Cassie's blog post

I found a columnist's site who examines history in movies and takes questions on historical accuracy.
Here's her column on Cold Mountain:

http://www.stfrancis.edu/historyinthemovies/coldmountain.htm

I definitely agree with the writer's critique of the inaccuracies of Gone With the Wind—the idealized Southern belles and soldiers definitely don't lend themselves to a comprehensive understanding of the period. Cold Mountain, although a tad melodramatic at times, I felt was a pretty consistent portrayal of little-told stories of the people living south of the appalachians.