CBS was shooting a George Washington miniseries in a field outside Philadelphia. When I got there on Oct. 12, 1983, to interview the title star, Barry Bostwick, they put me in these rags, gave me a stick with a belt at one end and a blade at the other, and conscripted me as one of the general’s troops. I didn’t get paid for working as an extra that day, but brought back plenty of ammunition in my notebook to enthrall future grandchildren of my revolutionary exploits.