“Something Gray” by Phillip T. Hopersberger, is a fast-moving, page-turning screenplay that follows the life of Colonel John Singleton Mosby from the time he was a frail and scrawny youngster targeted by a bully, George Turpin, through his adult life as Colonel and Adjutant under Captain Grumble Jones and later lead Scout under Jeb Stuart, eventually taking command of the 43rd Virginia Cavalry, which wreaked havoc on the North. Mosby and his 43rd sabotaged railroads, telegraph lines and supply lines, seized the enemy’s horses, ransacked their wagons, and killed Federal troops, while taking refuge in the homes of Southern civilians, whom they befriended.
Mosby learned the Philistine Philosophy from Aaron, his father’s slave. Analogizing the Biblical story of David and Goliath, Aaron taught Mosby that the best way to deal with a bully was to surprise him by hitting him first, hard, and fast. Using fear (the beast) as a weapon, if one hits a bully hard and fast, he’ll run. Mosby put this philosophy into practice as a youngster when he stood up to George Turpin, a bully; again when he led Jeb Stuart’s cavalry around McClellan’s army; when he surprised and captured Union General Stoughton; and then again when he repulsed a Union force that heavily outnumbered his men 5 to 1. Audacity became a defining quality of Mosby’s, which served him well throughout his life.
Although Mosby’s father gave Aaron to him and his wife as a wedding gift, Mosby considered Aaron more as a friend and free man than a slave. Their friendship was characterized by great love and loyalty. At one point, Aaron had the opportunity to obtain his freedom by jumping a train with other slaves headed north, but chose instead to remain with Mosby, having taken a vow to protect and care for him the rest of his life. Aaron accompanied Mosby in the army as a cook and later saved his life when the other Turpin brother, Noble Turpin, also a bully, attempted to shoot and kill him in an act of revenge. Later, Mosby freed Aaron, giving him a large sum of money contained in an envelope which also bore the words of Lincoln, “Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to have it tried on him.” Moseby embraced these words throughout his life. Aaron, now a free man, invoked the words of St. Paul in Romans 8:28, that all things work together for good.
Another person who influenced the young Mosby in a positive way was Miss Abby from New England, who taught Mosby that just because slavery was in the Bible did not mean that God commended it. The Bible only cited slavery as a fact of history, as it did a king or a war. She taught him that to be a real man, one must take a stand, and stand up for what is right. She impressed upon him that a real man stands up for the weak and that he needed to stand up for the unfree, for Aaron, and for Absalom, his childhood friend and son of Aaron, who demanded a voice.
The last scene of the screenplay was a huge surprise. The setting occurred years after Mosby’s death and reverted back to a time when Mosby taught a youngster, Georgie, the benefits of the Philistine Philosophy, to use fear as a weapon, that if one hits a bully hard and fast, he’ll run. The final scene also reinforced Aaron’s belief that a freed slave or servant could freely choose to serve his master out of love for his master, regardless of the cause or sacrifice.
Author Phillip T. Hopersberger’s screenplay was at times a real tear jerker. It was riveting and hard to put down. In my opinion, it should be on Broadway, and maybe one day, it will be. Highly recommended!
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