Gods and Generals Page #9

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- Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

Now it's time for a carol.

Everybody must sing.

- Carols are my favorite.

- I can't sing.

Of course you can sing, Mr. Jackson.

You can breathe, can't you?

Just let your breath flow gently over your

vocal chords and nature does the rest.

I'm afraid General Jackson's voice is more

suited to the battlefield than the parlor.

You may take my word on it, Mrs. Corbin.

If it's singing you want,

my adjutant Mr. Pendleton's your man.

We've worked our way

through the hymnal...

...and he always takes up

where I leave off.

Well then, Mr. Pendleton...

...since the general has appointed you

Kapellmeister...

...what shall we sing?

"Silent Night."

Dearest Fanny:

The bugle has just sounded,

It makes me happy to think of you

and my dear little ones at home...

...all nestled together.

I know that it is all well and bright with

her whose sweet face shines in my heart.

Come and let me kiss your dear lips,

precious wife.

Let our hearts worship together

God's love, and wisdom, and mercy.

Yes, all is well, well with us, darling...

...well if we can only meet at last,

as I pray God we may.

Hey, Billy Yank.

- That's a mighty nice song.

- I'm pleased you find it so agreeable.

I'd like it even more if I had some coffee

to wash it down.

- Want some baccy?

- Sure, Johnny.

Have you got a lame horse?

What do you be wanting to trade

for a lame horse?

Would you take General Burnside?

No. I guess I'll keep the horsehide.

Come on, get your baccy.

Mr. Smith, are you aware that the Bible

gives models of official battle reports?

- No, sir.

- Nevertheless, there are such.

Consider the narrative of Joshua's battles

with the Amalekites.

It has clearness and modesty, brevity.

And it traces the victory to the right

source, the blessing of God.

Has it helped you with your reports, sir?

Anybody home?

Afternoon, General Jackson.

What's this?

- New recruits.

- My mama helped me make these.

That's fine.

- Left, right. Left, right.

- Child, that hat is a bit

too large for you.

However...

...there.

I believe that suits a young girl

better than an old soldier.

Mama's baking some biscuits.

You know, I was thinking of walking over

to the big house for a nice hot cup of tea.

And I would very much like the company

of one beautiful little lady.

Yes, General Jackson,

a hot cup of chamomile.

Mr. Smith, you may continue

writing the reports.

Consult first and second Samuel...

...and first and second Kings.

They will be of help to you.

Shall we go?

Do you prefer butter biscuits

or sugar cookies?

Oh, my. I know your mother's biscuits

are first rate.

We owe you Texas boys a debt

of gratitude for putting on these shows.

Colonel Patton, any man who can't handle

a guitar or a fiddle...

...ain't fit to carry a musket.

Attention, battalions.

Halt.

- Sergeant, keep these men here for now.

- Yes, sir.

Sir.

The men have rounded up three deserters.

Establish the courts-martial.

Have them arraigned.

See they're given a fair hearing.

Yes, sir.

Yes?

Well, I thought that you should know, sir.

They all belong to the Stonewall brigade.

Do your duty, soldier.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Pendleton, if they are innocent,

these men will go free.

But if they are found guilty of desertion...

...the courts-martial condemns them

to death. It must be so.

Yes, sir.

Of course, sir.

I'm not done yet.

Sandie.

If the Republicans lose their little war,

they are voted out in the next election...

...and they return to their homes

in New York or Massachusetts or Illinois...

...fat with their war profits.

If we lose, we lose our country.

We lose our independence.

We lose it all.

Our soldiers are brave.

They have endured hardships none of them

could ever have imagined.

Desertion is not a solitary crime.

It's a crime against the tens of thousands

of veterans...

...who are huddled together

in the harsh cold of this winter.

Against all those who have sacrificed.

Against all those who have fallen.

Against all the women and the children

we have left alone to fend for themselves.

I regard the crime of desertion as a sin

against the Army of the Lord.

Duty is ours.

The consequences are God's.

I am a soldier in the 4th Virginia.

And in the 4th Virginia I will stay.

And if needs be, die.

The courts-martial of the Army

of Northern Virginia...

...has found you guilty of desertion

and sentences you to death...

...by firing squad.

Lieutenant, do your duty.

Detail, ready!

Aim.

Fire!

Recover, arm!

Morning, Lawrence.

- Any mail?

- No.

But I did manage to get my hands

on a New York Tribune.

- What are they saying about us now?

- Well, not much about us.

I mean, that is, this Army here

in Stoneman's Switch.

Sure are kicking up a fuss about

Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

Says here that enlistments are down

and desertions are up.

- Any grumbling among the men?

- Well, not in our regiment.

A few wonder out loud why they should

be risking their lives for the darkies.

Well, Tom, you know my position.

I signed up to preserve the Union.

The president did the right thing.

What's the use of uniting the country

by force and leaving slavery in place?

It sure riled up those Johnny Rebs.

They'll think Lincoln incited the slaves

to rise against them.

Why shouldn't they?

Freeing the slaves wasn't a war aim

when this began, but war changes things.

- It sorts things out.

- Well, I don't know, Lawrence.

Not everybody feels the way we do

about the darkies.

Especially when it comes to fighting

and dying.

Tom.

Do me a favor.

Don't call me Lawrence

and don't call Negroes "darkies."

That's a patronizing expression

from which we must free ourselves.

Come outside. I want to...

I want to show you something.

All these thousands of men.

Many of them not much more than boys.

Each one of them some mother's son.

Some sister's brother.

Some daughter's father.

Each one of them a whole person, loved

and cherished in some home far away.

Many of them will never return.

An army is power.

Its entire purpose is to coerce others.

Now, this kind of power cannot be used

carelessly or recklessly.

This kind of power can do great harm.

We have seen more suffering

than any man should ever see...

...and if there is going to be an end to it,

it must be an end that justifies the cost.

Now, somewhere out there

is the Confederate Army.

They claim they are fighting

for their independence, for their freedom.

Now, I cannot question their integrity.

I believe they are wrong,

but I cannot question it.

But I do question a system

that defends its own freedom...

...while it denies it to others.

To an entire race of men.

I will admit it, Tom, war is a scourge.

But so is slavery.

It is the systematic coercion

of one group of men over another.

It has been around since

the book of Genesis.

It exists in every corner of the world.

But that's no excuse for us

to tolerate it here...

...when we find it right before

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