Eggman
08-21-2011, 04:40 PM
The recent discussion about the efficacy of the Sharps carbine induced me to review how Holliwood views that fabled weapon. Of course there is no better source than the vaunted "Dances with Wolves," Kevin Costner's epic depiction of white/red relations on the Civil War era frontier. The movie was lauded for its historical accuracy. And in no other movie does the Sharps play so prominent a role.
Reference to the Sharps first occurs when Costner's character, Lt. John Dunbar, arrives at his frontier post in the Dakota Badlands. Dunbar finds no one at the post and decides as a first thing to bury several cases of new Sharps carbines out on the Dakota prairie, which might indicate the lieutenant had had some previous experience with the carbine. The actual carbine does not appear until much later, Dunbar contenting himself with a buffalo killing Henry rifle.
Later after Dunbar is adopted by a band of Sioux Indians, his village is threatened by a platoon of bloodthirsty Pawnees while all the village warriors are at that time away raiding some other Pawnees. Dunbar was left in charge. All that remains to defend the village ares women, children, old men, and Dunbar. Fretting about what to do, Dunbar thinks of the subterrainian Sharps carbines, stating, and I here paraphrase, "A Sioux armed with a Sharps carbine is worth two Pawnees armed with sticks." Dunbar and a Sioux teenager named "Smiles a lot" retrieve the carbines in time for the battle.
The Pawnees are well into the village before the Sioux open with the Sharps. Dunbar opts to fight with his Colt and a knife leaving the Henry in a teepee with his girlfriend. Here there may be a slight problem with credibility. They show much Sharps firing with nary a misfire; but on the other hand, no one is ever shown trying to open a breach or reloading.
The Sharps next appears when Dunbar is being taken to Fort Hays for hanging by the U.S. Army for changins sides. He is in the back of a wagon guarded by a detachment of Army troopers all armed with Sharps carbines. Along the way Dunbar's pet wolf, "Two Socks," plops down on a hillside to watch the procession. I would estimate "Two Sock's" roost to be between 50 and 100 yards from the troopers. The troopers then begin shooting at the wolf, seventeen times by my count, before they hit him. Now albeit these were soldiers; I firmly believe it would take an average N-SSA Sharps shooter no more than thirteen or fourteen rounds to make an equivilant shot.
Overall I would say the movie did a very fair depiction of frontier Dakota and the armament therein.
Reference to the Sharps first occurs when Costner's character, Lt. John Dunbar, arrives at his frontier post in the Dakota Badlands. Dunbar finds no one at the post and decides as a first thing to bury several cases of new Sharps carbines out on the Dakota prairie, which might indicate the lieutenant had had some previous experience with the carbine. The actual carbine does not appear until much later, Dunbar contenting himself with a buffalo killing Henry rifle.
Later after Dunbar is adopted by a band of Sioux Indians, his village is threatened by a platoon of bloodthirsty Pawnees while all the village warriors are at that time away raiding some other Pawnees. Dunbar was left in charge. All that remains to defend the village ares women, children, old men, and Dunbar. Fretting about what to do, Dunbar thinks of the subterrainian Sharps carbines, stating, and I here paraphrase, "A Sioux armed with a Sharps carbine is worth two Pawnees armed with sticks." Dunbar and a Sioux teenager named "Smiles a lot" retrieve the carbines in time for the battle.
The Pawnees are well into the village before the Sioux open with the Sharps. Dunbar opts to fight with his Colt and a knife leaving the Henry in a teepee with his girlfriend. Here there may be a slight problem with credibility. They show much Sharps firing with nary a misfire; but on the other hand, no one is ever shown trying to open a breach or reloading.
The Sharps next appears when Dunbar is being taken to Fort Hays for hanging by the U.S. Army for changins sides. He is in the back of a wagon guarded by a detachment of Army troopers all armed with Sharps carbines. Along the way Dunbar's pet wolf, "Two Socks," plops down on a hillside to watch the procession. I would estimate "Two Sock's" roost to be between 50 and 100 yards from the troopers. The troopers then begin shooting at the wolf, seventeen times by my count, before they hit him. Now albeit these were soldiers; I firmly believe it would take an average N-SSA Sharps shooter no more than thirteen or fourteen rounds to make an equivilant shot.
Overall I would say the movie did a very fair depiction of frontier Dakota and the armament therein.