Averette I agree the movie was very well done, and the book was good as well...the real story though, sadly, would never have been as totally interesting to most people.
Facts in the movie that were true...W.P (stand for William Pinkney and he went by the name Pink) Inman did exist, the Swanger family existed, the families intermarried. My ggg grandfather was married to Elizabeth Swanger. WP was indeed killed on top of a mountain when he came back from the war. Ruby did exist, but in real life she was a Swanger as well. That is the extent of information in the movie that wasnt fictionalized.
Nicole Kidmans character did not exist. In fact Inman was married and had 3 children when he enlisted in the confederate army, so basically my cousin got rid of an entire line of descendants by creating Ada and leaving out his real life wife and kids. Inman deserted the confederate army and joined the yankee army. He then deserted the yankee army and started home, walking all the way from virginia to the area of Waynesville North Carolina with his best friend John Swanger. The home guard caught them on top of Big Stomp (that was the name of the mountain they were on...they were not on cold mountain, thats a completely different mountain) and shot and killed them both as they were wearing yankee uniforms. Someone in the area went and told Inmans father, Joshua that they were laying dead on top of the mountain and he went up and dragged the bodies back down and buried them together in an unmarked grave in the bethel community cemetary.
Not nearly as romantic huh?
Here is a picture of the father, Joshua's grave...WP Inman and John Swanger are buried to the left.
This is a picture of the Inman Chapel that was started by a 3rd brother when he evenutally came back from the war.
