PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE
The Tri Cities Civil War Round Table is hosting a two Act Docudrama entitled “The Men and The Memoirs” a play starring two living history scholars — Curt Fields as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Warren Brown as Mark Twain — telling the story of how these two men became fast friends and influenced the course of American literature(Jilton). The event will be held at 7:00 p.m., on July 10th, Kingsport Renaissance Center Theatre Kingsport, TN
“The Men and The Memoirs”
The Tri Cities Civil War Round Table,
is hosting this annual Fun Fest event. Each year the attendance grows and the theatre swells. In fact last year the lower level of the theatre was packed and 3/4 of the balcony. Tickets will be available at the door or at the Fun Fest ticket office.
“In the spring of 1884, Ulysses S. Grant heeded the advice of Mark Twain and finally agreed to write his memoirs. Little did Grant or Twain realize that this seemingly straightforward decision would profoundly alter both their lives. Over the next 15 months, as the two men became close friends and intimate collaborators, Grant raced against the spread of cancer to compose a triumphant account of his life and times, while Twain struggled to complete and publish his greatest novel, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (Jilton).
The reason Grant let Twain talk him into writing his memoirs was simple: He was bankrupt and needed the money. Plus he feared he would leave his wife, Julia, with heavy debts when he died. That was something he would not do” (Jilton).
“Twain promised Grant princely returns in exchange for the right to edit and publish the book — and though the writer’s own finances were tottering, he kept his word to the general and his family. Mortally ill and battling debts, magazine editors and a constant crush of reporters, Grant fought bravely to get the story of his life and his Civil War victories down on paper. Twain, meanwhile, staked all his hopes, both financial and literary, on the tale of a ragged boy and a runaway slave that he had been unable to finish for decades” (Jilton).
Fields and Brown will bring this emotional story to life on the stage at the Renaissance Arts Center. The show runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Fun Fest Store beginning June 23 until noon on July 10. The remaining tickets will go on sale at the Renaissance Center ticket booth until they are sold out. The Renaissance Arts Center is located at 1200 E. Center St. in Kingsport.
