Need a little realism.
Franklin Jennings
working on my next novel, to be set in the west c1870. The protagonist
is to be a yeoman farmer's son from northern AL, who lost an eye in the
war, along with his family and farm. The antagonist is to be a wealthy
planter, instrumental in GA secession, who gathers what he can and flees
to the west, c1864, to set up shop as a cattleman.
Question 1) What likelihood would a talented young yeoman farmer have
of rising to officer status, as a cavalryman, assuming he was a gifted
equestrian? What unit might he have been a part of? I planned on
taking his eye at Chickamauga, possibly Chattanooga. Anyone have a
preference? Why?
Question 2) Is it beyond the pale to assume that this planter would
have smuggled his fortune, or what was left of it, to the far west
sometime around late 1864? If so, what would have been his likely
method of travel? How might he have carried his wealth? Bullion?
Something else? I am doubting currency, but possibly. Not too
important, but this will help with my backstory.
For those who might be the least bit interested, the protagonist is a
bank robber who has committed himself to breaking men such as the
antagonist, for bringing about the war which destroyed his life, and
then leaving the yeoman to deal with an occupying army and even more
poverty than they had endured prior.
For the Robert Zimmerman fans, this is all inspired by "Lily, Rosemary,
and The Jack of Hearts", track 7 from "Blood on the Tracks."
Feel free to respond by email if you'd like. Thank you all...
Mark Pitcavage
Yankees would not get to them. Possibly he could have done this, then
sold the slaves in Texas.
William G. Davis
"Franklin Jennings" <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:394F8857...@bellsouth.net...
Don't take this the wrong way, but didn't Clint Eastwood do something like
this, as a film, and wasn't it a remake/adaptation of a Rifleman episode?
It sounds vaguely familiar.
--
Regards,
William G. Jeff Davis
je...@heNOSPAMhe.com
"It is easier to love humanity as a
whole than to love one's neighbor."
-Eric Hoffer
>
Franklin Jennings
"William G. Davis" wrote:
Please, Jeff, try to remember the name of the movie!!! I have managed to
convince myself that Bob Dylan didn't tell enough of the story in his song for
this to be plagarism, as I have had to create a ton of backstory to adequately
explain the motives of each character. Now to learn that all my effort might
be considered a rip-off of a CLINT EASTWOOD movie? :-(
Franklin Jennings
Mark Pitcavage wrote:
> Many Southerners tried sending all their slaves to Texas so that the
> Yankees would not get to them. Possibly he could have done this, then
> sold the slaves in Texas.
>
I like this one. Thank you very much, Mark.
Geez, I never dreamed one year ago I'd ever say such a thing.
Take care. All of you...
>
> On Tue, 20 Jun 2000 11:05:59 -0400, Franklin Jennings
> <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
Brian Hampton
<fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
[snips]
>Now to learn that all my effort might be considered a rip-off of a CLINT
>EASTWOOD movie? :-(
The only Eastwood movie that strikes a spark in my mind is _The Outlaw
Josey Wales_, but then this is only because of the yoeman farmer
angle, losing family and farm, and having no particular love for the
elites who in his opinion started the war.
There seem to be some basic similarities here, but nothing I'd call a
rip-off. As long as you don't have your protagonist spending most of
the movie running away from redlegs and scalawags to the desert so he
can set up a homestead with his wife who couldn't have gotten a part
in the movie if she weren't Clint's girlfriend.... :-)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian D. Hampton | I do not fear the verdict of
| history on Gettysburg. Time
| sets all things right. Error
The Longstreet Chronicles | lives but a day. Truth is
http://www.tennessee-scv.org/longstreet | Eternal. - J. Longstreet
Franklin Jennings
Brian Hampton wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Jun 2000 08:37:16 -0400, Franklin Jennings
> <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> [snips]
>
> >Now to learn that all my effort might be considered a rip-off of a CLINT
> >EASTWOOD movie? :-(
>
> The only Eastwood movie that strikes a spark in my mind is _The Outlaw
> Josey Wales_, but then this is only because of the yoeman farmer
> angle, losing family and farm, and having no particular love for the
> elites who in his opinion started the war.
>
> There seem to be some basic similarities here, but nothing I'd call a
> rip-off. As long as you don't have your protagonist spending most of
> the movie running away from redlegs and scalawags to the desert so he
> can set up a homestead with his wife who couldn't have gotten a part
> in the movie if she weren't Clint's girlfriend.... :-)
I discounted Josey Wales because it is in no way similar to my story, except
for the angle mentioned. My Yeoman is a Robin Hood type robbing former
Planters blind at every opportunity. And in the process of cleaning out a
bank owned by the protagonist, he finds the love of his life, a planter's
daughter from back east, dancing in a cabaret and living as the antagonist's
mistress.
If you really want the basic plot, get on napster, and find "Lily, Rosemary
and The Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan aka Robert Zimmerman.
trekk...@mailcity.com
Franklin Jennings <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> I discounted Josey Wales because it is in no way similar to my story,
except
> for the angle mentioned. My Yeoman is a Robin Hood type robbing
former
> Planters blind at every opportunity.
This disgruntled rebel theme has been done a thousand
times.
Westerns! Why doesn't anyone write "easterns?"
And in the process of cleaning out a
> bank owned by the protagonist, he finds the love of his life, a
planter's
> daughter from back east, dancing in a cabaret and living as the
antagonist's
> mistress.
Do something different. Make her an octoroon
with red hair and freckles.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Franklin Jennings
Franklin Jennings wrote:
> And in the process of cleaning out a
> bank owned by the protagonist, he finds the love of his life,
Sorry, that should be anatagonist.
Scribe7716
wrote:
> Westerns! Why doesn't anyone write "easterns?"
>
They do, routinely starring Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci.
Franklin Jennings
trekk...@mailcity.com wrote:
> In article <3952011D...@bellsouth.net>,
> Franklin Jennings <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> > I discounted Josey Wales because it is in no way similar to my story,
> except
> > for the angle mentioned. My Yeoman is a Robin Hood type robbing
> former
> > Planters blind at every opportunity.
>
> This disgruntled rebel theme has been done a thousand
> times.
Name them. We have one song and one movie. I am waiting for any of the
other 998 examples.
>
>
> Westerns! Why doesn't anyone write "easterns?"
Simply because a story is set in the west, does not make it a western. I
thought it would be when I started, but it just ain't my bag. She's
pouring out more like a romantic drama. Although there are some horses,
and a hanging judge. Oh and I forgot, a small derringer that misfires.
The only real violence is a stabbing involving a penknife.
>
>
> And in the process of cleaning out a
> > bank owned by the protagonist, he finds the love of his life, a
> planter's
> > daughter from back east, dancing in a cabaret and living as the
> antagonist's
> > mistress.
>
> Do something different. Make her an octoroon
> with red hair and freckles.
And what is the fun in that? I happen to like the "mighty have fallen"
theme. ;-) I suppose we could just make her the daughter of one of those
free black slave owners someone was yapping about here last year. Maybe
her brothers all died in defense of the CSA?
Franklin Jennings
rmk wrote:
> In article <39523228...@bellsouth.net>, Franklin Jennings
> <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> >|trekk...@mailcity.com wrote:
> >|
> >|> In article <3952011D...@bellsouth.net>,
> >|> Franklin Jennings <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> >|> > I discounted Josey Wales because it is in no way similar to my story,
> >|> except
> >|> > for the angle mentioned. My Yeoman is a Robin Hood type robbing
> >|> former
> >|> > Planters blind at every opportunity.
> >|>
> >|> This disgruntled rebel theme has been done a thousand
> >|> times.
> >|
> >|Name them. We have one song and one movie. I am waiting for any of the
> >|other 998 examples.
> >|
> >
>
> There are many but for most the "disgruntled reble" is the antagonist
> not the protagonist.
>
> The first that come to mind with "disgruntled" antagonists are "The
> Undefeated" with Rock Hudson & The Duke, Peckinpah's "Major Dundee"
> with Chuck Heston and of course "The Searchers", The Duke again, though
> his disgruntled-ostity is more anti-Injun than anti-Union.
>
> The genre is certainly made impressive by some superbly villianous
> "disgruntled rebels" like The Colonel in "The Oxbow Incident.
>
I'll give you each of these, and admit a misinterpretation on my part. Since
my DR is the protagonist, and is anti-Southern Planter, I didn't think
trekkerjohn would be including these.
So would you say that a disgruntled rebel protagonist, who is carrying out a
vendetta against the planters he believes started this war and destroyed his
home, is fairly unique? Similar in some respects to Josey Wales, but really no
one else?
>
> ...rmk
>
> --
> Hamlet is the tragedy of tackling a
> family problem too soon after college.
> - Tom Masson (1866-1934)
rmk
>|trekk...@mailcity.com wrote:
>|
>|> In article <3952011D...@bellsouth.net>,
>|> Franklin Jennings <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>|> > I discounted Josey Wales because it is in no way similar to my story,
>|> except
>|> > for the angle mentioned. My Yeoman is a Robin Hood type robbing
>|> former
>|> > Planters blind at every opportunity.
>|>
>|> This disgruntled rebel theme has been done a thousand
>|> times.
>|
>|Name them. We have one song and one movie. I am waiting for any of the
>|other 998 examples.
>|
>
There are many but for most the "disgruntled reble" is the antagonist
not the protagonist.
The first that come to mind with "disgruntled" antagonists are "The
Undefeated" with Rock Hudson & The Duke, Peckinpah's "Major Dundee"
with Chuck Heston and of course "The Searchers", The Duke again, though
his disgruntled-ostity is more anti-Injun than anti-Union.
The genre is certainly made impressive by some superbly villianous
"disgruntled rebels" like The Colonel in "The Oxbow Incident.
phil leigh
of these slaves were sent to Texas a Confederate victory was much in doubt,
particularly from the perspective of those residing in Texas.
-- Phil
phil leigh
wealth and make it portable, was to establish an account outside the country.
Consider London, or Switzerland. If he was a planter, and exported cotton, then
he was probably knowledgeable enough to get some credits at an international
bank upon which he could later draw. Switzerland has long been known for it
secret numbered accounts.
I would have this guy establish an account with a private bank in Geneva. If
you don't like Geneva, try Paris. You could work in a plot with the Mexican
situation as there was an ominous French presence in Mexico as the ACW came to
a close and there were ex-Confederates who went there for a time after the war.
-- Phil
Selling slaves in Texas just would not be credible, since the prospects for a
Confederate victory looked very dim by the time planters moved their slaves out
there. Anyway, most of those that did so were from Louisiana and were fleeing
Banks' army
SCVECHO
http://www.sunherald.com/region/docs/flag062200.htm
This article includes images of African-Americans supporting the Confederate
Battle Flag.
Men say Rebel flag flies for freedom
TIM ISBELL
THE SUN HERALD
For an hour, the Confederate battle flag
flew over the former site of the Eight Flags
Display on U.S. 90.
Dressed in Confederate gray, a black man
named Anthony Hervey marched with the
banner clutched in his hands. His brother,
Harry, accompanied him, wearing jeans and
a Robert E. Lee T-shirt.
Hervey's devotion to the flag began when
he discovered that a great-great-uncle,
James Hervey, was a black American who
fought for the Confederacy during the
American Civil War. James Hervey served
in the Army of Mississippi and was killed at
the battle of Shiloh.
Further research helped Hervey discover
records of at least 100,000 black
Confederates who fought in the war.
"I am marching for freedom," Hervey said.
"The battle flag stands for freedom and
states' rights. The U.S. flag is the flag of
slavery. It flew over 100 years of slavery,
and Native Americans were annihilated
under that flag."
For his march, Hervey chose the site where
a Confederate flag once stood, one of eight
representing entities that have governed the
Coast. Harrison County removed the flags
because of protests over the Confederate
flag, a racist symbol to many, flying on the
public beach.
Hervey's crusade also has taken him to Jackson. In the Jackson City Council
chambers June 13,
Hervey showed up wearing his battle grays, wrapped in the flag. A scuffle
erupted between a
Jackson man, who said he supported Hervey, and a city councilman who exchanged
words,
according to published reports. Hervey was not involved in the shoving match.
Hervey sees a correlation between the past and today's controversies over the
flag.
"We currently live under a psychological form of reconstruction," he said.
"Whites are made to
feel guilty for sins of their ancestors, and blacks are made to feel
downtrodden. This keeps all of
us from communicating. The political correctness of today is killing the pride
of the people."
Hervey is the founder of the Black Confederate Soldier Foundation, an
Oxford-based,
not-for-profit organization. Its stated mission is to foster new thought on
the Civil War. Claims
that the Confederate flag is a racist symbol are, to the group, part of a
nonissue. Black
Confederates, the group says, have been misrepresented in historical texts.
Hervey wants to build a memorial that will include the names of the black
Confederates who
fought and died in the War Between the States.
As the Hervey brothers continued their march, shouts of support and anger
could be heard from
passing motorists. A group of young black men hanging from car windows shouted
at the pair.
Hervey instructed his brother to look forward "like a true soldier."
"Don't even look at them," Hervey said, citing the young men's behavior as an
example of black
psychology today.
"They will yell a lot and want you to confront them, but they will not do
anything," Hervey said.
"I found it appalling what happened in South Carolina, and I'm afraid this is
going to happen in
Mississippi." Hervey said. "We seek only to correct the errors in history - to
right the wrongs
done to the memories of these brave soldiers.
Rambler III
In the novel he was a "breveted" Colonel, not having ever served in any
capacity, if my recollection is correct.
--
Rambler III
“Each person who tries to see beyond his own time would face questions to which
there cannot be absolute answers.” Felicia, The Illustrated Man, Ray Bradbury
Rambler III
> http://www.sunherald.com/index.shtml
>
> http://www.sunherald.com/region/docs/flag062200.htm
>
> This article includes images of African-Americans supporting the Confederate
> Battle Flag.
>
> [snip]
If the body of a Black Confederate had been found at Shiloh, or any other place for
that matter, it would certainly have been mention in the Northern press. Can anyone
cite one mention?
It was certainly played-up enough in the Southern press when USCT made their
appearance.
Rambler III
> If the bad guy was rich enough and owned a bank, the best way to protect his
> wealth and make it portable, was to establish an account outside the country.
> Consider London, or Switzerland. If he was a planter, and exported cotton, then
> he was probably knowledgeable enough to get some credits at an international
> bank upon which he could later draw. Switzerland has long been known for it
> secret numbered accounts.
Rhett had his account in London. Probably more convenient than a bank on the
Continent. Why not Canada? More convenient still.
"If the bad guy was rich enough and owned a bank..."? Bank owners weren't
necessarily rich or bright. In "Stagecoach" the banker was poor enough to be
tempted by $50K. He just picked-up the mine payroll and caught the stage, sans
wife, sans a change of drawers.
Franklin Jennings
since none of this actually comes into the novel,(it picks up a few years later),
the book is no closer to being finished, BUT I am closer to understanding my bad
guy, a character who has been lost in shadow so far. Thank you both.
phil leigh wrote:
> If the bad guy was rich enough and owned a bank, the best way to protect his
> wealth and make it portable, was to establish an account outside the country.
> Consider London, or Switzerland. If he was a planter, and exported cotton, then
> he was probably knowledgeable enough to get some credits at an international
> bank upon which he could later draw. Switzerland has long been known for it
> secret numbered accounts.
>
SCVECHO
consisted of papers that reported what northerners wanted to hear. This
includes Harpers Weekly, Frank Leslie's Illustrated News, and others which are
not factual just as the many photographs taken in the field were sometimes
altered and also just faked totally as in the photo of "Home Of A Confederate
Sharpshooter." While the north had many publications the south had very few.
Those publications whether truthful or not swayed people's thoughts back then
and our history today.
>Subject: Re: African-Americans support Confederate Flag
>From: Rambler III Walker...@worldnet.att.net
>Date: 6/23/00 5:13 AM Eastern Daylight Time
>Message-id: <39532A4E...@worldnet.att.net>
>
>SCVECHO wrote:
>
>> http://www.sunherald.com/index.shtml
>>
>> http://www.sunherald.com/region/docs/flag062200.htm
>>
>> This article includes images of African-Americans supporting the
>Confederate
>> Battle Flag.
>>
>> [snip]
>
>If the body of a Black Confederate had been found at Shiloh, or any other
>place for
>that matter, it would certainly have been mention in the Northern press. Can
>anyone
>cite one mention?
>
>It was certainly played-up enough in the Southern press when USCT made their
>appearance.
>
>
Mark Pitcavage
Some slaves were sent earlier on. And there were ironically people
buying slaves even well into 1865. Eternal optimists, I guess.
Mark Pitcavage
account would be with hard currency, or equivalent in kind, and if he
had that, then his problem was solved.
A Swiss bank account was not exactly very useful to a 19th century
American, especially during the Civil War.
phil leigh
First, it would be very difficult to get the slaves all the way from Georgia to
Texas. Crossing the Mississippi River alone is a major problem.
Second, the antagonist needs hard currency. Selling the slaves in Texas for
Confederate money does not solve his problem.
Third, the market demand for slaves in Texas was very weak.
-- Phil
phil leigh
the South that could be exchanged for hard currency, cotton and tobacco.
Your bad guy could sell his cotton for greenbacks. This was done with cotton
"speculators" (both Yankee and foreign) during much of the war. It was
particularly prevelent in Lousiana during 1864.
Consider the following scenario.
A speculator from Montreal goes to Boston where he exchanges Pound Sterling for
Greenbacks. He books passage to Nassau where he engages the services of a
blockade runner.
He goes to Charleston where he meets your protagonist who has shipped his
cotton harvest for the season. The speculator buys the cotton for 20% of the
price per bale that it will bring in New England where the textile industry is
hungry for raw cotton. He pays your protagonist is Greenbacks, that will be
worth face value should the North win the war and are worth more than face
value in Confederate currency.
The speculator gets the cotton back to New England and makes a huge profit.
He'll be back next year.
-- Phil
phil leigh
Swiss banks have long been useful for this kind of activity, but it may be
better to put the money in a bank in Montreal where it is more readily
accessable. It's much harder for outside governments to get to Swiss banks
however, but his deposits in Montreal would probably not be bothered anyway.
-- Phil
Mark Pitcavage
Mark Pitcavage
>Here are the problems with the "selling slaves for cash" scenario.
>
>First, it would be very difficult to get the slaves all the way from Georgia to
>Texas. Crossing the Mississippi River alone is a major problem.
It would be difficult. Indeed, it *was* difficult. But since what I
described happened often, we know it could be done.
>Second, the antagonist needs hard currency. Selling the slaves in Texas for
>Confederate money does not solve his problem.
Selling the slaves in Texas for hard currency solves his problem.
Super Phreak
I don't think that what you're describing is very realistic at all.
The only wealth that most southern landowners held was in the form of
cotton, slaves, and land. What little cotton Sherman didn't manage to
destroy often lay rotting in heaps due to the blockade. For the most
part, after the war most slaves and masters fell right back into the
relationship they had before the war, only the slaves were now
called "sharecroppers." The only people making money hand-over-fist
during this period were the carpetbagging bankers willing to
offer "cotton credit" to the planters in return for a hefty percentage
of the crop.
An exception to this trend was Jefferson Davis, who sold his plantation
north of Vicksburg to his favorite slave for pennies on the dollar,
then retired in comfort to Beauvoir. As far as notable planters
packing up and moving west, I have never heard of such.
--
Idiots, who often need euthanasia, of course never recover.
- Walter C. Alvarez, M.D.
American Family Physician, p. 1262
March 1, 2000
William G. Davis
"SCVECHO" <scv...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000623113630...@ng-fq1.aol.com...
> How much of the northern press have you read? The northern press
> consisted of papers that reported what northerners wanted to hear.
They reported news whether it was good or not, but they phrased it as any
"homer" would. It is very different than telling them what they wanted to
hear. What exactly was it you think they wanted to hear, anyway?
This
> includes Harpers Weekly, Frank Leslie's Illustrated News, and others which
are
> not factual just as the many photographs taken in the field were sometimes
> altered and also just faked totally as in the photo of "Home Of A
Confederate
> Sharpshooter."
If you are referring to the one at Devil's Den at Gettysburg, you are very
much mistaken.
--
Regards,
William G. Jeff Davis
je...@heNOSPAMhe.com
"Prejudice. A vagrant opinion
without visible means of support."
--Ambrose Bierce
"The Devil's Dictionary "
Brian Hampton
<fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>So would you say that a disgruntled rebel protagonist, who is carrying out a
>vendetta against the planters he believes started this war and destroyed his
>home, is fairly unique? Similar in some respects to Josey Wales, but really no
>one else?
It's sounds fairly unique to me, although I'm no particular authority
on this kind of literature. I just know what I know. :-)
Your plot is distinguishable from Josey Wales because in that case,
Wales didn't have a particular vendetta against anyone until he was
pushed too far. Basically, he just wanted to be left alone, and when
it came down to it, the Southern persona on his bad side was a
scalawag.
IMO...
Mark Pitcavage
<vipne...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>An exception to this trend was Jefferson Davis, who sold his plantation
>north of Vicksburg to his favorite slave for pennies on the dollar,
>then retired in comfort to Beauvoir. As far as notable planters
>packing up and moving west, I have never heard of such.
Jefferson Davis, like many other former Confederates, was not exactly
comfortable for most of the postwar period. After being released from
prison, he travelled overseas, living largely on the generosity of
others, then returned to the United States, where he was not exactly
successful at anything. The plantation you refer to was only taken
after a lengthy court battle stripping it from the people his brother
had left it to.
All this is from memory, but I think it is correct.
Rambler III
> How much of the northern press have you read? ...
[snip]
Enough to know that women were captured in CSA officer and enlisted uniforms. If
these were reported, why wasn't even a "faked" Black in uniform, musket in hand,
reported?
Did you ever read anything except the Eastern press? There were newspapers
trans-Applachian, re, Chicago, St Louis, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and in most small
towns in between. The probably reason that few newspapers existed in the South is
because at least ONE THIRD of the population was illiterate mandated by law - and
why would a slave but a newspaper anyway, to check the market to determine his
current value?
And don't hand me that malarkey that the po' Whites of the South were afforded an
education. They were treated just like all the women. What possible use could
either or any possible put to book learning?
rmk
<Walker...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>|rmk wrote:
>|
>|> In article <39523228...@bellsouth.net>, Franklin Jennings
>|> <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>|>
>|> >|trekk...@mailcity.com wrote:
>|> >|
>|> >|> In article <3952011D...@bellsouth.net>,
>|> >|> Franklin Jennings <fjen...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>|> >|> > I discounted Josey Wales because it is in no way similar to my story,
>|> >|> except
>|> >|> > for the angle mentioned. My Yeoman is a Robin Hood type robbing
>|> >|> former
>|> >|> > Planters blind at every opportunity.
>|> >|>
>|> >|> This disgruntled rebel theme has been done a thousand
>|> >|> times.
>|> >|
>|> >|Name them. We have one song and one movie. I am waiting for any of the
>|> >|other 998 examples.
>|> >|
>|> >
>|>
>|> There are many but for most the "disgruntled reble" is the antagonist
>|> not the protagonist.
>|>
>|> The first that come to mind with "disgruntled" antagonists are "The
>|> Undefeated" with Rock Hudson & The Duke, Peckinpah's "Major Dundee"
>|> with Chuck Heston and of course "The Searchers", The Duke again, though
>|> his disgruntled-ostity is more anti-Injun than anti-Union.
>|>
>|> The genre is certainly made impressive by some superbly villianous
>|> "disgruntled rebels" like The Colonel in "The Oxbow Incident.
>|
>|In the novel he was a "breveted" Colonel, not having ever served in any
>|capacity, if my recollection is correct.
>|
>|--
A typographical error on my part. "The Colonel" should have been in
quotation marks. Nonetheless, he was an unforgetable villian.
Phil Leigh
Mark Pitcavage <spa...@militia-watchdog.org> wrote in message
news:qbe7ls4c68i13i820...@4ax.com...
The antagonist goes to Texas in 1864.
1. It's much easier for the antagonist to sell cotton for hard currency
while he is in Georgia than to get hard currency for slaves that he must
transport to Texas.
2. Nobody in their right mind would pay hard currency for salves in Texas in
1864. At least not at any value that would make transporting them there
from Georgia economically sensible.
3. It is very unlikey that the antagonist could get his salves from Georgia
to Texas, especially after the fall of Vicksburg. The Mississippi River
would be constantly patrolled by Union gunboats.
-- Phil
Phil Leigh
Rambler III <Walker...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:39532D41...@worldnet.att.net...
> phil leigh wrote:
>
> > If the bad guy was rich enough and owned a bank, the best way to protect
his
> > wealth and make it portable, was to establish an account outside the
country.
> > Consider London, or Switzerland. If he was a planter, and exported
cotton, then
> > he was probably knowledgeable enough to get some credits at an
international
> > bank upon which he could later draw. Switzerland has long been known for
it
> > secret numbered accounts.
>
Yeah, this is credible. Selling slaves in Texas for hard currency in 1864
after being transported from Georgia would undermine the credibility of the
entire plot of the novel.
Probably more convenient than a bank on the
> Continent. Why not Canada?
Canada probably works, but NOBODY messes with the Swiss.
- Phil
More convenient still.
>
> "If the bad guy was rich enough and owned a bank..."? Bank owners weren't
> necessarily rich or bright. In "Stagecoach" the banker was poor enough to
be
> tempted by $50K. He just picked-up the mine payroll and caught the stage,
sans
> wife, sans a change of drawers.
>
>
>
>
Rambler III
> [snip]
> >|In the novel he was a "breveted" Colonel, not having ever served in any
> >|capacity, if my recollection is correct.
>
> A typographical error on my part. "The Colonel" should have been in
> quotation marks. Nonetheless, he was an unforgetable villian.
Well, sometimes a father has to don a mask when he has a wimpy son or you know what
he may turn into - although there's talk that there was a lineman on the Birmingham
Vulcans football team who punched holes with his high heels in the concrete
sidewalk on 4th Avenue North while wearing drag.
Maybe you could add a character that substituted cowboy boots with six inch heels
and danced in the saloon while wearing a tutu.
Rambler III
>
> Yeah, this is credible. Selling slaves in Texas for hard currency in 1864
> after being transported from Georgia would undermine the credibility of the
> entire plot of the novel.
Maybe he could trade his slaves for a pre-dated Mexican land grant in Texas? The
slaves could be worked to death in a silver or gold mine leaving no trace.
2- to 3000 acres a slave sound about right? FOB, of course.
Bob C
Franklin Jennings wrote:
<snip>
> Question 2) Is it beyond the pale to assume that this planter would
> have smuggled his fortune, or what was left of it, to the far west
> sometime around late 1864? If so, what would have been his likely
> method of travel? How might he have carried his wealth? Bullion?
> Something else? I am doubting currency, but possibly. Not too
> important, but this will help with my backstory.
<snip>
I don't recall the museum, but I once saw a "vest" that was used in the
mid-1800's by an owner who sewed gold coins to it and was worn under his
regular cloths during travel. The vest was made out of regular white
cotton, and was probably hand made from the looks of it.
Rambler III
How much coin could be comfortably carried is such a vest?
How large is his fortune? $1500 in greenbacks would have been a fortune to
most as it would buy an improved 160 acres in Indiana ca 1864. In $20 gold
pieces, face value, that would be ca 75 coins weighing about five pounds.
Get 75 Morgan dollars as a substitute, put them in a a "vest", suspend then
in a chamois bag from your neck, or carry them in purse or pocket all day
and you'll find that transporting a fortune of even modest size to Texas
would be a laborious and chaffing affair unless you have a sturdy wagon or
horse.
What you need to do is determine the size of the fortune, its medium, the
barter value of the medium, and then learn the weight of the the medium by
consulting a numismatic source.
I believe gold was selling for ca $170 an ounce ca 1864, so:
Fortune Weight in Gold
$1700 10 ounces
$17000 8 pounds