Still Valley - Recap

Confederate scout Sgt. Joseph Paradine is at his campsite with fellow scout Dauger. Paradine tries to listen for the Union forces but can't hear anything where they were earlier. He dismisses Dauger as incompetent, and Dauger admits he's getting weary of the war. They hear the sound of men on horseback approaching the nearby town where the Union forces are supposed to be approaching. The noise suddenly stops and Paradine plans to go into the valley but despite Dauger's objections Dauger refuses, insisting he wants to stay alive and they should surrender. Paradine slaps him and rides into the valley on his own. He enters the town and the church bell starts to toll. Moving through the town, Paradine comes across a platoon of Union soldiers, totally immobile. Puzzled, Paradine tries to wake them up without success. He takes some food and then hears a vase fall over in a nearby window. He investigates but finds nothing, but as he leaves a hand reaches over the window sill.



Paradine hears the person and demands that they come out. An old man emerges, carrying a book, and admits that he thought Paradine was a Yank. He says that he used the book on the Union soldiers and explains it's a tome on witchcraft. Paradine believes the old man is explain, but the old man notes that nothing else can explain the soldiers' immobility. The old man, Teal, recites a spell and invokes the Prince of Darkness, immobilizing Paradine, then explains he's the seventh son of a seventh son and knows sorcery. when the Union raiders marched in, everyone else fled but he immobilized the Union troops. Teal frees Paradine from his paralysis and explains that he can paralyze the entire Union army and the Confederacy can march into Washington. When Paradine wonders why he doesn't, Teal explains that he'll be dead before the end of the day and believes Paradine is the one to cast the necessary spells and curses. Paradine thinks the entire thing is unclean and Teal admits that to cast the spells he'll have to ally with the Devil.



Paradine rides to the nearby Confederate camp with the book and the lieutenant demands an explanation. The sergeant explaisn that the Union troops were put to sleep by magic. The lieutenant doesn't believe him but Paradine explains that he cast a spell on a nearby ridge where another soldier, Mallory, was heading. Mallory and his men return and confirm Paradine's story. Paradine suggests that since they're losing, the Devil may be their only recourse. Dauger and the others tell Paradine to go ahead and invoke a spell to paralyze the entire Union army. However, when Paradine reads the part about revoking God, he realizes what they're giving away and insists that if the Confederacy must be buried, let it be buried in hallowed ground. He burns the book as the other Confederacy soldiers agree, and the next day they surrender at Gettysburg.



Share this article with your friends