
Gods and Generals
Welcome, Colonel Lee.
Welcome to my home.
Make yourself comfortable
there, colonel.
Allow me to get to the point, sir.
I have been authorized by
President Lincoln himself...
...with the full blessing
of the War Department...
...to offer you full command of the Army
with the rank of major general.
This Army being raised to quell this
rebellion and to preserve the Union.
I assume this Army is to be used
...to eliminate the rebellion by force.
Yes, sir, the Federal government
has been challenged by these rebels...
...who have been most effective
in changing...
...the sentiments
of state legislatures...
...challenging our Constitution and
challenging our central government.
The attack on Fort Sumter
cannot be ignored.
General, my home is right there
across the Potomac.
Why, you can see Arlington House
from your front door.
over this part of Virginia.
If you invade the South, your enemy
territory will be right across that river.
Well, sir, there is no great outcry
for secession in Virginia.
It's not a foregone conclusion that
Virginia or Tennessee or Arkansas...
...or Kentucky will join the rebellion.
My friend, may I humbly submit that
you're mistaken about Virginia.
As you know, the legislature is
convening in Richmond this very day...
...to discuss the very
issue of secession.
Now, perhaps you know their mind
better than they themselves.
And I regret to say the president's
hasty calling up of 75,000 volunteers...
...to subdue the rebellion
in the cotton states...
...has done nothing to ameliorate
the crisis. It has only deepened it.
I trust you're not being
too hasty yourself, colonel.
This is a great opportunity
for you to serve your country.
My country, Mr. Blair?
I never thought I'd see the day
the president of the United States...
...would raise an army
to invade his own country.
No, Mr. Blair, I cannot lead it.
I will not lead it. No.
I'm sorry to hear you say that, sir.
I fear you're making
a most dreadful mistake.
Sir, please convey my deep sense of
honor and gratitude to the president...
...but I must decline his offer.
Please tell him.
Please be clear. I have
never taken my duties lightly...
...but I have no greater duty
than to my home, to Virginia.
Thank you, sir.
Gentlemen, if you are going
to succeed at this institution...
...you have one common goal:
To learn your lessons.
If you are placing
your energies elsewhere...
...you will not succeed either with me
or in your careers as military officers.
I had hoped you'd see that with a
proper grasp of the artillery principles...
...I've laid before you today,
...these principles with great
effectiveness in your field experiences.
But since you seem unable
...I'm forced to conclude I must repeat
this lesson tomorrow, word for word.
Word for word.
Major, listen to them. The leaders
of our intellectual future...
...screaming for the destruction
of our nation!
Sir, President Lincoln is raising
the troops.
I will not stay in a place where my
students dishonor their country's flag.
Major, I'm leaving
for Pennsylvania tomorrow.
War is the sum of all evils.
But if I know myself,
all I am and all I have...
...is at the service of my
home, my country.
Your country, Thomas?
Your country, my country. It's all one.
All one, Thomas. All one.
So that in the midst of the searching
of souls and the gnashing of teeth...
...the delegates of this convention...
...harried by the actions of a belligerent
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"Gods and Generals" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 16 Jan. 2021. <https://www.scripts.com/script/gods_and_generals_9091>.