Harrison (played by Cooper Huckabee). He is a Confederate informer (as we later learn) and he is watching the Union Cavalry through a telescope, from a distance. Harrison heads to the Confederate camp and informs Lieutenant General James Longstreet (played by Tom Berenger) of the Federal position. In turn, Lieutenant General Longstreet informs General Lee (played by Martin Sheen). .
Herein is our first historical mistake: Longstreet's hat, in this scene and indeed throughout the rest of the movie, is of a style which was not made until 1870 - it is 1863.
History tells us that General Lee was indeed informed that evening of the Federal position, after hearing nothing from his cavalry commander, Major General J. E. B. Stuart, who had been sent out to scout the Union positions. This late information led to Lee's fateful decision, as shown in the movie, to assemble his army at Gettysburg, the reason being that it was a central location and all the roads led there. .
The screen location shifts and we are now introduced to some other main characters, except this time on the Union side. These characters are Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (played by Jeff Daniels) and Sergeant "Buster" Kilrain (played by Kevin Conway). Colonel Chamberlain is awakened by Sergeant Kilrain and informed that a letter has arrived telling of the pending arrival of 120 mutineers from another regiment, the Second Maine. We are now acquainted with Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain (played by C. Thomas Howell), Colonel Chamberlain's brother, who appears on the screen. A short time later the forecasted mutineers arrive. .
Here, we see another historical mistake - when we have first met Chamberlain, he is a lieutenant colonel, with the silver oak leaves; now we see him suddenly as a full colonel with the eagles - he seems to have had an instant promotion. Instead, history tells us that during the Battle of Gettysburg, Chamberlain was a colonel - he had been promoted sometime earlier.
