Virginia Governor Patrick Henry rides into Boonesborough with orders to retake or forestall an attack on Fort Cumberland, Maryland. Not wanting to draw down Boonesborough's garrison, Daniel proposes instead a raid to destroy a key bridge on the road to Fort Cumberland. His party needs to pass through Tuscarora country to accomplish the mission, which will necessitate securing the help of Chief Catahecassa - Continental officer turned tribal leader George Rogers Clark. (Cameron Mitchell).
The history tonight was hastily scribbled on a fast dash through the NBC studio lot from the writers' office to the table read, but lets not allow that to get in the way of a good Revolutionary War episode. And though the "Dirty Dozen" format is repeated several times during the series, its repetition of the best sort.
Although on and off the set fast, all-genre supporting actor John Hoyt is a sufficiently piercing Patrick Henry, and the real Henry was Va. Governor 1776-79, dating the episode. Best known as Buck Cannon on "The High Chapparel," Mitchell developed a rough-hewn Westerns persona that fits in nicely with the period, though his historical persona will be left wanting as seen below. Dan's raiding party incorporates him, Mingo, Jericho, Clark, and British deserter Matthew Elbridge (also offscene too fast, played by Canadian John Liam in his third series appearance. Continuing the pattern, tough-guy Vic Tayback ("Alice") is an underutilized Continental Army aide to Henry.
As always in DB "Dirty Dozen" remakes, the setup seems to take up to half the hour, but once on the road plenty of action to go around. Useful complications are dealing with a gunpowder-laden horse and an injured Dan. Add on the usual bickering between the raiders to taste.
So, on to the history deconstruction - but this time we are starting with a very large pile of collapsed rubble:
* Fort Cumberland, Md. Was a real Revolutionary War supply center, but never in range of British attack. Plus, its about 400 miles from Boonesborough, not 165 as in Henry's map briefing.
* The point at which the raiders want to cut off the British is (fictional) Stovers Station Bridge, Illinois. No explanation as to why "British dragoons" from Fort Detroit have to ride through Illinois to get to western Maryland, and why its critical they pass over a developed bridge in what as of 1776 was deep wilderness. (Same bridge in this episode is recycled for use in the DB episode "Bickford's Bridge."
* Presence of "Tuscarora Country" is incongruous with this trip - their base was western North Carolina, and they were too far reduced in numbers by the Revolution to be any sort of threat. We also see Iroquois during the hour, no rationale given as to why they have sojourned from western New York to Illinois to mix it up with Daniel.
* Brigadier General George Rogers Clark (brother of William of the Lewis & Clark Expedition) commanded the most successful American efforts of the Revolution in the west, securing Illinois and Indiana for the nascent republic; he did work closely with Patrick Henry as a Virginia state officer. Fabricated completely for this hour are the assertions he was court martialed, left U. S. service to become a tribal leader, and was rehabilitated to report to George Washington (no documentation they met during the war).
Continental soldier count - two; Tayback is uniformed as Maryland Continental in red on blue, and Mitchell wears the buff on blue of a Massachusetts Continental.
Redcoat report - a very large corps of 40-50, though probably provided through stock footage. Uniformed as the 17th Regiment of Foot, though they operated only on the Eastern Seaboard throughout the war.
Although this hour had enough components to justify a two-parter, and what is apparently heavy editing indicates it may have started as that, a DB Revolutionary War story always brings out the series' strengths. This outing is one of Season 2's better efforts.
The history tonight was hastily scribbled on a fast dash through the NBC studio lot from the writers' office to the table read, but lets not allow that to get in the way of a good Revolutionary War episode. And though the "Dirty Dozen" format is repeated several times during the series, its repetition of the best sort.
Although on and off the set fast, all-genre supporting actor John Hoyt is a sufficiently piercing Patrick Henry, and the real Henry was Va. Governor 1776-79, dating the episode. Best known as Buck Cannon on "The High Chapparel," Mitchell developed a rough-hewn Westerns persona that fits in nicely with the period, though his historical persona will be left wanting as seen below. Dan's raiding party incorporates him, Mingo, Jericho, Clark, and British deserter Matthew Elbridge (also offscene too fast, played by Canadian John Liam in his third series appearance. Continuing the pattern, tough-guy Vic Tayback ("Alice") is an underutilized Continental Army aide to Henry.
As always in DB "Dirty Dozen" remakes, the setup seems to take up to half the hour, but once on the road plenty of action to go around. Useful complications are dealing with a gunpowder-laden horse and an injured Dan. Add on the usual bickering between the raiders to taste.
So, on to the history deconstruction - but this time we are starting with a very large pile of collapsed rubble:
* Fort Cumberland, Md. Was a real Revolutionary War supply center, but never in range of British attack. Plus, its about 400 miles from Boonesborough, not 165 as in Henry's map briefing.
* The point at which the raiders want to cut off the British is (fictional) Stovers Station Bridge, Illinois. No explanation as to why "British dragoons" from Fort Detroit have to ride through Illinois to get to western Maryland, and why its critical they pass over a developed bridge in what as of 1776 was deep wilderness. (Same bridge in this episode is recycled for use in the DB episode "Bickford's Bridge."
* Presence of "Tuscarora Country" is incongruous with this trip - their base was western North Carolina, and they were too far reduced in numbers by the Revolution to be any sort of threat. We also see Iroquois during the hour, no rationale given as to why they have sojourned from western New York to Illinois to mix it up with Daniel.
* Brigadier General George Rogers Clark (brother of William of the Lewis & Clark Expedition) commanded the most successful American efforts of the Revolution in the west, securing Illinois and Indiana for the nascent republic; he did work closely with Patrick Henry as a Virginia state officer. Fabricated completely for this hour are the assertions he was court martialed, left U. S. service to become a tribal leader, and was rehabilitated to report to George Washington (no documentation they met during the war).
Continental soldier count - two; Tayback is uniformed as Maryland Continental in red on blue, and Mitchell wears the buff on blue of a Massachusetts Continental.
Redcoat report - a very large corps of 40-50, though probably provided through stock footage. Uniformed as the 17th Regiment of Foot, though they operated only on the Eastern Seaboard throughout the war.
Although this hour had enough components to justify a two-parter, and what is apparently heavy editing indicates it may have started as that, a DB Revolutionary War story always brings out the series' strengths. This outing is one of Season 2's better efforts.
