'Gettysburg': Views From the Epic Movie's Film Set

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As a longtime reenactor, a keen student of Civil War history, and a journalist, I had focused my attention for years on director Ron Maxwell's ambition to film "The Killer Angels," with a script written by Maxwell and author Michael Shaara. The project became the subject of rumors in the reenacting community as early as 1987, as reenactor support was seen as pivotal to creating a movie based on Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel about Gettysburg. The project subsequently experienced many ups and downs, and a few false starts. Clearly, making movies is a very demanding business, requiring patience, persistence and ultimately a lot of money. I reported on the project for The Civil War News and The Washington Times, along with a competitive project from CBS, tracking Maxwell's efforts at gaining financial support. Finally, by the spring of 1992, Ted Turner and Maxwell connected, and the media mogul threw his considerable support and resources into the film. Filming began in July 1992, and included, improbably, scenes filmed on the actual battlefield. The project was eventually re-branded "Gettysburg" after Turner, impressed with the dailies he was viewing, decided to bring the story to the big screen, free from commercials, rather than television. Key to this success, Maxwell and TNT finally gained support from mainstream reenacting organizations by giving them a voice, support from the leading battlefield preservation group, along with reenactor and historian Brian Pohanka, who came on as on-set historical adviser. With that, I was mightily impressed with the elan I witnessed on set while reporting, and decided to participate. I spent 25 days on the set in total, as a background artist, portraying both Confederate and Federal soldiers. So these photos represent the fruit of my time on set. I have included links to a few of the news stories I wrote prior to joining the ranks, included for context. Supporting this effort was joyous, exhilarating, meaningful, and ultimately great fun. We in the ranks ultimately became "a band of brothers," and that brotherhood came to include crew and even some cast members. Hope you enjoy viewing these moments! -- Gerry Regan