Gettysburg Film Research Paper Anthony Bratt Many people would think that the two world wars would have been the bloodiest wars of mankind. However, contrary to common belief, the American Civil War was bloodier than both wars combined. The most tragic fight during this war was the Battle of Gettysburg. The casualties from both sides combined to over 45,000. In 1863, General Lee and his Army of Virginia invaded the union, trying to draw the Union Army of the Potomac into a decisive battle. They converged at the town of Gettysburg, and after a three day battle, the confederates withdrew after consistently heavy losses. Gettysburg is a 1993 war film written and directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, adapted from the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The film stars are Tom Berenger as General Longstreet, Jeff Daniels as Colonel Chamberlain, and Martin Sheen as General Robert Lee. Approximately 270 minutes long, it is the longest American film ever made. Over 15 years of work went into the making of this film. The Gettysburg film is a very true depiction of the actual battle for several reasons, but the most important reasons are that it follows the different events of the three days very precisely, it portrays the emotions of war very well, and it was filmed on the actual battle sites. The film is not only a good reenactment of the historical events, but also of the emotions of a soldier fighting in the American Civil war. The reenactment starts out with a confederate scout, Harrison, spotting Union infantry and reporting it to General Longstreet. Longstreet then notifies General Lee, and they decide to confront the Union in the small town of Gettysburg. The confederates move without any cavalry to watch ahead of them, not having heard from J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry division in several days. Union cavalry under John Buford arrive in Gettysburg and set up a defensive position. Henry Heth's division of A. P. Hill's corps attacks them, thinking them to be only militia. Buford is soon reinforced by General Reynolds and the I Corps, but then is flanked by General Dick Ewell's corps. Now that the confederates have an advantage, Lee orders all forces to attack at Gettysburg. By the end of the day, however, they had not taken Cemetery Hill, which allowed the Union troops to set up a good defensive position on high ground. On the second day of battle, Lee orders an attack on the unions left flank, focusing on Devil's Den and Little Round Top. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine are posted on Little Round Top, the furthermost left flank of the Union line. After defending against several confederate charges, the men are nearly out of ammunition, so Chamberlain orders the men to fix bayonets. On the next wave, they charge down the hill, and cause the confederates to flee in confusion, capturing many prisoners. The confederates had taken over Devil's Den, but failed in taking over Little Round Top. On the third day, Lee orders an attack on the center of the Union line. He believes they are weakest there, having reinforced the flanks, and can be split in two. Longstreet is put in charge of the attack, and suspecting it will fail, he orders an extended artillery bombardment. The artillery overshoots, however, and do little damage to the Union line. As soon as the infantry starts their march across the field, they are under fire of Union long range artillery. When they get close to the Union line, their numbers are greatly decreased by short range artillery and musket fire. The few troops that reach the Union wall are mostly killed or captured. Lee decides he will withdraw to Virginia the next day. The Gettysburg film is a true depiction of the real event because it follows the happenings of the three days very precisely. In the true battle, Buford's cavalry defended against a division of A.P. Hill's corps, and was reinforced by the Union 1st and 11th Corps. The confederates are reinforced with more of A.P. Hill's divisions, and Richard Ewell's from the north. On the second day of battle the confederates attacked most sections of the Union line, but attacked heaviest on their left flank. Battles occurred at Devil's Den, Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Ridge, Culp's Hill, and East Cemetery Hill. The confederates took Devils Den, but had limited success elsewhere. On the third day, fighting resumed on Culp's Hill and the Wheatfield, but the main fighting was an attack on Cemetery Ridge by 12,000 confederates. All of the first day's events are shown precisely in the film. Brief clips of battles around the Peach Orchard and Devil's Den are shown, but most of the second day’s battle is focused on Little Round Top, with Colonel Chamberlain defending it. On the third day, only the Cemetery Ridge attack is shown. Lee explains that he thinks the Union line is weakest in the center, so it will break there. General Pickett's whole division is practically destroyed the third day, as shown in the film: "Gen. Lee: General Pickett, sir, you must see to your division. Pickett: General Lee, I have no division(Maxwell, Gettysburg)." The film does not perform every battle, but it shows the most important ones of the conflict. The main fights, on Little Round Top and at Cemetery Ridge, are shown in great detail. These fights were the bloodiest, and best portray all the battles of Gettysburg. The events’ historical accuracy make the film true to the real fighting that occurred. Another reason the Gettysburg film is an accurate reenactment of the battle is because it displays the emotions of soldiers fighting in the war. The soldiers during the true Battle of Gettysburg attacked valiantly with great pride, especially the confederates at the Peach Orchard and during Pickett’s charge. As one Union officer said of the charge at the Peach Orchard; “the grandest charge ever seen by mortal man(Masur)” Lee thought his troops were nearly invincible after the success at Chancellorsville, so thought they would win the third day. Being wounded at Gettysburg, or during any of the American Civil War, was often very fatal. This was due to the unsanitary conditions of the field hospitals and the little medicinal knowledge available. ​
The pride of the confederates in the film is shown very clearly, with Armistead showing the Virginian soldiers’ background and loyalty. He says how many of his soldiers have famous ancestors that fought during the American Revolution. He also encourages his men during Pickett’s charge by stabbing his hat with his sword and proclaiming; “Virginians! Who will go with me?(Ebert)” Lee persisted the attack on the Union center line will proceed and will succeed. After the failed attack he proclaims it is all his fault; he thought they were invincible. Chamberlain’s friend was shot twice in the arm during battle, and most believed he would only lose an arm. However, he died the next day, to great sorrow by Colonel Chamberlain and his younger brother. The film portrays the emotions of soldiers during the civil war precisely. It shows their loyalty to their nation, their pride to fight, Lee’s overconfidence in his soldiers, and the tragedy of wounded soldiers. The accurate display of emotions during the war make the Gettysburg film a precise reenactment of the real battle. The Gettysburg film is just like the actual battle because it was filmed on the actual sites. In the actual battle, the first day’s fighting was on Oak Ridge. The second day’s battles were at East Cemetery Hill, Devil's Den, Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Ridge, and Culp's Hill. The third day’s battles were at Culp’s Hill, the Wheatfield, and Cemetery Ridge. The film shows the first day’s battle at the precise locations northeast of Gettysburg. Battles from the second day were performed at the Peach Orchard, Devil’s Den, and Little Round Top. A good bit of the filming at the two side’s headquarters was at a farm a short distance outside of town, along with the Union’s hospital. The whole film was recorded on the true sites around Gettysburg. The battles were on the exact sites. The headquarters and hospital were not filmed at the actual headquarter sites, but was likely to have been at a site used for the wounded soldiers. Being on the actual locations, you can get a much better feel of the challenges the soldiers had; such as how far they had to march during Pickett’s Charge, and trying to attack up Little Round Top. Gettysburg being filmed on the actual sites of 1863 adds a lot to the authenticity of the film. The Gettysburg film was a reenactment of the actual battle that took place there from July 1­3, 1863. Lee’s Army of Virginia invaded the north, hoping to draw the Union Army of the Potomac into a decisive battle. The two armies converged at the town of Gettysburg, and fought for 3 days. The confederates decide to withdraw back to Virginia after consistently receiving heavy casualties. The film Gettysburg is an extremely accurate depiction of the actual battle for several reasons, but the most important ones are that it follows the different events of the three days very precisely, it portrays the emotions of war very well, and it was filmed on the actual battle sites. The film is exceptionally authentic; even in the uniforms, down to the last button. The actors in the film were very emotional, and truly got into the role they were playing. Jeff Daniels, who performed Colonel Chamberlain, describes the re­enactors: “...and you realize the importance of the war, of Gettysburg, to them, and you realize this ain’t just a job to them(Jubera).” The reenactment was so real like, that the re­enactors were acting like they were truly fighting in the civil war. When Martin Sheen, performing Lee, rode by the confederate actors, they rushed around him and started chanting Lee’s name. No cameras were rolling, but the scene was so emotionally moving that the director had Sheen ride past them again and recorded it. Every person on set acted so much like it was real life and real war, that the film is truly one of the most authentic reenactments to be made. Works Cited Alleva, Richard. Gettysburg. Commonweal. November 19, 1993. Student Resources in Context. Gale Group. April 29, 2014 Ebert, Roger. Gettysburg. rogerebert.com. October 8, 1993. April 29, 2014. rogerebert.com Gettysburg. Ronald Maxwell. Tom Berenger, Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen. Turner Pictures. October 8, 1993. history.com staff. Battle of Gettysburg. history.com. 2009. April 30, 2014. history.com Jubera, Drew. GETTYSBURG Ted Turner, a cast of thousands and the ghosts of the past. articles.baltimoresun. October 09, 1993. April 29, 2014. articles.baltimoresun.com Masur, Rachel. Grandest Charge Ever Seen. Civil War Times. February, 2014. MAS Ultra ­ School Edition. EBSCO host. May 1, 2014 Olson, Steve. 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