Something to keep in mind. . .

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Posted by C. Seiler on July 21, 2001 at 10:29:44:

In Reply to: Re: Gettysburg movie posted by Eric Hayden on June 28, 2001 at 14:58:35:

I am a pretty big Cival War buff and also loved the movie Gettysburg. I just finished watching it for about the tenth time (or maybe twentieth). However, there's one big thing to keep in mind that may clear up a few questions regarding accuracy of actual events portayed in the movie. . .

The movie Gettysburg was NOT directly based on actual events. It was based on the book "The Killer Angels" my Michael Shara. This was a fictional book extrapolated from acctual events and while Shara did pay attention to the timeline and did fairly portray most events he also used a lot of poetic license.

For example: In the movie the scene that takes place on the morning of second day of battle where they were under the canopy planning the day's battle plan was not all that accurate. In actuallity Lee and Longstreet broke out into somewhat of a heated argument. Longstreet strongly defended his view that they should break off from Gettysburg and head toward Washington and fight a defensive campaign. This was always suppose to be the plan.

Not only did Lee dismiss Longstreet's view but at that meeting he then gave orders directly to Hood and McClaws instead of following chain of command and giving the orders to Longstreet who should have in turn decided which division would be placed where. This infuriated Longstreet and Lee knew it.

Then because of circumstances that forced Longstreet to take an almost 10 mile detour to get to his troops into position he wasn't able to get the battle started until almost four o'clock that afternoon. This infuriated Lee because the battle could not start until Longstreet was in position so that the rebels along the base of cemetary ridge could attack in an echelon formation.

One interesting note about the movie is the emphasis placed on Chamberlain's not liking his brother, Tom, to call him Lawrence. The reason for this is because Chamberlain's first and middle name at birth name was NOT Joshua Lawrence but was instead Lawrence Joshua. He later changed them because he thought it sounded better.

I highly recommend also reading the other two books in the trilogy written by Michael Shara's son Jeff Shara.

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: I am a pretty big Cival War buff and also loved the movie Gettysburg. I just finished watching it for about the tenth time (or maybe twentieth). However, there's one big thing to keep in mind that may clear up a few questions regarding accuracy of actual events portayed in the movie. . .

: The movie Gettysburg was NOT directly based on actual events. It was based on the book "The Killer Angels" my Michael Shara. This was a fictional book extrapolated from acctual events and while Shara did pay attention to the timeline and did fairly portray most events he also used a lot of poetic license.

: For example: In the movie the scene that takes place on the morning of second day of battle where they were under the canopy planning the day's battle plan was not all that accurate. In actuallity Lee and Longstreet broke out into somewhat of a heated argument. Longstreet strongly defended his view that they should break off from Gettysburg and head toward Washington and fight a defensive campaign. This was always suppose to be the plan.

: Not only did Lee dismiss Longstreet's view but at that meeting he then gave orders directly to Hood and McClaws instead of following chain of command and giving the orders to Longstreet who should have in turn decided which division would be placed where. This infuriated Longstreet and Lee knew it.

: Then because of circumstances that forced Longstreet to take an almost 10 mile detour to get to his troops into position he wasn't able to get the battle started until almost four o'clock that afternoon. This infuriated Lee because the battle could not start until Longstreet was in position so that the rebels along the base of cemetary ridge could attack in an echelon formation.

:
: One interesting note about the movie is the emphasis placed on Chamberlain's not liking his brother, Tom, to call him Lawrence. The reason for this is because Chamberlain's first and middle name at birth name was NOT Joshua Lawrence but was instead Lawrence Joshua. He later changed them because he thought it sounded better.

: I highly recommend also reading the other two books in the trilogy written by Michael Shara's son Jeff Shara.

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