The Private History of a Campaign That Failed
Sketch by Mark Twain
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"The Private History of a Campaign that Failed" is one of Mark Twain's sketches (1885), a short, highly fictionalized memoir of his two-week stint in the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard.[1] It takes place in Marion County, Missouri, and is about a group of inexperienced militiamen, the Marion Rangers, who end up killing a stranger in panic. In 1887, he claimed before Union veterans that he had been in one battle in which a stranger had been killed in the summer of 1861.[2] In fact, Twain saw no action; he quipped that during his service he spent more time retreating while being hunted than fighting.[3][4]
Television film
| The Private History of a Campaign That Failed | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Philip H. Reisman Jr. |
| Directed by | Peter H. Hunt |
| Starring | Edward Herrmann Pat Hingle Joseph Adams Harry Crosby Kelly Pease |
| Music by | William P. Perry |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Peter H. Hunt |
| Cinematography | Walter Lassally |
| Editor | Herbert H. Dow |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Production companies | The Great Amwell Company Nebraska Educational Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | April 6, 1981 |
In 1981, a made-for-television film adaptation of The Private History of a Campaign that Failed was broadcast on PBS starring Edward Herrmann, Pat Hingle, Joseph Adams, Harry Crosby and Kelly Pease. The film also adapts Twain's short story "The War Prayer".
Cast
- Edward Herrmann as The Stranger
- Pat Hingle as Col. Ralls
- Joseph Adams as Capt. Tom Lyman
- Harry Crosby as Cpl. Ed Stevens
- Kelly Pease as Cab
- Gary McCleery as Second Lieutenant
- Roy Cockrum as Sgt. Bowers
