Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Characters / Lincoln

Go To

1%%
2%%
3%% Administrivia.ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
4%%
5%%
6A character page in progress for the Steven Spielberg film ''{{Film/Lincoln}}''.
7
8----
9
10[[foldercontrol]]
11
12[[folder:The Lincoln Household]]
13
14!!Pres. UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln
15[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daniel-day-lewis-lincoln-spielberg_1292.jpeg]]
16->'''Played By''': Creator/DanielDayLewis
17
18The 16th President of the United States.
19----
20* BadassBoast: An actual quote, no less.
21--> "I am the President of the United States, clothed... in ''immense power''! You ''will'' procure me those votes."
22* BadassBookworm: War Veteran President leading a nation through a war and fighting for an amendment that will end slavery once and for all along with being very well learned in the written word.
23* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's soft-spoken and his attitude is very genial. So [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness when he gets mad and starts raising his voice]], people ''listen''.
24* TheChessmaster: The film greatly shows his cunning nature, subtle political maneuvers and command over just about every situation he was in.
25* CoolOldGuy: Very congenial with the young people he interacts with and tells stories that contain moments of awesome and ToiletHumor.
26* CurseOfTheAncients:"Buzzard's guts, man."
27* DeadpanSnarker: This is Abraham Lincoln after all.
28** Lincoln goes to see Bilbo to give him his walking papers on the eve of the Thirteenth Amendment being passed. Bilbo has been operating in a manner that keeps him completely disassociated from the President to avoid the appearance of corruption. So when Lincoln finally shows his face, they greet each other thusly:
29-->'''Bilbo:''' 'Well, I'll be fucked.\
30'''Lincoln:''' I wouldn't bet against it.
31* {{Determinator}}: He knows the odds of passing the 13th Amendment are stacked against him. Doesn't faze him one bit.
32* DiseaseBleach: Like most presidents, the job prematurely ages him. In his case, it aged him ''a lot''.
33-->'''Grant:''' By outward appearance, you're 10 years older than you were a year ago.
34-->'''Lincoln:''' [[{{Understatement}} Some weariness has bit at my bones.]]
35* AFatherToHisMen: While Congress may have a cold attitude towards him, it's clear Lincoln loves and is loved by his Union soldiers.
36* GentleGiant: 6'4" (still large for the average 21st century male) and very soft-spoken
37* GoodIsNotSoft: Wants to abolish slavery and is a genial guy...but he's not afraid to yell, deceive, or bend the rules for the greater good.
38* GuileHero: Passing the 13th Amendment certainly took a lot of cleverness on his part.
39* HenpeckedHusband: Described seriously by Robert and semi-seriously by Mary Todd herself, in that Lincoln doesn't want Robert to go to war mostly because he dreads how Mary Todd will respond.
40* LargeAndInCharge: The 6'4" Lincoln towers over everyone else. Day-Lewis' height (6'1") is exaggerated somewhat by the camera angles.
41* MessyHair: "My last barber hanged himself. Left me his scissors in his will."
42* NiceGuy: Characterized by his unassuming kindness, in contrast to his more pragmatic Cabinet.
43* OurPresidentsAreDifferent: President Personable and President Iron. Lincoln is very friendly and personable with soldiers and servants, but firm and serious with lawmakers and diplomats.
44* RamblingOldManMonologue: Lincoln has a habit of breaking into anecdotes that sometimes don't have any relevance to the topic at hand. Other times they're quite calculated to produce an effect.
45* SignatureHeadgear: He has that famous tall hat.
46* {{Troll}}: There are hints that Lincoln tells his stories to exasperate his advisers (especially Edwin Stanton) as much as to make them think.
47* TheUnfettered: Lincoln is ''absolutely'' determined to pass the amendment, and doesn't hesitate to: use bribery (technically 'patronage jobs') to convert representatives to his side, exploit the emergency powers that the Constitution has given him, and even [[spoiler: lie to congress about being in peace talks with the Confederacy]].
48* VocalDissonance: For such a large and commanding man, Lincoln's voice is remarkably soft-spoken and gentle. TruthInTelevision as it's quite accurate to the real man.
49
50!!First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln
51[[quoteright:335:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lincoln_Sally_3869.jpg]]
52->'''Played By''': Creator/SallyField
53
54The First Lady and Lincoln's wife.
55----
56* AffectionateNickname: Her husband calls her Molly.
57* BrokenBird: Mary has suffered the loss of two children, worries about her husband's safety, and fears (sadly, quite correctly) that history will remember her as a crazy woman who ruined Lincoln's happiness.
58* TheBabyTrap: She implies in a heated argument that Lincoln always perceived that she [[ShotgunWedding forced him into a marriage]] by becoming pregnant and that he resents their oldest son as embodying his frustration. Lincoln insists that that's not true.
59* DespairEventHorizon: All but crossed with the heartbreak of OutlivingOnesOffspring, made all the more traumatic as she was at a party on the day her son died and that she later held Willie in her arms as he died. [[spoiler: Sadly she would cross it when she lost Abraham ''and'' Tad.]]
60* TheFashionista: She doesn't take a page from ''Godey's Ladies Book'' (the Vogue magazine of the era)....she takes the whole library and is primped in the laces and ruffles of the mid-Victorian Era.
61--> ''I must dress in costly materials. The people scrutinize every article I wear with critical curiosity.'' - Mary, quoted in the book ''Behind the Scenes'' by her friend Elizabeth Keckley.
62* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Mary Todd and Lincoln bitterly argue at points. [[CallForward He also threatens to put her into the madhouse]]. But on their final coach ride they are loving and joyful with Lincoln scoffing at ignorant historians declaring she made him miserable.
63* OneHeadTaller: The real Mary Todd Lincoln was 5'2, more than a foot shorter than her husband. Sally Field is of the same height.
64* PimpedOutDress: The corseted waists, the flounces, the ruffles, the patterns, and the crinolines which were all popular during that era.
65** Mary was a good sewer, and may have made some of those outfits herself.
66* [[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]: Very high strung, fragile, and prone to outbursts in contrast with her friend and dressmaker Lizzy.
67
68!!Robert Todd Lincoln
69[[quoteright:247:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lincoln_Robert_5285.jpg]]
70->'''Played By''': Creator/JosephGordonLevitt
71
72Lincoln's eldest son. He's just come back to revisit his family, but hopes soon to enlist in the Union army.
73----
74* {{Determinator}}: Just like his dad, he is determined to do that right thing. In this case, it's enlisting despite his parents' protests.
75* RearEchelonSoldier: Abraham gives in to Robert's demand that he be allowed to enlist, but uses his connections to ensure his college-educated son gets an officer's commission on Grant's staff, keeping Robert as far away from front-line combat as is possible while still serving in the Army.
76* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Inverted. It's a lot harder to enlist in the army when your father who forbids it is Commander in Chief.
77* TheUnfavorite: Mrs. Lincoln thinks Abe sees Robert as this, while Abe suggests that Mrs. Lincoln sees Tad as this. (The film depicts their true feelings towards their sons as much more complex.)
78%%* WellDoneSonGuy
79
80!!Willie Lincoln
81
82Lincoln's middle son who died during his presidency.
83----
84* TheGhost: He died three years prior to the events depicted in the film.
85* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Everyone clearly adored Willie, as the entire Lincoln family is devastated by his death. Tad longingly says he wants to see him drowsily.
86
87
88!!Tad Lincoln
89[[quoteright:285:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lincoln_Tad_6662.jpg]]
90->'''Played By''': Creator/{{Gulliver McGrath}}
91
92Lincoln's youngest son.
93----
94* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The real Tad had a quite severe speech impediment when he was a child but underwent speech therapy to correct it as a teenager. It was so severe that only his family and tutors could understand him when he spoke but this isn't present in the film.
95* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:When he hears his father has been shot, Tad screams in grief.]]
96* CheerfulChild: Son of the President, plays with official maps, rides a goat pulled carriage through the White House who is a goodhearted and playful boy.
97* ConstantlyCurious: He's very curious about slavery, even examining plate images of whipped and beaten slaves. His mother worries this will traumatize him.
98* InnocentlyInsensitive: Out of childish curiosity, he asks some of the black employees of the White House, like Slade and Keckley, if they were ever slaves in the past and if they were beaten, without realizing it can be a touchy topic. Luckily they both understand.
99* SleepCute: He's introduced asleep on the floor, and his dad curls up with him.
100
101!!Elizabeth Keckley
102->'''Played By''': Creator/GloriaReuben
103* BlueOni: Very calm and collected in contrast with her boss and friend Mary.
104* TheFashionista: Who else is responsible for Mary's PimpedOutDress ensembles?[[note]]In RealLife, Mrs. Keckley usually created simpler, less frilly but more elegant dresses for Mary.[[/note]]
105* TryingNotToCry: Her eyes glaze as she listens to Congressmen ridicule the notion of ending slavery and espouse utter hatred of Black people. She has to leave when Thaddeus Stevens states that he only believes in equality under the law and not racial equality.
106* The real [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Keckley Elizabeth Keckley]] was an extraordinary woman whose life deserves its own awesome film.
107!!William Slade
108->'''Played By''': Creator/StephenHenderson
109
110* TheDriver: Drives the carriages for the Lincoln family.
111* NiceGuy: Very congenial, good-humored, and gentle.
112* OldRetainer: Worked with Abe for a long time.
113
114[[/folder]]
115
116[[folder:Lincoln's Cabinet]]
117
118!!William Seward
119->'''Played By''': Creator/DavidStrathairn
120
121Lincoln's Secretary of State.
122----
123* DefeatMeansFriendship: Seward was the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, whose popularity was upset by Lincoln. Lincoln recruited him to the cabinet, and he has become his most loyal subordinate.
124* TheGoodChancellor: He frequently and vocally disagrees with how Lincoln does things, but throws himself into fulfilling the president's wishes by any means necessary.
125* TheLancer: To Lincoln.
126* TheReliableOne: Of the Cabinet members, Seward is the one working closest with Lincoln during the struggle to get the amendment passed. Although even he gets frustrated coping with Lincoln's juggling act between pushing the amendment and considering meeting with the Confederate peace commission.
127* WhatTheHellHero: He is ''not'' happy when he learns Lincoln arranged to meet with a Confederate Peace Commission without consulting him first.
128
129!!Edwin Stanton
130->'''Played By''': Creator/BruceMcGill
131
132The Secretary of War.
133----
134* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Stanton has no patience for Lincoln's jokes, but when the news of the latest battle is wired in, [[TruthInTelevision he and the President hold hands.]]
135* TheComicallySerious: Fusses over the burnt edge of a military map and positively storms out of the room when Lincoln starts to tell another of his stories.
136%%* LargeHam
137* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Lincoln begins his Ethan Allen story during the assault on Ft. Fisher.
138
139
140!!John Usher
141->'''Played By''': Creator/DakinMatthews
142
143Lincoln's Secretary of the Interior.
144----
145* TokenEvilTeammate: Basically his role amounts to bickering with other cabinet members and complain about Lincoln's plans to abolish slavery.
146
147!!Gideon Welles
148->'''Played By''': Creator/GraingerHines
149Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy.
150----
151* FatherNeptune: Lincoln even calls him this. TruthInTelevision!
152
153[[/folder]]
154
155[[folder:House of Representatives]]
156
157!!UsefulNotes/ThaddeusStevens
158[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/_Lincoln_Tommy_Lee_3784.jpg]]
159->'''Played By''': Creator/TommyLeeJones
160
161Leader of the Radical Republicans and a Representative from Pennsylvania
162----
163* ArchEnemy: Stevens absolutely '''despises''' George Pendleton.
164* AscendedExtra: Thaddeus Stevens is mentioned all of four times in ''Team of Rivals'', but in the movie he is one of the most prominent characters.
165* BrutalHonesty: He doesn't mince his words on ''anything'', be it his goals, his complete disinterest in the opinions of others or his withering disdain for his opponents.
166* CoolOldGuy: He's in his later years (the real Steven was in his early seventies at the time of the events) and a passionate man who wants full equality for black people and has a razor sharp wit to boot.
167* DeadpanSnarker: '''Big time.''' Hardly a conversation passes where he doesn't have at least one cutting remark about those around him. Then again, it's Creator/TommyLeeJones. It would be weird if he wasn't this.
168* {{Determinator}}: Stevens himself admits that he will do or say anything to abolish slavery.
169* DodgyToupee: He wears a wig and is completely bald underneath (the real Stevens suffered from Alopecia before it was known and went bald as a young man). Unlike most examples, he doesn't hide that it's a wig, even quipping to Lincoln that "he looks worse without it". The real Stevens even had a famous moment where a young woman asked for a lock of his hair and he pulled off his wig and told her "here, madam. You may have it all", much to her shock and his amusement.
170* GoodIsNotNice: Stevens is a stubborn obstinate jerk who doesn't give a damn bout what "the people" want or about upsetting those around him. He is also a merciless fighter for freedom and justice for all people.
171* HandicappedBadass: Has a club foot and walks with a cane, yet is known as the "Tyrant of the House".
172* HotBlooded: He's very passionate about abolishing slavery and doesn't give a damn
173* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Stevens goes against his principles to claim that he only wants equality under the law, not total racial equality, in order to get the 13th Amendment passed... but blunted the alienation of the ardent abolitionists that such a declaration would incur by ''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech verbally eviscerating]]'' George Pendleton for cornering him for it
174* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Most of his conversations are peppered with insults to the whoever he's currently addressing. He's also a strong believer in racial equality who is willing to do whatever it will take to abolish slavery.
175** And he really [[spoiler:loves his common-law wife.]]
176* KnightInSourArmor: He's a cantankerous cynic who makes no effort to hide his disdain for most of the people around him and in the country but he's genuinely committed to ending slavery and giving black people full equality, regardless of how hated it might make him. He best sums himself as up as "someone who has fought long and hard for the good of the people without caring much for any of them".
177* MaliciousMisnaming: After inviting Alexander Coffroth into his office with "Canfrey!", he addresses him in passing as "Coughdrop" and "Coughsnot", before making it clear that he knows the man's name but absolutely does not care.
178* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Stevens was born and raised in Vermont, moved to Pennsylvania as a young lawyer, and represented a district around Lancaster, PA, but Tommy Lee Jones makes no effort at all to cover his famous Texas accent.
179* WellIntentionedExtremist: His views on racial equality and strong desire to make it a reality make him come across as this [[DeliberateValuesDissonance to the majority of white characters in the film.]] To the pro-slavery congressmen, of course, he's not well-intentioned at all.
180
181!!Lydia Hamilton Smith
182->'''Played By''': S. Epatha Merkerson
183
184Thaddeus Stevens' partner. We see her only at the end where Stevens presents her with the 13th Amendment document and listens to her reading it over and over in bed. The real [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Hamilton_Smith Lydia Smith]] was what was known at the time as a "free woman of color". In the film, Stevens gripes about having to say she's his housekeeper; in RealLife their relationship was known to many. She was an independent businesswoman and real estate owner-manager.
185
186!!Fernando Wood
187->'''Played By''': Creator/LeePace
188
189Copperhead Democrat representative of New York and the 13th Amendment's most outspoken opponent. The real Wood was a career politician who was Mayor of NYC when Lincoln was first elected. He had been a big supporter of the Union and Lincoln, but was known as an opportunist who would take whichever side worked to his best advantage.
190----
191* TheDragon: He's the Democratic Party's best orator and weapon against the amendment, but he largely takes his instructions from Pendleton.
192* LargeHam: Most likely intentional, as his job is to drum up opposition to the amendment.
193
194!!George H. Pendleton
195->'''Played By''': Creator/PeterMcRobbie
196
197Democrat representative from Ohio and chief opponent of the 13th Amendment.
198----
199* AgeLift: During the time period in which the film is set, Pendleton was only 39 years old. In the film, he is portrayed by Peter [=McRobbie=], who was 69 years old at the time of the film's release.
200* BigBad: In a manner of speaking. As the de facto leader of the Democratic opposition to the 13th Amendment, he's the biggest obstacle in the way of its passage.
201%%* {{Jerkass}}
202* LargeHam: More subdued than Wood, but still has his moments. Especially his epic '''"How dare you!"''' in response to one of Stevens' harangues.
203* TheRival: To Stevens. Half of the latter's comments on the House floor are usually insults thrown at his direction.
204
205!!Schuyler Colfax
206->'''Played By''': Creator/BillRaymond
207
208The Speaker of the House.
209* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Colfax became notorious as U.S. Grant's Vice President, for being the central figure of the scandals that nearly broke his administration. During the passage of the Amendment, however, he steps out of his normal role to cast what turns out to be one of the two deciding votes.
210* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: As befits the Speaker's role. He still takes the extraordinary effort to vote on the Amendment himself, tossing aside custom, if only because of the momentous occasion.
211* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Related to the above, while it generally was a rule that Speakers have adhered to before and since, Colfax was also a member of the Radical caucus, and was known to have supported black equality.
212
213!!James Ashley
214->'''Played By''': Creator/DavidCostabile
215
216* ManlyTears: When the Amendment is passed, he sheds tears of joy.
217* NervousWreck: His job as floor manager for the 13th Amendment is clearly getting to him. He constantly seems on the verge of an ulcer from the stress of it. His ManlyTears when passage is secured were well earned.
218
219!!Asa Vintner Litton
220->'''Played By''': Creator/StephenSpinella
221
222* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Of the Radical Republicans, he's the least personally sympathetic since all he does is complain without being even remotely helpful to the cause, but after the vote passes, like Ashley, he sheds ManlyTears in celebration and seems to genuinely believe in full equality of the races.
223* TheConscience: Acts this way towards Stevens, though really Stevens doesn't want or need his guidance.
224
225!!George Yeaman
226->'''Played By''': Creator/MichaelStuhlbarg
227
228* BigYes: [[spoiler:Or rather, big '''AYE!''']]
229* DeliberateValuesDissonance: He's portrayed as a very soft-spoken NiceGuy who openly admits to hating slavery. But he's also uneasy about abolishing it and voices opposition to giving black people and women equal rights.
230* GrewASpine: He rather meekly states "my vote ties us" so softly that the clerk has to ask him to speak up. Suddenly, vertebrae align and he exclaims "I said Aye, Mr. [=MacPherson=], AAAAAAYE!" to the jubilation of the proponents and calls of "Traitor" from the opponents. He later expresses pride in his vote when the amendment advocates start singing "Battle Cry of Freedom" in the House chambers after it passes.
231* NiceGuy: Very polite in general, especially in comparison to all the other Democrats who staunchly oppose the amendment.
232
233!!Clay R. Hawkins
234->'''Played By''': Creator/WaltonGoggins
235
236* DirtyCoward: Switches his vote depending upon who's threatening him at a given moment. However....
237* GrewASpine: When it's time to vote, he votes yes and he doesn't give a damn if the Democrats shoot him for it.
238
239!!William Hutton
240->'''Played By''': Creator/DavidWarshofsky
241* AntiVillain: Admits he's "a prejudiced man," but he has a very personal reason for opposing the Thirteenth Amendment... his brother died in the war. Lincoln recognizes this and doesn't try pressing him overly hard.
242
243!!Alexander Coffroth
244->'''Played By''': Creator/{{Boris McGiver}}
245* ButtMonkey: Stevens displays open contempt towards him, dropping insults and mispronouncing Coffroth's name. Coffroth takes the abuse because it will allow him staying in office.
246* HeelFaceTurn: Stevens persuades him to vote for the Thirteenth Amendment and to switch parties from Democrat to Republican (However, Stevens notes he needs to vote FOR the Amendment first as a Democrat, in order to build the impression it was a bipartisan effort).
247* SpeechImpediment: Has a very pronounced stutter which is PlayedForLaughs. This is ArtisticLicenseHistory, as the real Coffroth was considered a gifted orator.
248
249[[/folder]]
250
251[[folder:Gang of Three]]
252
253A trio of lobbyists hired by Seward to buy votes from the Democratic Party.
254
255* ComicTrio: Their antics throughout the film are the source of most of its humor. They have a few GreekChorus moments during the floor debates.
256* {{Leitmotif}}: Almost every scene featuring these three is accompanied by a lively bluegrass piece, a marked contrast with the more somber music elsewhere in the film.
257* SleazyPolitician: A rare heroic example. They rely on shady backdoor deals in favor of the amendment's passage.
258
259!!William N. Bilbo
260->'''Played By''': Creator/JamesSpader
261
262* AscendedExtra: Very little is known about the real Bilbo, so his characterization is almost completely invented.
263* BigEater: He's eating something in most of his scenes and has an ample gut.
264%%* DeadpanSnarker
265* LargeHam: Especially in relation to Schell and Latham, Bilbo is prone to grand gesticulating (such as kicking dirt on a Congressman attempting to shoot him while delivering a PrecisionFStrike and messily smashing shellfish with a hammer causing the bits to fly off everywhere).
266* TheLeader: Of the three, he gets by far the most lines and characterization.
267* PrecisionFStrike: Gets two (In fact, the only ones in the entire movie).
268* TokenEnemyMinority: Bilbo was driven out of Tennessee when he decided to side with the Union.
269
270!!Richard Schell
271->'''Played By''': Creator/TimBlakeNelson
272
273* CheshireCatGrin: When he's lobbying, Schell puts on an absurdly large and phony looking grin.
274* DeadpanSnarker: His observations of the Democrats who may be willing to defect to vote for the amendment is filled with dryly snide insults.
275
276!!Col. Robert Latham
277->'''Played By''': Creator/JohnHawkes
278
279* OnlySaneMan: Of the trio, Latham is the least likely to be prone to ChewingTheScenery like Bilbo, or making snide one liners like Schell.
280
281[[/folder]]
282
283[[folder:Others]]
284
285!!Francis Preston Blair
286[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4276232_orig.jpg]]
287->'''Played By''': Creator/HalHolbrook
288
289A founder of the Republican Party and a key advisor to President Lincoln.
290
291* CoolOldGuy: Is in his mid-70s at the time of the film and yet is still spry enough to have influence over both Conservative and Radical Republicans, so much so that Lincoln relies on ''his'' support to get the Amendment passed.
292* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Blair would rather preserve the Union than free the slaves. He is indignant to learn that Lincoln delayed the peace talks with the Confederacy to buy time for the Amendment first, but eventually is convinced to support Lincoln’s efforts.
293* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Stevens and the Radical Republicans view Blair’s insistence on peace talks with the South as a hamper to their efforts to abolish slavery, both on the grounds of deterring human rights and because it would weaken the Amendment’s political standing if it were learned there are attempts to negotiate with the South and end the war without abolition.
294* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When Democrats learn of the peace talks and demand the vote postponed, Blair and his Republicans go along with them. It is thus a very big deal when he hears Lincoln’s [[ExactWords carefully worded reply]] that there are no Confederates in Washington, which Blair knows is avoiding the truth, and agrees to let the vote resume.
295* PeaceConference: He's the one who initiates peace negotiations with the Confederates in exchange for his support of the Thirteenth Amendment, and constantly reminds Lincoln of the importance of peace over passing the Amendment.
296* TheSpock: He contrasts Thaddeus Stevens in being the opposite side of the Republican Party. His priority is ending the war, not freeing slaves, and he presses Lincoln to seek peace with the South first rather than put all efforts in passing the 13th Amendment, concerned that it would escalate the war.
297
298!!Lieutenant General UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant
299->'''Played By''': Creator/JaredHarris
300
301General-in-Chief of the Union Army.
302----
303* BlingOfWar: Averted, as in RealLife. The General prefers a simple uniform at all times, whether in the field, at command HQ or at a peace conference.
304* BrutalHonesty: Bluntly tells Stephens and the Confederate delegation that their offer of a negotiated peace is unacceptable. Instead he immediately demands they prepare "terms of surrender."
305* TheConfidant: Grant is this to Lincoln. Their scene together in Appotamox shows that he is one of the few who truly understands Lincoln as a person, and that they have had discussions about the aftermath of the war.
306* FourStarBadass: The very first four-star general of the United States, in fact.
307%%* TheStoic
308
309!!Alexander Stephens
310->'''Played By''': Creator/JackieEarleHaley
311
312Vice-President of the Confederacy, leader of the peace committee.
313----
314* AffablyEvil: Besides his courteous treatment of the black Union soldiers escorting him, he's also very civil towards both Grant and Lincoln, despite the circumstances of their meeting, whereas his colleagues are more snappish and short-tempered.
315* BigBadFriend: To Lincoln, as vaguely alluded to by them being on FirstNameBasis during the private negotiations. While it's not mentioned directly, this is TruthInTelevision. Lincoln and Stephens were both members of the Whig caucus for a time in the House of Representatives, and were frequent dining companions and friends.
316* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: The reason the peace conference fails. Though the Confederacy's on its last legs and slavery is a dead letter, legally and practically, Stephens insists on negotiating as a separate power and then for slavery's retention.
317* TheDragon: To the unseen Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
318* FirstNameBasis: With Lincoln, hinting their friendship from before the War.
319* GreaterScopeVillain: He is the face of the Confederacy in the film, whom the war is being fought against, though the primary threat in the movie is anti-emancipation Democrats in the Union.
320* JerkassHasAPoint: Stephens coldly points out that for all of Lincoln's platitudes he ''is'' a wartime leader who defeated the Confederacy in war, not on an ideological level.
321* TokenGoodTeammate: Despite being a white supremacist who once declared that "Our new government is founded upon [...] the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man", Stephens is respectful to the black Union soldiers he meets even as they're greeting him with {{Death Glare}}s. The real Alexander Stephens saw the black man as inferior to the white, but did not see that as a reason to denigrate or mistreat black people. He apperantly treated his slaves well enough that many of them stayed as payed servants after the war, and one them even served as a pallbearer at his funeral. Lincoln also addresses him as "Alex", hinting to the fact that they were friends before the war.
322* UnflinchingWalk: While his fellow Southerners pause in horror upon finding out their escort is made up [[OhCrap of black Union soldiers]], Alexander calmly keeps walking to the carriage awaiting them and politely talks to the soldiers escorting them.
323
324!!George Archibald Campbell
325->'''Played By''': Creator/GregoryItzin
326
327[[/folder]]
328

Top