Continuity mistake: When Colonels Shaw and Montgomery are in Darien, Georgia, Montgomery shoots a soldier (apparently in the heart) for touching a white woman. When the troops are marching out of the town, the soldier who was shot has miraculously felt better, gotten back up and joined the ranks. (01:07:05 - 01:08:55)
Suggested correction: The soldier was shot in the shoulder.
Continuity mistake: During the first battle in the woods, the Union Regiment levels their un-bayonetted weapons and fires a volley at the Confederates. About 3 seconds later, without the order having been given, they are in hand to hand combat with bayonets fixed.
Continuity mistake: When the men refuse to accept their pay, the Colonel tears his paycheck in half. It tears straight down the middle. There is a brief shot of the men, and the camera returns to the colonel. There is a piece of his check in his hand and the tear is now diagonally across the paper.
Continuity mistake: During the fight in the forest, when the 54th go hand-to-hand with the Confederates, Denzel Washington grapples with an enemy soldier on the ground. In one shot the Confederate is hatless; the very next second he is wearing a hat.
Continuity mistake: As the 54th charge Fort Wagner across the beach there is a long range shot of the troops running from the left to the right of the screen. Watch Matthew Broderick. He is holding his large wide-brimmed hat, which he does not wear (or even carry) in previous and subsequent scenes!
Continuity mistake: When the colonel rips his paycheck the sun is shining down on his face, but in the next shot the sun is shining from the side.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where the 54th is on parade, Shaw commands "eyes right" and looks to his right and points his sword down to the right. Then the next shot is a brief shot of his parents and then when they return to Shaw, his sword is pointing up in the normal marching position. There was no audible command to stop saluting.
