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| Episode No. | 16 |
| Episode Title | The Sheridan Story |
| Season | 1 |
| Guest Stars | Lawrence Dobkin - Royal Dano - Frank Wilcox - Bill Meigs - Stephen Chase - Fritz Ford |
| Airdate | 01/13/59 |
| Writer | Cyril Hume |
| Director | Arnold Laven |
| Synopsis | Lucas McCain hires embittered Confederate veteran Frank Blandon to work on his ranch, who then begins causing trouble. Mark was busy washing clothes outside our porch when a dirty, scraggly man comes walking up. Mark is visibly disturbed and a bit frightened by his appearance. "Would you sell me a nickel's worth of water? My bottle is plum dry," asked the stranger. "You can have all the water you want for free. Pa and me couldn't get the name of chargin' for drinking water," said Mark. Mark went to prime the pump for water. The old fellow was astounded at the stream of water coming out and shouted for Mark to "stop it up" because the water was a-wastin'. Mark reassured the man the cistern out back was full up year 'round and he needn't worry about some spilling out on the ground. This calmed him down and he gulped down his water. "Better take is slow" Mark warned. "You're too thirsty." Mark offered for the man to take a shower bath we'd rigged up in back of the house. The broken-down old fellow became offended thinking Mark was putting him down. "You standing there telling me to my face that I smell like I don't belong with human company," he shouted in Mark's face. About that time I rode in to see the man blaring in Mark's face. My instinct to protect my son got the better of me until I saw the man's disposition. He was dirty, smelly, ragged and broken down. With sympathy I asked him to come in for a cup of coffee. I felt it was better to show kindness rather than anger to one so unfortunate. Frank Blanden was his name. He enjoyed some coffee and eggs at our table and I offered him some Apple brandy to wash it down but "ferment of the fruit" was "again" his principles. Frank offered to pay me a five-cent piece for my trouble but I wouldn't take it. When I refused the money he asked me for a job. I wasn't sure an injured man could handle the kind of work we had on a ranch. Blanden was sure he could do most anything a two-handed man could do. I declined saying it was only once a year we took on a hired hand. I offered him a dollar of my own to help him until he could find something else. Blanden refused it citing "Once a man starts taking something for nothing he ain't no man no more, he's just charity. Anyway you can stop fumigating with that cee-gar." Frank could see right thru me. I was uncomfortable with his appearance. Gosh, I sure am glad you didn't take him on," replied Mark. "Why," I asked my son? "He makes me shiver he's so ugly and, that arm of his!" At this comment I headed for the door. "Where you goin'," asked Mark. My response: "To try and hire the both of us a clear conscious." "Oh, no Pa, please, I can't even stand to look at him." Mark and I both needed a lesson on the way we felt about people are different. Blanden had an attitude for sure. The proud Rebel wasn't taking in charity from the likes of this Yankee. He had no use of his left arm but he didn't talk about it. He didn't want any sympathy from anyone. He'd make his own way with no help. He'd prove he was just as much a man as any two-armed healthy man. So, I let him prove his point. He could start proving he was a man by repairing the old bed Mark and I brought into the barn for him to sleep on. The nice, clean linens I brought out made an impression on him though. Frank talked of his home in Tennessee and the wife he lost after the war. He found it funny that a big man like myself would plant marigolds around the house. The next day Blanden got an early start on the field behind the barn. I found Mark sitting and watching him with a grim look on his face. "Why don't you get off and give him a hand?" "Not me," answered Mark, "There's a nest of yellow jackets right near that tree." Why hadn't Mark warned him? Mark didn't like to go near him. His dirt and disfigured arm scared the boy. At that point screams came from the field. Blanden found that nest of yellow jackets and they were in his shirt. He danced around for a bit trying to get them out. I helped as best as I could. Some were left in the shirt. I had to rip the shirt off Frank to stop the wasps from stinging him - it couldn't be helped. The grimace on Mark's face told the story. There stood a figure of a body, tangled and infected, an open, oozing wound. Mark rode away in disgust. Mark was at the old tree near the house. "Sorry son, but sooner or later you had to find out." "Why did I, I didn't want to," Mark anguished. Mark had noticed Frank's shoulder wasn't healed. "Not only poor Blanden's shoulder but I mean all the ugly, useless suffering in the world. In time you'll learn to accept it and bring it into balance with the good things." "I'll never be able to Pa." I continued - "You will son because you have to. It's the price you pay on staying alive and in your right senses, it's manhood…" I tried to comfort Mark with the idea that when he did put it all into perspective and after he was a grown-up father himself he would understand. A group of what looked like Army cavalry came riding toward the ranch in a fury. Their horses were some of the best. I stood at attention and saluted when I saw it was General Phil Sheridan. I had served under the General from Yellow Tavern to the end of the war. 19th Indiana, Lieutenant. General Sheridan was looking for a place to bivouac for the night and I welcomed them to our home. Mark thought this was interesting that a poor raggedy old Confederate Private and a big important Northern General would be staying in the same house together. The General enjoyed the use of our home and our shower bath. Ole Blanden didn't cotton to our new guests. He had changed his mind about the Apple brandy. He was filthy drunk and was ready to finish off my horse liniment. Frank wanted something to keep him warm for the road cause he was aiming to leave. I couldn't expect him to stay on the same property "with them Yankee bluecoats." He was too drunk to argue with so I put him on the bed. Frank agreed to stay as long as he didn't have to "come within sight nor smell of them Yankee Bluecoats." Later that night Sheridan shared stories of his past campaigns with his men as they sat in the yard. Blanden came sauntering out of the barn to see what this great Sheridan was all about. "Howdy General," says Blanden, and proceeded to tell the General they had met before - at Missionary Ridge. Blanden had Sheridan in his sights as Sheridan had stopped to have a sip from his flask. Blanden didn't know why but he had hesitated, but he did, he hung fire. Sheridan hadn't hesitated. He glimpsed Blanden in his sights and blew out his left shoulder. In a moment of silence Blanden slipped a small gun from his shirt to exact revenge on this man who had ruined his life. However, Sheridan let the old rebel know he wasn't afraid of what could come from a little handgun after what he'd been through during the war. He shamed the old raggedy rebel by reminding him he was a coward for skulking in the rocks while his comrades were dying and for not shooting when he could have tipped the whole balance of the war into the hands of the Confederacy. Blanden soon realized the General was right. He had been a coward, a shame to his own kin. Sheridan quickly apologized and reassured the rebel there was an old white-haired college President name of Robert E. Lee who would be mighty proud to shake Blanden's hand. Sheridan reminded Blanden of all the brave things the Confederate lads had done. At Sheridan's orders Colonel Stroud, the surgeon, took a look at Blanden's shoulder. The surgeon felt his injury could easily be fixed with surgery but ole Frank wasn't about to go thru that pain again! Sheridan assured Frank that he would be asleep during the surgery and wake up getting well. Blanden was agreeable to this and Sheridan sent him off in our wagon to Galveston Hospital. The General's staff thought it out of order to send a full Colonel and a Lieutenant to escort a Rebel Private but Sheridan insisted. "I am carrying out the last and greatest order of my war-time Commander-in-Chief, bind up the nation's wounds!" Episode Summary written by Margie Straub of riflemanconnors.com |
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