Gettysburg quotes

View Quote I haven't known that many freedmen, 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." ~ Joshua Chamberlain 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 more year to serve, only, you see, they thought they was signin' to fight only with the 2nd Maine and the 2nd Maine only. So, they, uh, quit. They resigned, ye see. 120 men! [Chamberlain puts his head down.] Colonel? Are ye all right?
Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Yeah.
Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Well, the point is, sir, these Maine fellows; they won't fight no more. And nobody can send them home and nobody knows what to do with them. Til they thought of us. Being as we are the only other Maine regiment in the Fifth Corps. So they've been assigned to us. Yes, sir. I've a message here from the new commanding general. George Meade, sir, that's right! Our very own general of our very own corps has been promoted to command of the whole army. The latest, if ye keep track of them as they go by. [pulls out message, reads] The message says, uh, they'll be arrivin' this mornin', and they're to join us, oh, and if they refuse to follow orders, please feel free to shoot 'em.
Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: To... to shoot 'em?
Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Yes, sir.
Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: These are Maine me?
Pvt. Buster Kilrain: [nods] Mm-hm.
Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: [takes the note, reads] "You are hereby authorized to shoot any man who refuses to do his duty." Buster, are these all Maine men?
Pvt. Buster Kilrain: Yes, sir, and fine big fellows they are, too.
Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: [sighs] Mutiny. I thought that was a word for the navy.

View Quote I tell you, Lawrence... I sure was fond of that man. 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?
Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: [nods wordlessly]
Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Well, how is he?
Lt. Thomas Chamberlain: [looks away] Well...Lawrence... he died. [takes off kepi] Yeah... He died this morning, 'fore I got there. A couple o' 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.

View Quote 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.

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

View Quote 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.

View Quote 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.

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

View Quote 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! The line runs all the way from here back to Cemetary Hill. But it ends here.

View Quote 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.

View Quote Maj. Gen. John Reynolds: (last words) Forward, for God's sake, forward!

View Quote Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Han****: There are times when a corps commander's life does not count.

View Quote 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.

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

View Quote 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 Han****?
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 to go over and see him as soon as I can. Last time I saw Win, we played that song, that very song. Back in California, we were all together for the last time. Before we broke up. Spring of '61. [pauses] Almira Han****. You remember Almira, Han****'s wife? Beautiful woman. Most perfect woman I ever saw. They were a beautiful couple. Beautiful... Garnett was with me that night. A lot of fellows from the old outfit. People standin' around singin'. In the blue uniform. We were leavin', the next day. Some goin' North, some goin' South. Splittin' up. [looks up] A soldier's farewell. "Goodbye. Good luck. I'll see you in hell." [chuckles] You remember that? [sighs] Towards the end of the evening, we all sat around the piano. And Mira played that- that song there, that was the one she played. "May be for years, may be forever..." I'll never forget that. [laughs] You know how it was, Pete. [sits down, voice husky] Win was like a brother to me... Remember? [Longstreet nods] Towards the end of the evening... [shakes his head] things got a little rough. We all began to- Well, there were a lot of tears. [takes several shaky breaths] I went over to Han****.. I-I took him by the shoulder. I said, "Win... so help me... if I ever raise my hand against you... may God strike me dead!" [pauses, quickly wipes his eyes] I ain't seen him since. He was at Malvern Hill, White Oak Swamp, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg... [sighs] One of these days... I will see him, I'm afraid. Across that small, deadly space. I thought about sittin' this one out, but I can't do that. That wouldn't be right, either. [wipes his eyes again] I guess not. [nods] Thank you, Peter. I had to talk about that.
Lt. Gen James Longstreet: Yup.
Brig. Gen Lewis Armistead: [stands, turns slightly] Um, I'm sending Almira Han**** a small package to be opened in the event of my death. [takes package from coat, holds it towards Longstreet] You'll drop by and see her, after all this is over... Won't you, Pete? [Longstreet takes the package] Thank you.

View Quote 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.