The Bugle Call (1909)
The story opens in a little Northern village in 1861, where soldiers and their friends are clustered about in the village square. Evidently a company is about to start for the front. The hero, a bugler, and his sweetheart stroll on and are observed in front. He puts a ring upon, her finger and both are plainly making mutual promises. The time comes to start, the girl, who holds the bugle on her lap, hangs it proudly on her lover's shoulder and as he tears himself away she points to it, to the flag which is waving overhead and to herself, three promises to which he must be faithful. As the company marches away she waves good-bye until they have disappeared, then yields to her grief. One year elapses and the scene changes to the encampment of the Union soldiers at a gloomy period of the war. The dejected men mope about while their comrades are dying with fever. It is night and the hero is sitting alone in front of his tent discouraged with his surroundings. An old negro passes by wearing a coat and hat of a civilian. He is carrying a spade and following the bearers of a dead soldier. A temptation comes to the hero, and we observe it thrown as a vision on the screen. He sees himself waylaying the old darkey in an obscure spot, buying his civilian's clothes, hiding his bugle and his own uniform and deserting. The vision fades as the old darkey returns. The hero bargains with him for the coal and hat and is about to take them when there comes to him s vision of the day a year before when he parted from his sweet heart on the village green. He sees her as she was that day and hears her voice telling him to be true to his duty and to her. A realization of his shame comes to him; he drops the coat and hat with loathing and, with renewed determination to endure his hardships, throws himself in the door of his tent to sleep. The scene now changes to the following morning. A stir is observed in the Confederate lines, a Federal picket observes the activity and is soon galloping desperately to carry the information to the Union forces. A group of officers are holding a consultation in front of the hero's tent as the picket gallops up and tells the news. The young man starts from his sleep, receives hurried orders from the officers and carefully blows his bugle. The camp is astir with preparations for the battle. The scene now changes to the battlefield. The Confederates are driving the Union forces before them. The Union soldiers are apparently routed. Suddenly, however, the hero appears among them and tries to rally them. He blows his bugle, is joined by other soldiers and rushes forward. The sound of the bugle causes the Federal troops to cease their flight. The bugler is wounded and falls motionless upon the field. Reverting to the Northern village, the people are receiving news of the battle. The heroine carefully looks over the list of killed and wounded, finds her sweetheart's name and regardless of protest, starts for the front. She goes at once to the army hospital, where she finds her sweetheart weak, but on the road to recovery. General Grant appears and shakes the hero's hand. He intimates that there is someone else who is waiting to see him and the heroine is brought in and she and her lover are reunited.
All Releases
Domestic
–
–
International
–
–
Worldwide
–
–
GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
There is no release data available for this title.
