God's and Generals

"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it." -- Robert E. Lee

My father and I went together to see "Gods and Generals" the day after it opened. Since I go to the movie theater about once a year, I cannot offer a professional comparative review. I know what I like, however, and I liked this movie.

I acknowledge that I am a history buff, and the Civil War is one period of special interest for me. We know that at least one of our Notgrass ancestors joined the Confederate army during that unpleasant affair. He was wounded early in the war and died on his way home to recuperate. My great-grandfather traveled to numerous battlefields in the early twentieth-century and collected a large number of bullets, weapons, and other artifacts. He waved the Rebel flag until he died. I was born in Mississippi, but I spent my formative years in Illinois. I even attended a school called Yankee Ridge. Now I live in Tennessee, and I have devoted a fair amount of study to people, events, and issues from the 1860s.

"Gods and Generals" surveys the first two years of the war in Virginia and Maryland. It begins with Lee's refusal to take command of the Northern army and ends in May of 1863, two months before Gettysburg. The production team paid great attention to historical details, and volunteer Civil War re-enactors contributed their talents to making the extended battle scenes. The Southern perspective gets the bulk of attention, but soldiers on both sides, along with civilians and slaves, show the challenging questions raised before and during the war, and the tragic consequences it brought.

On a personal level, "Gods and Generals" is a beautiful love story about the life of Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. It shows his faithful love for God as he frequently prays, refers to the Bible, and devotes himself to duty. It shows his tender love for his wife, his pain at being separated from her, and his joy at the birth of his daughter. It shows his courageous love for his country as he attempts to oppose the invaders of his homeland and to secure its independence. Jackson is one of my heroes, and this movie well depicts his strong character.

Many people will not like "Gods and Generals". Dialogue is important, and many lines are based directly on historical records; events do not move as swiftly as in an action film with chases and explosions. The battle scenes are intense, but they are not especially gruesome or bloody. This film shows tender affection between husband and wife, but it has no steamy love scenes. Soldiers utter a few martial curses, but it does not feature crude jokes or profane language. In short, many people will not like "Gods and Generals" because it is so unlike other modern movies. It takes three and a half hours to tell a powerful story for which many people could not care less.

This movie is a rare treasure. Since many people in our country do not know history or have learned a corrupted version of it, movies like this provide a valuable perspective. History is important, because history is about people like us. We learn from history how God works and how we should respond to the issues of our day. The War Between the States exposed our national failures on a grand scale. We did not work through our disputes peacefully, and we paid a great price. In the midst of the carnage, however, faithful men and women on both sides showed the virtues of self-sacrifice, courage, and faith, the virtues that make countries great and can make ours great again.

We live in a world of rancor and violence. We face many of the same issues faced during the 1860s and throughout American history. "Gods and Generals" brought tears to my eyes, stirred my heart, and reminded me of the heritage left by my forefathers. As we face our own battles today, we should remember the fortitude with which they faced theirs.

"Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees." -- Thomas J. Jackson