Early American Historical Movies
Focusing on pre-1900 historical movies dealing with American history while leaving out 'western' types...
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- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJude LawNicole KidmanRenée ZellwegerIn the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsTom BerengerMartin SheenStephen LangIn 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordWill GeerDelle BoltonA mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by the Crow tribe and proves to be a match for their warriors in single combat on the early frontier.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsDaniel Day-LewisMadeleine StoweRussell MeansThree trappers protect the daughters of a British Colonel in the midst of the French and Indian War.
- DirectorYves SimoneauStarsAidan QuinnAdam BeachAugust SchellenbergA historic chronicle based on the book by Dee Brown explains how Native Americans were displaced as the United States expanded west.
- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
- DirectorJohn DuiganStarsJason PatricThandiwe NewtonLarry DrakeA multi-dimensional drama about a North Carolina farmer in April 1815. August King, a widower, is on his way home after selling his produce and purchasing the stock and goods he will need for the coming year. On his journey, he comes upon a 17-year-old runaway slave and he he must decided to violate the law and help her get to freedom or leave her to be hunted down and ultimately returned to her master. But the drama turns into a question of whether either soul will gain freedom.
- StarsRobert DuvallTommy Lee JonesDanny GloverTwo former Texas Rangers renew their spirit of adventure as they and several other residents of a small Texas town join a cattle drive to the Montana Territory.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsStephen LangRobert DuvallJeff DanielsThe rise and fall of confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as he meets with military success against the Union from 1861 to 1863, when he is accidentally killed by his own soldiers.
- DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosKevin JarreStarsKurt RussellVal KilmerSam ElliottA successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.
- DirectorRoger YoungStarsJoseph RunningfoxNick RamusMichelle St. JohnThis story of epic courage and grace is a remarkable window on Native American life and the early years of the last and most feared Apache War Chief.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsJason PatricGene HackmanRobert DuvallThe story of the Apache chief and his armed resistance to the U.S. Government's subjugation of his people.
- StarsF. Murray AbrahamKeith CarradinePatricia ChildressIn this prequel to "Lonesome Dove", two young men join the Texas Rangers unit that's on a mission to annex Santa Fe.
- StarsLeVar BurtonRobert ReedJohn AmosA dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendants' liberation.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsColin FarrellQ'orianka KilcherChristopher PlummerThe story of the English exploration of Virginia, and of the changing world and loves of Pocahontas.
- StarsPaul GiamattiLaura LinneyJohn DossettThe life of one of the USA's Founding Fathers, its second President, and his role in the nation's first 50 years.
- DirectorFelix E. FeistStarsLex BarkerHelen WestcottLon Chaney Jr.During the 1700s, in the Great Lakes region the British troops have driven the French out and with help from the mercenary Hessian troops the British plan to annihilate the native tribes of the Ottawas.
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsCandice BergenPeter StraussDonald PleasenceAfter a cavalry patrol is ambushed by the Cheyenne, the two survivors, a soldier and a woman, must reach the safety of the nearest fort.
- DirectorMartin DavidsonStarsSheryl LeeEllen BurstynEric SchweigAn "inspirational" saga of a pioneer woman who is abducted by Shawnee Native Americans.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsMel GibsonHeath LedgerJoely RichardsonPeaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.
- DirectorRobert HarmonStarsJeff DanielsRoger ReesSebastian RochéA dramatization of George Washington's perilous gamble of crossing the Delaware River and attacking the Hessian forces at Trenton.
- StarsGary ColeRosanna ArquetteStanley AndersonThe story of George Custer, Crazy Horse and the events prior to the battle of the Little Bighorn, told from the different perspectives of two women.
- StarsJames GarnerSissy SpacekSam ShepardCaptain Woodrow Call, now retired from the Rangers, is a bounty hunter. He is hired by an eastern railroad baron to track down Joey Garza, a new breed of killer.
- CreatorDouglas HeyesStarsKirstie AlleyGeorg Stanford BrownDavid CarradineTwo friends, one northern and one southern, struggle to maintain their friendship as events build towards the American Civil War.
- StarsGwyneth PaltrowSam WaterstonMichael PottsA biographical film about The United States' influential and profoundly enigmatic Founding Father.
- DirectorHugh HudsonStarsAl PacinoDonald SutherlandNastassja KinskiA trapper and his young son get pulled into the American revolution early as unwilling participants and remain involved through to the end.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsTobey MaguireSkeet UlrichJewelDuring the American Civil War, two friends join the Bushwhackers, a militant group loyal to the Confederacy.
- CreatorJohn LeekleyStarsStacy KeachJohn HammondJulia DuffyAmerica just before and during the Civil War, as seen through the eyes of an artist correspondent.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsClaudette ColbertHenry FondaEdna May OliverNewlyweds Gil and Lana Martin try to establish a farm in the Mohawk Valley but are menaced by Indians and Tories as the Revolutionary War begins.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsRobert ShawMary UreTy HardinGeorge Armstrong Custer's love of the heroic traditions of the Calvary and his distaste with the coming of industrialization leads him to his destiny at the Little Big Horn.
- DirectorLisa Quijano WolfingerStarsNicholas AsburyChristopher HaasKeith BartlettAn in-depth dramatization of the story of the Pilgrims
- DirectorGeorge SchaeferStarsAnthony HopkinsRichard CrennaJenny AgutterIn 1620, the Assembly of the Pilgrims decides to emigrate to the young America because of the persecution they suffer by the English crown. This movie tells the adventurous journey of the Pilgrims to an unknown land and future.
- DirectorJohn Lee HancockStarsDennis QuaidBilly Bob ThorntonEmilio EchevarríaBased on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio Texas.
- DirectorJohn WayneStarsJohn WayneRichard WidmarkLaurence HarveyIn 1836, a small band of soldiers sacrifice their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.
- DirectorBurt KennedyStarsJames ArnessBrian KeithAlec BaldwinAgainst orders and with no help of relief Texas patriots led by William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett defend the Alamo against overwhelming Mexican forces.
- DirectorSalvador LitvakStarsTom AmandesLea CocoPenelope Ann MillerThe story of Mr. Lincoln and his self-appointed bodyguard, U.S. Marshal Ward Hill Lamon - a banjo-playing Southerner who foiled repeated attempts on the President's life, and kept him functioning during the darkest hours of the Civil War.
- StarsRichard ChamberlainBenny GibsonAlice KrigeFollows Fremont as he chosen to lead the journey into the Oregon Territory with the help of Kit Carson.
- StarsSam WaterstonMary Tyler MooreRichard MulliganAfter arriving in Washington in 1861 after his election, Abraham Lincoln struggles with personal and political problems during his Presidency.
- DirectorJohn GrayStarsRob MorrowLance HenriksenDonna MurphyApril 14, 1865. As four year of Civil War draw to a close, our country again faces unforgettable tragedy: the assassination of the President. Starring Lance Henriksen as the Great Emancipator and Rob Morrow as assassin John Wilkes Booth, this riveting recreation of The Day Lincoln Was Shot (from Jim Bishop's landmark book) is a thrilling and detailed chronicle of the plot, murder and manhunt that changed America forever. To avenge what he called the Confederacy's "noble cause," Booth conspires with his motley followers, rages and boasts, and aspires to a place in history as a Great Man. The weary Lincoln, longing for a just peace, meets with his Cabinet, steals precious time with his family and dreams - literally - of the death of a President. Minute by minute, killer and victim edge closer to the burst of gunfire at Ford's Theatre that stopped Lincoln's heart - and shattered the country's soul.
- DirectorPeter H. HuntStarsWilliam DanielsHoward Da SilvaKen HowardA musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDjimon HounsouMatthew McConaugheyAnthony HopkinsIn 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.
- DirectorLarry ElikannStarsJesse BorregoDavid ClennonTantoo CardinalThis western began in 1812 when the settlers tried to take away more and more territories from the indians. Tecumseh, who is the leader of the Shawnee indians, tries to do something. He plans a big indian state, and tries to win the English settlers over to this plan...
- DirectorGene Fowler Jr.StarsFred MacMurrayWilliam BishopNina ShipmanIn 1846, a newspaperman joins an Oregon Trail wagon train to verify rumors about the U.S. government sending troops disguised as settlers there in order to claim Oregon.
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsGary CooperPaulette GoddardHoward Da SilvaIntrepid frontiersman Chris Holden foils the political and personal ambitions of renegade Martin Garth in the Ohio Valley following the French and Indian War.
- DirectorFrank LloydStarsCary GrantMartha ScottCedric HardwickeJust prior to the American War of Independence, aristocratic Virginian Jane Peyton marries unsophisticated rustic farmer and surveyor Matt Howard who takes her to his Shenandoah Valley plantation and later goes to war.
- DirectorRobert StevensonStarsHal StalmasterLuana PattenJeff YorkJohnny Tremain is drawn into the Revolutionary War, and becomes a patriot fighting to free the colonies from England. Along the way he learns about life and about himself.
- DirectorJohn FarrowStarsRobert StackMarisa PavanCharles CoburnThe career of Revolutionary War naval hero from his youth in Scotland through his service to Catherine the Great of Russia.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsTim McCoyJoan CrawfordEdward ConnellyAble wilderness fighter Colonel O'Hara loves Rene, daughter of the commander of the French forces during the French and Indian War. The Indians, under Pontiac, kidnap Rene. O'Hara hopes to rescue and wed her.
- DirectorDonald ShebibStarsSid BobbJohn BourgeoisCorinne ConleyThis adventure follows a mid-18th-century British scout through the wilderness on a mission to sneak into a French fortress.
- DirectorStephen SurjikStarsNancy PalkRichard DonatDiane D'AquilaMary Silliman's War is a unique, award-winning film on the American Revolution.
- DirectorFielder CookStarsRichard BasehartBarry SniderHarry AndrewsGeorge Washington struggles to hold his army together at a critical point during the Revolutionary War.
- DirectorRichard LangStarsMaria Conchita AlonsoBenjamin BrattFrederick CoffinIn the beginning of the 19th Century, many white Americans are settling in the Mexican province of Texas. As the years go by, political conflicts between the settlers and the Mexican government are escalating which would lead to war and Texan independence.
- DirectorLance HoolStarsTom BerengerJoaquim de AlmeidaDaniela RomoJohn Riley, an Irish immigrant soldier recruited in the American army during the Mexican-American War faces anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic bigotry from his fellow servicemen and defects to the Mexican army.
- DirectorAnthony QuinnStarsYul BrynnerClaire BloomCharles BoyerDuring the War of 1812, Louisiana buccaneer Jean Lafitte assists the Americans in defending New Orleans against the attacking British war fleet.
- StarsPhilip CasnoffKyle ChandlerCathy Lee CrosbyThe Civil War has just ended, but things in the country aren't much better, especially in the south.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsJames StewartDoug McClureGlenn CorbettA Virginia farmer who has vowed to remain neutral during the Civil War is spurred into action when his youngest son is taken by Union soldiers.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsAudie MurphyBill MauldinDouglas DickTruncated adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel about a Civil War Union soldier who stuggles to find the courage to fight in the heat of battle.
- DirectorGeorge C. ScottStarsCameron MitchellWilliam ShatnerJack CassidyA dramatization of the 1865 war-crimes trial of Henry Wirz, commandant of the notorious Confederate POW camp at Andersonville, Georgia.
- StarsPaul Andre GibbonsJarrod EmickFrederic ForrestThe story of the most notorious Confederate prisoner of war camp in the American Civil War.
- DirectorKevin R. HershbergerStarsBrian MerrickDJ PerryTerry JerniganThe story unfolds over a single horrifying night - six soldiers lost in the wicked, burning woods during the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. When the morning sun rises, it exposes an incredible new danger.
- DirectorEdward T. McDougalStarsLouis Gossett Jr.Benjamin GardnerFrank KasyIn the midst of the Civil War, a boy and his dog escape a plantation and embark on a life-changing journey. Inspired by true events, "Dog Jack" chronicles a turbulent moment in American history, and a tale that's never been forgotten.
- DirectorJulian AdamsA. Blaine MillerStarsJulian AdamsGwendolyn EdwardsEric HollowayRobert Adams was a valorous southern Captain who used his heart of fire to rally his men to fight. He fell in love with Eveline, a smart, kind and strong willed school teacher from the north. As they met, the Civil War was upon them.
- DirectorYelena LanskayaStarsRyan MerrimanSteve BacicWilliam MacDonaldDuring the heat of battle in the midst of the Civil War, a beguilingly innocent colt is born to Union Jim Rabb's beloved mare. Refusing the orders to shoot it, lest it prove a hindrance, Rabb keeps the colt as a consolation in these desperate times-a symbol of hope that leads the men of the First Cavalry on a journey of self-discovery and newfound brotherhood.
- DirectorJohn GrayStarsArmand AssanteDonald SutherlandAlex JenningsDuring the siege of Charleston of 1864, Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley becomes the first submersible to sink an enemy warship in wartime.
- DirectorGregory HoblitStarsChristien AnholtAndre BraugherDan FuttermanThree West Point 1861 generation cadets and friends go on opposite sides after the breakout of The Civil War, with tragic consequences. A subplot involves Lucius, a Shelby Peyton's slave, who kills a slave trader and goes on the run.
- CreatorJohn WilderStarsRaymond BurrBarbara CarreraRichard ChamberlainThe economic and cultural growth of Colorado spanning two centuries from the mid 1700s to the late 1970s.
- StarsDana DelanyAnnabeth GishAngelina JolieCovering nearly fifty years of mid-19th-century turmoil, from the tumultuous Texas Revolution to the early women's suffrage movement, "True Women" is a gripping tale of endurance, love, and above all, gritty female determination.
- StarsJoseph M. MarshallIrene BedardGil BirminghamTales from the American West in the 19th century, told from the perspective of two families, one of white settlers and one of Native Americans.
- DirectorTerrence MartinStarsCrispin GloverClayne CrawfordMichele SantopietroAfter becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846-1847, a number of trapped settlers join together in a final effort to reach California and organize a rescue party.
- DirectorT.C. ChristensenStarsJasen WadeEmily WadleyJason CelayaThe Willie Handcart Company treks across America to the Salt Lake Valley, experiencing many trials and deaths, as well as 17 miracles.
- StarsElizabeth MontgomeryHal HolbrookJane SeymourFrontierswoman Sayward Luckett's struggles in Ohio during the late-18th and early-19th centuries.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsFrançois ArnaudLucy BoyntonCasey Thomas BrownAn Upstate New York family is torn apart during the American Civil War.
- DirectorSean McNamaraStarsMichael KrebsJake LawsonSean MarquetteA group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley.
- DirectorRobby HensonStarsChris CooperPatricia ClarksonKris KristoffersonDuring the American Civil War, a Union Army captain leads his rag-tag cavalry troop up a misty creek to a remote farm to appropriate enemy (Confederate) livestock. The farm is worked by Sarah Anders, whose husband is away fighting for the Confederate Army. Far from the great armies and battlefields, a very private civil war erupts. The Captain and Sarah are pulled apart by the war's undertow into choices they can not fully control or understand. Each character in this drama must decide whether loyalty will be paid in blood. This story has a relevance to current partisan conflicts. Armies are not filled with murdering psychopaths. Good people can be driven to do bad things. The story chronicles the pathology of war, how escalating events can trigger unasked-for tragedy. Based on a true story about a southern child who shot and killed a union soldier during the Civil War.
- DirectorGary RossStarsMatthew McConaugheyGugu Mbatha-RawMahershala AliA disillusioned Confederate army deserter returns to Mississippi and leads a militia of fellow deserters and women in an uprising against the corrupt local Confederate government.