

 
This even better:

I've watched that one several times as well. Never gets old listening to Mr. Foote.
 
Ive always enjoyed that interview and it is one of his better ones. I was fortunate enough to meet him on 2 occasions. One was at the annual awards dinner of the Gen NB Forrest camp in Memphis. After a few drinks he is a HOOT and things come out of his mouth that you don't see in any of his interviews.
 
Ive always enjoyed that interview and it is one of his better ones. I was fortunate enough to meet him on 2 occasions. One was at the annual awards dinner of the Gen NB Forrest camp in Memphis. After a few drinks he is a HOOT and things come out of his mouth that you don't see in any of his interviews.
I envy you. I would have loved to meet him. I've read a few of his biographies... and I can see what you mean. He was a wild child when he was young... and quite the ladies man. I also have 3 books signed by him. I kind of have what you'd call... a Shelby Foote collection...
 
I envy you. I would have loved to meet him. I've read a few of his biographies... and I can see what you mean. He was a wild child when he was young... and quite the ladies man. I also have 3 books signed by him. I kind of have what you'd call... a Shelby Foote collection...
I envy you as well !

I never got to meet the man. But my late ex Father-in-Law was an acquaintance of Mr. Foote.
(They were both from the Mississippi Delta, and they both moved to Memphis)

Anyway, the ex Father-in-Law basically said the same thing.

His description of Foote:

"Foote is a character !
The man knows history, and he's mesmerizing when relating events.
And he loves Tennessee Whiskey more than I do "

:bounce:
 
I can't remember who the other author was as I was 22 at the time but the story of them drinking moonshine while touring Shiloh had us all rolling in the floor at the bar in the Peabody.
 
I can't remember who the other author was as I was 22 at the time but the story of them drinking moonshine while touring Shiloh had us all rolling in the floor at the bar in the Peabody.
Foote brought William Faulkner to Shiloh, and on the way they picked up a bottle of moonshine. Foote said there was a guy getting his shoes shined... and Faulkner said "go over there an ask him where we can get some moonshine"
 
" the bar in the Peabody"

My home away from home when I was at Ole Miss . . . back in the day.

Sip'n Jack Daniel's Black Label . . . (while watching the ducks paddle around in the lobby water fountain) . . . before we walked down the alley to the Rendezvous for BBQ.

Yep, we were doing all the Mam'fiz tourist things . . . but it was fun.

However, such things didn't cost as much back then.

:D

Did you ever go to the Peabody's rooftop Sunday brunch ?
Gawd, that was always magnificent !
 
I have met both of these legends years ago. Faulkner was on the Oxford Square one early Thursday morning returning from Yoccna where he met his bootlegger Motee Daniels. Mr. Bill would enter Leslie's Drugstore and get his coffee at the snack bar. He would add a little "medicine" to his coffee to ease the aches and pains of old age. He was not very pleasant and did not care for us street urchins selling copies of the Oxford Eagle.

I met Mr. Foote at one of the history conferences held at Ole Miss and he was fascinating in person and entertaining to listen to his discussion. He was a Delta boy from birth to death and proud to be from Mississippi.
Regards
David
 
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