Carling Country xxxxxx The Stockade

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Carling Country – "The Stockade"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Carling Country xxxxxx The Stockade
Release Date: August 31, 2025
Theme: A gripping Civil War-era drama of survival, tyranny, and moral courage inside a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp.

---

Episode Overview

In this classic radio drama, “The Stockade” by Glenn Hamilton, listeners are transported to a harrowing Civil War prison camp at Yahoo Falls, Arkansas. Through the eyes of Union Lieutenant Adrian Curtis, the episode explores themes of human endurance, deception, injustice, and redemption as Union prisoners face brutality not from their Confederate captors, but from one of their own: the despotic Captain Luke. The narrative builds to a tense moral confrontation, capturing a microcosm of war’s toll on body, mind, and honor.

---

Key Discussion Points and Plot Highlights

Setting the Stage: Arrival at Yahoo Falls

• [02:49] Lt. Adrian Curtis introduces himself, recounting how he and a group of Union prisoners were marched deep into Arkansas.

“We left 13,000 Union dead behind for a day’s work and no ground gained. … We went a long way to the Arkansas territory on the stockade at Yahoo Falls.”

• [03:34] Colonel Soames, the Confederate camp commandant, delivers a bracing welcome, explaining the hardships both captives and captors endure.

“Thanks to this here war and the blockade by the Union Navy, the Confederacy is starving … you got to share our misfortunes with us. … While you're here, you're going to go hungry.”

• Soames tries to project fairness:

“When you see the rations you're getting, you're getting exactly the same as the Confederate soldiers guarding you.” ([06:50])

Power Dynamics Inside the Stockade

• [09:57] Lt. Curtis meets Captain Luke, the domineering senior Union officer, who immediately asserts control over the prisoners.

Captain Luke: “I call the shots in Yahoo Falls. You want to stay healthy, don't lose sight of that fact, Mister.”

• [11:08] Jason George Phillips, a witty and sardonic fellow prisoner, introduces himself and hints at deep tensions within the officers’ group.
• Irony and sarcasm lace their banter, laying groundwork for the in-camp conflict.

The Reign of Captain Luke

• [13:19] Phillips briefs Curtis on the real power dynamic:

“Luke runs this camp, Curtis. He runs it with a heavy hand of tyranny that has every man jack of us trembling in our boots in one way or another.”

• Curtis learns that Luke is a “psycho… homicidal” whose clique of bullies runs a reign of terror over fellow prisoners.

Phillips: “They are the hardcore of troublemakers … the thieves and squealers and murderers, too.” ([15:00])

Descent into Anarchy

• [17:11] Curtis narrates how the camp becomes a “personal empire” for Luke, growing ever more brutal.

“Luke maintained a lasting reign of terror…and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t avoid Luke’s eye forever.”

• Luke orchestrates a kangaroo court to try and execute fellow prisoner Corporal Daly for “treason.”
• Curtis objects, decrying the sham justice:

“This court martial on a charge of treason is criminal folly. But if you kill a man, it’ll be murder.” ([18:42])

Moral Confrontations

• When Curtis protests against the kangaroo court, he is blacklisted and beaten.

Curtis, battered but unbowed:
“What I call it, Captain? Why, I'd say it was a kangaroo court rigged with all the dice loaded … by cutthroats, cowards, bullies and murderers…” ([20:48])

Liberation and Reversal of Fate

• [22:56] Union cavalry under Sherman’s command arrives. Confederate guards surrender, and the prisoners are freed.
• [23:46] Colonel Talbot announces:

“As of this morning, you men are free. The Confederate soldiers here at Yahoo Falls have laid down their arms. … Now the position is reversed. The guards are the prisoners.”

Chasing Justice

• Captain Luke opportunistically tries to charge Colonel Soames with neglect and cruelty.

Luke: “I wish to go on record as senior officer… with crimes against humanity, with criminal negligence and cruelty…” ([24:28])

The Drumhead Court

• The inquiry against Soames becomes a court martial.
• Despite Soames’ dignified defense, he is condemned to hang.

Soames: “We shared what we had, and that's all. Seems that wasn't enough. So maybe my blood will square the count some.” ([26:15])

Curtis Finally Defies Injustice

• As the gallows are prepared, Curtis bravely interrupts the execution:

Curtis: “I can't obey you, sir. And I can't let you hang that man without speaking out on his behalf.” ([28:02])

• He exposes the true story of deprivation, Luke’s cruelty, and Soames’ essential fairness.
• Moved, Colonel Talbot halts the execution and orders a real investigation instead.

Talbot: “Colonel Soames is to be returned to custody. This sentence is hereby nullified. And this time. The investigation will be complete and exhausting.” ([28:53])

Resolution and Vindication

• Soames, grateful:

“Thank you, Lieutenant. I thank you. And I won't forget what you said and done this day, sir.” ([29:06])

• Phillips and other prisoners acknowledge Curtis’s courage, bringing an end to Luke’s unchecked dominance.

Phillips: “Well done, Adam. I'm proud of you. Wish I'd had the guts to do it myself...” ([29:46])

• The episode closes with justice and hope in the liberated stockade.

---

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “While you're here, you're going to go hungry … you're gonna have to shift for yourselves. And while you're here, life ain't gonna be easy.”
  — Colonel Henry Soames, [03:34]
• “Luke runs this camp … with a heavy hand of tyranny … He's homicidal. And he's dragged a bunch of cutthroats in his wake…”
  — Jason George Phillips, [13:19]-[15:19]
• “What I call it, Captain? Why, I'd say it was a kangaroo court rigged with all the dice loaded…”
  — Lieutenant Curtis, [20:48]
• “Curtis, looks like you didn't learn your lesson after all. The next one's gonna make all the difference. … Better still, take our word for it. It's all over, Captain. You've come to the end of your rope.”
  — Phillips standing up to Luke, [29:52]
• “Colonel Soames is to be returned to custody. This sentence is hereby nullified. … The investigation will be complete and exhausting.”
  — Colonel Talbot, [28:53]

---

Key Timestamps

• [02:49] – Lt. Curtis describes arrival and grim circumstances at Yahoo Falls
• [03:34] – Col. Soames sets expectations for prisoners
• [09:57] – Curtis meets powerful Captain Luke
• [11:08] – Introduction of Phillips and tent dynamics
• [13:19] – Phillips reveals Luke’s reign and dangers
• [17:11] – Luke's tyranny in the stockade explained
• [18:16] – Kangaroo court for Corporal Daly
• [20:48] – Curtis speaks out against injustice
• [22:56] – Union cavalry liberates the prisoners
• [24:28] – Luke accuses Soames; court formed
• [26:15] – Soames’ poignant defense
• [28:02] – Curtis protests and saves Soames
• [28:53] – Execution halted; justice prevails
• [29:52] – Phillips and others echo Curtis’ stand
• [31:38] – Closing with musical coda

---

Episode Tone and Style

The dialogue is earnest, gritty, sometimes mordantly humorous (especially in Phillips’s asides), but steely with a deep sense of justice and injustice. The evolving relationships within the stockade—betrayal, cowardice, and finally courage—are handled with measured intensity, reminiscent of the best Golden Age radio dramas.

---

Conclusion

“The Stockade” offers an incisive glimpse into the psychological and moral strains of imprisonment during war. Its characters—especially Curtis, Soames, Phillips, and the unhinged Luke—weather not just physical deprivation but the harsh tests of conscience, loyalty, and leadership. The story’s resolution, with Curtis’s brave speech undoing a miscarriage of justice, serves as a reminder that the true test of character often comes not from the enemy but from within.

---

Transcript

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Limu.

[Captain Luke]

Emu and Doug.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Limu and I always tell you to.

[Captain Luke]

Customize your car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. But now we want you to feel it. Cue the Emu music. Limu.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Save yourself money today.

[Jason George Phillips]

Increase your wealth.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Customize and save. We save.

[Captain Luke]

That may have been too much feeling.

[Norton Reputation Defender Announcer]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[Colonel Talbot]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Norton Reputation Defender Announcer]

Liberty Savings vary Underwritten by Liberty Mutual.

[Captain Luke]

Insurance Company and affiliates.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Excludes Massachusetts.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

And now Carling Country. Carling World brewers on the great American beer present stories from America's foremost authors. Stories of trial and endeavor, of the courage of people. Stories from Carling Country.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Tonight, Carling country presents a story of intrigue, treachery and murder among the prisoners.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

In a Civil War prison camp during.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

The War between the States. The Stockade by Glenn Hamilton.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

When the sun burns straight overhead and the grass lies scorched underfoot. When the breeze is gone and the air hangs heavy as lead, when the red dust cakes on a man's face and the dryness bites deep in his throat, that's when a man needs a beer. Carling Black Label beer. Husky, lusty and strong. Carling is the man's brand. Extra strength. Carling Black Label is now brewed right here in South Africa so you don't lose a day of that lusty, lively taste Carling is world famous for. If you've got a thirst, put our brand on it. Carling Black Label. Brewed for men in 18 breweries around the world.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Lieutenant Adrian Curtis, sir. 27th Regiment of Infantry captured at Mary's Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg, the War between the states. The year 1862. When the rebel escort marched us south. 38 men and one officer. Following Ambrose Burnside's folly across the river. We left 13,000 union dead behind for a day's work and no ground gained. The only men who went southard in the Union army following Fredericksburg were the prisoners us. And we went a long way to the Arkansas territory on the stockade at Yahoo Falls.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Prisoners Detail holds Lt. Abram Cole, 34th Alabama from Texas county by a Ruder barge with 39 Yankee prisoners for Yahoo. Fold 32 enlisted men, 6 non Corps. One officer present and correct as per manifest. Open up the gate. I won't make no fancy speeches about. Welcome to Yahoo Falls. I'm commandant of this stockade at Yahoo Falls. Colonel Henry Soames. And I want you all to understand that I'll do all I can to help you men. In return, I demand discipline and soldierly behavior out of you now, this may sound like a big spirit feeling a warm, glad hand extended in your direction. Y' all think it is? I'm gonna have to disillusion you. You've just marched south from Virginia to Arkansas. So the plot of the Confederate states can't be no secret to you. Fact of the matter is that thanks to this here war and the blockade by the Union Navy, the Confederacy is starving. You all have a right to cheer. You got a right. News like that'll show you Yankees that from the war point of view, you're in the driver's seat. We ain't got enough to eat. We ain't got no clothes, no merchandise. And the army of Northern Virginia, from Rabbit E. Lee to the lowest book private is walking around in wore out boots. Unfortunately for you, man, you're now the unwilling guest of the Confederate States. That means. That means you got to share our misfortunes with us. We don't have enough to feed our own people. That means we don't have enough to feed you either. So, man. Man, I'm sorry. I'm sorry as all get out. But I'm going to level with you. While you're here, you're going to go hungry. While you're here, you're gonna have to shift for yourselves. And while you're here, life ain't gonna be easy. Just so's you all know this from the word go, we'll do the best we can for you Yankee boys. But times are coming when you're all gonna say we ain't done enough. Just so's y' all know, when you see the rations you're getting, you're getting exactly the same as the Confederate soldiers guarding you. And when you all start to get raggedy, well, we'll be getting raggedy with you. The only way we're going to prevail is to get this fool war done with.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

You.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Pull your finger out there. That's been a mighty long speech I've given you after your long hike from Virginia. I got no more to say to you except one thing. I see you all got an officer with you. Would that gentleman please step forward where I can see you?

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

Your name, sir, and your rank?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Curtis, sir. Adrian Curtis, First Lieutenant, army of the Potomac.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Well delivered, sir. In a soldierly manner. Mr. Curtis, it is beyond my power to deal with every individual complaint brought to me by every Union soldier. There are just too many of you. But I like to keep my finger on the pulse, find out what's going on. So if there's any help needed by you men, I can try to give it.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Well, that's considerate, sir, and appreciate it.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Yes.

[Captain Luke]

Wait. You hear here.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Therefore, I delegate you, Mr. Curtis, to act as a go between between the 38 men with you now and myself. Should any problem arise, you are authorized to approach me in a proper manner and to list whatever assistance I may proffer you. I'm interested in y'.

[Captain Luke]

All.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Mr. Curtis.

[Norton Reputation Defender Announcer]

Do you know what people see when they Google you? Do you know what chatgpt says about you? First impressions matter. And online content sometime sometimes gives the completely wrong idea. Reputation Defender by Norton helps you take control. We can remove or bury negative search results and guide AI tools to highlight your achievements. Get free personalized advice on your situation today. Visit reputationdefender.com or call 877-492-6696.

[Lowe's Announcer]

Lowes knows that no matter your paint project, saving is at the top of your list. That's why when you shop today, you can buy one, get one free. Select Valspar and HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams. One coat coverage, interior paints via rebate shop. These deals in store or online today at Lowe's, we help you save. Selection varies by location, while supplies last. Discount taken at time of purchase. See sales associate for details. Offer valid 821 through 9 3.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

You have my word on it. If you got legitimate problems, you have my sympathetic ear at all times. That's all, gentlemen. May God be with you. And may God be with us all.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Thank you, sir.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

I thank you for your salute. Y' all do me honor. Carry on. Lieutenant Cole, move these men into stockade. Yes, sir. Detail, hut. Oh.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

Yeah.

[Captain Luke]

Who are you? What you want in this tent?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

The name's Curtis. I've been assigned here.

[Captain Luke]

Rank and regiment.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Mr. First Loops, 27th Illinois Volunteers.

[Captain Luke]

Militia man, huh? Where'd you get taken?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Fredericksburg. Yeah.

[Captain Luke]

Another Union disaster. Ambrose Burnside. Talk's good, but he ain't much on the doing. I wonder what he's gonna have to say to Abe Lincoln concerning that debacle.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I wouldn't know.

[Jason George Phillips]

I'm vance.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Luke.

[Captain Luke]

Captain, 51st Massachusetts, wounded and taken prisoner at Antietam. If I hadn't been cut down, the Rebs would never have got me. You hear that?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I hear you.

[Captain Luke]

I come in this tent, Mr. Curtis. Get that in your head and keep it there. You'll be our sixth man. No room for any more. That's your cut over there. Round here, I call the shots. When I do, you jump. Understood?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

You say so, captain?

[Captain Luke]

That's right, I do. When I say I Call the shots. That's not just in this tent. I call the shots in Yahoo Falls. You want to stay healthy, don't lose sight of that fact. Mister. Ah, Mr. Phillips, you're just in time to meet our latest addition to the happy family group. Lieutenant Curtis. Introduce yourself. Major. Right.

[Jason George Phillips]

Captain Luke, sir. Right, Curtis. I'm Jason George Phillips, first lieutenant of Infantry 69th New York. Enlisted at Daubeny, 1861. Captured at Bull Run without much of a struggle in the self same year, an honored member by the grace of God of this here happy officers club at Yahoo Falls, Arkansas territory. Until death to a spoil that having Brightnet.

[Captain Luke]

Mr. Phillips, you're pushing again and my patience is wearing thin.

[Jason George Phillips]

Yes, sir, Captain Luke, sir.

[Captain Luke]

Just remember, Phillips, one day and soon the Union army's gonna ride in here and the shoe's gonna be on the other foot. Comes that day, I am going to make sure that our fine camp commandant, Kentucky Colonel Soames, gets himself an ectype party. Once that little matter is disposed of, my next step will be the investigation of the behavior of certain Union officers of dubious loyalty. Keep on the way you are, Mr. Phillips, and your name stands to be high on my list of suspects. So shape up and watch out.

[Jason George Phillips]

Anything you say, Captain. I'll be all set. But just remember, any court martial or court of inquiry convened under the statutes of the United States gives the privilege of an argument from both sides. You may just find yourself in a compromising position. You threatening me, Phillips? No, sir. Just. Just reacquainting you with my rights on the United States military law.

[Captain Luke]

Watch it, Phillips. The way you're going, a hole in the ground is going to be your reward long before the court of enquiry is convened.

[Jason George Phillips]

You'd better watch it too, Captain. Remember, you're speaking in front of a witness.

[Captain Luke]

I warned you for the last time.

[Jason George Phillips]

I think you'd better come outside with me, Curtis.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

All right. But Captain Luke.

[Jason George Phillips]

Request permission for Lieutenant Curtis and myself to quit this tent.

[Captain Luke]

Get outside, both of you.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Phillips, you. You'd better give me the details. What's the matter with Luke? What's happening in this place, huh? Well, it's.

[Jason George Phillips]

It's only fair you should know, I guess you just landed up in Yahoo Falls prisoners stockade, which is probably just about the worst hellhole the side of the firing line or the big camp at Andersonville, Georgia.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

And why?

[Jason George Phillips]

Because of that, Captain. Look, that's why I'm the only reason.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I don't get you.

[Jason George Phillips]

Look, Luke runs this camp, Curtis. He runs it with a Heavy hand of tyranny that has every man jack of us trembling in our boots in one way or another.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

But how? He's just an officer prisoner like us.

[Jason George Phillips]

Looks that way, doesn't it? Thing is, though, to get that speech from Colonel Soames about being after your own devices.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Yeah, we did.

[Jason George Phillips]

Well, he meant just what he said. He's a good man, that red colonel. Salt of the earth. And he's as good as his word. He'll do anything for you in his power. Only thing is, he. He ain't got much power. No grud, no supplies, hardly any men. Why, if it came to a concerted effort, we could bust out of here easily.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

So why not you?

[Jason George Phillips]

You feel like walking back dressed Union blue, an arm from Arkansas of a line up in Virginia? Don't let me stop you, Lieutenant. But don't ask me to keep you company either.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I see what you mean. But what about the camp?

[Jason George Phillips]

It's just like the common man said. We've been left to fend for ourselves and scum has come to the surface.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

You mean.

[Jason George Phillips]

I mean men like you're gonna meet men like First Sergeant Dupont, Second Lieutenant Myron Cassidy, Luke Stoney, Corporal Lebowitz, Private Anderson and Private Bowers, to name but a few.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Who are these men?

[Jason George Phillips]

They are the hardcore of troublemakers in Yahoo Falls. The thieves and squealers and murderers, too. And they form a kind of. A kind of a rotten God of honor for Captain Luke, senior Union officer in the stockade. A bully, a braggart, a cripple from battle wounds and a maniac.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

What? The truth.

[Jason George Phillips]

Luke was hit bad at Antietam. He stopped a lot of metal, some of it in his head. His crazy cutter's a psycho. He's homicidal. And he's dragged a bunch of cutthroats in his wake with them. He runs Yahoo Falls with an iron fist.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

Know something? In these mellow after supper hours, there's no nothing like a beer to make a man feel good, relaxed and good. And there's no beer like a Carling Black Label. Carling is the man's brand, the great American beer that's now brewed right here in South Africa so you don't lose a day of that lusty, lively taste Carling is world famous for. Got a thirst? Then why not get your hands on a Carling right now? Cold and frosty in the can. Man, oh, man, isn't that just what real beer is all about? No wonder Carling is enjoyed by men in more than 50 countries around the world. Go for the man's brand. Go for Carling.

[Lowe's Announcer]

Save big During Labor Day at Lowe's, get up to 40% off select major appliances plus buy more to get up to an additional 20% off shop. Even more savings with three stay green 1 cubic foot vegetable and flower garden soil bags for $10 this Labor Day Take care of your home for less it Lowes we help you save ballot through nine three soil offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Selection varies by location. Select locations only while supplies last. See lowe's.com for more details.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

Black label.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Things at Yahoo Falls were as as far Phillips said bad. Luke, as senior officer, had placed himself at the head of things. Drunk with power, ill with the effects of his wounds and their lasting pain, crazy from the pressures on his damaged mind, he ran the camp as a personal empire filled with his insane hatred and bitterness. With his nucleus of followers swollen in their numbers by the hangers on and toadies who tried to save the right own skins, Luke maintained a lasting reign of terror in the stockade. And no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't avoid Luke's eye forever.

[Colonel Talbot]

Curtis.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

First Lieutenant Curtis to you, Mr. Cassidy. That's so.

[Captain Luke]

I'll try and burden mine.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Maybe First Lieutenant you'll be smart if you do. All right, what do you want?

[Captain Luke]

That's what I want, mister. It's Captain Lucas once. He wants you, mister. Nine o' clock tomorrow morning. Member of the court martial board.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

What are you talking about? What court martial?

[Captain Luke]

We're trying Corporal Daily, Ohio infantry for treason. He'll swing tomorrow night.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

By what authority? We're prisoners of war. We can't convene courts and hang men. Any action of that kind has to be taken by the Reb authorities.

[Captain Luke]

That's pretty dangerous talk, isn't it, Mr. Curtis? You speaking out for the Confederates?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I'm speaking out for justice and decency. What you're proposing. This court martial on a charge of treason is criminal folly. But if you kill a man, it'll be murder.

[Captain Luke]

Reckon your views will be of interest to Captain Luke, Mister. He's the senior Union officer in this stockade, you know. And this is a Union affair. This court martial, it'll be.

[Colonel Talbot]

Good afternoon, Phillips.

[Jason George Phillips]

What do you want, jerk?

[Captain Luke]

Still wagging your tail for your master?

[Colonel Talbot]

Now see here.

[Captain Luke]

What does this worm want?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Ad Luke sent him to me with a message, an order, mister.

[Captain Luke]

I'll address you personally if and when I have to. Cassidy. Until I do.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Shut up. I'm to sit as a member of a court martial for the treason Luke is holding it in the morning.

[Jason George Phillips]

Corporal Daly.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

That's the name was given to me.

[Captain Luke]

You'll be in attendance, mister.

[Colonel Talbot]

Nine o' clock sharp.

[Jason George Phillips]

We don't think about it, Cassidy. Now get out of here. You are. You better sit on that court martial ad. Be easier for you if you do that suggestion.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

From you?

[Jason George Phillips]

Yes, from me. But you'll live longer by toeing the line. We don't have to take an active part. Luke wouldn't want you to anyway. But that maniac has got a bee in his bonnet about doing things by the army code. So he has to have a complete court martial ball even though the skate will hang anyway.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

And I'm supposed to sit there like a dummy and watch Luke and his bunch murder the man.

[Jason George Phillips]

You got any better suggestions? I'm willing to listen to them.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I got nothing better to suggest than take my advice.

[Jason George Phillips]

Be there at 9 o' clock tomorrow morning.

[Captain Luke]

That you, Curtis?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Yes, sir.

[Captain Luke]

I won't beat about the bush, Lieutenant. As of this noon you are blacklisted.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

That right, sir?

[Captain Luke]

You have no call to go shooting off your mouth this morning during the court martial proceedings.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

You call that a court, Captain?

[Jason George Phillips]

What would you call it?

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

What I call it, Captain? Why, I'd say it was a kangaroo court rigged with all the dice loaded against the so called defendant. A kangaroo court convened by cutthroats, cowards, bullies and murderers in order to get rid of a man who posed a threat to your rotten yellow hides. That's what I'd call it, Captain. Luke.

[Captain Luke]

Thanks for your opinion, Lieutenant.

[Jason George Phillips]

I needed it.

[Captain Luke]

I had to know just what went on in that head of yours. Now I know. And you just walked into more trouble than you'd ever figure what to do with. Right, boys, Come on over. The party's on. Give it to him, boys. Give it to him. And good.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

With a lack of medication available to us in the stockade. It was six months before I was fully recovered from the workover Luke and his men gave me that night. And when the recovery was effected, I stayed in the background. The truth of it was that my nerve was broken completely. And as the war ground on, Luke and his men grew stronger. Yahoo. Falls stockade seethed with a stench of total anarchy. The months rolled by and rumors floated down to us from the battle lines. It was 1864 and Grant had taken command of the Union armies, lifting them out of the depression caused by the blunders of previous ham fisted generals. The US Navy blocked every port of the Confederacy and the south was starving. Lee still clever as a fox. Remained agile. But his resources were dwindling before his eyes. And Sherman was riding through Georgia, burning and pillaging his way from Atlanta to the sea. And one morning at reveille, we heard the thunder of hooves and the call of the bugles at dawn.

[Lowe's Announcer]

Come out of here.

[Captain Luke]

It's cavalry. Ad Union cavalry. Sherman's men and column with the prettiest looking full can I've ever seen. Riding out in front of him.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Quite a sight adjacent.

[Captain Luke]

And look at the rev guards outside the wire. They set aside their weapons. They're waving at our men, walking out to meet them.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

And down there at the stockade gates, Colonel Soames strapping on his sword, walking to meet our colonel. Two years, Jason. Even more for you. Now we're getting shot of Yahoo foe.

[Jason George Phillips]

And the blue police crowd.

[Colonel Talbot]

As of this morning, you men are free. The Confederate soldiers here at Yahoo Falls have laid down their arms. And now the position is reversed. The guards are the prisoners.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

I have to tell you that I.

[Colonel Talbot]

Never in all my days seen a more pitiable sight than you men. It seems plain to all of us here that you've been ill treated and abused. Your appearance shows me that the basic rules of war have been violated. I promise you a full inquiry and if necessary, justice to atone for your misery.

[Captain Luke]

Colonel Talbot, sir.

[Colonel Talbot]

Yes, Captain Luke.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

What do you want?

[Captain Luke]

I wish to go on record as senior officer of the stockade at Yahoo.

[Colonel Talbot]

That's understood, Captain.

[Captain Luke]

And to charge Colonel Theodore Soames of the army of Northern Virginia, the ex commandant of the stockade, with crimes against humanity, with criminal negligence and cruelty that has led to the death, through neglect and starvation of many of the men contained here.

[Colonel Talbot]

Your charges will be investigated, Captain, and punishment will be meted out. If such is deemed necessary, there will be a full inquiry. That much I promise you here and now. Lieutenant Jordan, my compliments to colonel Sowell. And he is to consider himself under arrest and to hold himself in readiness to appear before a court of inquiry that will be convened in short order. Ride out.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Colonel Talbot held his court of inquiry and under the violent proceedings, probing of Luke and his henchmen, backed up by the enforced support or the indifference of the other ex prisoners. The inquiry became a court martial, and I remained in the background, not daring to show my face as the sentence was read out across the drumheads.

[Colonel Talbot]

Colonel Soames, you've been found guilty by a legally convened court martial of the army of the Potomac. The crimes with which you are charged are conduct unbecoming an officer in the times of war, criminal Negligence amounting to murder, abuse of authority to the physical detriment of the men in your charge. You have an answer to make to these charges before the sentence of this court is read out.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

It'll make no difference to your colonel, so I'll be brief. Here at Yahoo Falls, we done what could be done. But as y' all can see, we're just as hungry, just as raggedy, as your own men. Who were our prisoners? We shared what we had, and that's all. Seems that wasn't enough. So maybe my blood will square the count some. You go ahead now, Colonel Talbot. Say your peace and do what you have to do. I'm through.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Now.

[Colonel Talbot]

Then, sir, it is the unanimous decision of this court that you shall suffer the penalty of death by hanging. Sentence to be carried out in public at 8 o' clock tomorrow morning.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I knew it was wrong. I knew that Luke, using threats and high pressure tactics, had railroaded the tired and dignified old rebel officer into a shameful death. There was nothing to be gained by the maneuver. Luke had developed a psychopathic hatred for Soames over the years of his confinement. He wanted only his blood. And I stood back and did nothing. That night I lay in the tent thinking about it and hearing the hammering of the work detail putting together the scaffold. Next morning at 8 o', clock, as we stood in formation before the gallows, waiting for the trap to be sprung, I was still thinking. But I wasn't doing anything.

[Colonel Talbot]

The sentence of the court will be carried out.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Hey, hold on.

[Colonel Talbot]

What's going on? Get back in formation, Lieutenant.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I can't obey you, sir. And I can't let you hang that man without speaking out on his behalf.

[Colonel Talbot]

There's nothing further to be said.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

But there's a whole lot to be said.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I beg you, sir, let me talk.

[Captain Luke]

Let him talk. Let him talk.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

I told that story, and it bubbled out of me like blind rage. I was scared as I spoke and felt the eyes of Luke and the others boring into me. But I was too mad to care. And I talked about everything. The honesty and the helpless of the Confederate commandant. The ruthlessness and depravity of the loot clique. I poured scorn on our own collective kowtowing to Luke, and on my own in particular. And as I spoke, it became worthwhile. Colonel Talbot's face grew thoughtful, then angry. And when I finished, he gave a snap judgment that rocked me to my foundations.

[Colonel Talbot]

Come on. Colonel Soames is to be returned to custody. This sentence is hereby nullified. And this time. The investigation will be complete and exhausting.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Thank you, Lieutenant. Cus, I thank you. And I won't forget what you said and done this day, sir.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

A pleasure and a privilege, Colonel. We were dismissed then and trooped back to our tents within the now open stockade. I saw many angry eyes fixed upon me. But hearteningly, there were smiles, too, and nods of encouragement. Jason Phillips fell into step beside me.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Now we're gonna see something.

[Jason George Phillips]

Well done, Adam. I. I'm proud of you.

[Captain Luke]

Wish I'd had the guts to do.

[Jason George Phillips]

It myself, but maybe.

[Captain Luke]

Curtis. Looks like you didn't learn your lesson after all. The next one's gonna make all the difference. We'll be stopping your mouth for good, and you'll be doing nothing. Luke. Take my word for it. Better still, take our word for it. It's all over, Captain. You've come to the end of your rope.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

As you'll see in a while.

[Captain Luke]

When you look down and see your boots dangling. This is one score you'll never be able to p.

[Carling Black Label Announcer]

When day's gone, when the sun sets fire to the faraway hills when the rivers flow red in the twilight when the long shadows slowly fade in the darkness when the action's over and stories are retold around a log fire that's when a man needs a beer. Carling Black Label. Husky, lusty and strong, Carling is the man's brand. Extra strength. Carling Black Label is now brewed right here in South Africa so you don't lose a day of that lusty, lively taste Carling is world famous for. If you've got a thirst, put our brand on it. Carling Black Label, brewed for men in 18 breweries around the world.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Stories from the great American authors of love and hate, excitement and tension. With music especially composed by Sam scl. Stories of our time and times gone by.

[Colonel Henry Soames]

Stories from Carling country.

[Lieutenant Adrian Curtis]

Here we go.