Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: This is a different kind of army. If you look at history you'll see men fight for pay, or women, or some other kind of loot. They fight for land, or because a king makes them, or just because they like killing. But we're here for something new. This hasn't happened much in the history of the world. We are an army out to set other men free. America should be free ground, from here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow, no man born to royalty. Here we judge you by what you do, not by who your father was. Here you can be something. Here you can build a home. But it's not the land. There's always more land. It's the idea that we all have value, you and me. What we're fighting for, in the end, is each other. Sorry. Didn't mean to preach.
(5 votes)
2
Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: All science trembles at the searing logic of your fiery intellect.
(3 votes)
3
[Buford's cavalry has sighted the Rebel army] Gen. Buford: Meade will come in slowly, cautiously, new to command... And then, after Lee's army is entrenched behind nice fat rocks, Meade will attack finally, if he can coordinate the army. He'll attack right up that rocky slope, and up that gorgeous field of fire. And we will charge valiantly, and be butchered valiantly. And afterwards men in tall hats and gold watch fobs will thump their chest and say what a brave charge it was. Devin, I've led a soldier's life, and I've never seen anything as brutally clear as this.
(2 votes)
4
Major General Winfield Scott Hancock: There are times when a corps commander's life does not count.
(2 votes)
5
Col. Arthur Freemantle: You call yourselves Americans, but you're really just transplanted Englishmen. Look at your names: Lee, Hood, Longstreet, Jackson, Stuart... Lieutenant General James Longstreet: My people were Dutch - Col. Arthur Freemantle: And the same for your adversaries: Meade, Hooker, Hancock, and - shall I say - Lincoln! The same God, same language, same culture and history, same songs, stories, legends, myths - different dreams. Different dreams. So very sad.
(2 votes)
6
Gen. Buford: The Indians have a saying: "Follow the cigar smoke, find the fat man there."
(2 votes)
7
Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: There's only one aristocracy, and that [he taps his temple] Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: is right here.
(1 vote)
8
James L. Kemper: Well, I got to hand it to you, George. You sure got a talent for trivializing the momentous and complicating the obvious. You ever consider running for Congress?
(1 vote)
9
Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: Some of them, they load and load, they never fire. They just keep right on loading. Some of them come home with seven, eight bullets rammed up in the barrel, never fired a shot.
(1 vote)
10
[Actual quote] Maj. Gen. Isaac R. Trimble: General Ewell, I said to him, "Sir, give me one division and I will take that hill." And he said nothing at all, he stood there, he stared at me. I said, "General Ewell, give me one brigade, and I will take that hill." And General Ewell put his arms behind him and blinked. So I said, "General, give me one regiment, and I will take that hill!" And he said nothing! He just stood there! I threw down my sword in front of him! We could have done it, sir. A blind man should have seen it.
(1 vote)
11
Col. Arthur Freemantle: I'm told you're descendant of an illustrious military family? Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: Who told you that? Kemper? Col. Arthur Freemantle: He tells me it was your uncle who defended Fort McHenry during the war of 1812, and that he was therefore regarded as the guardian of the original star-spangled banner. I must say, I do appreciate the irony of it all. Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: Col. Freemantle, it does not begin or end, with my uncle or myself. We're all sons of Virginia here. That major out there, commanding the canon? That's James Deeran, first in his class at West Point, before Virgina seceeded. The boy over there, with the color guard? That's private Robert Tyler John. His grandfather was President of the United States! That colonel behind me? That's Colonel William Ailen. Now, his great-grandfather was the Virginian Patrick Henry. It was Patrick Henry who said to your King George III; "Give me liberty, or give me death." There are boys here from Norfolk, Portsmouth, Malhamlet, Long James River. From Charlottsville, Fredericksburg, and the Shenondoah Valley. Mostly, they're all veteran soldiers now, the cowards and shirkers are long gone. Every man here knows his duty! They would make this charge even without an officer to lead them. They know the gravity of the situation, and the metal of their foe! They know, that this days work will be desperate and deadly. They know, that for many of them, this will be their last charge. But not one of them, needs to be told, what is expected of him! They're all willing to make the supreme sacrifice. To achieve victory, here, the crowning victory, and the end of this war. We're all hear, Colonel. You may tell them, when you return to your country, that all Virginia was here this day.
(1 vote)
12
Col. Porter E. Alexander: We've been firing for a good while now, sir. It's apparent now that the Federals nor we will gain a clear advantage in this business. If we continue to expel our ammunition at this rate, we might endanger our ability to support the advance. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Did you not have enough ordinance when this was begun? Col. Porter E. Alexander: Federal fire compelled us to move the artillery train farther to the rear, sir. It's taken us longer to refill the capsules. Sir, we must slow down our fire now, or we will have to cut back on the guns sent in to support the infantry. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Damn! I'm going to have to order general Picket to hault his attack until these guns can be replaced! Col. Porter Alexander: Sir, the trains have little ammunition, it would take an hour to replace it. In the meantime, the enemy would improve on the time. The longer we delay, the more time the Federals have to strengthen their own line. And even if we recovered more supplies from the ordinance train, how much more damage could we inflict on them than they on us? They're bringing in fresh batteries as quickly as they drive them off! Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Just get some more ammunition and keep it hot! I cannot send in Picket's division or the others, until we clear some of those guns off that ridge!
(1 vote)
13
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Generals can do anything. There's nothing so much like a god on earth as a General on a battlefield.
(1 vote)
14
[Historical quote, to Confederate troops about to begin their attack of 3 July] Major General George E. Pickett: Up men! And to your posts! And let no man forget today, that you are from Old Virginia!
15
[Historical quote] Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: Virginians! Virginians! For your land - for your homes - for your sweethearts - for your wives - for Virginia! Forward... march!
16
General Robert E. Lee: To be a good soldier you must love the army. To be a good commander you must be able to order the death of the thing you love.
17
Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: I'm Kilrain, and I damn all gentlemen.
18
[Longstreet orders Hood to take Little Round Top] Major General John Bell Hood: They don't even need guns to defend that! All they've got to do is roll rocks down on us!
19
[Chamberlain's regiment is posted atop Little Round Top] Colonel Strong Vincent: Now we'll see how professors fight.
20
Lieutenant General James Longstreet: We should have freed the slaves, THEN fired on Fort Sumter.
21
Major General George E. Pickett: Sirs, perhaps there are those among you who believe you are descended from a ape. I suppose there may even be those among you who believe that I am descended from a ape. But I challenge the man to step forward who believes that General Robert E. Lee is descended from a ape.
22
[on the 120 mutineers of the 2nd Maine] Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Mutiny? I thought that was a word for the Navy.
23
[Armistead is mortally wounded] Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: Would like... to see General Hancock. Can you tell me... where General Hancock may be found? Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: I'm sorry, sir. The general's down, he's been hit. Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: No! Not both of us! Not all of us! Please, God!
24
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Buster, what do you think of Negroes? Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: Well, if you mean the race, I don't rightly 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.
25
Private Bucklin: I'm tired, Colonel. I've had all of this army and all of these officers, this damned Hooker, this damned idiot Meade, all of them, the whole bloody lousy rotten mess of sick-brained, pot-bellied scabheads that ain't fit to lead a johnny detail, ain't fit to pour pee out of a boot with instructions on the heel.
26
[on Pickett] Lieutenant General James Longstreet: His record at West Point is still the talk of both armies. He graduated last in his class, dead last. Quite a feat, when you consider his classmates.
27
[Pickett likes to wear perfume] Lieutenant General James Longstreet: Good Lord, George, what is that smell? Major General George E. Pickett: That's me. Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: He got it off a dead Frenchman.
28
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Many of us volunteered to fight for the Union. Some came mainly because we were bored at home and this looked like it might be fun. Some came because we were ashamed not to. Many came because it was the right thing to do.
29
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: We are the flank.
30
[Tom is questioning some prisoners] Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: Where were you men captured? Confederate prisoner: In the cut below the Emmittsburg Pike. Many a brave boy lost his life there; some wore blue, some wore gray, Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: No disrespect to you brave men, but why are you fightin' this war? Confederate prisoner: Why are you? Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: Why to free the slaves, of course. Confederate prisoner: I can't speak for some other folks, but I'm fightin' for my rights [pronounces it "rats"] Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: Your what? Confederate prisoner: My rights. The right to live my life like I see fit. I don't know why we can't live our lives our way and you live yours. Live and let live I've heard so folks say. Well, I guess this war's over for me anyway. Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: I appreciate you talkin' to me. [salutes] Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: See you in hell, "Johnny Reb". Confederate prisoner: [salutes] See you in hell, "Billy Yank".
31
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: [quoting Hamlet] "What a piece of work is man, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god." Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: Well, man may be an angel. But he damn well must be a killer angel.
32
Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: Colonel, you're a lovely man. I see a great difference between us, yet I admire you. You're an idealist, praise be.
33
Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: There's many a man alive of no more value than a dead dog.
34
Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: What I'm fighting for is to prove I'm a better man than the others. There's many a man worse than me, and some better. But I don't think race or country matters a damn. What matters is justice. And that's why I'm here. I'll be treated as I deserve, not as my father deserved.
35
[actual quote, after Pickett's Charge fails] General Robert E. Lee: General, you must look to your division. Major General George E. Pickett: General Lee... I have no division.
36
Major General Winfield Scott Hancock: Tell me, Professor. In your studies have you come across a story from antiquity of two men who are like brothers facing each other on the field of battle? Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Well, General, if the Greeks or Romans did not tell of it, I think that story must surely be in the Bible. Major General Winfield Scott Hancock: When I look across the field and see the flags of the 9th and 14th Virginia; I can almost see his old crumpled hat and hear his voice. Lewis Armistead was my closest friend before the war. I'd like to see him again; but not here, not like this. What do you say, Colonel; what do the books tell you.
37
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Don't call me Lawrence. Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: Darn it, Lawrence, I'm your brother. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Just be careful of the name business in front of the men, just because your my brother... it looks like favoritism. Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: God Almighty, General Meade has his own son as his aide in camp.
38
General Robert E. Lee: In the morning, there's to be a great battle. Tomorrow or the next day will determine the war.
39
Lieutenant General James Longstreet: Some of the men are waiting for us now up ahead over those ridges. I don't know, I sometimes feel troubled. Those fellows, those boys in blue, they never quite seem like the enemy. I used to command some of those boys, swore an oath too.
40
General Robert E. Lee: But this war goes on and on and the men die and the price gets even higher. We are prepared to lose some of us, but we are never prepared to lose all of us. We are adrift here in a sea of blood and I want it to end. I want this to be the final battle.
41
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: [thinking] Hold to the last. To the last of what? Last shell... last man...
42
[seeing the remains of Pickett's Division after the charge] General Robert E. Lee: This is all my fault.
43
[on Pickett's charge] Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: You know what's gonna happen? I'll tell you what's gonna happen. Troops are now forming behind the line of trees. When they come out, they'll be under enemy long-range artillery fire. Solid shot. Percussion. Every gun they have. Troops will come out under fire with more than a mile to walk. And still, within the open field, among the range of aimed muskets. They'll be slowed by that fence out there, and the formation - what's left of it - will begin to come apart. When they cross that road, they'll be under short-range artillery. Canister fire. Thousands of little bits of shrapnel wiping the holes in the lines. If they get to the wall without breaking up, there won't be many left. A mathematical equation... But maybe, just maybe, our own artillery will break up their defenses. There's always that hope. [sighs] Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: That's Hancock out there, and he ain't gonna run. So it's mathematical after all. If they get to that road, or beyond it, we'll suffer over fifty percent casualties. But, Harrison, I don't believe my boys will reach that wall.
44
[Chamberlain is not feeling well and doesn't want to ride the horse] Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: Colonel, darlin', could you do us all a favor and get on the damn horse?
45
[Longstreet is briefing the commanders before the final charge] Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew: Johnston Pettigrew, University of North Carolina. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Yes, General; your fame as a scholar precedes you. They still speak of your grades at North Carolina with reverence and awe. I understand you've written a book. Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew: A minor work; if the General would care to read it... Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Yes, General, I would like that very much. Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew: Captain, fetch a copy of my book from the wagon. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet: Excuse me, General, but I don't think I will have time to read it today.
46
[before the final charge] Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: How's the leg, Dick? Brig. Gen. Richard B. Garnett: Oh, it's alright. Can't walk. I'm going to have to ride. Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: Dick, you can't do that! You'll be the perfect target. Brig. Gen. Richard B. Garnett: When we go up that hill and we break that line; there'll be a clear path to Washington and maybe today, this day, will be the last day. I've got to ride up there. Well, Lo; I'll see you at the top. [Rides off]
47
[Armistead and Pickett are discussing the charge] Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: What about Garnett? Major General George E. Pickett: What about him? Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: His leg's hurt, he's going to have to ride up that hill. Major General George E. Pickett: Damnation! Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: George, order him not to go. Major General George E. Pickett: General Armistead; how can I do that?
48
Colonel Strong Vincent: It's a long way from Bowdoin College. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: But not so far as the Harvard Yard, Colonel.
49
[Armistead is talking about the last time he saw his friend, Winfield Hancock] Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: Things got rough toward the end; I grabbed Win by the shoulders and told him 'Win, may God strike me dead if ever raise my hand against you'. Through three years of war, we've managed to avoid each other on the battlefield. Now, his men are facing us. I thought about sitting this one out; but I can't do that. I would like to see him one last time though.
50
Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: What does Col. Fremantle think? Will the British come in on our side? James L. Kemper: Oh, hell yeah, they'll come in - they'll come in when we don't need 'em no more. Just like some damn bank gon' loan you money when you no longuh in debt.
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