Pharaoh’s Army 1995
Directed by
Robby Henson
Made by
Cicada Films
Pharaoh’s Army Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Pharaoh’s Army (1995). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
In the spring of 1862, in the Cumberland Mountains near the Tennessee line, loyalties split a tight-knit valley and neighbors found themselves on opposite sides as the Civil War pressed into daily life. An unnamed boy, now an old man, recalls these events as best as he can remember.
Patricia Clarkson as Sarah Anders carries the heavy burden of grief after her daughter dies at the hands of Yankees. The body is buried in Altamira, only to be dug up that same night and left exposed by Union soldiers, a cruel insult that amplifies her sorrow. Her husband is away fighting for the Confederacy, and she carries the coffin back to her homestead along Mershack Creek, Kentucky, intending to rebury her daughter near their land.
Chris Cooper plays Captain John Hull Abston, a Union officer who was a farmer before the war and is now a wary, conflicted leader from Brown County, Ohio. He commands a small raiding party—Corporal Neely, Rodie, a pole named Chicago, and Newt, the youngest. They arrive at Sarah’s cabin and seize what little they can find, but Newt is seriously wounded, forcing the group to stay put long enough for him to recover and travel again.
Amid the tension, the captain shows a rare spark of gentleness, helping to plow a small patch of land with mules and lightens the weight of occupation in a moment of quiet humanity.
The boy slips away at night to warn nearby neighbor Kris Kristofferson in his role as Preacher, a Confederate sympathizer, of their precarious situation. The preacher offers a biblical reminder that deepens the moral complexity of the moment:
Pharaoh sent his armies to smite Israel, and they drowned in the Red Sea.
The following day, Roadie argues with Captain Abston and, disillusioned by the raid, deserts. The captain intends to shoot him, but before orders can be carried out, a sniper’s shot rings out, killing Roadie. The party retreats to the cabin, where Sarah and the boy fear the worst for their fate. Later, Preacher comes to retrieve the sniper’s body, claiming it as his own.
The captain buries the dead soldier next to Sarah’s daughter’s grave, a decision that enrages Sarah and drives her toward a feverish distress. The raiders depart, taking Sarah’s wagon, mule, and cow; the captain leaves a rifle “for the boy to shoot squirrels.” She tries to shoot him as they ride away, but the rifle is empty. When they’re out of sight, Sarah digs up the soldier’s body, and the boy—who had earlier stolen a revolver—catches up to the raiders, shoots Newt in the wagon, and flees; the captain pursues.
Back at the cabin, the captain returns with Newt’s body in the wagon and the mule, seeking the boy. He chastises the boy for killing the young soldier, and Sarah and the captain clash once more. Frustrated, she blurts out,
Go ahead. Kill us.
The upset captain fires two rounds into the air, then asks that the dead be given a decent Christian burial before rejoining his two men as they press on.
In the aftermath, Rodie’s body is dumped into the creek to wash downstream, and Newt’s body is placed in a sinkhole beneath the roots of a fallen sycamore, covered with dirt. The Civil War drags on, and Sarah’s husband never returns.
An epilogue reveals that in 1941, a Kentucky mountaineer returned to that remote sinkhole—the place where, during the Civil War, a Union soldier was killed and buried. This film was inspired by his story as told to folklorist Harry M. Caudill.
Pharaoh’s Army Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Pharaoh’s Army (1995) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Memory frame: spring 1862
An unnamed boy, now old, recalls the Civil War era from the Cumberland Mountains. The memory frames the story as best as he can remember. The setting underscores the deep divisions between neighbors and families.
Daughter's death and grave desecration
Sarah Anders' daughter dies at the hands of Yankees. That night, the soldiers dig up the grave and leave the body exposed, adding insult to loss. The family is left to grieve under a harsh, war-torn sky.
Pap away at war; Shiloh
Sarah's husband, 'Pap', fights for the Confederacy and is away from home. He has fought at Shiloh, leaving her with child and grief. The absence of a husband and father weighs on the family as the war continues.
Reburial at Mershack Creek
Sarah carries her daughter's coffin back to the homestead at the end of Mershack Creek, Kentucky, to rebury. The act ties the family to the land despite the turmoil. The mood is somber as the burial takes place away from formal grounds.
Raiding party arrives
Captain John Hull Abston leads four soldiers scavenging for supplies and raiding Sarah's cabin. They ransack what little they can find, and Newt is seriously wounded after falling from a ladder, forcing them to stay. Tension rises as the intrusion disrupts the fragile peace.
Uneasy mercy and farming aid
During their stay, the captain shows unexpected mercy toward Sarah and the boy. He helps them plow a patch of land to plant corn, revealing a rare, humane side of the raiders. The moment blurs the lines between enemy and neighbor.
The Preacher is alerted
The boy slips away at night to alert Preacher, a Confederate sympathizer, of their peril. Preacher speaks in biblical imagery, warning of the armies' judgment. His presence foreshadows the moral complexity of the war.
Desertion and sniper danger
Rodie deserts the force after an argument with Captain Abston. A sniper's fire soon kills Rodie, sending the group into hiding in the cabin and creek area. The family misreads the shooting as the Captain's deed, heightening mistrust.
Sniper killed; body retrieved
The captain chases and kills the sniper, ending the immediate threat. Preacher retrieves the sniper's body, calling it his Israel, his servant. The event deepens the rift between Sarah and the captain.
Burial of the soldier beside the daughter's grave
The captain buries the dead soldier next to Sarah's daughter's grave, enraging Sarah and driving her to distress. The emotional blow underscores the futility of decency in war. The atmosphere tightens with resentment and grief.
Raiders depart with loot; rifle for the boy
The raiders leave, taking Sarah's wagon, mule, and cow. The captain leaves the boy a rifle to shoot squirrels, though the weapon is empty. Sarah attempts to shoot the captain as he rides away, but the rifle is useless.
The boy strikes back; pursuit begins
The boy retrieves a revolver he had stolen earlier and catches up to the raiders. He shoots Newt in the wagon and flees into the countryside. The captain pursues him, determined to bring him back.
Return to the cabin; tense confrontation
Captain returns to the cabin with Newt's body in the wagon and the mule, seeking the boy. He chastises the boy for killing, and Sarah and the captain argue fiercely. He fires two rounds into the air, then asks for a decent Christian burial for the dead soldier before the others continue.
Disposal of bodies; war's grim reality
As the Civil War rages, Sarah and the boy wash Rodie's body down the creek to send it downstream. They place Newt's body in a sinkhole near the roots of a fallen sycamore and cover it with dirt. The act underscores their desperate attempts to make sense of death amid chaos.
Epilogue: memory becomes legend (1941)
In 1941 a Kentucky mountaineer returns to the sinkhole, tying the memory of the Civil War killing and burial to his own story. The tale is presented as inspired by that memory, told to folklorist Harry M. Caudill. The film frames the past as living through oral tradition.
Pharaoh’s Army Characters
Explore all characters from Pharaoh’s Army (1995). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Captain John Hull Abston (Chris Cooper)
A Union army officer and former farmer from Ohio, Abston leads a small raiding party and navigates a tense balance between duty and mercy. He shows practical tenderness toward Sarah, helping with her field and chastising his men when necessary. His actions reveal a conflicted conscience: capable of violence yet haunted by the civilians he disturbs.
Preacher (Kris Kristofferson)
A Confederate-sympathizing minister who provides spiritual commentary and pragmatic aid to the local community in distress. He interprets biblical imagery amidst the chaos and retrieves the sniper's body, illustrating how faith and violence coexist in wartime. His presence adds a moral and ideological counterpoint to the raiders.
Sarah Anders (Patricia Clarkson)
A grieving mother who buries and reburies her daughter's body while fending off the raiders. She embodies resilience and stubborn will in the face of occupation, while her distrust of the soldiers grows as the situation escalates. She participates in acts of defiance and seeks dignity amid chaos.
Rodie (Richard Tyson)
A raider who deserts the Union group and questions the legitimacy of their mission. His disillusionment foreshadows the violence that follows and culminates in his death, underscoring how loyalties fracture under pressure. His actions illuminate the fragility of brotherhood within the war.
Neely (Frank Clem)
A Corporal in the raiding party, untested in battle and focused on survival during the mission. He participates in the raid and shares the same pressure as his comrades, revealing the blunt practicality of soldiers in war-torn spaces.
Newt (Huckleberry Fox)
The youngest member of the raiders, Newt is wounded early on and becomes a symbol of the war’s impact on innocence. He is killed in the aftermath of a pursuit, a pivotal moment that intensifies the characters’ moral struggles.
Chicago (Robert Joy)
A rough-coded, unnamed raider nicknamed Chicago who accompanies Abston’s squad. He embodies the expendable, watchful presence of a soldier who participates in plundering while observing the fragile human costs around him.
Pharaoh’s Army Settings
Learn where and when Pharaoh’s Army (1995) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
Spring 1862
The spring of 1862 places the action in the early years of the Civil War, when loyalties in border states were deeply divided. Small, localized raids disrupt everyday life as Union soldiers scavenge for supplies and Confederate sympathizers resist. Communities like the Kentucky mountains become contested spaces where survival and betrayal coexist. The period is defined by the immediate violence of raiding and the heavy toll on civilians.
Location
Cumberland Mountains, Altamira, Mershack Creek, Kentucky
The story unfolds in a remote corner of Kentucky along the Cumberland Mountains near the Tennessee border. The setting is a sparsely populated, frontier region where farms, creeks, and cabins sit close to the line between Union and Confederate sympathies. The isolation of Mershack Creek amplifies how quickly a raiding party can disrupt daily life and turn neighbors into rivals. Altamira serves as a grave site that anchors the emotional geography of the tale.
Pharaoh’s Army Themes
Discover the main themes in Pharaoh’s Army (1995). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
⚔️
Moral Ambiguity
The film presents war as more than a clash of armies; it probes the gray zones where soldiers must decide who to punish and protect. Captain Abston shows mercy to Sarah and helps with a plowing task, yet he also enforces raiding and violence. The line 'the Civil War was not about being decent' underscores the harsh reality that fairness is often sacrificed for survival. Death and desperation force characters to weigh duty against humanity.
💔
Loss and Innocence
A young boy narrates a story of growing up in the crossfire of war, while Newt—the youngest raider—blurs the line between child and combatant. Sarah mourns her daughter and battles the erosion of safety for her son. The boy's act of violence against Newt marks a coming-of-age through trauma. The film continually depicts how grief reshapes relationships and decisions.
📜
Memory and Folklore
The narrative is framed as a memory told by an older narrator, anchored by the epilogue that credits folklorist Harry M. Caudill. The Civil War tale in the Appalachians becomes a legend that characters wrestle with and reinterpret. The 'inspired by' note highlights how history in these hills is transmitted as story as much as event. Memory structures the film’s sense of time, guilt, and reconciliation.
Pharaoh’s Army Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Pharaoh’s Army (1995). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the restless shadows of the Cumberland Mountains, 1862 finds a remote Kentucky valley torn apart by the Civil War. The landscape—steep ridges, mist‑cloaked creeks and a farmstead clinging to the edge of a river—mirrors a world where neighbor turns against neighbor and every decision feels as weighty as the hills themselves. A small Union raiding party, exhausted and low on supplies, stumbles upon a modest homestead, seeking only a place to tend to a wounded comrade before they can move on.
Inside the cabin, Sarah Anders bears a grief that has settled deep into the earth she tills, her loss amplified by the relentless presence of the occupying soldiers. Across the table, Captain John Hull Abston—a former farmer turned Union officer—carries the conflicting burdens of duty and doubt, his hardened exterior softening in quiet moments of unexpected humanity. Their uneasy coexistence spins a delicate dance of attraction, resentment, and mutual respect, set against the broader canvas of a community divided: a husband fighting for the Confederacy, a son whose heart burns with a fierce desire for retribution.
The film breathes with the tension of a living, breathing frontier, where the clang of rifles is punctuated by the rustle of wheat and the low murmur of prayer. Its tone balances stark, almost lyrical realism with an undercurrent of fragile hope, inviting the audience to linger on the questions of loyalty, love, and survival that linger in the humid mountain air. As the Union squad remains on the farm, the simmering interplay of personal longing and the inexorable march of war promises a story that is as much about the interior landscapes of its characters as it is about the external conflict that surrounds them.
Movies with Similar Twists and Themes
Uncover films that echo the narrative beats, emotional arcs, or dramatic twists of the one you're exploring. These recommendations are handpicked based on story depth, thematic resonance, and spoiler-worthy moments — perfect for fans who crave more of the same intrigue.
Featured on this page
What's After the Movie?
Not sure whether to stay after the credits? Find out!
Explore Our Movie Platform
New Movie Releases (2026)
Famous Movie Actors
Top Film Production Studios
Movie Plot Summaries & Endings
Major Movie Awards & Winners
Best Concert Films & Music Documentaries
Movie Collections and Curated Lists
© 2026 What's After the Movie. All rights reserved.