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One of the greatest Civil War movies ever made was "Shenandoah".
The principal character is Jimmy Stewart playing Charlie Anderson,
a father of nine children who is trying to protect his way of life
as the war engulfs he and his family. His wife died during the birth
of their last son and Stewart frequently visits her grave and talks
about their children. When the last son, now sixteen, is mistakenly
taken hostage by Union troops, Stewart sets out on an odyssey which
takes him many empty miles through the South looking unsuccessfully
through prisoner-of-war camps. During his absence, the son and
daughter-in-law he left on the farm with their new baby are killed by
scavengers. On the way home, his oldest son is mistakenly shot by a
young, frightened Confederate soldier. The whole venture seems even
more pointless because the boy is not found. With three of his precious
children suddenly, senselessly, and brutally dead and with the whereabouts
of a fourth unknown, Stewart visits his wife's grave: "There is nothing
much I can tell you about this war. It's like all wars. The undertakers
are winning it. The politicians talk of the glory of it. The old men
talk about the need of it. The soldiers just want to go home."
Hopefully, and God willing, you will be successful. What a wonderful
day that will be! You will be free. You will have your Final Victory
and can go home. One of my favorite letters simply stated, "I passed
my Oral Boards! I'm elated. Couldn't have done it without you. This
Ranger is going home."
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