Ken Burns Documentary Review: The American Revolution

  This is a Ken Burns Documentary in six two-hour episodes.  Directed by Sarah Bolstein, Ken Burns and David P. Schmidt and narrated by Peter Coyote.  The movie goes through the history of the Revolutionary War, starting around Boston which is were the first shots were fired.  Episode One  In Order to be Free (May 1754-May 1755)   The first section takes us through the problems in Boston and the Boston Tea Party.  The pamphlets that were written fomenting the idea of rebellion.  It includes the Boston Massacre where a Black man, Crispus Attucks became one of the first to do at the hands of the British.  The first episode ends with the "shot heard around the world" at Lexington and Concord.  Episode Two  An Asylum for Mankind: (May 1775- July 1776)  This episode begins with the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was a British victory, but showed that the Americans could fight against British regulars.  George Washinton is given the job of general by the congress.  The episode ends with the Declaration of Independence.  Episode Three  The Times that Try Mens Souls (July 1776-January 1777)  In this episode Washington loses a series of battles for New York.  He retreats to Pennsylvania, but Christmas day 1776 he crosses the Delaware and attacks the Britis (Prussians) at Trenton New Jersey.  Episode Four Conquer by a Drawn Game (January 1777- February 1778)  In this episode Washington struggles to keep the British from taking Philadelphia.  He loses a battle at Brandywine and has to flee and is unable to defend Philadelphia.  He is able to get away.  However up north an invading army coming down the Hudson is repelled at Saratoga.  The U.S. gets a major victory.  They also pass the Articles of Confederation letting the world know they are serious.  This allows the French to enter the war.  Washington at the same time realizes that as long as he survives to fight another day, eventually the  colonies will win their independence.  Episode Five The Soul of All America (December 1777-May 1789)  The Revolutionary War moved from the north to the south.   The British use their shipping advantage and head to Charleston, South Carolina.  The met with success, and had to abandon most of their gains in the north, except they still held New York.  Washington orders people to wage unrelenting war against Native Americans who had fought with the British.  As such the confederate tribes were greatly hurt.  Episode Six The Most Sacred Thing (May 1780-onward)  Cornwallis is assigned as the commander of British forces in the south.   He is able to subdue most of South Carolina, but some of his subordinates are too brutal, consequently the American militia forces grow.  One of the most. rutal commanders was Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton.  Knowing he was a rash commander, the commander of the American forces Brigadier General Daniel Morgan.  He asked the militia to fire two rounds, before leaving to set up behind the Continental regulars.  This the did, but when they left Tarleton interpreted this as their retreating.  He rushed in too quickly, leaving no reserve.  The British hit subsequent lines of soldiers who were hidden behind hills.  As a result the Americans won a significant victory and caused serious damage to Cornwallis' forces.  Cornwallis turned north to Yorktown.  Here Washington and the french were able to trap Cornwallis.  His surrender lead to the end of the war.

This documentary has few underlying themes in addition to the narrative of the revolutional War.  These ae discussing the treatment of the Native Americans, another is the treatment of African Slaves.  The British had freed some of them, even though they might have slave owners.  Many of these went north to Nova Scotia after the war.  They weren't welcome there so the headed to Sierra Leone and established Freetown.  Another theme is the conflicts between Loyalists (those still loyal to Britain) and the Americans.  There was some very harsh treatment back and forth.  Both sides committed some atrocities.  The war was not pretty.  The subject of Benedict Arnold came up.  He at times was Washington's most trustd general.  He was significant in the Battle of Saratoga.  However he also betrayed his country.  He had plans to hand over west Point.  These were discovered, but he fled to the British before he could be captured.  

This series is quite an investment in time.  Six episodes and two hours each.  At times my mind wondered but the story is fascinating, and this war was much more brutal than I would have imagined.  

Biography: Cathay Williams former Slave: African American, Woman Soldier

 Cathay Williams was born a slave, but in 1861 she was freed by the U.S. Army as contraband in Missouri.  Subsequent to this she served as a cook.  She did not know cooking and had to teach herself.  She was 17 at the time and served the Eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, cooking for the officers.  

After the war she found it difficult to get a job to support herself.  Women were not allowed to serve in the military.  However she enlisted with a new name, William Cathay.  No one knew her true gender except a cousin and a friend.  Only a cursory inspection was needed instead of a full physical at this time.  However she came down with smallpox, and as a result received medical treatment and her gender was discovered.  She said some of the men acted real bad towards her a did not want to serve with her after it was discovered she was a woman.  She was discharged but prior had received the good conduct medal.

She served as a cook for the military in New Mexico, and then moved to Colorado.  She married, but her husband stole her horse and money and ran off.  She worked as a seamstress in Colorado.  Her story was published in the St. Louis Daily Times as the first Black woman to serve in the military.  She suffered from neuralgia and diabetes and applied for a disability pension.  This was denied.  She died shortly after in about 1893.  She is honored with a bust at the Richard Allen Cultural Center in Leavenworth, CA and a bench at the National Infantry Museum in Georgia.  

Book Review: Nebraska History Moments

Nebraska History Moments: Stories & Photos from the Collections of Nebraska History by David L. Bristow, History Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 2021. 

This book is based mostly on articles from Nebraska History Magazine.  It is not in any kind of order but is made to be browsed, each story b eing able to stand alone.  For example, There is a picture of Pawnee women.  The Pawnee are the oldest Native American group in Nebraska.  

Bellevue was slated to be the territorial capital, except for the death of the first territorial governor after a couple days it office it would have been.  Thomas Cuming, territorial secretary became acting governor.  He was aligned with those favoring Omaha, and the territorial capital was moved there. 

George Norris supported Unicameral legislature.  Consequently the state legislature house only one house instead of two since 1934.  Consequently there are less salaries to pay.

1908 flooding in Lincoln lead to a series of dams being built on the Salt Creek watershed.  There have been no floods in Lincoln since this.

The small town of Broken Bow (about 1000 people) supported three newspapers in 1882, two Republican newspapers and one Democrat.

Women's suffrage in Nebraska was an issue for many years.  In 1856 a bill for suffrage passed in the lower house, but failed in the upper.  Had is passed Nebraska would have been the first to provide the vote for women.  Nebraska became the second to provide the vote to women in school elections.  However general suffrage was not passed, and when it did it was held up in the courts, so general suffrage for women did not become law in Nebraska until it was passed on a federal level in 1920.  

Camp Robinson provided the Army with its best horsemen.  So announced a sign above the barrack doors at the fort.  Even so there are mishaps with horses as shown in a photograph.  Fort Robinson began as an outpost in the Indian Wars and was active up until WWI.  

This book sports this type of story.  It has over 100 stories in total; 132 pictures.

Black Cowboy: Jesse Stahl

 Jesse Stahl was a rodeo cowboy in California.  He became a rodeo participant at age 30 and competed for 20 years.  He competed in the Salinas rodeo with an incredible ride upon a bronco that would not stop bucking.  Eventually the horse became tired and stopped.  However, perhaps due to discrimination he only took second in the competition.  After this he started to compete riding the horse backwards, or carrying a large suitcase in his free hand, or both.  When Jesse Stahl rode people were provided with a demonstration of great horsemanship.  However he would not when because of his race.  Stahl has been inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.  He and another Black cowboy would demonstrate the suicide ride. two riders sitting back to back on one horse.  

Fort St. Joseph, Niles Michigan

 Fort Joseph is close to the St. Joseph River in Niles, Michigan.  It was established as a French mission and later adapted as a fur-trading post.  The fort was manned by ten soldiers, a commandant, blacksmith, Catholic priest, interpreter, and additional households.  As a mission it serviced Potawatomi and Miami Indians.  

After the French and Indian War the fort changed hands from the French to the British.  The British maintained it as a fur trade post.  During the Revolutionary War the British used it to supply loyalist who fought against the Continentals.  The British ran the fort after the war, until 1795 when the Americans conducted the Northwest Indian Wars which is considered the start of the American Indian Wars.  The British abandoned the fort and it fell to decay.  The fort was not rediscovered until 1998 and has since been excavated.  A Jesuit medal was found at the site.

Horse Diver Sonora Webster Carver

 Sonora Webster Carver was a horse diver and thousands of people would come to see her jump a horse into a pool of water from a platform 40 feet high.  She became involved after answering an ad placed by William "Doc" Carver in  1923.  Doc's son Al took over the show.  She married Al in 1928.  She performed the trick for seven years without an accident.  However on one jump she was worried for the horse and neglected to close her eyes.  Both her retinas were detached and she became blind.  She did not however give up the act but continued to jump for another eleven years.  She retired in the 1940s after which she became a dictaphone typist and advocate for the blind.  She became adept at braille.  She died at age 99 in 2003.  Released by Disney, Wild Hearts Can't be Broken, is based on her story. PBS has released a documentary of her life.  

Cowgirl Biography: Mamie Hafley, Horse Diver

 Mamie Hafley was a woman who took risks to entertain.  She was a performer in wild west shows.  She would perform acts with gun shooting, sometimes shooting towards others or sometimes towards her with a target held with in her mouth or stuck in her hair.  She would also shoot at targets while she was riding a horse.  She was most famous for participating in horse diving from 40 feet into a 10 foot deep pool.  These acts were very popular for a time.  Over the years there were three accidents.  One time she broke her arm, another the horse landed sideways and was injured, and a third she was pinned in the water an almost drowned.  She did finish the show.  She grew up in Wisconsin where she joined her first show.  She has been voted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.