As the debris flying around him, Shaw covers his face. He is now walking less assured taking sidesteps toward the opposing force. As the man in command of Shaw and his troops yells at the troops- For God's Sake, Come on-, a cannonball lands in front of him, bounces and shatters his head spraying blood on the nave Shaw's face. Still with his arm over his head Shaw watches as the confederate soldier's shower of artillery slaughters the men around him. Shortly thereafter the Union soldiers are ordered to retreat. As they run through the smoke filled field, Shaw is hit by shrapnel and falls beside a dead union soldier, gabbing his neck where he had been hit. Shaw trembles as each shot lands around him. The triumphant sounds of the trumpets as the Confederate Soldiers charge forward. The Union soldiers retreat, ironically, the state and American flags they are carrying are unscathed. Hand to hand battle takes place as the Confederate troops confront the lagging Union soldiers. Shaw continues to lie on the ground in the safety of the assumed dead. We see the horrors of war as a soldier with one leg drags himself forward. As the Confederate soldiers cheer the Union soldiers are in full retreat. As we see Shaw still lying on the ground, the feet of retreating soldiers are the last thing he sees before he loses conscientiousness. .
The aftermath of the war shows a smoky field with scattered with the dead and injured. A group of Negroes checks for survivors and collects the dead for burial. As the foot of one of these Negroes nudges Shaw, he awakens. With a confused look, he looks up at this person. At first, the sun blinds him; the person that nudged him slowly leans forward, covering the sun. The Negro says, "You alright there Capin'-. As Shaw slowly lifts himself off of the ground, the man turns and walks away with his shovel on his shoulder. He drops the shovel and sticks it into the ground beside another dead soldier.
