The Raid (1954)

Van Heflin plays Maj. Neal Benton, a Confederate officer who breaks out of a Union prison camp near the Canadian border with about a half dozen other officers in September 1864.

His mission: Raid the nearby town of St. Albans, Vermont, where they will rob the banks to provide some much needed cash for the Confederate cause.,

They might also succeed in forcing the North to divert some troops for form home guards to prevent more such raids, helping relieve the pressure on Gen. Robert E. Lee.

And in the process, they’ll show residents of the North how horrible war on the home front can be, giving them a taste of their own medicine as Sherman’s forces march through the South.

Benton seems perfectly suited for the job; Northern troops burned his home. What he didn’t bargain for, however, was the kindness of the folks of St. Albans.

For instance, there’s Katie Bishop (Anne Bancroft), a pretty young widow who runs a boarding house Benton uses as his base of operations. And her son Larry, who immediately takes to the major as a new father figure.

At one point, one of Benton’s men gets drunk, threatens to burn down the church and kill the preacher.

Fearful that the man will ruin the surprise raid, Benton shoots him dead. The townsfolk reward his deed of bravery by purchasing him a lot of land, hoping he’ll settle in town for good.

But will all that kindness be enough to convince Benton to show St. Albans more sympathy than Gen. Sherman is showing the south in his march through Georgia?

Van Heflin as Neal Benton, a southerner who’s home was burned during the war and is eager to return the favor to a northern town in The Raid (1954)

Richard Boone as Capt. Lionel Foster, the crippled Union veteran, defiant in the face of a Rebel attack on St. Albans in The Raid (1954)

Review:

Nicely done film with a superior supporting cast, including Lee Marvin as the drunk Confederate soldier and Claude Akins and Peter Graves as officers serving under Benton.

Richard Boone also turns in a sterling performance as Capt. Lionel Foster, a Northern veteran who returned from the war missing an arm. Everyone assumes he was a war hero. In reality, he got hurt on purpose because he was afraid to fight.

But when the Confederates begin and burning and looting, he’s the one resident of St. Albans who stands up to them.

Western fans are sure to recognize Tommy Rettig, the actor playing Anne Bancroft’s son. He also had sizeable roles in three other well-known 1950s Westerns — “River of No Return” (1954), “At Gunpoint” (1955) and “The Last Wagon” (1956). During the same period, he was playing a lead role on “Lassie” on TV.

This film is loosely based on an actual incident during the Civil War.

Ann Bancroft as Katy Bishop, looking on admiringly as Neal Benton is thanked for saving a preacher’s life in The Raid (1954)

Tommy Rettig as Larry Bishop, Katy’s son, realizing the man he’s looked up to is a Confederate officer in The Raid (1954)

Directed by:
Hugo Fregonese

Cast:
Van Heflin … Maj. Neal Benton
Anne Bancroft … Katie Bishop
Richard Boone … Capt. Lionel Foster
Lee Marvin … Lt. Keating
Tommy Rettig … Larry Bishop
Peter Graves … Capt. Frank Dwyer
Douglas Spencer … Rev. Lucas
Paul Cavanagh … Col. Tucker
Will Wright … Josiah Anderson
James Best … Lt. Robinson
Claude Akins .. Lt. Ramsey
John Dierkes … Cpl. Fred Deane
Helen Ford … Delphine Coates

Runtime: 83 min.

Peter Graves as Capt. Frank Dwyer, arriving in St. Albans and pretending to be a traveling peddler in The Raid (1954)

Lee Marvin as Lt. Keating and James Best as Lt. Robinson, arriving in St. Albans in disguise in The Raid (1954)

Memorable lines:

Neal Benton (Swayzee): “I didn’t mean to stare, but Mr. Anderson mentioned the widow Bishop. I guess I was expecting to see someone older.”
Katie Bishop: “Wars make younger widows.”

Lt. Robinson: “I’ve always wanted to burn down a bank. Everything except the money.”
Maj. Benton: “We’re gonna burn more than their bank. We’ll let them know what the stink of war is like. Rub their noses in it. Let them know what our homes meant to us.”

Van Heflin as Neal Benton, posing as a Canadian businessman and being shown around the St. Albans, Vermont area by Katy Bishop (Ann Bancroft) in The Raid (1953)

SImon Scott as Capt. Floyd Henderson, forced to stay behind after being wounded escaping a prisoner of war camp in The Raid (1954)

Will Wright as Josiah Anderson and Douglas Spencer as Rev. Lucas, thanking Neal Benton for his heroics in The Raid (1954)

Peter Graves as Frank Dwyer and Van Heflin as Maj. Neal Benton, trying to locate a drunk, vengeance seeking fellow Rebel in The Raid (1954)

Van Heflin as Maj. Neal Benton, trying to advise Katy Bishop of the dangers during the Rebel raid of St. Albans in The Raid (1954)

Claude Akins as Lt. Ramsey and Lee Marvin as Lt. Keating, listening to plans for the raid of a Vermont town in The Raid (1954)

James Best as Lt. Robinson, driving a wagon loaded with Rebel soldiers and waiting for the raid to start in The Raid (1954)

Ann Bancroft as Katy Bishop, coming to the defense of ‘peddlers’ Fred Deane (John Dierkes) and Frank Dwyer (Peter Graves) in The Raid (1953)

Helen Ford as Delphine Coates and Anne Bancroft as Katy Bishop, reacting to seeing a soldier shot in The Raid (1954)

Van Heflin (right) as Maj. Neal Benton and Peter Graves as Capt. Frank Dwyer, preparing to flee the town they’ve attacked in The Raid (1954)