Divine Will

Jackson, Chamberlain and Lee are all portrayed as religious men in this Novel. This is historically accurate, but the author also uses it as a tool. The title, Gods and Generals, is no accident.

Chamberlain speaks to God while laying in the dark on the Fredericksburg battlefield and Lee tends to see God in the big things. He sees a divine hand in his loss at Antietam, saying "it was not the right time. God showed us that" (Chap. 55, pg. 487.) But above all it is Jackson who brings God into the conversation. He does so at every turn, seeing God's will not just in national events, but in his personal life.

Long before the war starts, Jackson has a conversation with his father-in-law about how it is appropriate to pray. Later Jackson prays for his father-in-law when he decides to leave the south. The prayer is a...