| In Arms and the Man George Bernard Shaw doesn't | | | | what makes the battle of Slivnitza so significant; the |
| get hung up on facts. | | | | home grown Bulgarian Army beat the Serbian Armed |
| After watching Arms and the Man at the Shaw | | | | Forces all by themselves. |
| Festival, I researched the history of the 1885 | | | | CATHERINE |
| Serbo-Bulgarian War and I was rather shocked to | | | | ... gallant splendid Bulgarians with their swords and |
| learn how George Bernard Shaw's creative license | | | | eyes flashing, thundering down like an avalanche and |
| almost completely eclipses the truth in the matter... | | | | scattering the wretched Serbians and their dandified |
| Of course, the play is a comedy, not a historical | | | | Austrian officers like chaff. |
| documentary, but did he have to change so much? | | | | Although it sounds good, at Slivitnza it was actually |
| Early in Act One Catherine tells her daughter Raina | | | | the Serbs who charged the Bulgars and suffered |
| about the recent battle at Slivnitza. She extols | | | | heavy losses from well aimed artillery fire. The |
| Sergius and his magnificent cavalry charge, | | | | resulting Bulgarian counter attack forced the Serbs |
| CATHERINE [with surging enthusiasm] You can't | | | | into a rear guard action which lasted until they |
| guess how splendid it is. A cavalry charge! Think of | | | | surrendered ten days later. The entire conflict lasted |
| that! He defied our Russian commanders-acted | | | | only fourteen days. |
| without orders-led a charge on his own responsibility. | | | | PETKOFF The war is over. The treaty was signed |
| Well, truthfully, in that particular conflict there were | | | | three days ago at Bucharest; and the decree for our |
| no Russian generals commanding any Bulgarian troops. | | | | army to demobilize was issued yesterday. |
| Political events in Bulgaria relating to the breakup of | | | | Actually the peace treaty wasn't signed until February |
| the Ottoman Empire had forced the complete | | | | of 1886, four months later, but this small detail |
| withdrawal of all Russian military support one year | | | | Bernard Shaw had to alter to set up the comedic |
| earlier, and now the Russians refused to support the | | | | circumstances whereby the Majors meet Bluntschli, |
| Bulgars in their war with Serbia, and that's actually | | | | the chocolate cream soldier. |