The Raid

19541954
ApprovedApproved
1h 23m

A group of Confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans, Vermont. To get the lay of the land, their leader spends a few day... Read allA group of Confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans, Vermont. To get the lay of the land, their leader spends a few days in the town and finds he is getting drawn into its life--especially into that of an attr... Read allA group of Confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans, Vermont. To get the lay of the land, their leader spends a few days in the town and finds he is getting drawn into its life--especially into that of an attractive widow and her son.

6.8/10

902

Director
- Hugo Fregonese
Writers
- Sydney Boehm(screenplay)
- Francis M. Cockrell(story)
- Herbert Ravenel Sass(based on "Affair at St. Albans")
Stars

Top credits

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See more at IMDbPro

Anne Bancroft, Van Heflin, and Claude Akins in The Raid (1954)

Van Heflin, Lee Marvin, and Peter Graves in The Raid (1954)

Anne Bancroft, Van Heflin, Richard Boone, and Tommy Rettig in The Raid (1954)

Van Heflin, Claude Akins, James Best, and Peter Graves in The Raid (1954)

Director
- Hugo Fregonese
Writers
- Sydney Boehm(screenplay)
- Francis M. Cockrell(story)
- Herbert Ravenel Sass(based on "Affair at St. Albans")
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

u.s. civil war u.s. cavalry based on novel deception saber 28 more

Taglines
- The suspense thriller of the year !
Genres
Certificate
- Approved
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
The movie is based on a true event: On October 19, 1864, 21 Confederate cavalrymen entered the U.S from Canada, arriving about 15 miles south in St. Albans, Vermont. Confederate agent George Sanders organized the event, and Lieutenant Bennett Young led the raid. Young mounted the steps of a hotel and shouted, "This city is now in the possession of the Confederate States of America!" The Confederates robbed three banks, then ran back over the border. They also planned to blow up downtown with dynamite, but it rained. In 1914, Vermont placed a historic marker in front of Taylor Park, commemorating what became the northernmost engagement of the Civil War. A commemorative plaque is at the entrance of what was the Franklin County Bank. It is the only one of the three banks involved that is still standing and still a bank.

Goofs
When Major Benton gets off the train the first time, the sound of air brakes is clearly heard. However, the Westinghouse air brake was not invented until 1869, five years after the action in the movie occurred.

Connections
Referenced in What's My Line?: Richard Boone (1959)

Soundtracks
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Music by William Steffe
Played when the Union cavalry arrive in town

Top review

8/10

Recommended viewing but lacking accuracy of the raid.

I watched the movie "The Raid" this morning on satellite TV with interest. I only learned of my relative, Col. Bennett H. Young, a few weeks earlier. When Bennett Young was a Lieutenant in the Army of the Confederacy he led the raid on St. Albans, VT. Van Heflin portrayed Lt. Young, though by a different name, and as usual Hollywood spruced the story of the raid up with a romantic twist with Anne Bancroft's character. Lt Young did in fact flirt with a lady, taking her out for a meal and later she took him for a tour at the Governors home. This was all intelligence gathering. In his later years he did send this lady $3.00 asking her to send him copies of newspaper clippings detailing the raid. Lee Marvin's character did not exist nor did the tale of his murdering a soldier in town. There was no calvary of soldiers in town before, during, nor soon after the raid. After the raid invalid soldiers were recruited from military hospitals to guard the border towns of Vermont. It was in fact towns people who gave chase to Lt. Young's band of raiders who fled into Canada. Equally entertaining is what happened afterward in Canada. This information is completely missing from the story in "The Raid". For those interested, it is worth searching for the reading material on the internet. Simply search "St. Albans Raid" Still the movie was interesting with a fine cast of characters who, as usual, delivered their best. The movie is recommended viewing as is further research for the full and accurate historical story.

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