NF Who thinks a Dan Sickles Mini-Series would be awesome?

Non-Fiction

Rusk County Avengers

Captain
Muster Stunt Master Stones River / Franklin 2022
Joined
Apr 8, 2018
Location
Coffeeville, TX
In the spirit of a thread awhile back that took off with a great discussion (https://civilwartalk.com/threads/who-thinks-a-forrest-mini-series-would-be-awesome.166307/) I've had a thought...

Wouldn't the life of Dan Sickles make a very great mini-series?

Came from nothing, opened a law practiced before he passed the bar, had a penchant for "soiled doves" (even after he got married), rose through Tammany Hall and NY Democrat politics like a rocket only to fall even faster after killing his wife's lover which had the first temporary insanity plea, (Edwin Stanton was his lawyer), recruited a brigade from scratch and fought to get his General's star, and on and on.

His famous stand ( I say screw up) at Gettysburg doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the nutcase's life. I think a mini-series of the "Yankee King of Spain's" life would be an entertaining watch. Sure it'd be a picture into the worst of America at the time (Can we really say he was great guy? I mean come on...) but I reckon it'd make for a good watch.

What do y'all think?
 
In the spirit of a thread awhile back that took off with a great discussion (https://civilwartalk.com/threads/who-thinks-a-forrest-mini-series-would-be-awesome.166307/) I've had a thought...

Wouldn't the life of Dan Sickles make a very great mini-series?

Came from nothing, opened a law practiced before he passed the bar, had a penchant for "soiled doves" (even after he got married), rose through Tammany Hall and NY Democrat politics like a rocket only to fall even faster after killing his wife's lover which had the first temporary insanity plea, (Edwin Stanton was his lawyer), recruited a brigade from scratch and fought to get his General's star, and on and on.

His famous stand ( I say screw up) at Gettysburg doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the nutcase's life. I think a mini-series of the "Yankee King of Spain's" life would be an entertaining watch. Sure it'd be a picture into the worst of America at the time (Can we really say he was great guy? I mean come on...) but I reckon it'd make for a good watch.

What do y'all think?

There's certainly enough drama in his life to make a good soap opera. Although I wouldn't say that he rose from nothing; his father was a successful lawyer and merchant who, at times, loaned money to his son who spent money as if it were burning a hole in his pocket.

Ryan
 
Great Idea. Let's make it about Sickles and Ben Buttler. They are like the Odd Couple living in DC after the War with Dan telling how he shot Key and went crazy--- "But I recovered my sanity as soon as the jury was dismissed." --- and Butler bragging about how he stopped the women in The Big Easy from emptying chamber pots on his troopers heads. Then Ben get's Dan drunk and hides his crutches!!! Now THAT would be a mini series.
 
I'll just quote what General Howard said after the Battle of Chancellorsville when some newspaper editors suggested that Sickles should replace Hooker: "If God give us Sickles to lead us I shall cry with vexation & sorrow and plead to be delivered." I feel pretty much the same way about a movie about him!
 
As a movie character he would be a great villain. I can picture him tieing the heroine onto the railroad tracks. The actor Edward Arnold, (back in the black and white days), kinda reminds of him. Nothing against Edward Arnold however.

John
 
So many film nowadays love a protagonist that's more villain than hero, Dan Sickles fits the bill perfectly.

Going back over all the first hand accounts I know of from Gettysburg and his wounding, I reckon a mini-series would be a great opportunity to set some records straight.
 
The Excelsior Brigade monument at Gettysburg was supposed to have included a bust of him , but Sickles embezzled $28,000 from the monument fund . I think it might be very hard to do a successful mini-series on such an unsympathetic character .

All the more reason to in this day and age.

I like one account of his later days when someone asked him why there was no monument to him on the battlefield and his reply was, "H*** the whole battlefield is my monument!"
 
As a movie character he would be a great villain. I can picture him tieing the heroine onto the railroad tracks. The actor Edward Arnold, (back in the black and white days), kinda reminds of him. Nothing against Edward Arnold however.

John
You mean Snidely Dan?
fhf - Edited.png
unnamed.png
Ahh yes, I see the resemblance.
 
Last edited:
All the more reason to in this day and age.

I like one account of his later days when someone asked him why there was no monument to him on the battlefield and his reply was, "H*** the whole battlefield is my monument!"
Of course, there was that small matter of the NY Monuments Commission and some apparently re-channeled funds.
 
@John Hartwell snidely is the one! Thanks for that. Edward Arnold doesn't really look like him but he played a few wheeler dealer sleazy back room politician guys. He's great in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.

John
 
If old Jube hadn't been quite so unreconstructed, he and Dan would have made quite a team after the war with a law practice and other things. Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't think of it!
 
And we can have "Lt. Dan," a young member of Sickles' staff, who is used for comic relief and tries to talk him out of doing crazy things...but is actually only a figment of his imagination and manifestation of Dan Sickles' conscience. He looks like a young version of General Sickles and doesn't interact with any of the other characters.

Basically what Buster Killrain was originally supposed to be to Colonel Chamberlain in Gettysburg. Only perhaps more comical, and crazy, since this IS Sickles after all...
 
To me anyway, Daniel's seems like too much of a "goody two shoes" to play a character like Sickles, even if they portray him as a "loveable rogue but a rogue none the less" kinda guy. Just an opinion, and I know from nothin about current movie stars.

John
I understand. Billy Bob Thornton maybe? He’s rough around the edges. I thought Daniels because of Gettysburg.
 
Back
Top