Jeff Shaara

Jeff Shaara likes to tell people things they don't know. And he has found a way to make quite a lucrative living doing so. The author of eight New York Times best-selling historical novels spoke of his passion for sharing unknown stories Saturday at the 150th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Antietam. A crowd of about 400 people overflowed a tent at the re-enactment site off Bakersville Road. “I like it when people read my books and say, 'I didn't know that.' They've heard of it, but they don't know the story,” he said.

By LAURA ERNDE / Staff Writer photo: RIC DUGAN / staff photographer Filmmaker Ronald L. Maxwell reassured Hagerstown's Mayor and City Council on Tuesday that the Civil War movie they agreed to back two years ago will be filmed here next year. "I'd put the percentage at 99.99 percent," Maxwell said after a closed-door meeting with the council, his first formal meeting with public officials in about two years. When the deal is signed in 30 to 90 days, Maxwell's company, Antietam Filmworks, will be able to pay off a loan backed by $300,000 of taxpayer money from the city and county, he said.

After months of speculation, movie maker Ronald F. Maxwell said he's ready to announce details about the local filming of "Gods and Generals" next year. Maxwell said he'll reveal the long-awaited financing package for the Civil War movie, as well as a shooting schedule, after he meets behind closed doors with the Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday. "It's really all coming together," Maxwell said. In May, Maxwell said he was within weeks of making an announcement. Nothing came.

By GUY FLETCHER Staff Writer A major motion picture about the Civil War could be filmed in Washington County if local financing can be arranged, according to the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites. The project could generate millions of dollars for the local economy, an APCWS official said. Area officials have been working for the past year to make this area the shooting location for the movie "Gods and Generals," a prequel to the 1993 epic "Gettysburg," said Dennis Frye, president of the Hagerstown-based preservation organization.

Although they have not yet nailed down financing for a planned prequel to the epic "Gettysburg," the producers of the movie are already looking ahead to the next film. Jeff Shaara, whose new book "Last Full Measure" hit bookstores this week, said Tuesday he and director Ronald F. Maxwell are approaching investors about financing that along with a production of "Gods and Generals. " "I'm looking forward to working the next few years, really, on not only 'Gods and Generals' but also on 'Last Full Measure,'" Maxwell said on a conference call from France, where he is filming a movie about Joan of Arc. Shaara, who wrote both books, said the screenplay for "Gods and Generals" is essentially complete.

By GUY FLETCHER Staff Writer Hagerstown and Washington County are expected to go Hollywood in a big way when filming of the Civil War movie "Gods and Generals" begins. The movie could bring with it the star-watching of seeing big-name actors like Martin Sheen and Jeff Daniels, as well as providing jobs on both sides of the camera for local people, officials said Wednesday. Of the as many as 200 speaking parts in the movie, some are expected to go local people, said director Ronald F. Maxwell.

Editor's Note: Tim Rowland is on vacation. While he's away, favorite columns from the past will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays in The Morning Herald. This column first ran Sept. 17, 2001. Talk about poor planning. If I'd started to grow my beard when they announced the making of "Gods and Generals," it would have been down to my waist by now and I'd be a cinch for an "extra" part in the movie. But starting last week, I just couldn't get it done in time for the final tryouts.

By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer Whether they're Civil War buffs or not, several Washington County residents and tourists agreed Thursday that news of a major motion picture expected to be filmed in the area is cause for excitement. Filmmakers announced Wednesday they could start shooting the film version of Jeff Shaara's novel, "Gods and Generals" in the area as early as next spring. Marty Rogers said she's not a Civil War enthusiast, but was excited for the area.

Rob Gibson thought he had a short, sweet gig on a movie set. He'd swoop in for a few days, take a handful of pictures and slip out. At least, that was the plan. Instead, he developed a project in lockstep with the "Gods and Generals" 2001 shooting schedule. Of course, Gibson is not an ordinary photographer, forsaking digital gadgetry for 1860s-era authenticity. As such, the "Gods and Generals Photographic Companion" is not an ordinary text. Pairing the photographer's glass plate images with historian Dennis Frye's narration, the result is a ghostly marriage of words and visuals echoing an era silenced by time.

tarar@herald-mail.com The New York Post summed up the nearly four-hour movie "Gods and Generals" in two words: "Gods Awful. " The Christian Science Monitor stated, "'Gods' is nothing to worship. " Roger Ebert gave the film a star and a half in his Chicago Sun-Times review. But the verdict of residents living in or near Washington County? According to those asked Friday at Hagerstown's R/C Theatres in Valley Mall, they loved it. "It was wonderful. It didn't seem like it was (almost)