Weird Warriors Podcast

02/07/2025

The Fourth of July is a cherished holiday that resonates deeply with Americans as a day of national pride and unity. It is a time when we come together with friends and family to commemorate the triumphs and sacrifices that have shaped the foundation of our great nation. As we gather for barbecues, fireworks, and parades, we not only celebrate the birth of our independence but also reflect upon the ideals and values that continue to define us as a people. There was a period of time though, fairly recently, that the citizens of Vicksburg, Mississippi, did not celebrate this iconic holiday.

Following Mississippi's succession from the Union during the Civil War, from 1862 until the surrender of Vicksburg after a grueling 47-day siege, the people of Vicksburg were caught in the crossfire of the Union Navy shelling the city and the Confederate forces defending the area. Relief from the bombardment didn’t come until General John C. Pemberton surrendered Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. While the Nation saw this event as a beginning of the end to the War, the citizens of Vicksburg were experiencing the first days of a decade long military occupation that would strip any remaining gratitude towards the victors. Despite their support of the Union, Vicksburg’s residents had to experience some of the harshest consequences of the War on the civilian population.

For nearly a century, the Fourth would come and go without much stir in town. The atrocities of the Siege had left a psychological scar that would take generations to heal. Local editors made note of the absence of celebration throughout the 1870s, such as the Vicksburg Herald stating, “no one would have ever thought of the great National holiday being at hand… is likely to fall upon the public ears about like recollections of unpleasant dream,” or editor J. M. Swords claiming “in old times it was customary to celebrate the day with considerable pomp and spread-eagle vaporing; but now, in this unfortunate section where the great natural rights of safety life, liberty, and property have been almost swept away by out bayonet-rulers, but few are found to do the occasion reverence.” This sentiment carried on into the 20th century.

The conclusion of World War II in 1945 marked the first time Vicksburg gathered to celebrate alongside the rest of the Nation. The holiday was not recognized as Independence Day and was instead named the “Carnival of the Confederacy.” The event was repeated the following years, and in 1947 General Dwight D. Eisenhower had made a trip to Vicksburg to take part in the festivities. Independence Day did not receive its official title here in Vicksburg until 1976 for the Bicentennial of the United States.

01/07/2025

R.I.P.

Jim Shooter, a comic book writer, editor and publisher known for his stint as EIC of Marvel Comics, has died at age 73.

29/06/2025

Coming to you from Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.

Just as I'm surprised I'd never posted from the battlefield, I'm equally surprised I'd never posted from the nearby national cemetery. I annually go there to present the Army wreath during the Wreaths across America ceremony in December, lay wreaths on the markers afterwards, and go back in spring to clean them up. I know 15 friends / co-workers / classmates / fellow servicemen that are interred there. Master Sergeant Francis Dowgos, whom we dedicated a "redeployment" episode of WWT is one of them. I created a tour of the cemetery for noteworthy burials that I've given numerous times, and am always ready to give again.

In section 7 rests the grave of an unknown soldier. One could ask how a cemetery established in 1997 could have an unknown soldier in these times of DNA testing. This is the story.

In October of 2008, the discovery at Antietam National Battlefield was made by a hiker who was walking through the Cornfield, where fighting was particularly intense. The hiker noticed some fresh dirt dug up by a groundhog and when he took a closer look, he found a bone fragment, belt buckle and button from a soldier’s coat. Battlefield archeologists thoroughly examined the site and recovered all they could find. Officials speculate the soldier’s grave had not been found previously because it was located near a rock outcropping that went unplowed. Researchers traced the design of a coat button from the uniform to one of the New York volunteer regiments. The soldier was believed to be 17-19 years old.

New York National Guard officials read about the discovery and contacted officials at Antietam. The remains were retrieved on Sept. 15, 2009, and placed in a Civil War-era replica coffin. They stayed overnight at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. On Sept. 16, the coffin was taken to the State Military Museum on Lake Avenue, where the Saratoga cemetery’s Honor Guard and Civil War re-enactors guarded it. The coffin remained on public display through the evening. The next day, a procession brought the soldier’s remains to a military funeral.

147 years after being killed in what is still the bloodiest single day in American history (over 22,000 casualties on both sides) the unknown was laid to rest. Hundreds (myself included) observed the services, which included “professional mourners” and Civil War reenactors. The flag-draped coffin was moved from a current hearse to a period correct horse-drawn one with glass sides for the ride to a services pavilion. The reenactors, the cemetery honor guard and a US Army honor guard all fired a volley to salute the fallen soldier. As soon as the services were over, the coffin was promptly moved to the pre-dug grave for immediate interment. The headstone is in the style of those from the Civil War, simply marked “Unknown”, “New York” and “Sept 17, 1862”, the date of the battle. Every year during the Wreaths across America ceremony at Christmas, a special wreath is laid in his honor at his grave.

27/06/2025

Coming to you from Saratoga National Historical Park!

I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised I've never "posted" from the battlefield before when it's only about 45 minutes away. I HAVE posted about Benedict Arnold before.

Saratoga National Historical Park contains many monuments. But only one commemorates the actions of a man who was instrumental in the American victory here, but later became a traitor to the United States. The “Boot” monument is located at Stop 7 on the battlefield tour road. This monument is perhaps the most popular, unique, and controversial monument of the many placed here.

After he was wounded, General Arnold underwent surgery and after months of recuperation was assigned to command the repatriated capital city, Philadelphia, in June 1778. There, Arnold’s resentment of perceived mistreatment boiled over into rage against the United States. He secretly sought British support and shared military intelligence. Exposed as a traitor at West Point in 1780, he escaped.

No one in American history is as vilified for treason as Benedict Arnold. The “Boot Monument” is dedicated to this man who led Americans to victory in the Battles of Saratoga.

The monument does not mention Arnold by name, but there are a few intricate details which often go unnoticed by passersby. A boot and a two-star epaulet are draped over a howitzer barrel to symbolize an individual with the rank of Major General who suffered a wound during a battle in this location. A Laurel leaf wreath sits atop the howitzer, an emblem which often resonates victory, power, and glory.

The reverse of the monument is inscribed with the following quote:

“In memory of the most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army who was desperately wounded on this spot, the sally port of Burgoyne’s great [western] redoubt 7th October 1777 winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American Revolution and for himself the rank of Major General.”

The US, without a doubt, would not have survived long enough for him to betray it if not for his valor in the early years of the war, which makes remembrances for him tricky.

26/06/2025

It's America's birthday month and Max's, too! It's Godzilla, baby! Let's not pretend it isn't! Golems! Demons! SGT Rock (kind of!)! Be here on the 4th for all the fireworks!

24/06/2025

Pick your battles...

21/06/2025

Episode 90, Weird War Tales 69

to be released September 3, 2025

20/06/2025

"Redcoats' Revenge", by COL David Fitz-Enz

What if, on September 11, 1814, the United States had lost the close-run battle that Winston Churchill called the “most decisive” of the War of 1812? With a victory at Plattsburgh, would the British have eventually been able to regain control of their former colonies? Only one fleeting moment on Lake Champlain might have been needed to forever alter the young country’s history and return it to the grip of King George III. Redcoats’ Revenge brings the most successful field commander in history, the Duke of Wellington, to North America in 1814. A coalition of eight European countries has recently defeated Napoleon. With the emperor’s threat to England eradicated, Wellington releases the most powerful military juggernaut for service in the Western Hemisphere. His audacious plan sends him and his avenging veteran redcoats plunging straight south from Lake Champlain toward New York City. In Washington, the streets crackle with tension at the news of British ships on the Chesapeake. The White House is promptly evacuated and the capital left undefended when a diversionary force approaches the city and chokes off Baltimore. President James Madison must now decide which of his generals is capable of successfully facing off with the Iron Duke. No friend of the tyrannical Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson, Madison finally agrees that he may be the only commander with any hope of matching Wellington. Redcoats’ Revenge is a vivid montage of the personalities and battles—real and quite possible—of the War of 1812. With its clever and compelling premise, this exciting alternate history will enthrall readers and reveal just how close the United States was to becoming a British colony once again.