Action Films

"Jeff Daniels - Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain"

"Martin Sheen - Gen. Robert E. Lee"

"Tom Berenger - Lt. Gen. James Longstreet"

"Cpt. TJ Goree: [to Gen. Longstreet] No good trying to get yourself killed, General. The Lord'll come for you in his own good time."

"Young Marylander: [the only line spoken by a female in the entire film] I thought the war was in Virginia."

"2nd Maine soldier: [shoots a Confederate soldier] I got me one. I got me a Reb."

"2nd Maine Soldier: No man will call me a coward."

"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."

"Maj. Gen. John Reynolds: [last words] Forward, for God's sake, forward!"

"Maj. Gen. Isaac Trimble: [to Lee, after the first day] Sir, I said to General Ewell these words. I said to him: "Sir, give me one division and I will take that hill." He said nothing. He just stood there and stared at me. I said, "General Ewell, give me one brigade and I will take that hill." I was becoming disturbed, sir. 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. Down on the ground in front of him. We could have done it, sir. A blind man should have seen it. Now they're working up there. You can hear the axes of the federal troops. And so in the morning many a good boy will die...taking that hill. Sir, I must request another assignment."

"Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock: There are times when a corps commander's life does not count."

"Lt. Col. Arthur Fremantle: You call yourselves Americans, but you're really just transplanted Englishmen."

"Cpl. Glazier Estabrook: Colonel, sir. You know who this 2nd Maine man is? Dan Burns from Orono. I know his daddy, the preacher. Best darn cusser I've ever heard. Knows more fine swear words than any man in Maine."

"Maj. Gen. Harry Heth: It started out as a minor scrap with a few militia, the next thing I know, I'm tangled with half the Union Army!"

"Narrator: In June 1863, after more than two years of bloody conflict, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee commanding, slips across the Potomac to begin the invasion of the North. It is an army of 70,000 men. They move slowly behind the Blue Ridge using the mountains to screen their movements. Their objective is to draw the Union army out into the open where it can be destroyed. Late in June, the Union Army of the Potomac, 80,000 men, turns north from Virginia to begin the great pursuit up the narrow roads across Maryland and into Pennsylvania. General Lee knows that a letter has been prepared by the Southern government; a letter which offers peace. It is to be placed on the desk of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, the day after Lee has destroyed the Army of the Potomac somewhere north of Washington."

"[observing the initial attack of the Confederates against his men] Got one brigade in position and that's all. We've got the best damn ground around and they're hitting me with one brigade. Lovely. Lovely! [turns around, looking for a sign of Gen. Reynolds, sees none] Damn it."

"[to Col. Devin, one of his brigade commanders] You know what's gonna happen here in the morning? The whole damn rebel army's gonna be here. They'll move through this town, occupy these hills on the other side. When our people get here, Lee'll have the high ground, and there'll be the devil to pay. The high ground! Meade will come in slowly, cautiously, new to command. They'll be on his back from Washington, wires hot with messages: "Attack! Attack!" So he will set up a ring around these hills, and when Lee's army is all nicely entrenched behind fat rocks on the high ground, Meade'll finally attack, if he can coordinate the army. Straight up the hillside, out in the open, in that gorgeous field of fire. We will charge valiantly, and be butchered valiantly! Afterwards, men in tall hats and gold watch-fobs will thump their chests and say what a brave charge it was. [sighs] Devin, I've led a soldier's life. I've never seen anything as brutally clear as this. It's as if I can actually see the blue troops in one long, bloody moment, going up the long slope to the stony top, as if it were already done, and already a memory. Odd, set, stony quality to it, as if tomorrow's already happened and there's nothing you can do about it. Way you sometimes feel before an ill-considered attack, knowing it'll fail, but you cannot stop it! You must even take part, and help it fail!"

"[responding to an order to form a defensive position after his division has been slaughtered] General Lee, I have no division."

"[as smoke obscures the charge] What's happenin'? I can't see what's happenin' to my boys. WHAT'S HAPPENIN' TO MY BOYS?!"

"[as Armistead leads the charge to the stone wall] That's the style, Lo! [raises his hat in the air] THAT'S THE STYLE!!"

"Up, men! Up! And to your posts! And let no man forget today that you are from old Virginia!"

"For the glory of Virginia, form your brigade."

"You know I consider it unbecomin' to a soldier, all this booklearnin'."

"Hello, my bully boys! Virginia has arrived!"

"[last words] Will you tell General Hancock that General Armistead sends his regrets? Will you tell him how very sorry I am?"

"[reaches the fence, noticing a soldier cowering nearby] Come on, boy, come on! What will you think of yourself tomorrow? Virginians! Virginians! [impales his hat on his sword] We'll stay! Who will come with me?!"

"Virginians! Virginians! For your lands! For your homes! For your sweethearts! For your wives! For...Virginia! Forward...march!"

"Father, into Your hands, I commend my spirit."

"[to Col. Fremantle, on the irony of his uncle defending the original "Star Spangled Banner" at Ft. McHenry in 1814] Colonel Fremantle, it does not begin or end with my uncle, or myself. We're all sons of Virginia here. That major out there, commanding the cannon - that's James Dearing, first in his class at West Point, before Virginia seceded. And the boy over there with the color guard - that's Private Robert Tyler Jones. His grandfather was President of the United States. The colonel behind me - that's Colonel William Aylett. 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, small hamlets along the James River...from Charlottesville and Fredericksburg, to the Shenandoah 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 mettle of their foe. They know that this day's 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 are all here, Colonel. You may tell them, when you return to your country, that all Virginia was here on this day."

"[to his spy, Harrison, just before Pickett's Charge] 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] But 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."

"I must tell you now, I believe this attack will fail. No fifteen thousand men, ever made, can take that ridge."

"Place the guns! Bring up the guns!"

"If they get batteries up there, we're gonna need buckets to catch the lead."

"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 should've freed the slaves, then fired on Fort Sumter."

"I don't like going in without Pickett. It's like going in with one boot off. I'll wait as long as I can before sending my boys in."

"Major, this Army will conduct itself properly and with respect to all civilian population at all times. And you will personally report to me any infraction no matter how minor or trivial they may appear."

"They do not die for us. Not for us. That at least is a blessing. If this war goes on, and it will...it will...what else can we do but go on, you and I? It's always the same question forever. What else can we do? If they fight, we must fight with them. And does it matter after all who wins? Was that ever really the question?"

"[just before Pickett's Charge] With General Longstreet in command, my old war horse, meeting the enemy face to face on ground of his own choosing, and with honour, we will prevail!"

"They will break in the center. Those people will be gaining men from all directions, guns by the thousands. And Richmond has nothing left to send us. So if we stay, we fight. If we retreat now, we will have fought here for two days, and will leave knowing we could not drive them off. And I have never yet left the enemy in command of the field. No Sir. Retreat is no longer an option."

"[to Longstreet, on the nature of the army] Soldiering has one great trap. To be a good soldier, you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. We do not fear our own death, you and I. But there comes a time...we are never quite prepared for so many to die. Oh, we do expect the occasional empty chair, the salute to fallen comrades. But this war goes on, and the men die, and the price gets ever higher. We are prepared to lose some of us, but we are never prepared to lose all of us. And there is the great trap, General: When you attack, you must hold nothing back. You must commit yourself totally. We are adrift here in a sea of blood, and I want it to end. I want this to be the final battle."

"[thinking] In the morning is the great battle. Tomorrow or the next day will determine the war. Virginia is here. All the South is here. What will you do tomorrow? In the morning the enemy will be up in fortified positions on high ground. Longstreet's corps will be coming up and my boys will be ready to finish the job. If I tell them to withdraw now? No, sir. They've been patient for far too long. With the enemy out there up on the hill, they'll be ready to finish the job. But I don't even know how much is up there. How many men? How many cannon? I don't know the ground or the flanks. I don't know. If I wait in the morning, the early morning, maybe Meade, under pressure, will attack. That would make General Longstreet very happy. But I don't think Meade will come down. And I don't think I can withdraw, so, God's will, thy will be done."

"It's my fault."

"We can't run away. If we stay here we can't shoot. So lets fix bayonets."

"You men gather round. I've been talking with, uh, Pvt. Bucklin, he's told me about your problem. There's nothing I can do today. We'll be moving out in a few minutes, we'll be moving all day. I've been ordered to take you men with me. I'm told that, uh, that if you don't come, I can shoot you. Well, you know I won't do that. Maybe somebody else will, but I won't, so, that's that. Uh here's the, uh, situation. The whole Reb army is up that road a ways, waitin' for us, so this is no time for an argument like this, I tell ya. We could surely use you fellas, we're now well below half strength. Whether you fight, or not, that's...that's up to you. Whether you come along is, is...well, you're comin'. You know who we are and what we're doing here, but if you want to fight along side us, there's some things I want you to know. This regiment was formed last summer in Maine. There were a thousand of us then. There are less than three hundred of us now. All of us volunteered to fight for the Union, just as you did. Some came mainly because we were bored at home, thought this looked like it might be fun. Some came because we were ashamed not to. Many of us came because it was the right thing to do. All of us have seen men die. This is a different kind of army. If you look back through history, you will see men fighting for pay, for women, for some other kind of loot. They fight for land, power, because a king leads them or, or just because they like killing. But we are here for something new. This has not happened much in the history of the world. We are an army out to set other men free. America should be free ground - all of it. Not divided by a line between slave state and free, all the way 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, is the place to 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, we're fighting for each other. Sorry, I, uh, didn't mean to preach. You, uh, you go ahead. You talk for awhile. Uh, if you, uh, if you choose to join us, you want your muskets back, you can have 'em. Nothing more will be said by anybody anywhere. If you, uh, choose not to join us, well you can come along under guard, and when this is all over I will do what I can to see you get a fair treatment. But for now, we're moving out. Gentlemen, I think if we lose this fight, we lose the war. So if you choose to join us, I'll be personally very grateful."

"[examining his sword scabbard which was hit by a bullet and bent badly] I'll be damned."

"It doesn't make sense; hold a gun on a man to get him to fight."

"Mutiny. I thought that was a word for the navy."

"Hold to the last. To the last what? Exercise in rhetoric. Last shell? Last man? Last foot of ground? Last Reb?"

"Gentlemen. We are the flank."