This week I had the pleasure of speaking with one of my favorite historical individuals, one Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire, personal physician and surgeon on General Thomas Jackson's staff. Of course you may recall that the good doctor was responsible for the successful amputation of "Stonewall's" left arm following an accidental wounding at the Battle of Chancellorsville. He then went on after the Civil War to become a brilliant doctor, author, president of the American Medical Association, and father of 10 children before dying from a cerebral embolism on September 19, 1900.

Of course when I say that I spoke to the "good doctor," it was actually through an equally gifted actor who portrayed the man in the critically acclaimed, and sometimes panned movie God's and Generals. Despite anyone's personal issues with the film (many consider it to be Lost Cause propaganda), no one can deny the quality of acting it offered and the excellent job that the cast did in bringing their characters to life. Personally, I have always enjoyed watching G&G (in the context of a Hollywood film) and two performances that always stood out in my mind were of course Stephen Lange's portrayal of Gen. Jackson, and Sean Allen Pratt's depiction of Dr. McGuire. As these two gentlemen shared so many scenes together, each complimented the other on screen.

Sean Allen Pratt's resume in film, television, and theater is extremely impressive and he has played many complex and dynamic characters over the course of his career. His credits include on film: Gods and Generals, Tuck Everlasting, Iron Jawed Angels and Ladder 49; on television roles: The District, Homicide and The Wire; and on stage: Oedipus The King and The Game Of Love And Chance. In addition to his acting, Sean holds seminars and workshops for actors looking to break into the biz.

Via Facebook, Sean was nice enough to discuss his thoughts on playing perhaps the most celebrated surgeon in Civil War history. I asked him how he prepared for the part:

SEAN: I read a boatload of books about the Civil War, conducted Internet research on him and his family, traveled to Richmond to see his statue and the CW Medical Museum, took a lot of horseback riding lessons and tried not to lose my hat during any of the battle scenes. We had a standing deal that whoever had their hat knocked/blown off during a big scene had to by a round at the bar that evening....I bought my share. Stephen Lange had a great line about our costumes, "These wool uniforms are great. They keep you hotter than hell in the summer and colder then ice in the winter."

As a student of "Stonewall," I have used more than my share of the doctor's transcripts and I have always been impressed with his commitment to preserving the stories of his time as the lead physician on Jackson's staff. I live just a few miles from the Stonewall Jackson Shrine (where he died at Guinea Station). I often lead private tours there and I speak about the fallen general's emergency surgery at Wilderness Tavern. I always quote Dr. McGuire's report as the fact that Jackson survived the perilous ambulance ride from the Chancellorsville area to Caroline County testifies to his gifts as a military surgeon.

I also asked Sean if he came away from the G&G project, having studied and portrayed such a noteworthy individual, with a different impression of the Civil War.

SEAN: Beyond the awe of being involved in a film project of that size (which quite literally was like an army on the move), I came away with two things: The understanding of how men could deal with the loss of thousands of soldiers in one battle as a matter of course, even as a "glorious" thing, and the utter grief caused by the death of one man. Also, how far we have come from such notions of the antebellum ideas of "honor," "duty," "forbearance," and what constitutes the concept of "The United States of America."

Sean also added that he is currently in the process of narrating the new Abraham Lincoln bio by Michael Burlingame and that it will be released through Audible.com. For more on Sean Pratt's work, visit his website SEAN PRATT PRESENTS.