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Is there a point in here? Try fewer attempts at dramatic hints and say what you're getting at. First, google his bona fides.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
Then you haven't watched too many movies. The book is decent enough and I think quite accurate.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
I read this over vacation and posted about it under the book and review section.
Gallanger divides the memory of the war into four groups:
1. Lost Cause, basically the it wasn't about slavery, Lee was the most awesomest of all, birth of a nation and Gone with the Wind. etc. etc.
2. Reconciliationist: guys like J. B. Gordon and J. L. Chamberlain, we are all Americans now, everyone fought sincerely for what they believed in, all honor to southern bravery, but its best the North won.
3. Unionist: the war was to save the Union, and democracy, for America and possibly the world, "the last, best hope of mankind."
4. Emancipationist: the war ended slavery, expanding what it meant to be an American.
He discussing Hollywood movies and recent paintining by guys by Trioiani.
Movies are interesting because they are designed to fit a mass market, they reflect what resonates with the mass of people. The paintings are a much smaller niche, and the contrast is between the paintings done directly after the war, and the subjects now.
Generally he found the paintings return again and again to Jackson and Lee, with a nod to Chamberlain. The influence of the movie Gettysburg is obvious. He found that the CBF was much more obvious and emphasized in modern paintings, then in 19th century ones.
In the films he reviews: Glory, In Pharoah's Army, Seraphim Falls, Gettysburg, Gods and Generals and Cold Mountain, he notes that the Union army is generally seen as worse behaved then the Confederates.
In Gods and General they loot Fredericksburg, in Glory they are racist, in Seraphim Falls they murder a family, in Cold Mountain they are rapists and thieves, and In Pharoah's Army they are cowardly thieves.
In Gettysburg both sides are shown fighting hard, but honorably. Gen. Armistad's sadness over the end of his friendship with Gen. Hancock, and his last words, a courtly apology, put the movie in the Reconciliation camp. Longstreet saying 'those boys never seem like the enemy." etc. And of course, no black people.
Gallenger contrasts this with films of the 50s and 60s. "Red Badge of Courage" employing WWII vets Bill Maudlin and Audie Murphy didn't have any particular vicious Yankees. He describes a scene were a fat soldier tries to steal a horse and a young woman drives him off her property with a broom and the soldiers cheer her on and taunt the soldier.
In the Jimmy Stewart fim Shennandoah, Stewart's character is a Virginian who despises the Confederate cause, although his daughter is marrying a handsome rebel officer. A Union officer he meets when trying to track down his missing son is humane and civilized. A black Union soldier tells a slave(not Stewart's he has none) that he is free, and we see the same young man, now a United States soldier himself, fighting in a later battle.
What a long post. It's an interesting book though.
Californians fought in the Civil War; the unit called the Californian Hundred and Californian Battalian served around here in Virginia.
Organization
Company "A" (The California 100) organized at San Francisco, Cal., December 10, 1862. Arrived at Readville, Mass., January 4, 1863. Companies "B," "C," "D," "G," "H," "I" and "K" organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, Mass. Companies "E," "F," "L" and "M" organized at San Francisco, Cal., February and March, 1863. Left San Francisco for Readville. Mass., March 21 and joined Regiment at Readville, Mass., as the California Cavalry Battalion April 16, 1863. Companies "A," "B," "C," "D" and "K" left Massachusetts for Baltimore, Md.; thence moved to Fortress Monroe, Va., February 12-18, 1863; thence moved to Gloucester Point, Va., February 19. Attached to Cavalry Command, 4th Army Corps, Dept. of Virginia. Engaged in picket and outpost duty and scouting until July, 1863. Reconnaissance from Gloucester March 30. Expedition to Gloucester Court House April 7. Companies "A" and "B" moved to Williamsburg, Va., and reconnaissance to White House April 27-May 14. Expedition to King and Queen County May 6. Companies "C," "D" and "K" moved to West Point May 15 and duty there until June 1. Dix's Peninsula Campaign June 24-July 7. Expedition to South Anna Bridge June 23-28. Action at Hanovertown and South Anna Bridge June 26. Expedition from White House to South Anna River July 1-7. Expedition to Gloucester Court House July 25. Moved to Washington, D.C., July 27-29, and joined Regiment at Centreville, Va., August 6. Companies "E," "F," "G," "H," "I," "L" and "M" moved from Readville, Mass., to Washington, D.C., May 11-16, 1863. Attached to Casey's Provisional Troops, 22nd Corps, to August, 1863. King's Division, 22nd Corps, to September, 1863. Cavalry Brigade, 22nd Corps, to August, 1864. Reserve Cavalry Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of Shenandoah, Middle Military Division, to September, 1864. 3rd (Reserve) Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of Shenandoah and Army of the Potomac, to July, 1865.
Service
Duty at East Capital Hill, Defenses of Washington, D.C., until May 30, 1863, and at Camp Brightwood June 1-11. Moved to Poolesville, Md., June 23, and patrol duty in rear of the Army of the Potomac June 23-July 3. Brockville July 1. Scout near Dawsonville July 3-9. Reconnaissance to Ashby's Gap July 11-14. Action at Ashby's Gap July 12. Rockville, Md., July 13. Reconnaissance to Warrenton July 20-21. Skirmishes at Warrenton July 21 and 31. Operations about Fairfax Court House July 28-August 3. Near Aldie July 30. Duty at Centreville, Va., operating against Moseby until October 6. Companies "C," "F," "G" and "I" detached at Muddy Branch September 15, 1863, to March 8, 1864. Warrenton Pike August 17. Coyle's Tavern, near Fairfax Court House, August 24. Expeditions from Centreville August 15-19, September 18-20 and October 2-5. Ordered to Fairfax Court House October 6, thence to Vienna October 9 and duty there until May 24, 1864. Scout to Gum Springs October 12-13, 1863. Near Annandale October 22. Tyson's Cross Roads November 14. Reconnaissance to Blue Ridge Mountains November 18-26. Picket attacks December 12-23. Affair at Germantown December 13 (Detachment). Scout from Vienna to Middleburg December 18-20. Skirmish with Moseby December 29. Near Ellis and Ely's Fords January 17, 1864. Ellis Ford January 26. Scout to Aldie February 4-6. Aldie February 5. Near Circlesville February 21. Dranesville February 22. Scout to Farmwell February 25-26. Companies "B," "D," "E" and "M" relieve Companies "C," "F," "G" and "I" at Muddy Branch March 8. Expedition to Faquier and Loudoun Counties April --. Affair Leesburg April 19 (Detachment). Action with Moseby near Leesburg April 28. Scout to Upperville April 28-May 1. Patrol duty on Orange & Alexandria Railroad May --. Moved to Fall's Church May 24. Escort wounded from the Wilderness June 8-14. Point of Rocks July 5. Action with Moseby at Mr. Zion Church, near Aldie, July 6. Frederick Pike July 7-8. Tennallytown July 10. Fort Reno and near Fort Stevens July 11. Fort Stevens and about Northern Defenses of Washington July 11-12. Rockville, Md., July 13. Poolesville, Md., July 14. Pursuit of Early to Snicker's Gap July 14-28. Snicker's Gap July 17-18. At Rockville July 26-August 9. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August to November. Shepherdstown August 10. White Post August 12. Strasburg August 15. Winchester August 17 and 18. Opequan Creek August 18. Near Opequan Creek August 19. Berryville Pike August 20. Summit Point August 21. Charleston August 21-22. Halltown August 22-24. Summit Point August 25-27. Smithfield August 29. Berryville September 3-4. Berryville Pike September 4. Opequan Creek September 7. Locke's Ford, Opequan Creek, September 13. Sevier's Ford, Opequan Creek, September 15. Battle of Opequan, Winchester, September 19. Front Royal and Snake Mountain September 20. Fisher's Hill September 21. ****ord September 22, Mill's Ford September 23. Toll Gate, near Front Royal, September 23. Luray Valley September 24. Port Republic September 26-27. Rockfish Gap September 28. Waynesboro September 28, 29 and 30 and October 2. Mt. Crawford October 2. Tom's Brook, "Woodstock Races," October 8-9. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Guarding Winchester & Potomac Railroad November 3-28. Near Kernstown November 11. Expedition to Loudoun and Faquier Counties November 28-December 3. Expedition to Gordonsville December 19-28. Madison Court House December 20. Gordonsville December 23. Charlottesville December 24. At Camp Russell, near Winchester, January 1 to February 27, 1865. Sheridan's Raid to White House Landing February 27-May 25. Occupation of Staunton March 2. Waynesborough March 2. Duguidsville March 8. South Anna Bridge March 14. Destruction of Virginia Central Railroad and James River Canal. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. White Oak Road, near Five Forks, March 30. Dinwiddie Court House March 30-31. Five Forks April 1. Scott's Cross Roads April 2. Tabernacle Church or Beaver Pond Creek April 4. Sailor's Creek April 6. Appomattox Station April 8. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. At Nottawny Station until April 19. Expedition to Danville April 23-29. Near Petersburg to May 10. March to Washington, D.C., May 10-16. Grand Review May 23. Near Cloud's Mills May 29-June 26, and at Fairfax Court House until July 20, Mustered out July 20, 1865.
Regiment lost during service 8 Officers and 82 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 138 Enlisted men by disease. Total 231.
Perhaps Hollywood needs to be reminded that there were no cowards in the California Hundred or California Battalion; during the Civil War.
Just some thoughts.
Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf
Then you haven't watched too many movies. The book is decent enough and I think quite accurate.
I am actually trying to get through a list of these, now, which are not exclusively CIVIL WAR in nature, but for
these attitudes, the war will never be over.
I invite you to check out the site, and read the excerpt below here, from the site.
Research Project: Determine whether Hollywood has ever made a movie touching on people, places or things from the South that did not portray some of the film's Southern characters in a negative or stereotypical manner. If so, in which movies?
It would appear from the above review of motion pictures that the Hollywood-based U.S. industry has for the past nearly 100 years systematically engaged in the malicious defamation of an entire region of our country, the American South. Much as Michael Medved argues that the film industry is losing potential revenues from a major segment of an overlooked potential moviegoing audience by focusing on vulgar, crude, bizarre, sexually explicit, violent movies, a similar argument can be made that motion picture revenues in the South, including Texas are less than they would be if there was more balance in the movie industry portrayals of people and places in the South. It is safe to say that a lot of people in the South simply do not go to see modern Hollywood movies because they consider them silly and quite often insulting or offensive.
A total of 251 movies are included in this survey. As it turns out, only 29 of them (12%) were directed by directors from the South. Fifty-five (55) of these movies (22%) were directed by directors from the state of New York alone. Sixty-five (65) others (26%) were directed by directors from other Northern states besides New York. Sixty-nine (69 or 27%) were directed by foreign directors and another 33 (13%) were directed by directors from the American West. In all, 88% of these films about people, places and things of the American South, were directed by non-Southerners. This may help explain why so many of them present negative and/or stereotypical portrayals of these subjects.
The fact that some of these films providing negative or stereotypical portrayals of people, places and things of the American South are based on the works of Southern writers is also irrelevant. The relevant consideration here is who has the power to determine what movies are made and the content of those movies and how has that power been exercised for the nearly 100 year history of the U.S. film industry.
Consider the multiple levels of arrogance involved in a filmmaking community, controlled by Jewish males of a European heritage, who are politically liberal and not very religious, that consistently turns out films portraying the people, places and things in the South in a negative or stereotypical manner. There is an initial level of arrogance and supposed "superiority" involved in the moralistic judgment made in deciding that it is ok for one cultural group to consistently be critical of another.
It appears quite clear from the record set forth above that the people who control the U.S. film industry are very much into including messages that promote tolerance, whenever tolerance might affect them, but promoting "hate" whenever their movies have anything to do with people, places and things from the South. Based on such an observation, it would be fair to label the people who control Hollywood as "hatemongers" and "bigots".
- John W. Cones
And as for Brother Gallagher, I am eager to see his list of films AGAIN, and look for the
problems he represents.
I don't want to say this yet, but I will. I am reading his first chapter now, and already I get the sense that he is upset that his (and indeed, YOUR views of the war) are not
being presented, nor represented...
I feel you, Bro. Represent! Truedat! Mmm-hmmm.
(We Secesh be down with that! Word up!)
Could it be that Hollywood doesn't agree with you? I mean, there was only so much Ken Burns could do to cheer up the invasion and destruction of the Confederacy...
Even that whiney Ashokan Farewell couldn't do a whole lot to justify that level of carnage.
You have to admit it, though. Losing does invoke some great sympathy. And Southern Sympathizers are just as big a bunch of traitors as the rest of us!
You will forgive us here, in Dixie, if looking for your problems in cinema was not our first concern, nor even known to us to be a problem for you, at all... until this book. (We were kinda looking the other way, and didn't notice the enemy being misrepresented... unless, of course, they were being candy-coated, like Sherman being played by The Duke!).
You DID win.
I just want to make sure of that, because, they way he's carrying on, I guess he seems to have lost something somewhere. Or, at least thinks he has...
I read this over vacation and posted about it under the book and review section.
Gallanger divides the memory of the war into four groups:
1. Lost Cause, basically the it wasn't about slavery, Lee was the most awesomest of all, birth of a nation and Gone with the Wind. etc. etc.
2. Reconciliationist: guys like J. B. Gordon and J. L. Chamberlain, we are all Americans now, everyone fought sincerely for what they believed in, all honor to southern bravery, but its best the North won.
3. Unionist: the war was to save the Union, and democracy, for America and possibly the world, "the last, best hope of mankind."
4. Emancipationist: the war ended slavery, expanding what it meant to be an American.
It's an interesting book though.
Man, you are good!
But one thing he has left out, category-wise, that I can see up front, before the bullets fly...
He left out the FOUND CAUSE doctrine. The one he actually used to justify writing this book.
5. FOUND CAUSE: Coming up with four groups, three of which are palatable and the fourth one laughable.
FOUND CAUSE: Say that the war was over anything to hide the political influences, since they are still going on at this moment. Make it NORTH and SOUTH, BLACK and WHITE,
SLAVE and FREE. Anything but what actually caused that war.
As the South is getting unfair help with its 'memory' from
Americans who are just not loyal enough to the original
Union, and have forgotten just how rotten the South is supposed to look, we must have a comeback for that.
And we do, now. Here are the labels. Please pass them around, when you get a chance.
And remember, the Old South is not the only one who gets to play the 'put-upon' card! We can, too!
Californians fought in the Civil War; the unit called the Californian Hundred and Californian Battalian served around here in Virginia.
Organization
Company "A" (The California 100) organized at San Francisco, Cal., December 10, 1862. Arrived at Readville, Mass., January 4, 1863. Companies "B," "C," "D," "G," "H," "I" and "K" organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, Mass. Companies "E," "F," "L" and "M" organized at San Francisco, Cal., February and March, 1863. Left San Francisco for Readville. Mass., March 21 and joined Regiment at Readville, Mass., as the California Cavalry Battalion April 16, 1863. Companies "A," "B," "C," "D" and "K" left Massachusetts for Baltimore, Md.; thence moved to Fortress Monroe, Va., February 12-18, 1863; thence moved to Gloucester Point, Va., February 19. Attached to Cavalry Command, 4th Army Corps, Dept. of Virginia. Engaged in picket and outpost duty and scouting until July, 1863. Reconnaissance from Gloucester March 30. Expedition to Gloucester Court House April 7. Companies "A" and "B" moved to Williamsburg, Va., and reconnaissance to White House April 27-May 14. Expedition to King and Queen County May 6. Companies "C," "D" and "K" moved to West Point May 15 and duty there until June 1. Dix's Peninsula Campaign June 24-July 7. Expedition to South Anna Bridge June 23-28. Action at Hanovertown and South Anna Bridge June 26. Expedition from White House to South Anna River July 1-7. Expedition to Gloucester Court House July 25. Moved to Washington, D.C., July 27-29, and joined Regiment at Centreville, Va., August 6. Companies "E," "F," "G," "H," "I," "L" and "M" moved from Readville, Mass., to Washington, D.C., May 11-16, 1863. Attached to Casey's Provisional Troops, 22nd Corps, to August, 1863. King's Division, 22nd Corps, to September, 1863. Cavalry Brigade, 22nd Corps, to August, 1864. Reserve Cavalry Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of Shenandoah, Middle Military Division, to September, 1864. 3rd (Reserve) Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of Shenandoah and Army of the Potomac, to July, 1865.
Service
Duty at East Capital Hill, Defenses of Washington, D.C., until May 30, 1863, and at Camp Brightwood June 1-11. Moved to Poolesville, Md., June 23, and patrol duty in rear of the Army of the Potomac June 23-July 3. Brockville July 1. Scout near Dawsonville July 3-9. Reconnaissance to Ashby's Gap July 11-14. Action at Ashby's Gap July 12. Rockville, Md., July 13. Reconnaissance to Warrenton July 20-21. Skirmishes at Warrenton July 21 and 31. Operations about Fairfax Court House July 28-August 3. Near Aldie July 30. Duty at Centreville, Va., operating against Moseby until October 6. Companies "C," "F," "G" and "I" detached at Muddy Branch September 15, 1863, to March 8, 1864. Warrenton Pike August 17. Coyle's Tavern, near Fairfax Court House, August 24. Expeditions from Centreville August 15-19, September 18-20 and October 2-5. Ordered to Fairfax Court House October 6, thence to Vienna October 9 and duty there until May 24, 1864. Scout to Gum Springs October 12-13, 1863. Near Annandale October 22. Tyson's Cross Roads November 14. Reconnaissance to Blue Ridge Mountains November 18-26. Picket attacks December 12-23. Affair at Germantown December 13 (Detachment). Scout from Vienna to Middleburg December 18-20. Skirmish with Moseby December 29. Near Ellis and Ely's Fords January 17, 1864. Ellis Ford January 26. Scout to Aldie February 4-6. Aldie February 5. Near Circlesville February 21. Dranesville February 22. Scout to Farmwell February 25-26. Companies "B," "D," "E" and "M" relieve Companies "C," "F," "G" and "I" at Muddy Branch March 8. Expedition to Faquier and Loudoun Counties April --. Affair Leesburg April 19 (Detachment). Action with Moseby near Leesburg April 28. Scout to Upperville April 28-May 1. Patrol duty on Orange & Alexandria Railroad May --. Moved to Fall's Church May 24. Escort wounded from the Wilderness June 8-14. Point of Rocks July 5. Action with Moseby at Mr. Zion Church, near Aldie, July 6. Frederick Pike July 7-8. Tennallytown July 10. Fort Reno and near Fort Stevens July 11. Fort Stevens and about Northern Defenses of Washington July 11-12. Rockville, Md., July 13. Poolesville, Md., July 14. Pursuit of Early to Snicker's Gap July 14-28. Snicker's Gap July 17-18. At Rockville July 26-August 9. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August to November. Shepherdstown August 10. White Post August 12. Strasburg August 15. Winchester August 17 and 18. Opequan Creek August 18. Near Opequan Creek August 19. Berryville Pike August 20. Summit Point August 21. Charleston August 21-22. Halltown August 22-24. Summit Point August 25-27. Smithfield August 29. Berryville September 3-4. Berryville Pike September 4. Opequan Creek September 7. Locke's Ford, Opequan Creek, September 13. Sevier's Ford, Opequan Creek, September 15. Battle of Opequan, Winchester, September 19. Front Royal and Snake Mountain September 20. Fisher's Hill September 21. ****ord September 22, Mill's Ford September 23. Toll Gate, near Front Royal, September 23. Luray Valley September 24. Port Republic September 26-27. Rockfish Gap September 28. Waynesboro September 28, 29 and 30 and October 2. Mt. Crawford October 2. Tom's Brook, "Woodstock Races," October 8-9. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Guarding Winchester & Potomac Railroad November 3-28. Near Kernstown November 11. Expedition to Loudoun and Faquier Counties November 28-December 3. Expedition to Gordonsville December 19-28. Madison Court House December 20. Gordonsville December 23. Charlottesville December 24. At Camp Russell, near Winchester, January 1 to February 27, 1865. Sheridan's Raid to White House Landing February 27-May 25. Occupation of Staunton March 2. Waynesborough March 2. Duguidsville March 8. South Anna Bridge March 14. Destruction of Virginia Central Railroad and James River Canal. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. White Oak Road, near Five Forks, March 30. Dinwiddie Court House March 30-31. Five Forks April 1. Scott's Cross Roads April 2. Tabernacle Church or Beaver Pond Creek April 4. Sailor's Creek April 6. Appomattox Station April 8. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. At Nottawny Station until April 19. Expedition to Danville April 23-29. Near Petersburg to May 10. March to Washington, D.C., May 10-16. Grand Review May 23. Near Cloud's Mills May 29-June 26, and at Fairfax Court House until July 20, Mustered out July 20, 1865.
Regiment lost during service 8 Officers and 82 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 138 Enlisted men by disease. Total 231.
Perhaps Hollywood needs to be reminded that there were no cowards in the California Hundred or California Battalion; during the Civil War.
Just some thoughts.
Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf
Okay, that would explain why Hollywood is shooting at us!
Read some and skimmed the rest of Cones' highly slanted commentary. His emphasis on northern producers and directors, and particulary Jewish participants underscores his point of view. Strangely enough, I saw little in his list commenting on the wrongness of each movie. The site, F.I.R.M. claims to be a group working for reform in the film industry. That goal mostly works out to mean "why don't they tell it like we want it told?"
When the listed movies were made, they were made to make money and they were made in a simpler time when there was black and white and very, very few shades of gray. And, trust me on this, the movies were made to appeal to the largest group of viewers (who makes a movie that will definitely not draw people to the box office?). Today we present a large enough audience to permit dolts like Michael Moore to make a successful movie that offends only three quarters of the population.
Will disagree with Gallagher in his assessment of Cold Mountain. Yankees as thieves and rapists was an incident propelling the story. By far the leading antagonist was that murderous home guard. I saw nothing pro-north or -south in it. It was just a love-story set in turbulent times.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
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