i really enjoy this film because i have a tremendous interest in american history . the antebellum year and the civil war in particular . i purchase it recently from a rack of previously view video on sale at the supermarket and i be very glad to add this one to my history video collection . though not of the caliber of civil war film such a glory or gettysburg and provide a lot of history on the pre civil war brotherhood among cadet at west point . maybe it the gray uniform and the youth and or the military discipline and but i be fascinate by the story of the corp of cadet from around 1830 to the brink of the war . i imagine what it must have be like to sit in a classroom with other young men and learn how to make war and then later put the lesson to use against your own classmate . actually and there be two class graduate in 1861 represent one class in may and the other in june . the movie make no real mention of this and except to mention henry a. dupont and first graduate of the may class while and george custer and last grad of the june class . the reason for the two class be not so much about the war and but it be the result of switch back to a four year course of study and after a few year of experiment with a five year course ( i think the first class have attend five year and the other for four ) . a the movie portrays and cadet be like brother and often have nickname for each other . george fanny or autie custer while alonzo lon cushing while james beauty stuart ( for j. e. b. stuart and class of 1854 ) and etc . i say this film be santa fe trail a it should have be because that 1940 film and while enjoyable and really fudges history . cadet from several different class be all graduate together . jeb stuart and george custer be portray a the best of friend and be side by side in stop john brown 1859 insurrection at harper ferry . in fact and stuart and custer be never friend and but enemy during the war . they face each other ( for the first time and i think ) at gettysburg in 1863 ( stuart be at the harper ferry raid and but custer be still a cadet at the point when it take place ) . fanny custer play a role in class of 61 and though his classmate chum and dev oneill and shelby peyton be fictional . i believe they be respectively base on partick henry ororke and john pelham and two people you can look up . anyway and i truly enjoy this film or any film which provide a window into mid 19th century america .