Unsung Scots In American History #3

[macwilkin]

General Simon Bolivar Buckner??? I love it!

Freedom Fighters such as Bolivar, Garibaldi (who fought in South America before unifying Italy) and Kossuth of Hungary were quite popular among 19th century Americans, who saw their struggle as similar to the one waged in the American Revolution, and many did take inspiration from 1776. In fact, you'll find a Bolivar, Missouri (although the locals misprounounce it) and a Kossuth County, Iowa, here in the Midwest.

Yep. Multiculturalism at its finest.
He's the one who wrote down the Julep ceremony, right Todd?

It was his son, General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. who wrote the "ceremony" in response to a request by MG William Connor, Superintendent of the US Military Academy at West Point. Connor was a teetotaler, but evidently a good host.

General Buckner was killed under fire at Okinawa in 1945, the highest ranking US officer killed in combat during the Second World War. I'll be curious to see if he is potrayed in HBO's miniseries The Pacific, as Eugene Sledge discusses Buckner in With the Old Breed.

T.

DISCLAIMER: This post was purely for informational/educational purposes only. While not technically "on topic" with the forum, as a historian, I thought members might be interested to read the above facts.