By Pat Centner, AFAJ staff writer
April 2003 – Those whose lives are affected by the sickening business of war inevitably find themselves asking the question, “Whose side is God on?”And, human nature being what it is, their answer will inevitably be, “God is on our side!”
But the recently-released film, Gods and Generals, points out that it wasn’t quite so cut-and-dried for the men and women who lived and died during the Civil War. Families were torn apart over the issues of states’ rights, slavery and secession. Clashes of opinion between father and son, and brother and brother often resulted in their parting as bitter enemies. Ultimately, every person had to decide whether he would side with the North, whose principal battle cry was freedom for slaves, or with the South, who held loyalty and sacredness of home high above that of country, and decried the North’s invasion of Southern soil after those states had severed ties with the Union.
War is an ugly solution to any problem, and for Christians, it is particularly distasteful. During the 1860s, as throughout all of America’s early history, God, and the desire to live a life honoring Him, was important in the lives of the people. Gods and Generals focuses on three Christian men who, in their hearts, wanted no part of war, but were driven by loyalty, honor and patriotism to fulfill their sacred duty.
The film tells the story of the Civil War from 1861 to 1863, primarily through the eyes of the South’s beloved General, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (played by Stephen Lang). It also features Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall), whose fierce loyalty to “home” led him to refuse Abraham Lincoln’s offer to lead the Union troops, and Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) of Maine. All were devout Christians, and Gods and Generals portrays not only their steadfast devotion to God, but each man’s deep-seated conviction that he was fighting on God’s side. The film fairly depicts both the South’s and the North’s side of the story.
Other memorable characterizations include actress Mira Sorvino as Joshua Chamberlain’s wife, Fanny; Brian Mallon as Union General Winfield Scott Hancock and Bruce Boxleitner as Confederate General James Longstreet. Frankie Faison plays Jim Lewis, a freed slave, and Stonewall Jackson’s valet. The two men respect each other, but in prayer together one evening, Jim asks God why a good man (like Jackson) can’t see that no man ever wants to be in chains.
The sheer magnitude of Gods and Generals is overwhelming. The battle scenes are heartwrenching, with thousands of volunteer Civil War reenactors bringing their own brand of emotion and expertise to the fore. To see these men, in wave after wave, relentlessly face each other head-on, usually with no protection except the man who might be standing in front of him, brings home the gutsy bravery of the soldiers, and the total senselessness of war. Three major battles are featured in the film: First Bull Run (First Manassas), Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.
Gods and Generals is written, produced and directed by Ron Maxwell. The film is based on the 1996 best-selling book by the same name, written by Jeffrey Shaara. It is a prequel to the movie Gettysburg, which was also produced and directed by Maxwell. The highly-successful Gettysburg was based on The Killer Angels, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written in 1974 by Shaara’s father, Michael.
The film’s origin
After producing Gettysburg, Maxwell encouraged Jeff Shaara to write a book that would complement his late father’s work by telling the story of the Civil War, from its beginning up to the Battle of Gettysburg. Although Jeff had never penned a book, he took on the challenge of writing Gods and Generals. The Last Full Measure, also written by Shaara, completes the Civil War trilogy. It will soon come to life as a Maxwell film by the same name.
Maxwell has been praised for his commitment to historical accuracy in Gods and Generals. According to Warner Brothers Pictures, distributor of the film, Maxwell sent the film’s screenplay to more than a dozen Civil War authorities for their review
“All of this extra research and input from the historians doesn’t mean Gods and Generals is historically perfect,” said Maxwell, “but it means it’s as close to perfect as any motion picture can possibly be.”
What is surprising is the amount of dialogue that so overtly honors and reveres God. It permeates the film. General Jackson and his beloved wife, Anna (played by Kali Rocha), read the Bible, pray together, and openly profess their faith. Jackson prays often with his men and talks to them about the will of God as it pertains to the outcome of the war, as well as their own individual lives.
When an officer asks Jackson how he can be so serene in battle, he replies: “Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to always be ready, no matter when it may overtake me.”
The companion book
In Faith in God and Generals, a companion book to the film, Christian co-authors Ted Baehr and Susan Wales bring a better understanding of many of the movie’s historical characters by providing an up-close look at their backgrounds and beliefs. The anthology focuses on the importance of faith as they struggle to survive the whirlwind of war. Wales also explains how the book Gods and Generals, (with an “s” on God) came to be so named.
She noted that the question of states’ rights was a major factor for the South. Also, since slavery was common in Biblical times, and the Apostle Paul, in the New Testament, had told slaves to obey their masters, the Southerners felt they were justified in their cause. Yet the North felt they were fighting on God’s side to set the slaves free.
However, after hearing the earnest prayers of Southern soldiers and seeing that the North was losing in the early battles, some concerned Yankees asked, “Can we be praying to the same God?” Abraham Lincoln had an answer: “In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time.” Thus, each side felt “their” God was on their side.
The director’s challenge
Ron Maxwell encouraged the compilation of the anthology, and in it he offers challenging comments for historians, educators and the entertainment industry:
“[Through this film,] I seek to show the humanity of the leaders of the Civil War … Faith in God was a huge part of their lives – for both the leaders of the North and the South. Yet, it is the element most frequently discarded by historians and educators when teaching about the war.”
He continues: “… The act of writing and compiling a book, making a movie, or making a historical film is … not about … sitting in judgment from our high and mighty place at the beginning of the twenty-first century in moral indignation and moral superiority over that generation (the 1860s). But, unfortunately, that is where the attitude of the Hollywood entertainment industry too often comes from – in this smug air of superiority that persists, the perceived wisdom that we are better than any generation that ever lived before and, worse, that we can sit in judgment of them. The only point of making a historical film is to give them [that generation] a voice, to try to find out what they have to say – the lives they lived. And maybe, by this process, that generation can illuminate our own.” 
AFA Journal provides this overview of Gods and Generals because of its overtly Christian content. However, it is rated PG-13 for extended battle sequences, five mild profanities, and two outcries to God. AFA Journal readers must use their own discretion with regard to whether or not they view the film.
