Quotes

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Col. Strong Vincent: You are the extreme left of the Union Army. Understood? The line runs all the way from here back to Cemetery Hill. But it ends here. You cannot withdraw under any condition. If you go this line will be flanked. If you go, the enemy will sweep up over the hillside and take this entire army from the rear. You must defend this place to the last. Young Marylander: [the only line spoken by a female in the entire film] I thought the war was in Virginia.

Dialogue

Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Colonel? Colonel, darlin'. Rise up, me bucko. [Chamberlain groans] Oh, I'm sorry, darlin', but we've got a bit of a problem here, Colonel, would ye like to hear about it? Would ye wake up, sir? We got a whole company comin', sir. This way. I'll give ye time to wake up, but we've got quite a problem. Altogether, 120 men are comin'. We're to be havin' them as guests. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: [still half asleep] What? Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Yeah. Should be here any minute. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Who? Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Mutineers. Mutineers, Colonel, me lad. 120 men from the old 2nd Maine which has been disbanded. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: 120 mutineers? [gestures for Kilrain to keep talking] Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Yes, sir. Ye see, what happened was the enlistment papers on the old 2nd Maine run out. So they were sent home. All except these 120 fellows who'd foolishly signed 3-year papers. 3 years, that is. So these poor fellows, they got one

Dialogue

Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: What's your name? Pvt. Joseph Bucklin: I don't feel too kindly, Colonel. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Yes, well, I'm not usually this informal. I just, uh, just took command of this regiment a few days ago, so somebody ought to welcome you to my, uh - to our outfit. They, uh, they tell me that, uh, they're holding you fellas because you signed 3-year papers - I'm sorry, would you like some coffee? [Bucklin shakes his head] You sure? Go ahead, sit down, Mister... Pvt. Joseph Bucklin: Bucklin. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Bucklin. Pvt. Joseph Bucklin: Joseph Bucklin. Listen, Colonel, I've been in eleven different engagements. How many have you been in? Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Not that many. Pvt. Joseph Bucklin: It ain't the papers. I done my share. We all have. Damn good men. Should not to be used this way. Lookee here. [pulls up his pants leg to reveal a bullet wound scar] Went clean through. Pvt. Buster Kilrain: [walks up] Colonel,

Dialogue

Lt. Tom Chamberlain: One thing about this brigade is we got our own special bugle call. Ever hear tell of Dan Butterfield? 2nd Maine Soldier: What, General Butterfield? What was with Hooker? Lt. Tom Chamberlain: That's the same fellow. See, he used to be our brigade commander. 2nd Maine Soldier: Yeah, he was a pistol. No man like him for having a good time. Lt. Tom Chamberlain: I don't know about that. But I know he used to like to write bugle calls. The problem with this army is, we got too many calls. We got a call for artillery, infantry, get up and eat, retreat. Anyway, old Butterfield, he wrote a special call for this here brigade. Say there is an order for this brigade, you and me. Some blame fool'll be blowing his bugle, we will think that order's for us when it wasn't. We'll follow that order anyway, and then we'll look around and we'll be in a world of hurt. 2nd Maine Soldier: Yeah, that happened to me once. Us, that is. Half the regiment charged, the other half retreated. You

Dialogue

Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Tell me something, Buster. What do you think of Negroes? Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Well, if you mean the race, I don't really know. This is not a thing to be ashamed of. The thing is, you cannot judge a race. Any man who judges by the group is a pea-wit. You take men one at a time. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: To me, there was never any difference. Pvt. Buster Kilrain: None at all? Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: None at all. Of course, I haven't known that many freed men, but those I knew in Bangor, Portland, you look in the eye, there was a man. There was a "divine spark," as my mother used to call it. That is all there is to it. Races are men. "What a piece of work is man. How infinite in faculties, in form and moving. How express and admirable. In action, how like an angel." Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Well, if he's an angel, all right then. But he damn well must be a killer angel. Colonel, darling, you're a lovely man. I see a great vast difference bet

Dialogue

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Good Lord, George, what is that smell? Maj. Gen. George Pickett: That's me. Ain't it lovely? Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: He got it off a dead Frenchman.

Dialogue

Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Sergeant Owen, let's get these fellows some muskets. Sgt. Owen: There are no muskets, sir. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: [to 2nd Maine men] You just wait here for a bit. There'll be guns available in a little while.

Dialogue

Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: The boys from the 2nd Maine are being fed, Lawrence. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Ye - Don't call me Lawrence. Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Darn it, Lawrence, I'm your brother. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Well, just be careful about the name business in front of the men, alright? Just because you're my brother - It looks like favoritism. Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: God Almighty, General Meade's got his own son as his aide-de-camp. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Well, that's different. Generals can do anything. Nothing quite so much like God on Earth as a general on a battlefield. Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Well, what are you gonna do with 'em, huh, sir? Colonel, sir. You can't shoot 'em, you'll never go back to Maine if you do that. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: I know that, I know that. I wonder if they do.

Dialogue

General Robert E. Lee: General Heth. Maj. General Henry Heth: Sir, beg to report. General Robert E. Lee: Yes? Maj. General Henry Heth: Very strange, sir. The situation is very confused. General Robert E. Lee: What's happened? Maj. General Henry Heth: Well, sir, I moved in this morning as directed. I thought it was only a few militia, but it was dismounted cavalry, sir. Well, there weren't all that many, and the boys wouldn't hold back. I thought we oughtn't be stopped by a few dismounted calvary, but they made a good fight. They-they really put up a scrap, sir. General Robert E. Lee: Go on, General. Maj. General Henry Heth: Well, sir...they wouldn't leave. My boys got their dander up. We deployed the whole division and went after 'em. We just about had 'em running, then all of a sudden, they got up infantry support. We got pushed back. Then-then, we reformed and tried again. Couldn't just leave it to them, sir. But now there's more Yankee infantry coming up; I don't know how many. But

Dialogue

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: You English had your own civil war once, didn't you? Lt. Col. Arthur Fremantle: Oh, that was ages ago. Wouldn't dream of it now. Cavaliers and Roundheads. "Off with his head, off with his head!" Heads lying about everywhere. One could hardly take a step without tripping over a fallen crown. We're much more civilized now, I assure you.

Dialogue

Lt. Col. Arthur Fremantle: We have so much in common, your country and mine. I earnestly hope that we shall become allies. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Your government will never ally itself with a Confederacy that had the institution of slavery. You know that, and so do I. We should've freed the slaves, then fired on Fort Sumter. I guess we Southerners and you English have at least one thing in common: We'd rather lose the war than admit to the mistake. We whopped you British twice, as I recollect. Lt. Col. Arthur Fremantle: [Chuckles] Your candor is admirable, if not somewhat eccentric.

Dialogue

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: I've got some night work for you. Are you up for it? Harrison: "All the world will be in love with night, and pay no worship to the garish sun!" Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: When this is over, I do look forward to seeing you on the stage.

Dialogue

General Robert E. Lee: General Ewell, I had hoped that after moving through the town, you would've taken that hill. Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell: I didn't think it was practical. Well, for many reasons. We'd marched all day, and we'd fought. And your orders were to caution against bringing on a general engagement. Maj. Gen. Jubal Early: There were reports of Federal troops in the north, sir. We couldn't bring sufficient artillery to bear on that hill. We decided it was best to wait for another of our divisions, Johnson's. Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell: Yes, sir. Johnson didn't arrive till after dark, just a while ago. He's out there now, looking over the terrain. General Robert E. Lee: General Early, do you think you can attack on your flank in the morning? Maj. Gen. Jubal Early: [sighs] That hill will be a very strong position once it's fortified, which is what they're doing right now, sir. General Robert E. Lee: I am very much aware of that, General. Maj. Gen. Jubal Early: Have you looked over th

Dialogue

Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood: General. Look here. The ground is strewn with boulders. The soldiers up there are entrenched all over the ground. And there are guns in the rocks. Every move I make is observed. If I attack as ordered, I lose half my division. And they'll still be looking down the throats at us from that rocky hill, right there. We must move around to the right, sir, and take them from the rear. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Sam, the commanding general will not allow a flanking movement around those hills. I argued it yesterday, I argued it all morning, hell, I've been arguing against any attack at all. I can't call this one off. You know it. Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood: Let me move move up the big round hill to the south. There's nobody on that. Now if I could get a battery up there... Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: There ain't enough time. You'd have to cut down trees to place your artillery. It'd be dark before you were in action. On the other hand, if they get batteries up there, we

Dialogue

Col. Strong Vincent: The whole reb army is down there, and coming up around our flanks. They could be here any minute. We've got to hold this place. We've got to hold it. Well, all right. I place you here. Put your colors here, and set your regiment to the left of this line. The rest of the brigade will form on your right. Understood? Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Yes. Ellis, this is the point. Cpt. Ellis Spear: Yes, sir. Col. Strong Vincent: Now, your regiment is to the left of this point. Colonel, sir, you're the end of the line. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Yes. Col. Strong Vincent: You're the extreme left of the Union army. Understood? The line runs all the way from here back to Cemetery Hill, but it ends here. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Understood. Col. Strong Vincent: You cannot withdraw under any condition. If you go, this line will be flanked. If you go, the enemy will sweep up over the hillside and take this entire army from the rear. You must defend this place

Dialogue

Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Hello, men. What outfit you with? Confederate Prisoner: Archer's Brigade, Heth's Division. Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Where you from? Confederate Prisoner: Tennessee. How 'bout you? Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Maine. I never been to Tennessee. Confederate Prisoner: I reckon I never been to Maine neither. Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: I don't mean no disrespect to you fightin' men. But sometimes I can't help but figure, why you fightin' this war? Confederate Prisoner: Why you fightin' it? Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Well, to free the slaves, of course. And to preserve the Union. Confederate Prisoner: I don't know about some other folk but I ain't fightin' for no darkies, one way or the other. I'm fightin' for my rights. All of us that's what we're fightin' for. Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: For your what? Confederate Prisoner: For our rights. Why is it you folks can't just live the way you want to live, and let us live the way we do? Live and let live, I hear some folks say. Be a mite

Dialogue

Cpt. Ellis Spear: Colonel, sir! Half our men are down. Most of the rest are wounded. The left is too thin, sir. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: How are we fixed for ammunition? Cpt. Ellis Spear: It’s almost gone. Unnamed Officer: Sir! We’re running out. We don’t have much let to shoot with. Some of the boys got nothing at all. Cpt. Ellis Spear: Sir-sir! What do we do for ammunition? Unnamed Officer #2: Sir, my boys are picking up Reb muskets, firing back with them. Unnamed Officer #3: Sir, we oughta pull out! Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: No, we can’t do that. Cpt. Ellis Spear: We can’t hold them again, you know that. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Well, if we don’t, they go on by, and the whole flank caves in. Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Sir… here they come. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: We can’t run away… If we stay here we can’t shoot, so let’s fix bayonets. [pauses as his officers stare at him] We’ll have the advantage of moving down the hill. They gotta be tired, the Rebs. T

Dialogue

Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: Well, what do you hear about Sam Hood? Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: May lose an arm. Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: Dick Garnett ain't fit. Can't hardly walk. Thing is, if there's a fight, he can't stand to stay out of it. But if you ordered him to stay out of it...Huh. Don't suppose you could do that. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Mm-mm. Irish Tenor: [in the background] Kathleen Mavourneen, the gray dawn is breaking. The horn of the hunter is heard on the hill. The lark from the light... [continues song through conversation] Lt. General James Longstreet: Mm-hmm. That boy can sing. That's "Kathleen Mavourneen". Brig. Gen Lewis Armistead: [looks away, slightly husky voice] What do you hear about Hancock? Lt. Gen James Longstreet: [lighting pipe] Ran into him today. He's out there, 'bout a mile or so. Just a mile or so. He was...tough. Very tough today. Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: He's the best they got. God don't make 'em any better, and that's a fact. Well, I'd like

Dialogue

Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart: You wish to see me, sir? General Robert E. Lee: [nods and sighs] It is the opinion of some...excellent officers that you have let us all down. Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart: [looking angry, voice raising] General Lee, sir, if you will please tell me who these gentlemen are... General Robert E. Lee: [quietly but sharply] There will be none of that. There is no time. Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart: Sir, I only ask that I be allowed to defend my... General Robert E. Lee: [sharper, and louder] There is no time. [Stuart stares for a moment in stunned silence] General Stuart...your mission was to free this army from the enemy cavalry and report any movement by the enemy's main body. That mission was not fulfilled. You left here with no word of your movement, or movement of the enemy, for several days. Meanwhile, we were engaged here and drawn into battle without adequate knowledge of the enemy's strength or position, without knowledge of the ground. So it is only by God's grace t

Dialogue

Lt. Col. Edward Porter Alexander: The longer we delay, the more time the Federals have to strengthen their own line. And even if we recover more supplies from the ordnance trains, how much more damage can we inflict on them then they on us? They're bringing in fresh Batteries as quickly as we drive them off. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Just get some more ammunition and keep it hot! I cannot send in Pickett's division, or the others, until we clear some of those guns off that ridge!

Dialogue

Maj. Gen. George Pickett: Well, sir, you are looking fine. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Lookin' lovely yourself, George. Maj. Gen. George Pickett: General...uh, no reflection on you, sir, but, well...you know, my division, my Virginia boys, we haven't seen all that much action for a long time. I mean, well, we weren't all that engaged at Fredericksburg; we missed Chancellorsville altogether, off on some piddlin' affair. Now they took two of my brigades, Corse and Jenkins, and sent them off to guard Richmond? I mean, Richmond, of all places? And now, sir, do you know where I have been placed in the line of march? Last, sir. That's where I am. Exactly last. I'm bringin' up the damn rear, beg pardon, sir. You see, my boys are beginning to feel a trifle disgusted at this attitude towards them as fightin' men. My boys- Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: George... Maj. Gen. George Pickett: Sir? Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Please. Maj. Gen. George Pickett: Oh, I sure don't mean to imply you, sir. No. He

Dialogue

Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Lawrence. I just got back from the hospital. Godawful mess. They got no room. They got no shade, they got men lyin' everywhere! They're cuttin' off arms and legs right out there on front of everybody. They oughta not do that in public, Lawrence. Men oughta have some privacy at a time like that. Col Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: You see Kilrain? [Thomas nods wordlessly] Well, how is he? Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: [looks away] Well...Lawrence...he died. [takes off kepi] Yeah...He died this morning, before I got there. A couple of the fellows, they, they was with 'im. [looks at his brother] He said to tell you goodbye...And that he was sorry. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Yeah. Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: [glances across the field for a moment] I tell you, Lawrence...I sure was fond of that man. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: [forces a smile] Yeah.

Dialogue

Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: What are you doing?! Brig. Gen. James Kemper: You gotta come up Lo, you gotta come up and help us! Goddamn, they're flanking us! They're flanking us, they're coming down on the right, and they're firing right into us. Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: Head for the trees! Head up for the center. I'll call for double quick, we'll go on double quick. Nobody waits, everybody goes! [Kemper rides back to the line as he addresses his Brigade] Boys! At the double quick! Confederate Officers: Double quick! Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: March!

Dialogue

Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: [to a wounded General Armistead, who has just been captured] Sir. Sir! Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: Will you help me up, please? Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Sir, could you tell me what your name is? Who you are? Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: I would like to speak to General Hancock. Do you know...where...General Hancock may be found? Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: I'm sorry, sir. The general is down. He's been hit. Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: No! Not both of us...not all of us! Please, God! Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Sir, sir, we're having a surgeon come as quickly as we can. Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: Can you hear me, son? Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: Yes, sir. I can hear you. Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead: Will you tell General Hancock...that General Armistead sends his regrets? Will you tell him...how...very sorry I am? Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: I will tell him, sir. I will tell him.