When anyone talks about “glory” and “honor” in any war, they should be required to watch this.

Stupidity, greed and disfunction in the ruling-class is all that operates.

'Gettysburg' should also be shown ,at least segments of it, as it is very faithful to Michael Shaara's novel and I still think a very good movie that contains wonderful performances by Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain and Sam Elliott as John Buford.

To show how history can be twisted someone brought up 'Santa Fe Trail' but also 'Horse Soldiers' with John Wayne and directed by the great John Ford is very historically inaccurate. Confederates charge down a single street and are almost killed to the man. Not good history at all but some find it entertaining. It is quite old fashioned but can be shown as an example of something historical such as Grierson's Raid being turned into Hollywood.

Also 'They Died with their boots on' with Errol Flynn as Custer has a Civil War segment too. It's depiction of Custer at Gettysburg is fairly interesting even though it contains inaccuracies such as Winfield Scott commanding the Union armies throughout the whole war.

'How the West was Won' has a Civil War segment set at the Battle of Shiloh with George Peppard, Harry Morgan as Grant, John Wayne as Sherman and this segment was directed by John Ford. This would also be worth watching.

There is also the low budget 'Journey to Shiloh' with James Caan and a very young Harrison Ford that depicts some Texas boys being recruited by Braxton Bragg and thrown into the battle. It is not great history at all but it is kind of interesting. I think it contains the only cinematic depiction of Braxton Bragg however historically inaccurate it is.

'Gettysburg' should also be shown ,at least segments of it, as it is very faithful to Michael Shaara's novel and I still think a very good movie that contains wonderful performances by Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain and Sam Elliott as John Buford.

To show how history can be twisted someone brought up 'Santa Fe Trail' but also 'Horse Soldiers' with John Wayne and directed by the great John Ford is very historically inaccurate. Confederates charge down a single street and are almost killed to the man. Not good history at all but some find it entertaining. It is quite old fashioned but can be shown as an example of something historical such as Grierson's Raid being turned into Hollywood.

Also 'They Died with their boots on' with Errol Flynn as Custer has a Civil War segment too. It's depiction of Custer at Gettysburg is fairly interesting even though it contains inaccuracies such as Winfield Scott commanding the Union armies throughout the whole war.

'How the West was Won' has a Civil War segment set at the Battle of Shiloh with George Peppard, Harry Morgan as Grant, John Wayne as Sherman and this segment was directed by John Ford. This would also be worth watching.

There is also the low budget 'Journey to Shiloh' with James Caan and a very young Harrison Ford that depicts some Texas boys being recruited by Braxton Bragg and thrown into the battle. It is not great history at all but it is kind of interesting. I think it contains the only cinematic depiction of Braxton Bragg however historically inaccurate it is.

I remember seeing it some years ago and thought it was awful.

Montgomery Clift as a callow young poet is torn between tempestuous Southern belle Taylor and dewy-eyed Indiana lass Eva Marie Saint, against a backdrop of the Civil War. Maybe Clift represents a conflicted USA, but it does not help much.

I cam across one comment when I checked the film on the internet – the novelist whose work was used as the basis for the movie died before it was screened. One of his friends commented: “It helped me accept his death, because at least he was spared this.”

If you let in Young Mister Lincoln, then why not Amistad, as a prequel to the Civil War? Also a first class movie, almost making a matinee idol of John Quincy Adams in the process.

Cold Mountain is a good movie; how accurate a portrayal of the Confederate Home Front I do not know. But it should be on the list.

Referring back to Confederate guerilla movies, another one is True Grit. Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) affirms proudly he rode with Quantrill, the cool clean Glen Campbell character served (he tells us) under Edmund Kirby Smith. Cogburn laughs – this exchange is meant to tell us something about the characters of both men.

What's the Abe Lincoln one about him as defending a murder suspect.? Henry Fonda plays Lincoln I believe.
Matt

You could look at “Missouri-based” movies as an interesting sub-genre. The exemplar is “The Outlaw Josey Wales”, Clint Eastwood as a fleeing Confederate guerilla seeking refuge/ redemption and eventually finding it. Eastwood's later “Unforgiven” (a better movie, but I have a sneaking love for the shoot-em-up epic Josey Wales) has him play Will Munny, a Confederate ex-guerilla who ultimately spurns redemption for violence.

Confederate ex-guerillas often turn up as the James and Younger gangs, as in The Long Riders. After being captured, one of the Youngers (played by Keith Carradine) tells a reporter about the Northfield Minnesota raid, apparently with no irony intended, “We did it for Dixie”. The ex-guerilla movie may give a more honest appraisal of the Lost Cause than movies like Gods and Generals.