If there is an Oscar presented for "Historical Documentary", Hunter's Raid should certainly be nominated for consideration of best in its category for 2010. The extensive research and interspersed quotations used throughout the documentary are extremely effective in conveying the mood of the time, and the people. A well worn adage asserts that, "Winners write history". This is especially true when it comes to revealing, or revisiting, war time atrocities. Hunter's Raid is unabashedly Southern centric in its perspective, but when delving into a topic such as the Battle of Lynchburg, that certainly should not be considered a negative. It's not politically correct to promulgate the notion that Union forces, during the War Between the States, acted in a barbarous manner concerning innocent Southern civilians. Prior to watching the film I possessed very little knowledge regarding Union General David Hunter and the Battle of Lynchburg. After watching it, I have an understanding and appreciation of the vitriol that some Virginians then, and now, have concerning General Hunter and his march through the Shenandoah Valley in 1864. The film does a marvelous job in depicting the ruthlessness of Hunter and his henchmen. Hunter's band of marauders, the Army of West Virginia, routinely looted, pillaged and torched everything in their path. Their cruelty was virtually limitless and unabated. In one scene, without benefit of due process, a civilian, David Cree, is shown grotesquely hanged from a tree for the killing of a Union soldier in self defense while defending his family. The film aptly describes in detail Hunter's practice of "total war" against a nearly defenseless civilian population. Had the North not won the war, in all likelihood, Hunter would have been tried as a war criminal.
As a strategic hub for the transportation of war matériel, the City of Lynchburg was rightfully considered a plum by Northern strategists. General Ulysses Grant devised a plan to have Philip Sheridan attack from the south, eventually meeting up with David Hunter's forces in Lynchburg, thereby creating a pincer effect. Prior to Lynchburg, Hunter's thugs had experienced a relatively easy time rampaging through the Shenandoah Valley. That was until he came up against a force of battle-hardened, veteran Confederate troops, including the legendary Stonewall Brigade led by General Jubal Early. As with most bullies, once squarely confronted, Hunter withdrew. Interestingly, a ruse used by Confederate forces had the desired effect of making Hunter believe that General Early had more forces at his disposal than he actually had. During the night of June 18, 1864 Confederate forces ran a locomotive in and out of the Lynchburg depot, accompanied by train whistles and raucous cheering from Lynchburg's citizenry. Hunter naively believed that he was vastly outnumbered.
Over the years movie goers have grown spoiled watching panoramic battle scenes. The grandiose cinematography in films such as Gettysburg and Gods and Generals act to provide a standard as to what audiences should expect when watching a film involving large battle scenes. This is unfair, since most producers do not have limitless resources to film battle scenes with any measure of authenticity. Gregory H. Starbuck, the director of Hunter's Raid, handles this potential problem well. Even with a limited budget I never got the impression that the battle action was contrived or inaccurate, like for instance the battle scenes shown in the film, The Blue and the Gray.
In recommending Hunter's Raid, the film served to broaden my knowledge concerning the forbearance of Lynchburg citizenry during the waning months of the War for Southern Independence.
As a strategic hub for the transportation of war matériel, the City of Lynchburg was rightfully considered a plum by Northern strategists. General Ulysses Grant devised a plan to have Philip Sheridan attack from the south, eventually meeting up with David Hunter's forces in Lynchburg, thereby creating a pincer effect. Prior to Lynchburg, Hunter's thugs had experienced a relatively easy time rampaging through the Shenandoah Valley. That was until he came up against a force of battle-hardened, veteran Confederate troops, including the legendary Stonewall Brigade led by General Jubal Early. As with most bullies, once squarely confronted, Hunter withdrew. Interestingly, a ruse used by Confederate forces had the desired effect of making Hunter believe that General Early had more forces at his disposal than he actually had. During the night of June 18, 1864 Confederate forces ran a locomotive in and out of the Lynchburg depot, accompanied by train whistles and raucous cheering from Lynchburg's citizenry. Hunter naively believed that he was vastly outnumbered.
Over the years movie goers have grown spoiled watching panoramic battle scenes. The grandiose cinematography in films such as Gettysburg and Gods and Generals act to provide a standard as to what audiences should expect when watching a film involving large battle scenes. This is unfair, since most producers do not have limitless resources to film battle scenes with any measure of authenticity. Gregory H. Starbuck, the director of Hunter's Raid, handles this potential problem well. Even with a limited budget I never got the impression that the battle action was contrived or inaccurate, like for instance the battle scenes shown in the film, The Blue and the Gray.
In recommending Hunter's Raid, the film served to broaden my knowledge concerning the forbearance of Lynchburg citizenry during the waning months of the War for Southern Independence.
