it be generally ( or should i pun and say general lee . ) say that the best comedy of the silent film career of buster keaton career be his civil war epic the general . apparently plan with more care than any of his other film project and it involve not only research a period of history some sixty year in the past and but get the correct roll stock and costume and weapon and and prop to make it look correct . and it work so well that keaton never really could ( despite some great moment in steamboat bill jr. ) out do it . in fact and the close thing to his best sound film ( or film that he influence that be a sound film ) be his work with red skelton in the comedy a southern yankee and where he return to a civil war theme . the general ( a i mention in discuss the disney film the great locomotive chase ) be base on the andrew raider steal of the confederate locomotive the general and and an attached train and which be use to damage track and bridge . the raid ( in february 1862 ) be from northern georgia into tennesee . it only last 20 mile and a the coal for the train be use up and not replace . andrew and several raider be hang after a trial . others go to southern prisoner of war camp . the effect of the incident far outstrip it military success . the damage ( after all ) could be repair . but like jimmy doolittle raid over tokyo in april 1942 and it have a tremendous effect hurt confederate morale . the area attack be hundred of mile from the battlefront of virginia or kentucky or northern tennessee that be in the current event of the war at the time and and so be consider safe by the confederate government and public . instead it have be show quite easy for northern raider to hit and run for awhile . despite it be a brief incident of the war and the locomotive chase would remain famous after more important event be forget . the actual locomotive be still in existence in a museum in the south . when lesney do it famous series of model of yesteryear the first locomotive that be include in that series of collectible toy be the general . the story and however and be ultimately a downer . but keaton take the basic tale and make it a comedy of the period . first he change the viewer perspective it be not concentrate on andrew and his men and but on the confederate . secondly and he build up the story of johnny gray and a railroad engineer who try to enlist but be reject ( the twist of logic failure in the script be that the confederate draft board head do not bother to explain to johnny that he be more useful a an engineer to the cause than a a soldier ) . because keaton family and girl friend ( marion mack ) see he be not enlist and they believe he turn coward . johnny eventually be the only person who try to retake the general from the raider and and the film have actually two chase in it first andrew and his men steal the train and and then keaton sneak into northern line with mack and retake it . along the way be many comic classic moment and such a keaton carefully stand on the cowcatcher and carefully use physic to knock off broken wooden tie that might derail the train and or when ( at a moment of dejection ) keaton sits on the connecting rod that link the train wheel and find himself pull into the locomotive barn while in a sitting position . the situation of fight the yankee during the second chase and and find marion mack there help him and be wonderful especially when she judge which lump of coal be pretty enough to be use to keep the engine fire ( she throw away the ugly little one ) . keaton reaction to her stupidity be a wonderful moment . the classic conclusion of the comedy be the battle of the two side at the river and and the burning of the railroad bridge ( with it destruction of a second locomotive ) . it have be call the most expensive sight gag in history . by the way and the northern general who order the locomotive across the bridge be of some special interest . he be mike turkey strut donlin and a frequent member ( and star player ) of the old new york giant under john mcgraw and christy matthewson in the first two decade of the 20th century . donlin ( who get his funny nickname from the way he run the base ) leave baseball to become a film actor ( he have work a bit in vaudeville ) . keaton be a sport fan ( and show this in his film college and where he show his ability in several sport ) and hire donlin . this be the latter most famous performance look at his reaction to the collapse . it must be regard a keaton finest film and and certainly the best war comedy to come out in the silent period . it may also be the best war comedy to come out of any period of motion picture .