Award-winning and internationally renowned actor Stephen Lang, who is famous among Civil War enthusiasts as the inimitable General George Pickett from the movie Gettysburg, is a frequent visitor to the place that made George Pickett immortal during the summer of 1863. The talented performer, whose most recently starred in the enormously successful Avatar, recently returned to Gettysburg to visit with the public. Mr. Lang visited many venues during the anniversary of the battle to sign copies of his latest venture, providing the narrative of the new Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Tour on CD, based on the tours of Gettysburg icon and Lincoln scholar Dr. Gabor Boritt.
Dr. Boritt recently retired from the Civil War Institute, a nationally acclaimed foundation which he established. Because of his many scholarly works and his devotion to the Civil War community, Gabor has given guided tours of the battlefield to some of the nation’s most prestigious citizens. Among them are actor Charlton Heston, filmmaker Ken Burns, journalists Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw, justice Sandra Day O’Connor, holocaust survivor and award-winning author Elie Wiesel, President George W. Bush and the First Lady Laura Bush.
With Gabor’s retirement, son Jake, a filmmaker in Manhattan, realized that there was a need to preserve his father’s unique perspective of the battle. “I realized that Dad’s tour wasn’t preserved. I thought, ‘is it gone?’ and ‘what do we do about it?’” Jake created a script based on Dr. Boritt’s work, and the Boritts asked their friend, Stephen Lang, to narrate. “He was the obvious choice,” Jake said.
Mr. Lang was happy to provide the voice for Dr. Boritt’s tour, “because we are friends,” he explained. He complied because he loves Gettysburg as well. “This is an important place,” Mr. Lang declared. “It’s remarkable to me because of the spirits of it – it’s very powerful.”
“I’m not a metaphysical sort of guy,” the 36-year veteran of film and theater added, “but the relativity of this place is undeniable.”
Stephen Lang visits Gettysburg often, about once a year. “If you couple this powerful living spirit here with the preservation work – it rejuvenates my spirit,” he said. “It’s a place, too, where all Americans can come [because] they have a stake in this place, whether they’re from the North, South, East, or West.”
When asked about preparing for the role of George Pickett, Mr. Lang replied, “I read a lot of documentation, from Pickett’s Charge [by author George Stewart] to Lee’s Lieutenants. But, The Killer Angels was my main source. I played Pickett from Michael Shaara’s perspective. The portrait that Shaara draws is so flambuoyant. Yet, in reality, he [Pickett] was a much quieter man. His function in the film represents the innocence and enthusiasm of a cavalier – like Jeb Stuart.”
Lang played the part of a colorful and stalwart Pickett to perfection, and seventeen years later, the film Gettysburg is still a part of American history, in classrooms and family rooms across the country and throughout the world.
A little known fact about the real George Pickett is that the Virginian actually respected and liked Abraham Lincoln – a trait that most of his Confederate counterparts did not share. After graduating last in his class from West Point in 1846, Pickett had a difficult time securing a position. (His low rank was secured in part by a large number of demerits he accrued over his four years at the Point – he detested rules, and was often caught smoking in his room.) A new Congressman from Illinois finally found a place for Pickett in the Pacific Northwest. Shortly afterward, the War with Mexico ensued, insuring a military future for the youthful officer – which led him to the fields of Gettysburg. Pickett was always grateful to the prairie lawyer-turned-statesman and vigorously defended Abraham Lincoln from that time onward."
When questioned if he, like Pickett, was also a fan of Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Lang answered, “Absolutely! He was the greatest President, obviously.” Also a fan of Lincoln’s voluminous writings, Mr. Lang added, “He was definitely the go-to guy for a great quote.”
Gabor Boritt agrees. In his battlefield tour, Abraham Lincoln stands as a prominent figure. Lincoln may have spent just 23 hours in Gettysburg in November of 1863, but his presence is one that still pervades the history of the town. “We begin the tour with Lincoln, and we end with the Gettysburg Address,” Jake explained. “And Lincoln is woven throughout. “
The meaning of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address comes through when traveling over the fields of fire at the Confederacy’s High Water Mark – a fitting epitaph for the horrific Battle of Gettysburg. In remembering what happened here in 1863, those who can catch a glimpse of the meaning of Gettysburg gain an entirely new perspective and appreciation of the nation, liberty, and our individual pursuits of happiness. Mr. Lang succinctly explained, “No matter what anxiety you feel, coming here puts real suffering in perspective. “
