This is a tense and gritty movie about the Civil War and how it split not only two armies apart, but next door neighbors as well. In fact, in one scene the minister is confronting certain people regarding their convictions and the war, and one man as he is walking out asks, “Blessed are the peacemakers–is that still in the Bible?” He makes a great point as even a father named Abner and his son Tom are on opposing sides and Abner is not happy when Tom joins the Union army. Abner believes that slavery is wrong but that war and killing is more wrong. There is a lot of tension among characters in this film due to their beliefs. Tom hates to leave the young school teacher Esther behind, but plans to return to her.

This movie speaks of liberty and that all men are created equal. It has some language in it, but thankfully no Biblical profanities. The theme of loving your neighbor and getting along despite differences is to be commended. We are happy to award this movie our Dove Seal for ages twelve plus. This film celebrates the fact that God didn’t make people carbon copies of each other!