Revealing mistake: In one of Pickett's charge scene the bayonets are obviously rubber.
Gettysburg (1993)
Directed by: Ron Maxwell, Ronald F. Maxwell
Starring: Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Richard Jordan
Revealing mistake: There are white wristwatch marks on the tan arms of the Confederate soldiers as they reach for Lee as he rides among the troops.
Revealing mistake: A jet con trail can be seen just before the fight at Little Round Top, when Chamberlain and Tom are talking.
Trivia: Virtually all of the extras who play soldiers in the film were members of Civil War Re-enactor groups who not only freely donated their time but also supplied their own uniforms and equipment. This ensued that the film-makers did not have pay for their own extras and that they could stage the massive battle scenes without blowing the budget.
Trivia: During Pickett's charge, Armistead's brigade gets caught at a wooden fence. There is a close up of one of his aides rallying the men and getting shot. If you look closely you will see it's Ted Turner, who bankrolled the movie.
Trivia: Ted Turner's brief appearance is not the only notable cameo in the film. During the artillery bombardment on the Union positions prior to Pickett's charge, Union General Hancock is seen calmly riding through the barrage. A young officer begs him to come down and take cover. The officer is played by Ken Burns, the filmmaker who produced the acclaimed documentary series The Civil War.
Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain: Some of them, they load and load, they never fire. They just keep right on loading. Some of them come home with seven, eight bullets rammed up in the barrel, never fired a shot.
Private Bucklin: I'm tired, Colonel. I've had all of this army and all of these officers, this damned Hooker, this damned idiot Meade, all of them, the whole bloody lousy rotten mess of sick-brained, pot-bellied scabheads that ain't fit to lead a johnny detail, ain't fit to pour pee out of a boot with instructions on the heel.
Major General George E. Pickett: My boys! What's happening to my boys?
Question: Was Josh Chamberlain really given mutineers like in the movie?
Question: How did the north manage to defeat the south in the battle of Gettysburg despite a spy providing the south with information about the north during that battle?
Answer: In short, the Federal forces (who fought for the North) outlasted the Confederate army. Since it was a 3 day battle, a full explanation can not really be given here, but Lee did not actually have an accurate understanding of the Union's strength and position. While successful on Day 1, by the start of Day 2 more Federal forces arrived and the Union army had taken defensive position on the high ground. On Day 3, there was mixed communications with Confederate commanders and they did not attack as Lee had planned. The Union army was supplied with fresh forces that allowed them to hold the line. On Day 4, Lee did not attack and formed a defensive line, waiting for Meade to attack, so the Confederates could do what the Union had just done to them. But Meade never attacked and that night Lee and the Confederate troops left.
Question: Why didn't General Ewell think taking the hill was practical?
Answer: Mainly because his soldiers were tired after a long march and he didn't think they could make a direct assault on an elevated position (the hill was not quite as "bare" as the film suggests). There were also reports of Union reinforcements arriving to the area, and Ewell was afraid that his army might be exposed and overwhelmed if he attempted to take the hill without assistance (Ewell had requested, and been denied, reinforcements of his own).
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Answer: Yes. After the 2nd Maine Infantry was disbanded, there were 120 men with 1-year of service left. They mutinied because they said they only agreed to fight under the 2nd Maine flag and the Army disagreed. So they were marched under guard to the 20th Maine, led by Chamberlain. Chamberlain was able to convince most of them to fight, even though he was ordered to shoot any who did not fight.
Bishop73
Is there a reason why a few of them refused to fight?
Yes. The same reason why they mutinied.