--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During a mock battle attended by…" description: "\"During a mock battle attended by President Warren Harding in 1921, Marine Corps General Smedley D. Butler exhumed the arm [of Stonewall Jackson; he did..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/tony-horwitz-23752_arms_during-a-mock-battle-attended-by-preside_132831.jpg" --- # During a mock battle attended by President Warren Harding… ![“During a mock battle attended by President Warren Harding in 1921, Marine Corps General Smedley D. Butler exhumed the arm [of Stonewall Jackson; he didn't believe it was buried there] and reburied it in a metal box.” quote by Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/tony-horwitz-23752_arms_during-a-mock-battle-attended-by-preside_132831.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/tony-horwitz-23752_arms_during-a-mock-battle-attended-by-preside_132831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/tony-horwitz-23752_arms_during-a-mock-battle-attended-by-preside_132831.jpg) > “During a mock battle attended by President Warren Harding in 1921, Marine Corps General Smedley D. Butler exhumed the arm \[of Stonewall Jackson; he didn't believe it was buried there\] and reburied it in a metal box.” [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A 1921 incident where General Butler, with President Harding present, exhumed and reburied Stonewall Jackson’s arm, reflecting on historical mythmaking. **In simple terms:** A bizarre historical event involving a Civil War relic and presidential attendance. Key Takeaway Understand how myths are constructed and challenged. Themes history myth politics military memory Mood intrigued critical Type historical anecdotal When to use this quote - museum curation - historical tours - public memory - political theater Key Concepts historical revisionism symbolic acts Questions to Reflect On - Why do leaders partake in symbolic gestures? - How do such acts shape public memory? A Different Perspective The story may be exaggerated or misrecorded. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) [Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried/) [Buried Reburied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried-reburied-1518407/) [Butler Exhumed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butler-exhumed-1518406/) [Butlers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butlers/) [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Exhumed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhumed-601188/) [Exhumed Arm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhumed-arm-1518408/) [Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harding/) [Marine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine/) [Marine Corp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine-corp/) [Marine corps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine-corps/) [Metals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metals/) [Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mock/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Stonewall Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stonewall-jackson/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Warren harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warren-harding/) ## Related quotes > [Mystery's a thing not easily captured, and once deceased, not easily exhumed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogelberg/mystery-s-a-thing-not-easily-captured-and-once-deceased-not-easily/) [Dan Fogelberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogelberg/) > [ \[Michael Hastings\] has composed a dirge to incompatibility, which, because it raises expectations only to defeat them, leaves a taste of exhumed ashes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-corliss/michael-hastings-has-composed-a-dirge-to-incompatibility-which/) [Richard Corliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-corliss/) > [“It's just incredible. It just does not explain. Or perhaps that's it: they don't explain and we are not supposed to know. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-s-just-incredible-it-just-does-not-explain-or-perhaps-that-s-it/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Strange Fruit Here is the girl's head like an exhumed gourd. Oval-faced, prune-skinned, prune-stones for teeth. They unswaddled the wet fern of her hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/strange-fruit-here-is-the-girl-s-head-like-an-exhumed-gourd-oval/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [Listen, we elected Warren G. Harding. Anybody has a chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/listen-we-elected-warren-g-harding-anybody-has-a-chance/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [“Given my druthers now, I’d prefer a snapshot of Warren Harding’s wife, “the Duchess,” who recorded the smallest offenses in a little red notebook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/given-my-druthers-now-i-d-prefer-a-snapshot-of-warren-harding-s-wife/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“FOR WARREN G. HARDING, the summer of 1927 was not a good one, which was perhaps a little surprising since he had been dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/for-warren-g-harding-the-summer-of-1927-was-not-a-good-one-which-was/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [The truth is that many powerful guys have fooled around while working for the people. Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Warren Harding to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/the-truth-is-that-many-powerful-guys-have-fooled-around-while-working/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Well, Warren Harding, I have got you the presidency. What are you going to do with it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-harding/well-warren-harding-i-have-got-you-the-presidency-what-are-you-going/) [Florence Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-harding/) > [“I regretted what a serious teenager I'd been: There were no posters of pop stars or favorite movies, no girlish collection of photos or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-regretted-what-a-serious-teenager-i-d-been-there-were-no-posters-of/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Throughout American history, we have elected presidents who had not been honest man. Warren Harding, Richard Nixon, to some extent, Lyndon Johnson just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/throughout-american-history-we-have-elected-presidents-who-had-not/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Ronald Reagan is the most ignorant president since Warren Harding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/ronald-reagan-is-the-most-ignorant-president-since-warren-harding/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [I just want to point out that Warren Harding, The Times assailed his nomination for president.And we can see how effective that was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/i-just-want-to-point-out-that-warren-harding-the-times-assailed-his/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [The White House, as Warren Harding said, and I think accurately, is an alchemist. We find out the strengths, the weaknesses and the smarts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/the-white-house-as-warren-harding-said-and-i-think-accurately-is-an/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Carter is doing a high-wire act over a cesspool, preaching all the way. Sinclair Lewis, thou shouldst be living in this hour. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/carter-is-doing-a-high-wire-act-over-a-cesspool-preaching-all-the-way/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) ## More by Tony Horwitz > [“I came here from Kansas,” he announced to his captive. “This is a slave state. I want to free all the Negroes in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/i-came-here-from-kansas-he-announced-to-his-captive-this-is-a-slave/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“The way I see it," King said, "your great-grandfather fought and died because he believed my great-grandfather should stay a slave. I'm supposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/the-way-i-see-it-king-said-your-great-grandfather-fought-and-died/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [Even aimless journeys have a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/even-aimless-journeys-have-a-purpose/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“I asked him if he thought “there” was better than “here.” “Not better,” he said. “I mean, my great-great-grandpap got his leg shot off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/i-asked-him-if-he-thought-there-was-better-than-here-not-better-he/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“When the singing ended, I chatted with others in my pew, including a tall, aristocratic-looking man with pomaded gray hair. I told him about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/when-the-singing-ended-i-chatted-with-others-in-my-pew-including-a/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“You asked how I'd define prejudice. That's it. Making assumptions about people you've never met.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/you-asked-how-i-d-define-prejudice-that-s-it-making-assumptions-about/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [I couldn't think of another city in the world that lined its streets with stone leviathans honoring failed rebels against the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/i-couldn-t-think-of-another-city-in-the-world-that-lined-its-streets/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“Cook,” the historian Bernard Smith speculates, “increasingly realised that wherever he went he was spreading the curses much more liberally than the benefits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/cook-the-historian-bernard-smith-speculates-increasingly-realised/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [ “My life has been of but little worth mostly fild \[sic\] up with vanity.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/my-life-has-been-of-but-little-worth-mostly-fild-sic-up-with-vanity/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [Egyptians undergo an odd personality change behind the wheel of a car. In every other setting, aggression and impatience are frowned upon. The unofficial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/egyptians-undergo-an-odd-personality-change-behind-the-wheel-of-a-car/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“At one stop in New Zealand, an Englishman bartered for sex. He was presented with a boy; when he complained, he was presented with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/at-one-stop-in-new-zealand-an-englishman-bartered-for-sex-he-was/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [There are people one knows and people one doesn't. One shouldn't cheapen the former by feigning intimacy with the latter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/there-are-people-one-knows-and-people-one-doesn-t-one-shouldn-t/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“The best you can do is catch an echo of the man. You can never reach out and touch him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/the-best-you-can-do-is-catch-an-echo-of-the-man-you-can-never-reach/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [I am an agnostic on most matters of faith, but on the subjects of maps I have always been a true believer. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/i-am-an-agnostic-on-most-matters-of-faith-but-on-the-subjects-of-maps/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“Michael King was a young preacher with horn-rimmed glasses and a close-cropped beard and mustache. "The Bible says, if eating meat offends your brother,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/michael-king-was-a-young-preacher-with-horn-rimmed-glasses-and-a/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) [Explore all 24 Tony Horwitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) ## More Arms quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Are we fighting?" I asked Morelli. "No. Were discussing." "Are you sure?" "Am I yelling?" Morelli asked. "Is my face purple? Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Comerado, this is no book,Who touches this, touches a man,(Is it night? Are we here alone?)It is I you hold, and who holds you,I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/comerado-this-is-no-book-who-touches-this-touches-a-man-is-it-night/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [More courage is required to forgive than is required to take up arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ramos-horta/more-courage-is-required-to-forgive-than-is-required-to-take-up-arms/) [Jose Ramos-Horta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ramos-horta/) > [It's been a long time since I asked anything of heaven, and my arms still haven't come down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/it-s-been-a-long-time-since-i-asked-anything-of-heaven-and-my-arms/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) [Browse all 4,470 Arms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "During a mock battle attended by President Warren Harding in 1921, Marine Corps General Smedley D. 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