The train that Anderson stops is pulled by a locomotive called the 'General Gault'. The source of the name is unclear. The only noted pre-ACW military person of that name served in Napoleon's forces. A search of the web, reveals only two other Generals of that name, one from the USA (Army ?) in the 1950s and one Canadian (served in the Second World War).
Donna Theodore was nominated for the 1975 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actress in a Musical for "Shenandoah" in the role of Anne.
The opening battle scenes are taken from Raintree County (1957) and are printed as a mirror image of the original footage. (The same scenes can also be seen in, among other films, How the West Was Won (1962).)
The bare hills and arid-climate flora in this film obviously indicate that it was shot in Southern California, not the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, which has a wetter and more temperate climate.
During the boy's battle the morning after his escape from prison, you can see the bayonet of a confederate soldier wobble revealing that it is made of rubber.
Were there farmers and other civilians in Virginia who tried to remain neutral at the beginning of the war?
A
I would say yes, for the most part there were civilians who opposed any war between the northern and southern states. Many families in the north had close relatives and friends living below the Mason-Dixon line. And in the southern states many people also had immediate family, other relatives and friends who lived in the Midwest and northeastern states. Therefore after the outbreak of hostilities and the division of the nation, many persons on both sides of the conflict had to fight against their own brothers and cousins.