Your men march handsomely. My compliments.
Thank you, sir.
l am surprised at how well you handle them.
l'm from Kentucky originally and we owned a few ourselves...
...so it comes naturally to me.
You are from Boston, are you not?
lt is impossible to imagine Boston with slaves.
Town's clean, sir. Ain't no Rebs here, just some women.
Well, all right. You hear that, boys?
Let's clear her out.
What are you doing?
Liberating this town in the name of the Republic.
The musket, master colonel, never shoot it. Shoot now?
Yeah, l don't see why not. Go ahead.
Shoot the lady, boys!
Don't shoot! We ain't Secesh here.
That man's a civilian.
That man is Secesh. And Secesh is all the same, son.
Look at them.
You really think anybody's gonna put these boys into some real combat?
Do you?
They're little monkey children, for God's sake.
And you just gotta know how to control them.
Please!
You see what l mean? Children.
Animals!
Leave her alone!
Hey, boy, take your hands off the white lady.
That wouldn't have been necessary if that woman hadn't started it.
They'll never learn.
You see, Seceshes must be swept away by God's hand like the Jews of old.
And now l'll have to burn this town.
Nigger soldiers! Nigger soldiers!
Tell your men to set torches to fire the buildings.
l will not.
That is an order.
You'll do it or face charges for disobeying a superior officer.
lt's an immoral order. By the Articles of War, l'm not bound to obey.
Well, you can just explain that at your court-martial...
...after your men are placed under my command.
First squad, second platoon....
Fall out to set torches. Prepare to fire the town.
First squad, second platoon. Fall out!
What you looking at? You think you better than me?
You think you my judge? You ain't nothing.
Dear Father.: I need your help.
Despite my many requests, it's clear that we're to be used...
... only for manual labour.
Morale is low, the men's good humour darkened by idleness and despair.
Why keep drilling, if they'll never be given...
... the opportunity to prove themselves?
I've written to Governor Andrew and the general staff in Washington.
But I feel that only a letter directly from you to Lincoln himself. ..
... can have the desired effect.
I can think of no other course.
I am sure you both pray, as I do...
... that all this has not been in vain.
Hey, it look like we're going the wrong way.
Hey, come on now. Buck up, boys.
Hey, buck up, now. Come on.
Someday they gonna let the 54th get into it, see?
And all your troubles'll be over. Come on, now, cheer up.
What'd you say, boy?
Boy? Hey, let me tell you--
-Shut up, Trip. -Would you get up off me, snowflake?
See, let me explain something to you.
See, the way l figure....
This war'll be over a whole lot sooner...
...if you boys just turn around back down that way...
...and let us go where the fighting is.
There are men dying up that road.
lt wouldn't be nothing but Rebs dying if they'd let the 54th in it.
Listen--
As you were, Trip. As you were!
You men move on.
Stripes on a nigger!
That's like tits on a bull.
You're looking at a higher rank, corporal.
Now, you'll obey and you'll like it.
-Make me. -l'll make you.
-What the hell is going on here? -Attention!
You.
What's your name? l'm putting you up on charges.
Ain't no calls for that, sir.
What's that, sergeant?
Well, l mean, it's just a soldier's fight, sir.
All right, you men move along.
Move it!
You men get back to work.
Back to work! Let's go!
We'll see you again.
Go dig a latrine.
Go strum a banjo, boy.
l've got the guard. Let me use your looking glass.
Thank you.
Yeah, button up that collar.
Suck in that gut.
Tuck in them big black lips.
Lighten your skin. Shrink up that nose.
l don't have to listen to this.
Where you going, boy?
-Let me by. -Let you by?
Let you by.
Let me tell you something, boy.
You can march like the white man, talk like him...
...learn his songs, even wear his suits.
But you ain't never gonna be nothing to him...
...but a ugly-ass chimp in a blue suit.
Oh, you don't like that, do you?
Well, what we gonna do about it?
You want to fight me, boy?
What you gonna do about it?
You want to fight me, don't you?
Don't you?
-Come on, nigger. -All right!
Hands off me, gravedigger.
Does the whole world gotta stomp in your face?
Nigger, get your hands off me!
Ain't no niggers around here.
So the white man give you stripes, now you ordering everybody...
...like the master himself.
Nigger, you ain't nothing but the white man's dog!
And what are you?
So full of hate you wanna go fight everybody...
...because you been whipped and chased.
That might not be living, but it sure ain't dying.
And dying's what these white boys been doing for three years.
Dying by the thousands. Dying for you, fool!
l know because l dug the graves.
And while l'm digging, l'm asking, ''When, Lord, is it gonna be our time?''
The time's coming when we gonna have to ante up...
...ante up and kick in like men. Like men!
You watch who you call a '' nigger.''
lf any niggers around here, it's you.
Smart-mouth, stupid-ass, swamp-running nigger!
lf you ain't careful, that's all you ever gonna be.
You men go on about your business.
Sit down.
Well, colonel, what can l do for you?
You can give me and my regiment a transfer to combat command.
Couldn't do it, colonel.
You're much too valuable to my operations here.
May l sit?
Thank you. Major.
l've written a letter to my father...
...asking him to press Governor Andrew and President Lincoln.
But l don't have to wait for all that, do l?
Colonel Montgomery, would you bring that ashtray over here?
But ''valuable to your operations here,'' you say.
Your foraging? Your depredations?
l'm quite a student of your operations in this region.
Thirty-four mansions pillaged and burnt under Colonel Montgomery's...
...expedition up the Combahee?
Four-thousand bails of cotton smuggled through the lines...
...with payment to parties unknown, except by you.
False quartermaster requisitions.
Major Forbes saw the copies.
Yes, indeed.
Along with confiscated valuables shipped North as personal baggage.
Shall l go on?
Can you?
l can report you to the War Department.
Oh, yes. l can do that.
Let you take your regiment out to fight.
That's what you want, isn't it? Show what they can do?
When?
You are bright-eyed, aren't you?
When?
Just as soon as l can write the orders.
Major.
By company in the line, double-quick!
All right, men, form the firing line!
Over here.
Form the firing line right here.
Front line, kneel.
Steady, boys!
Firing by battalion!
Ready...
...aim...
Charge!
...fire!
Cease fire!
Recover.
Here they come!
Reload.
Load it, load it!
Ready!
Aim!
Get ready, get ready,
Fire!
Reload!
Fire at will!
Pour it in.
Charge!
Fire!
They're bloody skirmishes, captain.
Thomas!
How do, Colonel?
Hurts, doesn't it?
Well, l'm extremely jealous. You'll be back in Boston before me...
...sitting by the fire, reading Hawthorne, cup of decent coffee.
l'm not going back.
Listen to me....
You're shot. You have to go back.
Promise me that you won't send me back.
Promise me!
All right.
Colonel Shaw!
-What is all this? -You haven't heard?
Lee was turned back in Pennsylvania...Gettysburg!
Now Grant's taken Vicksburg. And all on the Fourth of July.
My God!
lt looks like it'll be over by Christmas.
-So how did they do? -Splendid. Just splendid.
-Any casualties? -Forty-two.
Give me the details. l'll wire it in.
l don't think we'll make the paper-- l'll talk to you later in your tent.
As you were.
Trip, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
You fought very well yesterday, Trip.
Sergeant Rawlins has recommended that you receive a commendation.
Yes, sir?
Yes.
And l think you should bear the regimental colours.
No.
lt's considered quite an honour.
Why not?
Well, l'm...
...wanting to say something, sir. But l....
Go ahead.
All right. See...
...l ain't fighting this war...
...for you, sir.
l see.
l mean, what's the point?
Nobody'll win. lt'll just go on and on.
Can't go on forever.
Yeah, but ain't nobody gonna win.
Somebody's gonna win.
Who?
l mean, you....
You get to go on back to Boston in a big house and all that.
What about us?
What do we get?
Well, you won't get anything if we lose.
What do you want to do?
l don't know, sir.
Stinks, l suppose.
Yeah. Stinks bad.
And we all covered up in it too. l mean, ain't nobody clean, sir.
Be nice to get clean, though.
How do we do that?
We ante up and kick in, sir.
But l still don't want to carry your flag.
No one will take Charleston without silencing the forts...
...protecting its harbour.
And the first one that must be taken is that.
Fort Wagner.
Wagner mounts a 1 0-inch Columbiad...
...three smooth-bore 32-pounders...
...a 42-pound carronade...
...a 1 0-inch coast mortar...
...and four 1 2-pound howitzers.
Plus a garrison of about 1 000 men.
As many of you gentlemen may be aware...
...for the last four days, our Navy has weakened Wagner...
...with a constant barrage.
Headquarters has determined it time for our attack.
We will proceed with a direct frontal assault, tomorrow at dusk.
The problem, gentlemen, is the approach.
There is only a narrow strip of sand...
...through which we can only send one regiment at a time.
Our hope is, that the leading regiment can occupy the Rebs...
...long enough for reinforcements to exploit the breach.
Needless to say...
...the casualties in the leading regiment may be extreme.
General Strong.
The 54th Massachusetts...
...requests the honour of leading the attack on Fort Wagner.
lt's Colonel Shaw, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
You and your men haven't slept for two days.
That's right, sir.
And you think they have the strength to lead this charge?
There's more to fighting than rest, sir.
There's character.
There's strength of heart.
You should have seen us in action two days ago.
We were a sight to see.
We'll be ready, sir.
When do you want us?
Oh, my Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord
He packed in the animals two by two
The ox, the camel and a kangaroo
Packed them in that ark so tight
I couldn't get no sleep that night
Noah's son's, Shem and Ham
Telling about God's master plan
Oh, my Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord
Tomorrow we go into battle.
So Lordy, let me fight with the rifle in one hand...
...and Good Book in the other...
...that if l should die at the muzzle of the rifle...
...die on water or on land...
...l may know that you, blessed Jesus Almighty...
...are with me.
And l have no fear.
Amen.
Oh, my Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord
Lord...
...we stand before You this evening to say thank You.
We thank You, Father, for Your grace...
...and Your many blessings.
Now, l run off...
...and left all my young'uns and my kinfolk in bondage.
So l'm standing here this evening, Heavenly Father...
...to ask Your blessings...
...on all of us.
So that if tomorrow is our great getting-up morning...
...if tomorrow we have to meet the Judgment Day...
...Heavenly Father, we want You to let our folks know...
...that we died facing the enemy.
We want them to know that we went down standing up...
...amongst those that are fighting against our oppression.
We want them to know, Heavenly Father, that we died for freedom.
We ask these blessings in Jesus' name....
Amen.
Trip?
Come on.
-Hell, no, l ain't! -Get your butt up there, boy!
Just say what you think and feel. Go on. Go on, now.
Go on, let it out.
Well, l ain't much about no praying, now.
l ain't never had no family or....
Killed off my mama....
lt feel funny--
-Come on. -lt's all right.
Come on, now. You're doing fine.
Well, l just....
You know, you all is....
You all is the only family l got.
And....
l loves you, 54th.
Ain't much a matter what happens tomorrow...
...because we men. Ain't we?
We men, ain't we?
Shit!
Attention, company!
We ready, colonel.
Give them hell, 54th!
Ready! Fire!
Ought to be quite a show, Pierce.
Best seat in the house.
l wonder if you might do something for me.
l have some letters here, personal things.
Certainly, colonel.
Also, if l should fall...
...remember what you see here.
You men are relieved.
Report to the rear as stretcher-bearers.
Do it now!
Right face.
Forward march!
You go on, honey. We be by directly.
-Shaw! -Shaw!
lf this man should fall...
...who will lift the flag and carry on?
l will.
l'll see you in the fort, Thomas.
Fix...
...bayonets.
Shoulder...
...arms.
Charge...
...bayonets.
At the quickstep.
Forward...
...march!
Double-quick time...
...march!
Steady, boys....
Come on!
Forward!
Keep your ranks!
Take cover in the dunes!
Take cover!
Company commanders...
...we'll wait here and advance under cover of darkness.
Get down over there. Get down.
Company commanders, order your men to wait here.
-Sergeant Rawlins. -Sir!
Pass the word around:
Forward on my command.
Ready on the gunners, men.
Forward on my command!
Ready....
Charge!
Forward!
Forward. Forward, men!
Come on, men. Forward!
Come on, you men! Don't stop. Get up there!
Come on.
Come on, 54th!
Come on!
Charge!
Form a firing line right here!
Get out of here!
Fire!
Let's go. Move! Move!
Come on, come on!