Upon the mutineers" arrival, the movie shows Colonel Chamberlain as instructing a certain Sergeant Andrew J. Tozier (played by Herb Mitchell) to set them up near the trees. This is our third historical mistake - Chamberlain would not have previously known Sergeant Tozier. Tozier was one of the 120 men from the Second Maine, who had just arrived.
After the men have gotten themselves something to eat, Chamberlain calls them together as a group to speak to them. The succeeding speech is long and somewhat emotive. It has the feel of new age self help psycho-babble and would more probably than not have been incomprehensible to a group of working class men from 19th century Maine . This speech casts a shadow of doubt on the historical accuracy of this particular section of film.
The screen changes and we are introduced to Brigadier General John Buford (played by Sam Elliot). He is the commander of the Federal cavalry division. This division is scouting out the lay of the land as was the cavalry's job in those days. They arrive in Gettysburg and survey the area. Buford predicts the following battle after this examination. Scouts arrive to inform Buford that the Confederate Army is indeed on the move and heading for Gettysburg. Buford deploys his men to their respective positions west of Gettysburg on the Chambersburg Pike, ready for the morning, as undeniably they were.
"Wednesday July 1st 1863" appears on screen. It is a new day, the morning of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. We start at Robert E. Lee's camp where he and James Longstreet are discussing the coming day's probable events. Artillery is heard in the distance and Lee decides to move himself for Gettysburg. Once more, care has been taken to observe even the smallest details - in 1863, Lee rode a white horse named "Lucky"; in the film, we see Lee riding a white horse.
We shift to the battlefield. The Confederate Army is advancing in the face of Union fire and artillery.
