Narrative Films with American Civil War Settings
Ken Burns once said that the impression made on the American psyche by the Civil War is demonstrated by the many movies that have been made about this war. Actually, I don’t think many movies have been set directly in the midst of the Civil War. Rather, the Civil War was too traumatic to look at it directly, even more than a century later.
Of the thousands of movies that have been set in the United States during the middle of the nineteenth century, most are set at a distance from the war in time, geography, or even psychologically.
This is not to say that the Civil War is not dramatically significant. Most movies set at a temporal distance from the war are clearly set before or after it, confirming that the war was a watershed: America before the war was a different place from America afterward.
Most of the films on the following list are grouped according to whether they are set primarily during and in the midst of the Civil War (about twenty), before or after the war (although some Civil War epics take place before, during, and after), at a geographical distance from the larger theaters of the war, or at a psychological distance. The last seems to me an appropriate if arguable category because, although the setting of, say, “The Beguiled”, might be Virginia, the effect of the movie is to take the audience into a psychological space that could be anywhere, at any time, set against the backdrop of any war or even any disaster (of which war is a species).
Of the thousands of movies that have been set in the United States during the middle of the nineteenth century, most are set at a distance from the war in time, geography, or even psychologically.
This is not to say that the Civil War is not dramatically significant. Most movies set at a temporal distance from the war are clearly set before or after it, confirming that the war was a watershed: America before the war was a different place from America afterward.
Most of the films on the following list are grouped according to whether they are set primarily during and in the midst of the Civil War (about twenty), before or after the war (although some Civil War epics take place before, during, and after), at a geographical distance from the larger theaters of the war, or at a psychological distance. The last seems to me an appropriate if arguable category because, although the setting of, say, “The Beguiled”, might be Virginia, the effect of the movie is to take the audience into a psychological space that could be anywhere, at any time, set against the backdrop of any war or even any disaster (of which war is a species).
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- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.One of the exceptions that proves my rule that most “Civil War” movies don’t directly take place in the war: This movie, made 124 years after the end of the war, recalls the true exploits of an all-African-American regiment. The movie has a large enough cast (largely thanks to the generous contributions of Civil War reenactors) to stage several good-sized skirmishes and a climactic battle.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsTom BerengerMartin SheenStephen LangIn 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.This movie deals with one of the war’s largest battles, re-enacted from the viewpoint of both sides. Highly recommended to Civil War buffs.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsStephen LangRobert DuvallJeff DanielsThe rise and fall of confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as he meets with military success against the Union from 1861 to 1863, when he is accidentally killed by his own soldiers.This is another movie that deals directly with the war. If anything, the movie covers too much ground to involve the audience in any one character’s story. Nevertheless, it gives a good survey of the war, almost as if the filmmakers feared that nobody would ever get another chance to tell this story on the big screen.
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsLillian GishMae MarshHenry B. WalthallThe Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.Set before, during, and after the Civil War, the movie explores how family and friends fought on opposite sides. The film is controversial for its portrayals of African-Americans and its interpretation (Lost Cause and Dunning schools) of the Civil War and Reconstruction. It was condemned by the NAACP at the time. Maybe the fallout from this movie is one of the reasons why many filmmakers have simply avoided dealing with the Civil War too directly.
- DirectorSean McNamaraStarsMichael KrebsJake LawsonSean MarquetteA group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley.Another exception to the rule, this movie is about the war itself. The Battle of New Market involved a unit of teen-aged boys fighting on the Rebel side. This is based on their story.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsJames StewartDoug McClureGlenn CorbettA Virginia farmer who has vowed to remain neutral during the Civil War is spurred into action when his youngest son is taken by Union soldiers.Civilians try to stay out of the Civil War but get sucked in. There are some blue versus gray battle scenes.
- DirectorJohn GrayStarsArmand AssanteDonald SutherlandAlex JenningsDuring the siege of Charleston of 1864, Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley becomes the first submersible to sink an enemy warship in wartime.While I am shying away from made-for-TV movies, this one portrays the use of submarines during the Civil War. The naval aspect of the war is an important yet often neglected topic in popular culture.
- DirectorJames NeilsonStarsKevin CorcoranDon C. HarveyDarryl HickmanJohnny Shiloh is a 1963 made for TV film that originally aired in two parts on the Wonderful World of Disney in Color. It was released in other countries theatrically as one film and is on DVD as one film. Johnny Shiloh is the true story about Johnny Clem, the ten year old drummer boy who became a union officer in the Civil War.Another made-for-TV movie – actually more of a miniseries – that is told from the perspective of a boy serving in the Union Army. It is notable for showing some battle scenes.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneWilliam HoldenConstance TowersIn 1863, a Union outfit is sent behind Confederate lines in Mississippi to destroy enemy railroads but a captive southern belle and the unit's doctor cause frictions within ranks.Although it is about a mission behind the lines, this epic takes place in the middle of the war and has battle scenes.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.A fictional story set against the backdrop of the historical 1862 Confederate invasion of what is now northern New Mexico. This movie was made in Spain by an Italian director but starred several American actors. I have included it with other true Civil War movies, even though I have inconsistently grouped another New Mexico Civil War movie with those that are more removed from the war. (I have never seen the other movie.) Historical notes: The U.S. War Department almost decided to send troops to New Mexico after the territory was invaded by a Confederate brigade consisting largely of Texans. The proposed westward shift of Union troops to meet this threat did not take place because of the recommendation of a single man, General Henry Halleck, who told Secretary of War Edwin Stanton that New Mexico’s military governor, Col. E.R.S. Canby, had the situation well in hand. This movie would be a fairer take on the South’s short-lived foray into the West if it were not so inaccurate: Contrary to the movie, there were no railroads in New Mexico until after the war, neither side had a prisoner of war camp in New Mexico, there were no long bridges over any of New Mexico’s big rivers, and almost nobody in 1862 New Mexico had heard of General U.S. Grant.
- DirectorWilliam Cameron MenziesStarsJames CraigBarbara PaytonGuy MadisonTwo old friends find themselves on opposite sides during the Civil War in a desperate battle atop an impregnable mountain.Most of this movie takes place late in the Civil War. The story is loosely based on the war in Tennessee and Georgia. A fictional (and evidently highly inaccurate – see "Goofs" for this film) skirmish, using cannons, maximizes explosions but uses few extras. (This is also a shortcoming of many low budget movies set during the Civil War and other wars besides.)
- DirectorClyde BruckmanBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonMarion MackGlen CavenderAfter being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.This classic silent movie is based on the true story of the attempted theft of a Confederate train by a group of Union saboteurs. It takes place during the Civil War but is set largely behind Confederate lines. It is told from the Confederate side, and the Union soldiers are treated unsympathetically.
- DirectorFrancis D. LyonStarsFess ParkerJeffrey HunterJeff YorkDuring the Civil War Union spy Andrews and his men volunteer to steal a Confederate train and drive it to Union territory while destroying the Confederate railway system along the way.Another version of the story told in “The General” about the theft of a Confederate train by Union saboteurs operating behind Confederate lines. Told mainly from the Union viewpoint, although it tries to be even-handed toward both sides.
- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.A subcategory of Civil War movies includes those set mostly on the home front rather than on the battlefield. “Gone with the Wind” is an iconic Civil War movie, which is set before, during, and after the war. It tells us how the war affected civilians – especially, Scarlet O’Hara (Vivien Leigh). It relates her story through the parallax lenses of the Lost Cause and Dunning schools of Civil War and Reconstruction historiography.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsClark GableYvonne De CarloSidney PoitierAmantha Starr grows up as a privileged Southern belle in the ante-bellum South, but after her father dies broke, her world is destroyed when she discovers that her mother was Black.Set before, during, and after the Civil War, this movie primarily focuses on how the war affected civilians. It especially looks at race relations in the period. Noteworthy for its surprise ending: What famous star of one generation turns out to be the parent of what famous star of the next?
- DirectorDavid ButlerStarsShirley TempleJohn BolesJack HoltShirley Temple's father, a rebel officer, sneaks back to his rundown plantation to see his family and is arrested. A Yankee takes pity and sets up an escape. Everyone is captured and the officers are to be executed. Shirley and "Bojangles" Robinson beg President Lincoln to intercede.At some point, movies stopped being so sympathetic to the Confederates, but the 1930s were well before that shift. In this “home front” movie, a Confederate officer crosses Union lines to return to his family during the war. It is all about how adorable the Confederate’s daughter is. The movie is notable for the oft sampled scene of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Shirley Temple in a dance sequence.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJude LawNicole KidmanRenée ZellwegerIn the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.Another movie set on the Confederate home front during the Civil War. Emphasis is on the home guard, who were paramilitary units that did not go to war but policed the home front, not always to the liking of even law-abiding civilians.
- DirectorKatherine StenholmStarsBob Jones Jr.Bob Jones IIIJack ButtramThis is the story of two wars - one in the heart of General Richard Stoddard Ewell and the other on the battlefields of Bull Run and Manassas. The film traces the influence of General "Stonewall" Jackson's vigorous faith upon the unbelieving Ewell.Another movie I have only read about. It is primarily about the religious convictions of Confederate General Richard Ewell, who was influenced by the devout General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. However, it is also about the Battle(s?) of Bull Run (a.k.a., Manassas – there were two and Ewell was involved in both), and perhaps other battles.
- DirectorGeorge SiegmannStarsDorothy GishFrank BennettBob BurnsSallie is a beautiful Kentucky girl who belongs to a family of Union sympathizers. Her brother is a lieutenant in the Union army, and on a visit home brings Major Rushton, his superior officer, who falls in love with Sallie, "the little Yank." Lieutenant James Castleton encourages his sister to make hospital supplies for the wounded soldiers. While the two Union officers are at the Castleton home, the house is surrounded by Confederates, but Sallie utilizes a clover ruse in helping her brother and the Major to escape. She herself starts through the Confederate lines to carry her supplies to the wounded Unionists. She is assisted by Captain Johnny, a handsome young Confederate. Lieutenant Castleton is captured by the Confederates after a battle in which he has been injured, and Sallie goes to the enemy's camp to nurse him. While there she falls in love with Captain Johnny. Meanwhile Major Rushton has become a spy, following the Confederates as a sutler. He learns of the attraction between Sallie and Captain Johnny, and decides to break it up. He returns to the Union lines and sends Captain Johnny a note, presumably from Sallie, asking him to meet her at a trysting place. Johnny is captured, evidence is "planted" on him, and he is condemned to death. Sallie learns of the perilous situation, and. going to Rushton's headquarters, flirts with him, so that attention is diverted from her Confederate lover, and he is enabled to escape. Shortly after hostilities cease and a long lifetime of happiness dawns for Sallie and Captain Johnny.This silent movie is a love triangle set in the Civil War. Union and Confederate soldiers vie for the hand of the same Southern woman. Her loyalties are tested, and they shift depending on whether she is influenced by her brother and suitor (both Union officers) or her Rebel suitor. The character Sallie, a Kentuckian, is emblematic of her "border state", caught between the two sides.
- StarsPaul Andre GibbonsJarrod EmickFrederic ForrestThe story of the most notorious Confederate prisoner of war camp in the American Civil War.This picture focuses on a prisoner of war camp during the war.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsWilliam HoldenRichard WidmarkJanice RuleDuring the Civil War, Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly supplies the Union with cattle until Confederate Colonel Tom Rossiter's hungry men force Kelly to change his customers.Though it proposes to follow the Civil War from Texas to Richmond, Virginia, this movie takes place near the war's end and remains focused on a limited event.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.This movie starts out with a short Civil War battle scene and then gets as far away from the war as it can, and as fast as it can.
- DirectorHugo FregoneseStarsVan HeflinAnne BancroftRichard BooneA group of Confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans, Vermont. To get the lay of the land, their leader spends a few days in the town and finds he is getting drawn into its life--especially into that of an attractive widow and her son.One of my favorite Civil War movies is about the true story of a Confederate attack on the obscure town of St. Albans, Vermont, just to spread terror and rob the local bank. Talk about distance from the main theaters of war! (In his 1996 book, “Don’t Know Much About the Civil War”, Kenneth C. Davis said that Hollywood would never make a movie about such an ignominious event – but they already had.)
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsClaire TrevorJohn WayneWalter PidgeonIn Kansas during the Civil War, opposing pro-Union and pro-Confederate camps clash and visiting Texan Bob Seton runs afoul of William Cantrell's Raiders.This movie looks at guerilla warfare in the western states (Kansas) during the Civil War. In this story, cruelty and personal ambition run amok amidst the fog of war. Noteworthy: This movie happens to feature what is arguably the best performance of Roy Roger’s career.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsTobey MaguireSkeet UlrichJewelDuring the American Civil War, two friends join the Bushwhackers, a militant group loyal to the Confederacy.Another – if more recent – movie that takes us into the West during the Civil War. The “Bushwhackers” are a paramilitary group similar to the one that spawned the outlaw gang of Jesse James. Such guerrillas were privateers who operated outside of the control of the combatant armies.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsCharlton HestonRichard HarrisJim HuttonIn 1864, due to frequent Apache raids from Mexico into the U.S., a Union officer decides to illegally cross the border and destroy the Apache, using a mixed army of Union troops, Confederate POWs, civilian mercenaries, and scouts.U.S. troops cross the border into Mexico during the Civil War.
- DirectorChris EskaStarsAshton SandersTishuan ScottKeston JohnOn the outskirts of the U.S. Civil War, a boy is sent north by his bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted man.Takes place during the Civil War, which is in the background. The main characters are trying to conduct their business while staying out of the war.
- DirectorTonino ValeriiStarsJames CoburnBud SpencerTelly SavalasBranded a coward for surrendering his New Mexico fort to the Confederates without firing a shot, a Union colonel attempts to redeem himself by leading a band of condemned prisoners on a suicide mission to recapture it.Another look at the Civil War in New Mexico, arbitrarily grouped here with the “distant” movies even though I put “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” in the first category. This is also a kind of “Dirty Dozen” redux for Telly Savalas, only set in a different war. I haven’t seen this movie, but it might be loosely based on an historical incident: When Confederates took over Dona Ana County, New Mexico in 1861, an undermanned Union fort was forced to surrender after only a brief skirmish. The Union soldiers, including their commanding officer, were humiliated and then let go (which was standard practice in this remote theater of the Civil War, because neither side had the facilities to keep POWs).
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsWilliam HoldenEleanor ParkerJohn ForsytheDuring the Civil War, a group of Confederates escapes from the Union POW camp at Fort Bravo but has to contend with the desert, the Mescalero Apaches and the pursuing Union troops.Another Civil War/Western does capture one truth, which is that the mutual enemy of both Confederate and Union troops was the Apache. In terms of sheer numbers of combatants, at least one battle between Union soldiers and Apaches was larger than the largest battle between blue and grey troops in New Mexico Territory. The plot of this movie involves Rebel POWs escaping from Union guards, but I am doubtful about its historical accuracy. Not many of the POWs in the southwest were held for very long because there was nowhere to keep them and no way to feed them. They were generally "paroled" or allowed to go after promising not to wage war anymore. Also, the Union's California Column that swept across Confederate Arizona in 1862 took almost no POWs (if any) because the Confederates saw them coming, knew they were outnumbered and, so, evacuated the territory well ahead of the Union troops.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsRandolph ScottVirginia MayoKaren SteeleIn 1864 Capt. John Hayes goes to Colorado to take over the stagecoach line and keep the flow of Western gold flowing and help the North win the Civil War.If you didn’t guess it from the title, although this movie is set during the Civil War, it is also set in the West. A Union officer protects a gold shipment. (Hijacking gold shipments seems to be a recurring theme in some of these Civil War Westerns.)
- DirectorWilliam DieterleJohn FarrowStarsAlan LaddLizabeth ScottArthur KennedyIn 1865 Confederate Capt. Sherwood is heading to Colorado where Confederate Gen. Quantrill is stirring up rebellion using various Indian Nations.Confederate partisans enlist Native Americans to fight against the Union in Colorado in 1865.
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsErrol FlynnPatrice WymoreScott ForbesIn California during the Civil War, a Confederate patrol and a Union troop must set their differences aside in order to survive a Shoshone attack.Union and Confederate troops in California and Nevada unite when both are attacked by Native Americans. This seems ahistorical because attempts by Confederate forces to reach California from the east were, as far as I know, stopped short. (I imagine the closest the Confederates got to California might have been one of their irregular scouts watering his horse on the Arizona side of the Colorado River and looking across at the Golden State. I discount resident Confederate sympathisers in California because they never mounted real resistance.)
- DirectorWilliam BerkeStarsAnn SavageAlan CurtisEdward BrophyAnn Shelby, whose family is allied with the notorious William Quantrill, turns outlaw to revenge herself on a renegade Indian who killed her brother.A Confederate sympathizer spies on Union forces in Missouri. It is really a Western about bad relations with Native Americans.
- DirectorRay NazarroStarsGary MerrillWanda HendrixJohn BromfieldDuring the American Civil War, Confederate spies aim to steal Union gold intended for the peace treaty with the Sioux and thus pit the Indians against the Union Forces.Confederates try to steal Union gold shipments in the Dakotas. It is really a Western about bad relations with Native Americans.
- DirectorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsJohn AgarPenny EdwardsJohn PickardCowhand Jeff Donner meets Susan Crowley, a spy for the Union in the Civil War, and gets dragged into her espionage ring that is out to foil the South's attempts to break the blockade keeping them from obtaining food and supplies. The trek leads to Mexico.A Civil War spy story turns into an expedition to Mexico.
- DirectorGeorge B. SeitzStarsJack HoltBetty CompsonPat HarmonDuring the American Civil War, A Union-Army officer is ordered by U. S. President Abraham Lincoln to bring in Belle Starr, the leader of a Missouri guerrilla band, dead or alive. However, he falls in love with her, does not bring her in, and is facing a court-martial.A Union officer must capture a woman partisan in Missouri.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsErrol FlynnOlivia de HavillandRaymond MasseyIn 1854, Jeb Stuart, George Custer and other graduates from West Point are posted to Kansas to help pacify the territory before railroad construction to Santa Fe can resume.This movie takes place in Kansas for the most part and then in the D.C. area toward the end. Set in the 1850s, before the Civil War, it alludes to the issue of slavery as a cause of the war. It ends with the attempt by the abolitionist John Brown to capture the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry in 1859, a portent of the war to come.
- DirectorLesley SelanderStarsJohn DehnerGregg PalmerFrances HelmAt the start of the Civil War, the soldiers manning Fort Laramie are split between Yanks and Confederates but the real threat is the warpath Sioux surrounding them all.On the eve of the Civil War, U.S. troops at a western fort split over the war. Historical note: Many Southern soldiers stationed in the West defected to the Confederacy, officers often submitting formal letters of resignation before journeying to Southern states.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRobin WrightJames McAvoyTom WilkinsonMary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life.At the tail end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated and the search for everyone connected with the assassin is wide and virtually indiscriminate. This movie is removed enough from the war itself as to be more about the aftermath/consequences of the war.
- DirectorSteve SekelyStarsVeronica LakeZachary ScottArturo de CórdovaIn 1860s Mexico, the beautiful owner of a silver mine is kidnapped by a bandit leader, who needs money to finance his revolt against the Emperor Maximilian.Set in Mexico, there are two versions of this movie. Evidently, the Mexican version may be the only one that begins in the American South at the end of the war, bringing home the fact that members of the same family sometimes took opposite sides. The American version begins with the female protagonist arriving in Mexico after fleeing the Civil War. (She becomes embroiled in Mexico’s revolt against French invaders, which ironically has civil war overtones since some Mexicans side with the French.)
- DirectorWallace GrissellStarsAllan LaneHelen TalbotJack KirkIn flashback, Mr. Christi relates the story of his father Corpus Christi Jim. After robbing a stage, Jim and partners Rocky and Steve decide to go straight and return the money. But the fourth member of the gang, Spade refuses and leaves. The two former partners soon find themselves on opposite sides of the law.Set in Texas, this movie involves a Confederate veteran who is forced by circumstances into a life of crime.
- DirectorHall BartlettJules BrickenStarsJeff ChandlerJoanne DruJulie LondonA participant in Sherman's March becomes governor of a Southern city directly affected by the destruction - and they have yet to learn of his involvement.A Union veteran seeks to hide his past from his Southern neighbors.
- DirectorDavid Von AnckenStarsPierce BrosnanLiam NeesonAnjelica HustonAfter the end of the American Civil War, a former Confederate colonel hunts down a former Yankee officer with whom he has a grudge.Takes place at the tail end of the war and is about personal revenge arising from the war. There are several movies like this. In a way, one could classify many of the gunfights associated with the Old West as arising from the Civil War. Those who moved west continued to take into consideration which side of the war their adversaries – or, later, even their adversaries’ parents – had fought on.
- DirectorHarry GerstadStarsGrant WilliamsBrad DexterCarole MathewsA Union Captain and his troops guard a load of gold from a group of Confederates at the end of the warIt is tempting to group together the “gold shipment” plot that is set either during the Civil War or at the tail end of it. As usual, Union forces are protecting a shipment from Rebels.
- DirectorWayne ShipleyStarsMark RedfieldMichael HaganJennifer RouseHadley, Missouri 1887. Justin Gatewood has recently been released from prison for attempting to kill an old adversary, William Curry. Twenty-five years earlier, Gatewood and his brother were Confederate prisoners-of-war, and the death of Gatewood's brother under the watch of (then) Union Officer Curry has consumed Gatewood and fueled his desire for revenge. Free from jail, Gatewood discovers that Hadley and his world is changed, and that a "new order" of law and prosperity is now the battle cry of the people. His beautiful daughter, Helen has grown his business into a thriving concern and she makes her father promise that he'll forget his past vendetta. Curry has a successful business and willful daughter of his own, and his main concern is for her safety, once it becomes known that Gatewood still wants him dead. As Justin Gatewood methodically hatches his plan for Curry's utter destruction, the entire town is caught in the crossfire, but most tragically, so are the daughters of both men.Another movie about Civil-War-based revenge. The protagonist was a Confederate and POW from Missouri. A quarter century later, he still harbors a grudge.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodShirley MacLaineManolo FábregasWhen a former Civil War soldier saves a nun from a gang of bandits, they team up to help the Mexicans in their war against the French.Set in Mexico just after the Civil War.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsJohn WayneRock HudsonAntonio AguilarAfter the Civil War, ex-Confederate soldiers heading for a new life in Mexico run into ex-Union cavalrymen selling horses to the Mexican government but they must join forces to fight off Mexican bandits and revolutionaries.Follows the migration of Confederate veterans to Mexico in the aftermath of the Civil War. Former Union and Confederate soldiers form an uneasy truce after getting involved in turbulent Mexican politics.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsErrol FlynnMiriam HopkinsRandolph ScottUnion officer Kerry Bradford escapes from Confederate Prison and is sent to Virginia City, Nevada, where he finds out that the former commander of his prison, Vance Irby, is planning to send $5 million in gold to save the Confederacy.Set near the end of the Civil War, this movie takes place in Nevada, although an early scene is set in a Confederate prisoner of war camp.
- DirectorEarl BellamyStarsRobert FullerJocelyn LaneDan DuryeaAfter a convoy carrying a million dollars in gold is ambushed, an army captain is sent on a secret mission to retrieve the bullion with the reluctant help of one of the robbers.Set at the tail end of the Civil War, this is another Western about Confederate guerillas stealing a shipment of Yankee gold.
- DirectorSidney SalkowStarsGeorge MontgomeryAngela StevensDouglas KennedyA Southerner fighting for the North is unjustly accused of treason and escapes to find the witness who could clear his name, but he also seeks the two Yankee soldiers who killed his parents.Beginning with the end of the Civil War and the decade afterward. McCall, a real-life cowardly assassin, is inexplicably turned into a hero. The movie becomes a Western set in the Dakota Territory.
- DirectorRobert N. BradburyStarsBob SteeleFrances GrantKarl HackettJust after the Civil War, Captain Thorn is sent west to help protect the new telegraph line that is under construction. Leeds is out to establish an independent nation in the west and tries stop its construction and also incoming wagon trains by inciting the Indians to attack both of them.This movie is set in the West after the Civil War. The hero is a Civil War veteran.
- DirectorLynn ShoresStarsTom KeeneJoan BarclayJames BushIt's just after the Civil War and Captain Morgan and his confederate soldiers are establishing a town on the Bozeman trail. Colonel Strong and his union men are at the nearby fort. Things are peaceful until Riley has the Indians attack a union wagon train and leave a confederate sword at the scene.After the Civil War, unreconstructed Confederate soldiers get into a conflict with Federal troops in Montana.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodGeraldine PageElizabeth HartmanWhile recuperating in a Confederate girls' boarding school, a Union soldier cons his way into each of the lonely women's hearts, causing them to turn on each other, and eventually, on him.This story of a wounded soldier is more about the relationship of the soldier to a house full of female civilians. The war is in the background, outside the walls of the house. Remade in 2017.
- DirectorClyde WareStarsMartin SheenDavey DavisonRod McCaryDuring the Civil War, a conscientious objector is forced to flee to the woods of West Virginia to avoid being sent into combat where he would be forced to kill, which he is adamantly against. He sets up shelter in a cave and is warily accepted by his new "neighbors"--the animals who live in the vicinity.The ultimate psychological-distance-from-the-war movie. A West Virginia man hides alone in the wilderness to avoid serving on either side. We see only a little direct evidence that the war exists.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsRichard CraneMarshall ReedKaren RandleUnion prisoners use a balloon to escape a Southern prison camp near the end of the Civil War and end up marooned on a mysterious volcanic island with very unusual inhabitants.This horror movie really has little to do with the Civil War. It was remade in 1961.