Movie Review – Gods and Generals (2003)
As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War, let’s take a step back and look at the earlier parts of that critical period of American history.
Based on Jeff Shaara’s bestselling novel Gods and Generals, the film documents the early stages of the American Civil War and primarily focuses on life and times of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Gods and Generals takes viewers from just prior to the outbreak of war to the Battles of First Manassas (Bull Run), Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. The film ends in June of 1863 as General Lee takes his army north into Pennsylvania and the Army of Northern Virginia’s fateful encounter at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, produced by Ted Turner, and given a musical score by John Frizzell, Gods and Generals is a prequel to Gettysburg, an epic film from 1993 detailing the historic three-day battle and turning point of the American Civil War. Gods and Generals stars Stephen Lang as General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (CSA), Jeff Daniels as Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (USA), and Robert Duvall as General Robert E. Lee (CSA).
Supporting them are Kevin Conway as Sgt. Buster Kilrain, C. Thomas Howell as Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain, Bruce Boxleitner as General James Longstreet, Mira Sorvino as Fanny Chamberlain, and Kali Rocha as Anna Jackson. Gods and Generals has a running time of a whopping 219 minutes.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
Gods and Generals begins in April of 1861 in Washington City (a.k.a. Washington D.C.). Colonel Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall) is given the opportunity to command the Union Army, complete with the ranking of major general, and fight against the rebellion growing in the south. Col. Lee will not fight against his home state of Virginia, so he resigns from the Unites States Army. He then returns home to Virginia.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
At the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, we meet Major Thomas Jackson (Stephen Lang) of the U.S. Army. Major Jackson is lecturing his students and attempting to teach them combat tactics, but they don’t understand or really pay attention to his instructions. As a result he tells them disapprovingly that he’ll have to repeat the same exact lesson word-for-word the next day. Outside of the classroom we see an angry mob of students remove the American flag and hoist the flag of the Confederate States of America (CSA).
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
The House of Delegates convenes in Richmond, Virginia, and expresses its grave disapproval of the United States. The speaker appoints Robert E. Lee as the commander of the armed forces of the citizen army of Virginia. Lee accepts this position and receives a standing ovation.
Then film then shows southerners volunteering for the Confederate Army. Major Jackson is at home with his wife Anna (Kali Rocha) when he receives a notice instructing him to return immediately to the Virginia Military Institute. He is to begin training the corps of cadets and developing an army to defend the state of Virginia. Jackson does so and we see not only cadets from the VMI but men from all over the state volunteer to serve in the army.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
General Jackson oversees the training of the Army of Northern Virginia. We see as the civilians learn military drill and begin to look like an army of soldiers. One of the interesting aspects is looking at the wide variety of uniforms in the army, from the cadet uniforms of the VMI students to General Jackson’s blue U.S. Army uniform to the everyday clothes worn by many of the volunteers. During this part of the film we also meet the flamboyant yet vain Lieutenant Colonel J.E.B. Stuart (Joseph Fuqua), a cavalry commander.
Gods and Generals continues and we see crowds of people celebrate when they learn that the state of Virginia secedes from the United States of America and joins the Confederate States of America. We learn that the Army of the Potomac has invaded Virginia, so the Army of Northern Virginia races to respond to the intrusion.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
The Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) is already in progress as General Jackson’s division arrives to help General Lee. There’s artillery fire from the Federal forces, and as some Confederate lines begin to break we see General Jackson standing alone, like “a stone wall.” This historic site gives the general his most famous nicknames and motives the Confederate troops. They rally behind him and form their battle lines, ready to face the enemy again.
A stray bullet hits Stonewall Jackson in his hand, but he continues leading the troops from on top of his horse. The Confederates stay low as the Federal troops march up the hill to fight them, taking fire while making the march. The Federalists fire a volley but most of the shots miss the troops as they stay low. Then it’s the Confederates’ turn, and their response fire is devastating. One of the young leaders from the VMI sees this as an opportunity to charge and take control of the field, and his actions force the rest of the company to charge as well, much to the disgrace of General Jackson. The attack fails and the wounded men limp back to the Confederate battle lines.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
The rest of Stonewall’s division stays disciplined and follows the instructions of their commanding officer. They repeal the next Union attack and then use their bayonets to take control of the field as an organized charge, thus winning the battle. After the battle, General Jackson is saddened when he recognizes two of the dead soldiers as his former students from the VMI.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
Next in Gods and Generals we’re introduced to Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels), a professor at Bowdoin College in Maine. Professor Chamberlain is busy teaching his students rhetoric and debating them in various subjects. That evening, Chamberlain talks to his wife Fanny (Mira Sorvino) about his decision to join the volunteers from Maine and fight against the Confederate army. She’s apprehensive about his decision to join the military but Fanny supports her husband in the end.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
Winter progresses and we see General Jackson spending tender moments with his wife Anna. After that it’s the Spring of 1862 and Joshua Chamberlain finds himself at a training camp in Maine. He’s a lieutenant colonel and second-in-command of the brand new 20th Maine Regiment. His younger brother Thomas Chamberlain (C. Thomas Howell) has also joined the regiment, and he’s later given the enlisted rank of sergeant. The regiment trains over and over and the volunteers learn the different formations and how to function as a single fighting unit. At the training camp we also meet Irishman Buster Kilrain (Kevin Conway), another one of the regiment’s non-commissioned officers.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s now March of 1862 and we see General Stonewall Jackson addressing his division. He reminds his men what they’re fighting for, and while doing so he makes a point of naming them the First Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. It’s a proud moment for the general and he’s convinced that his men are ready to continue fighting against whatever the Federalists throw at him. This brigade was also known as the Stonewall Brigade.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
Gods and Generals jumps to December of 1862 (bypassing major engagements such as the Battles of Second Manassas (Second Battle of Bull Run – August 28-30, 1862) and Sharpsburg (Antietam – September 17, 1862)) and the Army of Potomac is set on invading Virginia near the town of Fredericksburg. General Hancock (Brian Mallon) is aware of the strategic importance of the town and its location within the mountains and across the Rappahannock River, and he pleads with General Burnside (Alex Hyde-White) to allow him to send a division and seize the town before the Confederate forces arrive. Major General Burnside refuses Hancock’s request, stating that they will wait until the pontoons arrive, and then the entire Army of the Potomac will cross the river as one unit as cannon provide covering fire from the mountains.
As we know from history, General Lee was aware of the importance of the town of Fredericksburg and his troops beat the Federalists to that location. A brigade holds the town and river bank while the main part of the Army of Northern Virginia sets up defensive lines on top of the surrounding hills. In addition to that, General Jackson’s men constructed a road behind their lines to make it easier and faster for re-enforcements to move wherever they’re needed.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s not until December 11, 1862 when the Army of the Potomac is finally able to cross the Rappahannock River and invade the town of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Confederate sharpshooters pick off the Union engineers, but covering fire ultimately allows the Union army to cross the river and seize the town. The Federalists celebrate as they sack and loot the town, but the main part of the Battle of Fredericksburg is about to begin.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
More Union troops continue pouring across the river, and by December 13 the 20th Maine has made its crossing. Lt. Col Chamberlain quotes works of Shakespeare as his regiment prepares to enter the fight. We see scenes of the battle as wave after wave of Federalists are repelled by the Confederate defenses. In one particularly touching scene we see an Irish Brigade fighting for the U.S. advance upon an Irish brigade fighting for the Confederates. The Confederate Irishmen are bewildered as their fellow Irishmen should know the importance of fighting for one’s independence. Still, they’re forced to hold their position on the Confederate line and they shoot and kill their fellow Irishmen wearing blue uniforms.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
After the fall of the Irish Brigade it’s time for the 20th Maine to launch its attack against the Confederate defenses. The soldiers know that it’s a bleak outlook as they have to cross a creek and a large area of open ground while heading uphill against a very strong defense. But as a soldier you accept your orders and rely on your training and that of the men marching and fighting beside you. The 20th Maine conducts its attack and faces heavy resistance. They make a stand but it ultimately fails and the soldiers have to fall back and retreat. The 20th Maine is forced to stay on the ground and use fallen soldiers as human shields. They spend the cold night on the battlefield and resume fighting the next morning.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s not until some time later that the 20th Maine is able to fully retreat from the battlefield. Later that evening the volunteers from Maine, along with a large portion of the Army of the Potomac, retreats across the Rappahannock River and leaves Fredericksburg, Virginia. The total number of Union casualties numbered over 12,600, over twice as many losses as the Confederacy.
The film continues and it’s Christmas time. The Confederacy is in good spirits and the commanding generals have a fine time attending a Christmas celebration. We see Stonewall Jackson’s tender side as he takes particular interest in a young girl, treating her like she was one of his own children.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
Meanwhile, times are more gloomy for the Army of the Potomac. Morale is low as they were recently defeated in a major battle, and their commanding officers continue to make tactical mistakes. Staying in the army feels more and more like a death sentence. Despite that, two soldiers wearing opposite uniforms find some common ground on Christmas. They both meet halfway across the river and exchange coffee for some tobacco. After spending a few moments enjoying a luxury from the opposite army, the two soldiers part ways and return to their units.
At one point that winter three deserters from the Stonewall Brigade are captured. General Jackson keeps up the fierce reputation of his brigade and he has his men carry out the ultimate sentence. The three deserters are blindfolded and executed by a firing squad. Nobody will desert the Stonewall Brigade and leave behind his fellow soldiers, all of whom have worked hard and sacrificed so much for their home and country.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
Stonewall Jackson continues his friendship with the little girl, and he pays her a visit when learning of her illness. Unfortunately, the girl dies from scarlet fever, and after hearing that news, General Jackson weeps right there in front of his men. A little while later Jackson’s wife Anna visits him along with his newborn daughter.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s now late April of 1863 and the Army of the Potomac has defensive lines around the town of Chancellorsville, Virginia. Generals Lee and Jackson are studying a map and forming a plan of attack when General Stuart arrives with critical news about the Union forces —- the outer flank on the west side of town is unguarded. The Army of the Potomac is not expecting an attack out there.
It’s May 2, 1863 and General Lee splits the Army of Northern Virginia to capitalize on the weak Union flank. Remember that at this point in time the Federalists outnumber the Confederates about 2-to-1, and General Lee made the tactical decision of splitting his forces in the face of a numerically superior enemy. General Jackson is given an entire corps and sent along back roads to make a sneak attack on the Army of the Potomac. Meanwhile, General Lee’s troops will have to hold their position and make it look like he’s still conducting a major frontal attack.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
It takes most of the day for General Jackson to maneuver his corps around the mountains and to the Union’s right flank. There are two hours of daylight left when Stonewall Jackson launches his devastating attack against the Federalists. The Confederate soldiers rush forward and press hard, attacking and pushing the Union forces across their lines and on a path back to Washington.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
The Union’s resistance gradually becomes more organized as word spreads about General Stonewall Jackson’s sneak attack. Still, General Jackson urges his men to continue pressing hard and seizing the initiative. The only problem is that the sun sets and it’s now dark in the forest and on the battlefield. General Jackson returns to the Confederate line after scouting the enemy, and the general is mistaken for a Federalist. His own men accidentally shoot and seriously wound General Jackson.
General Jackson is taken to an army hospital, and the surgeon is forced to remove the general’s arm to treat his injury. Fortunately for General Jackson, the surgeon uses anesthesia and the general doesn’t feel any pain during the amputation (unlike so many other soldiers who had limbs viciously removed without any sort of painkiller).
As far as Gods and Generals is concerned, the Battle of Chancellorsville ends with the accidental shooting of General Jackson. The film focuses on the general’s recovery from the surgery and his wife Anna paying him a visit. Jackson catches pneumonia during his recovery process, and sadly the general dies on May 10, 1863.
Gods and Generals (2003) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures
Gods and Generals ends as General Stonewall Jackson’s casket is returned to the Virginia Military Institute. The residents and cadets pay tribute to their fallen leader. The film concludes with a message stating General Lee’s decision to take the Army of Northern Virginia and to invade the northern states. Less than two months after the death of General Jackson, both armies would fight again outside the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
So is Gods and Generals a good movie?
As a movie, Gods and Generals stinks. It’s no surprise that the film performed poorly in the theaters and received mostly negative reviews from the critics. Most of the material in the film will be a complete bore to the general audience.
To get the most of out Gods and Generals, you really have to know your American Civil War history, particularly the Virginia campaign. Reading Jeff Shaara’s book Gods and Generals will definitely set you on the right path for trying to enjoy this film. Of course it also helps if you have a favorable view on the Confederacy and General Stonewall Jackson as about 80-85% of the film focus on the Southern point-of-view.
What little battle scenes we see in Gods and Generals look fantastic. The film was produced by the same crew that gave us Gettysburg, and the action scenes in Gods and Generals carry that same level of enthusiasm. You will see some outstanding fragments of American Civil War battle scenes, particularly the Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.
Fans of General Stonewall Jackson, arguably one of the greatest generals and leaders in the Army of Northern Virginia, will also love Gods and Generals. The general is a major focus of this film, and you’ll see him as an instructor, a strategic military leader, and also his softer side as a loving husband and caring individual. It’s hard not to respect the general after watching Gods and Generals.
On the other side of the battle lines, fans of Lt. Col. Joshua Chamberlain may be disappointed in Gods and Generals. While we do see him as a college professor and helping to train the 20th Maine Regiment, we only see the brilliant leader in action at the Battle of Fredericksburg. After that military disaster we pretty much don’t see any more of Lt. Col. Chamberlain or the 20th Maine. Remember that the 20th Maine was under medical quarantine and not allowed to participate in the Battle of Chancellorsville with the rest of the Army of the Potomac. They wouldn’t see combat again until on top of Little Round Top hill and defending the Union’s left flank at the Battle of Gettysburg.
My theory with Gods and Generals is that the film bit off more than it could chew. The American Civil War was literally an epic event that spanned most of the eastern half of the country. From the start of combat in 1861 until the turning point at the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863, there’s simply too much material to make a single movie with multiple points of view. It feels like the film took small pieces here and there from Shaara’s book and tried to make it flow like a full-length movie. The problem is that this simply doesn’t work, all the skipping around and lack of information confuses the audience, and the end result is just a poor film in general.
Gods and Generals (2003) – movie trailer
Despite Gods and Generals being a poor movie, the film’s combat scenes are fantastic (in particular the Battle of Fredericksburg), you’ll see lots of General Stonewall Jackson, and the film’s soundtrack is very good as well. Fans of the Confederacy and the American Civil War in general will most likely enjoy most of this film. Otherwise, everybody else will probably not enjoy it unless somebody is there to help explain the characters and situations.
WARNING – Do NOT expect the awesomeness of Gettysburg in the film Gods and Generals.
Gen. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson – “Just as we would not send any of our soldiers to march in other states, and tyrannize other people… so will we never allow the armies of others to march into our states and tyrannize our people.”
—————————————–
General Bernard Bee – “Look! There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Let us determine to die here today and we will conquer, Rally behind the Virginians!”
—————————————–
Gen. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson – “In the Army of the Shenandoah, you were the First Brigade! In the Army of the Potomac you were the First Brigade! In the Second Corps of this Army, you are the First Brigade! You are the First Brigade in the affections of your general, and I hope by your future deeds and bearing you will be handed down the posterity as the First Brigade in this our Second War of Independence. God Speed!”
—————————————–
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain – “Hail Caesar! We who are about to die, salute you!”
—————————————–
Gen. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson – “It appears the Virginia Military Institute will be heard from today.”
—————————————–
General Robert E. Lee – “He’s lost his left arm. I’ve lost my right.”