For instance, during the film, while at the Battle of Bull Run in Manassas Junction, Virginia, Jackson earned his nickname "Stonewall." This distinction was made because Thomas Jackson stayed affixed on his steed amongst cannon fire, gunfire, a gunshot wound to the hand and many Confederate retreats. His unalterable will and faith in God allowed Jackson to lead his men to victory and made him appear, to onlookers, as if he were an unbreakable, unwavering stone wall. This is just one of the many characteristics that helps portray Jackson becoming a legend. According to McCarthy, the performance by Stephen Lang in the film was dead on and "shows us a man so single-minded in his devotion to God that all else is mere detail. It's for that reason that Jackson can stand unperturbed in a hail of fire – even after he's been hit by a stray bullet – and that he remains stoic in the face of battlefield carnage" (Gods and Generals). McCarthy also goes on to say, "Whatever the historical truth may be, the legend of Stonewall Jackson is of a leader so great he could almost have single-handedly saved the south," (Gods and Generals).
As stated above, one of McCarthy's main intentions was to let his readers know to expect the movie to be a little one-sided; more specifically, the confederate side of the Civil War was depicted more than Union's side, but rightfully so. In defense of his view, McCarthy wrote, "None of this is to say that [Ronald] Maxwell has made a one-sided film [it] has to emphasize one side more strongly than the other just to achieve balance" (Gods and Generals). The films clear purpose was to depict the original story as factually as possible with regard to the Confederacies' efforts during the Civil War. In agreeance with McCarthy, anyone who watched the movie would realize that this movie's depiction of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his Confederate counterparts could not be told in a more realistic and life-like manor had the director chosen to share screen time between the Confederate and Union leaders equally.
