Product: Drums in the Deep South [VHS] (1951)
Rating: 3.0
A Battle in Georgia
Drums in the Deep South, 1951 filmThis story is set in 1861 Georgia. There is news about the cotton market; the economy of the South is built on it. There is a storm coming up. The militia has been called up. Two men will come for a visit. They are in shipping in New Orleans, sending cotton to England. One man has bought back his father's lands and will be a neighbor. The men talk about business. Thunder and lightning accompany the news of war! The years pass to 1864. Major Clayburn is selected for a mission. General Sherman's army is headed for Atlanta, they must be stopped by 20 men and 4 guns who will blast the railroad from a mountain top. Volunteers are selected. The local guide can't help them. They pass through the Union lines at night to arrive at Devil's Mountain. Their horses will be sent back to General Johnston.The soldiers explore the limestone caves to find a way to the top. There are hidden pitfalls. Men pull the guns uphill. Clayburn goes to the mansion. Yankee troops are setting a trap for Kathy's husband. The guns and ammunition must be lifted by ropes. A fall means death. Kathy finds a missing man. She later learns about the repairs to the railroad. Can she send a signal? Uncle Albert intervenes, so too the Yankee sergeant. The troops on the mountain top prepare their guns to shoot at the trains. They hit the locomotive! Will this stop General Sherman's advance? Union troops are sent to attack through the caves. A 15-inch naval gun will be used to blast the mountain top defense; it can out-shoot the enemy's 12-inch guns. Can Kathy warn the Confederate troops? What about that piano wire? "Start loading." The Union gun opens fire to hit the top. The Confederate's reinforced gun hits the train.They get bad news about a raid on Sherman's guns. But an officer proposes using spare gunpowder to destroy Devil's Mountain from the inside! They learn about the missing piano wire. Kathy wants to warn the troops so they can surrender. Will this work? The fuse is lit, there is an explosion that destroys the mountain top. This is a victory.In actual history General Sherman's troops advanced without a supply line and lived off the land until they conquered Atlanta, then continued to Charleston South Carolina. This victory helped to reelect Lincoln. Sherman was considered the best strategist of the Civil War by Liddell-Hart. Sherman copied Hannibal's tactics against the Roman army. Two parallel columns, one of which could encircle any enemy force, proved invincible and won battles.