Star Wars — Ken Burns Style

Here it is.

New Virginia Flagger Easter Costume?

Although it may be a fox. What did the fox say?

It isn’t too early to plan ahead. Maybe Susan Hathaway can wear it as a disguise outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. We won’t tell.

Ride With Forrest For $1,000!

Of course, that $1000 will have to be in United States dollars …

Thanks to Kevin Levin, who has shown a recent interest in Confederate artifacts, we now know that someone is now looking to you to help fund a movie about the life of Nathan Bedford Forrest based on a book published by Sea Raven Press, the choice of Karen Cooper.

To preserve historical accuracy, we are working from an original screenplay by Lochlainn Seabrook, based on his non-fiction biography.  Everything Mr. Seabrook has written has been told from a southern perspective, and “A Rebel Born” is no different.  The character of Nathan Bedford Forrest comes across as a real human being.  He is confident and passionate, but also has a great sense of humor.

I wonder if Forrest will guffaw about Fort Pillow.

Playing Forrest will be Jerry Chesser. Here he is:

Watch Jerry at work:

Here’s the website detailing the levels of funding and what you will get in exchange.  Here’s what you’ll get for $1000:

At this level you will receive an advance world premiere DVD of the completed film, a world premiere poster signed by the director and cast members, a “thank you” listing in the ending credits, a copy of the book “A Rebel Born” by Lochlainn Seabrook, two tickets to the world premiere of the motion picture (current estimate January 2017), limited access to the set for you and a guest and a walk-on role if you desire. Production dates will be forwarded so you may choose dates that are convenient.

I am so glad they will work around Susan Hathaway’s schedule. But wait, there’s more … for only $5,000:

At this level you will receive an advance world premiere DVD of the completed film, a world premiere poster signed by the director and cast members, an “executive producer” listing in the beginning credits, a copy of the book “A Rebel Born” by Lochlainn Seabrook, two tickets to the world premiere of the motion picture (current estimate January 2017), a substantial supporting role with dialogue if you desire. Production dates will be forwarded so you may choose dates that are convenient.

Maybe Susan could play Mrs. Forrest and sing to him. Here’s an audition tape:

I wonder whether H. K. Edgerton will be eager to be in the movie as a member of Forrest’s black escort. He already has the costume.

Kevin’s warned us of the failure of various Civil War movies to raise funds via these online campaigns. However, he overlooked another memorable failed effort.

I’m waiting for word that a certain dust jacket designer will prepare the movie posters.

It’s a call to action for Confederate heritage apologists! Prove Kevin Levin wrong! Show him this is not a debacle! Raise that money, even if it’s Yankee money, to prove that the South will rise again!

After all, there was Birth of a Nation and Gone With the Wind. Good things come in threes, right? Put your money where your mouth is!

Another Journey Through Amazon

I love Amazon. Here’s a book written in 1605 about a man born in 1822 by a man who was born in 1957.

This explains why you can’t buy it for less than $5,000. At that price it’s a bargain.

And You Thought $45 Was Too Much?

Last year several Civil War historians, including yours truly, collaborated on a volume edited by Ethan Rafuse that examined the performance of several Union corps commanders. I chose to write about Winfield Scott Hancock and the Overland Campaign, setting aside what some might see as the obvious choice of Hancock at Gettysburg, in part because at Gettysburg Hancock did not actually function as a corps commander. The Overland Campaign represented his first sustained experience as a corps commander. I was fortunate to be counted among a number of people who are distinguished Civil War historians in their own right.

Clearly some people thought the book was worth reading. Just take a look at what third party vendors want for it at Amazon:

Used, it can cost you even more:
By the way, the book retails for $45, and costs less on Amazon.

h/t to Ray (hope this doesn’t put you back on Chastain’s radar).

Buy a Confederate Flag to Prove You’re Not a Racist!

Here’s how:

UPDATE: But wait, there’s more!

Trump’s Gettysburg Address

I guess someone had to go there … that is, here.

Would You Like to Make Some Money Off Confederate Heritage? Here’s How …

We are coming to the end of another summer. Children are returning to school, and Labor Day will mark the traditional end of summer break, even if in some cases school has been in session for weeks.

One of the traditional Hollywood staples for many years was the summer camp movie. The story was always the same: there was a camp where people met, bonded, and found out the meaning of life despite themselves, sometimes by scoring a tremendous victory over a rival camp populated by privileged kids. You know exactly what I mean …

… or this …

… or some others …

… except those horror movies.

On The Dukes of Hazzard and Things That Make You Smile

By now we’ve all heard about how TV Land pulled The Dukes of Hazzard from its television lineup. I imagine that’s the most attention the series got in years, and, if we are to believe some of the wailing and crying, it’s as TV Land had scheduled a Cosby Show marathon for a week. Now comes an analysis of one episode that touched on Civil War history.

For those of you who want to judge for yourself, here’s the episode. BTW, this means devoted fans of the show can still watch it, just not on TV Land.

Then again, there’s nothing like The E! True Hollywood Story on the show:

Go to 36:30 to see a debate about the Confederate flag …

As if that wasn’t enough, someone’s working hard to make us laugh about the Civil War. Head on over and enjoy.

Does Ben Jones Respect the Confederate Flag?

Most people familiar with American popular culture as rendered through television know something about “The Dukes of Hazzard.” That show has been in the news in recent weeks, when a television network specializing in reruns decided not to air it any more.

That sparked some controversy. Leading the charge was someone near and dear to readers of this blog, Ben Jones, who played “Cooter” the mechanic in the show. Ben’s had a colorful career since then, including serving in the United Sates House of Representatives. He’s currently the chief of heritage operations for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, coming aboard just as the SCV had to confront the removal of replica Confederate flags from Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University.

Everything I know about Ben from personal contact suggests that he’s a fine fellow who knows his baseball, but when it comes to these issues, we disagree a great deal, and his appearance here on this blog several years ago did not go well for him (although he deserves credit for making the effort). I also know that he continues to be proud of his work on “The Dukes of Hazzard,” including lending the name of his character to a string of stores known as “Cooter’s Place.” These stores are owned by Ben and his wife, so he ought to know what they sell.

Thus it occurred to me to find out what sort of Confederate flags are sold by the store owned by the man who is the chief of heritage operations for the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

I don’t recall that even Stand Waite or John Ross approved of this flag.

This one confuses me. Aren’t you supposed to shoot deer? Are you supposed to shoot the flag? Or is this a wildlife preservation message? I can’t tell.

Nor can I identify the unit that deer flag honors. Same here:
I’m supposed to hook the flag and reel it in?

Well, perhaps this is a tribute to Confederate logistics and what might have been. 10-4, good buddy.

This is a traditional favorite. But I’m puzzled as to the Civil War connection. Perhaps it’s an artillery flag (red being the color of the collar for artillerists’ uniforms, as seen here.)

So much for regulation headgear.

Really? Maybe this commemorates Burnside’s Mud March, but I wonder.

Whatever floats your boat … but I don’t think smiley faces were placed on real Confederate battle flags. Rather, it sends the message that someone’s day is a brighter one if he offends others. Send one to Connie Chastain now.

There are more, but you get the idea. Or maybe you don’t. Want a Confederate flag bikini, for example? Click here. Swim trunks? Click here. Want to sleep under the flag? Click here. Want to go formal? Click here. Want to be the Confederate answer to David Cassidy? Click here.

And to you want to try your wet, sweaty body with the Confederate flag? Click here.

I was unhappy not to find this for sale.

And that, folks, is how to honor Confederate heritage and the service and sacrifice of the Confederate soldier and sailor. Tell ’em Cooter said so.

Note: Not all the images offered here are the images presented on the website in question … because some of them really weren’t very good. I wanted you to enjoy what was there with the best images of the merchandise possible. Upgrade your site, Ben.