Josey Wales (gunfighter)
Encyclopedia
Josey Wales is a fictional character
created by author Forrest Carter, for his novel
The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales (republished in 1975 as Gone to Texas). Wales is portrayed in the 1976
western film The Outlaw Josey Wales
by actor and director
Clint Eastwood
. Wales was portrayed by Michael Parks
in the 1986
sequel The Return of Josey Wales.
ends, due to his refusal to surrender, and his deadly reputation as a gunman. He carries two guns holstered on his belt, another tucked inside his gunbelt, and a smaller one inside his coat. He bears a scar across his right cheek, caused by a saber
slash. He typically wears a gray cowboy
slouch hat and a shortened trench coat
. His demeanor is such that he has very little to say, and when he does speak it is short and to the point, with a quiet tone (his catchphrase being "I reckon so"). He also has a habit of chewing tobacco
.
Wales is a Missouri
farmer in the early days of the Civil War, living and working on his farm with his young son and wife. Union guerrillas, called Redlegs
to describe leggings they wear, riding under the pretense of being part of the Union Army
, attack his farm killing both his wife and son, burn his home, steal his livestock, and leave Wales for dead, him having been slashed across the face with a saber. After burying his family, Wales grieves, and takes his old revolver
to practice his shooting. A band of Confederate guerrillas led by "Bloody" Bill Anderson
rides onto his farm, on their way north to Kansas
to fight for the Confederacy. Wales joins them.
For the remainder of the war, Wales fights with the guerrilla band, alongside his comrades Fletcher and the young Jamie. After General
Robert E. Lee
's surrender in 1865, the Union organizes to allow the remaining guerrilla bands to surrender, pledging their loyalty to the United States of America. Everyone in his detachment agrees to surrender, with the exception of Wales. Fletcher negotiates the surrender, but the Union authorities had set a trap, and open fire on the unarmed guerrillas as they are swearing their loyalty. Wales had been watching from a distance, and seeing that an ambush was about to happen, he rode into the Union camp, killing as many Union soldiers as possible. Wales believes that Fletcher was a part of the betrayal, but he was not, and was as surprised as Wales when it happened, being held at gunpoint during the ambush. Fletcher does, however, accept a commission with the Union Army to track Wales down and either kill him or bring him in. Fletcher accepts this believing he can save Wales.
Wales and Jamie find themselves fleeing from Union soldiers intent on bringing him down. Jamie was wounded badly during the ambush, and dies shortly thereafter. Josey then embarks on a trek to Texas
, meeting and becoming friends with several people on the way, including Laura Lee, with whom he becomes romantically involved. Wales kills several soldiers and bounty hunter
s on his way, leading up to an ultimate and inevitable clash with his pursuers, who are led by Captain Terrill, the man who led the raid on his farm and killed his family. In the end he kills Terrill, and makes his peace with his former comrade Fletcher, settling into a life as a ranch
er with Laura Lee. Fletcher leads lawmen in his company to believe Wales had been killed, to help him have a fresh start at life.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by author Forrest Carter, for his novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales (republished in 1975 as Gone to Texas). Wales is portrayed in the 1976
1976 in film
The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
western film The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western film set during and after the end of the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman...
by actor and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
. Wales was portrayed by Michael Parks
Michael Parks
Michael Parks is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in almost fifty films and has made frequent TV appearances, but is probably best known for his work in recent years with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith as well as the 1969 television series Then Came...
in the 1986
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
sequel The Return of Josey Wales.
Character and background
Wales achieves notoriety after the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
ends, due to his refusal to surrender, and his deadly reputation as a gunman. He carries two guns holstered on his belt, another tucked inside his gunbelt, and a smaller one inside his coat. He bears a scar across his right cheek, caused by a saber
Sabre
The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...
slash. He typically wears a gray cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
slouch hat and a shortened trench coat
Trench coat
A trench coat or trenchcoat is a raincoat made of waterproof heavy-duty cotton drill or poplin, wool gabardine, or leather. It generally has a removable insulated lining; and it is usually knee-length.-History:...
. His demeanor is such that he has very little to say, and when he does speak it is short and to the point, with a quiet tone (his catchphrase being "I reckon so"). He also has a habit of chewing tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
.
Wales is a Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
farmer in the early days of the Civil War, living and working on his farm with his young son and wife. Union guerrillas, called Redlegs
Redlegs
Redlegs is a term used to refer to the class of poor whites that live on Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada and a few other Caribbean islands. Their forebears came from Ireland, Scotland and the West of England. Many of their ancestors were transported by Oliver Cromwell. Others had originally...
to describe leggings they wear, riding under the pretense of being part of the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, attack his farm killing both his wife and son, burn his home, steal his livestock, and leave Wales for dead, him having been slashed across the face with a saber. After burying his family, Wales grieves, and takes his old revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
to practice his shooting. A band of Confederate guerrillas led by "Bloody" Bill Anderson
William T. Anderson
William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson was a pro-Confederate guerrilla leader in the American Civil War.Anderson was known for his brutality towards Union soldiers, and pro Union partisans, who were called Jayhawkers. Anderson participated in Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas on August 21, 1863...
rides onto his farm, on their way north to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to fight for the Confederacy. Wales joins them.
For the remainder of the war, Wales fights with the guerrilla band, alongside his comrades Fletcher and the young Jamie. After General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's surrender in 1865, the Union organizes to allow the remaining guerrilla bands to surrender, pledging their loyalty to the United States of America. Everyone in his detachment agrees to surrender, with the exception of Wales. Fletcher negotiates the surrender, but the Union authorities had set a trap, and open fire on the unarmed guerrillas as they are swearing their loyalty. Wales had been watching from a distance, and seeing that an ambush was about to happen, he rode into the Union camp, killing as many Union soldiers as possible. Wales believes that Fletcher was a part of the betrayal, but he was not, and was as surprised as Wales when it happened, being held at gunpoint during the ambush. Fletcher does, however, accept a commission with the Union Army to track Wales down and either kill him or bring him in. Fletcher accepts this believing he can save Wales.
Wales and Jamie find themselves fleeing from Union soldiers intent on bringing him down. Jamie was wounded badly during the ambush, and dies shortly thereafter. Josey then embarks on a trek to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, meeting and becoming friends with several people on the way, including Laura Lee, with whom he becomes romantically involved. Wales kills several soldiers and bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
s on his way, leading up to an ultimate and inevitable clash with his pursuers, who are led by Captain Terrill, the man who led the raid on his farm and killed his family. In the end he kills Terrill, and makes his peace with his former comrade Fletcher, settling into a life as a ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
er with Laura Lee. Fletcher leads lawmen in his company to believe Wales had been killed, to help him have a fresh start at life.