> Keaton originally wanted to shoot his film in Georgia and Tennessee, but discovered that the narrow-gauge railroad tracks used in the 1860s had long been replaced by modern rail. He found out that the logging industry in the state of Oregon not only still used narrow-gauge tracks, they also had vintage Locomotives from the era still in service, so he shot The General in Cottage Grove, Oregon.

> The climactic shot in which a train plunges from a burning bridge into a river gorge was filmed at a total cost of $42,000, making it the single most expensive shot of the silent era. Keaton purchased a train to destroy and the carefully planned stunt was filmed by six cameras, because there couldn't be a second take. A dummy that was set up in the cab of the locomotive was so convincing, the gathered townsfolk screamed during the plunge, thinking it was a real human being. The wreck was a local tourist attraction for years, until the train was scrapped for iron years later during World War II.

> To portray the Civil War soldiers, the movie company utilized 500 members of the Oregon National Guard. The Guardsmen would don Union uniforms to march in one direction, then change into Confederate uniforms to march in the other direction.