The Book and Stage Play That Inspired the Film

Before becoming a movie, it was a beloved novel, Marching Through Culpeper.  A rich, historically accurate tale of courage and love in war-torn Virginia, the book garnered more than 50 five-star reviews on Amazon.  Virginia Morton's novel has captivated readers across the country and been praised for its vivid characters, gripping plot, and deep respect for real events and people.

The story also became a musical stage production performed in Culpeper, bringing Virginia’s Civil War world to life in powerful live performances that garnered standing ovations from over 2,000 people. The original music was written by Rod Stone of Anacortes, Washington. Now, this story comes to the screen on an even grander scale.

Culpeper was a critical juncture during the war, with both Union and Confederate forces occupying the town at different times.

• August 9, 1862 – The Battle of Cedar Mountain, where General Stonewall Jackson engaged Union forces in a bloody confrontation.
• Winter of 1863–64 – The Union Army, under Gen. George Meade and later Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, encamped in Culpeper with over 100,000 soldiers, preparing for the Overland Campaign.
• Confederate cavalry under Gen. J.E.B. Stuart (pictured above) frequently operated from Culpeper, using it as a base for raids, scouting, and intelligence-gathering.

• During the American Civil War, Culpeper, Virginia, was more marched across than any locale in the nation. Located halfway between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Culpeper sat at the intersection of key roads, railways, and natural corridors that made it a coveted staging ground, supply line, and battleground throughout the war between Union and Confederate forces. 
• The June 9, 1863, Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry engagement fought in the Western Hemisphere.
• Today, the countryside around it is dotted with preserved battlefields, historical markers, and cemeteries. It stands as a powerful testament to the war’s toll on small-town America and the families caught between the lines of brother-against-brother conflict.