MUSK: 1865
In a major first for Web3, this A.I. assisted photography release is comprised of 65 never-before-seen 1/1 film stills from a fictional 2022 blockbuster movie based on true events.
Known as one of the greatest battle epics of all time, MUSK: 1865 was the highest grossing film of 2022, shattering box office records and winning fourteen academy awards. The story follows Elijah Musk through the trials and tribulations of the final year of the Civil War, culminating with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford Theatre.
The film was loosely based on the true story of Sgt. Spencer H. Bronson (7th Wisc. Infantry) who fought in multiple battles, survived capture and actually witnessed Lincoln’s assassination.
Film Still Notes: Sixty-five NFTs (1/1), A.I. Generated, 35mm, Panaflex, Midjourney V5, Gigapixel Upscale (3000x2000px).
NFT Release Date: Monday, April 17, 2023 — Stealth Launch
OpenSea Link: HERE
Genre: Historical Drama / A.I. Film Photography / Parody / Conceptual Art
Synopsis
Elijah Musk is a young man from South Africa who dreams of a better life in America. In 1864, he immigrates to the United States and quickly joins the Union Army.
Musk quickly proves himself to be a brave and skilled soldier. He fights in several battles including the Siege of Fort Fisher, Battle of Hatcher’s Run and the Siege of Petersburg. He is wounded in battle, but recovers at a Washington, D.C. hospital.
In April 1865, the Civil War comes to an end. Musk is overjoyed that the war is over, but he is also distraught by the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln which he witnesses first-hand. He vows to continue fighting for a better future for his new country.
Setting: The film is set in the United States during the final year of the Civil War. The film features scenes from several battles, including the Siege of Fort Fisher, the Fall of Petersburg, and the Skirmish at Appomattox Court House. The film also features scenes from Richmond, V.A. and Washington, D.C. during critical times in the war.
Themes: The film explores the themes of courage, sacrifice, and hope. It shows how ordinary people can make a difference in the world. The film also shows the importance of freedom and democracy. The film stills presented in this collection are presented as parodies and works of conceptual art, meant to provoke discussion around creativity, intellectual property, and the relationship between humans and A.I. creative partners.
Fictional Production Notes: The film was shot on location in the United States. The film was produced by a team of experienced A.I. filmmakers known collectively as SAGA. The film was released in theaters in 2022.
Plot Point Summary & Historical References
Fort Fisher — January 15, 1865
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort which protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina. On January 13, 1865, Union General Alfred Terry sent troops under against the northern part of Fort Fischer.
As seen in the film, Sgt. Elijah Musk takes part in the infantry attack on Fort Fischer. At 3 p.m., Union infantry attacked at the northern land face. At the same time, a landing force attacked the fort’s northeast bastion. The initial attack was repulsed, but not before drawing the defenders’ attention from the attack on the northern face. There the Union infantry entered the fortification through Shepherd Battery. The Confederate defenders found themselves battling inside their walls, and were forced to retreat.
The Magazine Explosion — January 16, 1865
Shortly after sunrise on January 16, 1865, Fort Fisher’s main magazine exploded — a tremendous blast that killed at least 200 men of both sides. The tragedy sparked a heated debate, as the Union victors were eager to blame the Confederates for dastardly behavior. But the previous night’s giddy celebration among the Federals had spawned many a drunken reveler; and the accident occurred despite the posting of guards at the fort’s magazines. Sgt. Musk woke to the sound of a violent explosion and quickly rushed into action, saving both Union and Confederate soldiers who had been badly wounded.
True Love — January 17, 1865
While helping the Union surgeons at a makeshift field hospital near Fort Fisher, Sgt. Musk meets Dorothy Swift, a nurse from nearby Wilmington, North Carolina. It was love at first sight. The pair were inseparable over the next few days, as they loved to discuss politics and current affairs. They frequently snuck out of their quarters at night to meet in secret under a large oak tree. It was a passionate romance and both knew they had met their match. Unfortunately, Sgt. Musk was soon mustered out to continue fighting in Virginia. Dorothy and Musk vowed to meet again if they survived the war.
Battle of Hatcher’s Run — February 6, 1865
The Battle of Hatcher’s Run was fought February 5–7, 1865, and was one in a series of Union offensives during the siege of Petersburg, aimed at cutting off Confederate supply traffic on Boydton Plank Road and the Weldon Railroad west of Petersburg, Virginia.
On February 6, the Sgt. Musk’s lines were attacked by elements of Confederate Brig. Gen. John Pegram’s Division. The Confederates were driven back, but a counterattack by Confederate Brig. Gen. Clement A. Evans stopped the Union advance.
Later in the day Pegram’s and Maj. Gen. William Mahone’s divisions attacked the Union center near Dabney’s Mill south of Hatcher’s Run. The Union line collapsed under the attack and Sgt. Musk was forced to retreat.
Fort Stedman — March 25, 1865
The Battle of Fort Stedman was fought on March 25, 1865, when the Union Army fortifications around Petersburg, Virginia were attacked in a pre-dawn Confederate assault by troops led by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon.
Gordon’s attack started at 4:15 a.m. when parties of sharpshooters and engineers masquerading as deserting soldiers headed out to overwhelm Union pickets and to remove obstructions that would delay the infantry advance. After intense fighting, however, Gordon’s attack began to flounder. The Union artillery launched punishing fire against them. It was at this moment that Sgt. Musk was called to man the cannon and repel the Confederate assault, which he did with deadly accuracy.
After nearly ten months of siege, the loss at Fort Stedman was a devastating blow for Lee’s army, setting up the the Union breakthrough at Petersburg on April 2, the surrender of the city of Petersburg at dawn on April 3, and Richmond that same evening.
The Fall of Petersburg — April 2, 1865
The Third Battle of Petersburg was fought on April 2, 1865 at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (sometimes called the Siege of Petersburg) and in the beginning stage of the Appomattox Campaign.
The Union Army under the command of General-in-Chief Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, launched an assault on General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s Petersburg, Virginia trenches and fortifications after the Union victory at the Battle of Five Forks the previous day. As a result of that battle the Confederate right flank was exposed.
As Sgt. Musk and the much larger Union forces assaulted the lines, desperate Confederate defenders tried to hold off the Union breakthrough. After dark, Lee informed President Jefferson Davis that he could “hold his position no longer,” and that Petersburg and Richmond must be evacuated. Grant had finally achieved one of the major military objectives of the war: the capture of Petersburg, which led directly to the loss of the Confederate capital at Richmond, which finally fell on April 3rd. Sgt. Musk was soon informed that he would be on the hunt for General Robert E. Lee.
The Capture of Richmond — April 3, 1865
On April 3rd, 1865, the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, falls to the Union Army after 10 months of attempted attacks by General Ulysses S. Grant. President Davis, his Cabinet, and the Confederate defenders abandoned the city and fled south on the last open railroad lineafter the fall of Petersburg. News slowly spread throughout the Union ranks.
Skirmish at Appomattox — April 9, 1865
The Battle of Appomattox Court House was fought in Appomattox County, Virginia on the morning of April 9, 1865. It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Robert E. Lee, and his Army of Northern Virginia before they surrendered to the Union Army.
At dawn on April 9, 1865, the Confederate Second Corps attacked Union cavalry and quickly forced back the first line. The next line, with Sgt. Musk at the helm, slowed the Confederate advance. Confederate troops charged through the Union lines and took the ridge. It was at this time that Sgt. Musk took a Confederate bayonet to the chest. As Musk falls to the ground, his attacker is shot just before he can land a killing blow. At the same time, the Confederate troops on the ridge are shocked to see the entire Union XXIV Corps in line of battle with the Union V Corps to their right. The Confederates immediately withdraw and ride off towards Lynchburg.
Lee’s Surrender — April 9, 1865
Trapped by the Union Army near Appomattox Court House, Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union general Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865. Many of Lee’s officers agreed that surrendering the army was the only option left.
Lee decided to request a suspension of fighting while he sought to learn the terms of surrender Grant was proposing to offer. A white linen dish towel was used as a Confederate flag of truce and was carried by a staff officer. At 8:00 a.m., Lee rode out to meet Grant, accompanied by three of his aides. As Sgt. Musk was being carried off the field of battle by a field medic, he witnessed the two generals meeting face to face.
Washington, D.C. Hospital — April 12, 1865
After being wounded at Appomattox, Sgt. Musk was sent to a hospital in Washington, D.C. to recover. It was here that Sgt. Musk read in a newspaper that President Abraham Lincoln, General Ulysses S. Grant and their wives were going to see “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865. Being only a few blocks from the theater, Sgt. Musk mustered his strength and bought a ticket to see the show.
“Our American Cousin”
“Our American Cousin” is a three-act play by English playwright Tom Taylor. It is a farce featuring awkward, boorish American Asa Trenchard, who is introduced to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family estate. The play premiered with great success at Laura Keene’s Theatre in New York City in 1858, but play’s most famous performance was at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865. The cast modified a line of the play in honor of Abraham Lincoln: when the heroine asked for a seat protected from the draft, the reply — scripted as, “Well, you’re not the only one that wants to escape the draft” — was delivered instead as, “The draft has already been stopped by order of the President!”
Ford Theatre — April 14, 1865
On April 14, 1865, Sgt. Musk attends the infamous performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater. In a letter to his family written on April 16th, Sgt. Musk described the scene after the initial pistol shot rang through the theater, interrupting the performance:
“The murderer drew a dagger, and with his white face towards the crowd, he repeated in Latin, ‘So be it ever to tyrants’…I was present and saw this scene enacted, such an act that has no parallel since the days of Roman greatness when Caesar was struck down.”
It was a couple of days before newspapers printed the name and photo of the assassin. But Sgt. Musk, a fan of the theatre, knew immediately who killed Lincoln.
He wrote his sister: “I will also send you a paper with the full account of the affair & also a good portrait of the murderer who I am sure is J. Wilkes Booth…the city is mad with excitement at the act. Three men have been shot dead by soldiers for saying they were glad the president was dead. Thus far the murderer has not been caught.” He also enclosed a handbill advertising the play and asked his sister to save it.
Reunited — April 14, 1865
Sgt. Musk attempts to chase down the villain, John Wilkes-Booth who escapes the theatre after his assassination of the President. As Musk gets to the street, chaos erupts all around him with people shouting “hang him” and “shoot him” after Booth fled to a horse waiting outside.
While navigating the rowdy scene on the street, Sgt. Musk backs into his lost love, Dorothy Swift. It is a heartwarming scene where they kiss each other passionately. You can see the years of battle and distress on their faces and slowly fading away. They will live happily ever-after.
Ending Scenes — Family Scene — June 6, 1875; Funeral — April 20, 1915
Sgt. Musk was later transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps. on May 15, 1865 and mustered out on November 21, 1865. Sgt. Musk and Dorothy Swift were soon married and settled in Wilmington, North Carolina to raise a family. Sgt. Musk became a successful merchant and postmaster. The couple had fifteen children. Both Musk and Swift died in 1915, only days apart. After his wife passed away, the official diagnosis of Musk’s death was “heartbreak.”
Closing Credits
Written & Directed By: Historic_Crypto
Produced By: Historic_Crypto & SAGA
View Historic_Crypto’s A.I. Generated Photography Work: HERE
DISCLAIMER: This NFT collection was generated with AI tools. All works are produced through AI generative models as an exploration of artistic possibility, not intended as infringements of any copyright or public image. These pieces are presented as parodies and works of conceptual art, meant to provoke discussion around creativity, intellectual property, and the relationship between humans and AI creative partners.
