During John Murrell's escape from the runaway stagecoach, Marblehead falls between the horses and clings to the underside of the coach. In one camera shot, the coach passes and no person is visible where Marblehead is supposed to be.
When Murrell attacks the wagon train, they keep circling the wagons shooting. There are several long shots of the action, and there are no bodies, horses, or people on the ground even though many have been shot. As they ride away, there still are no bodies, and it doesn't appear there are any fewer outlaws.
In Virginia City, a speaker tells the crowd the current news. He mentions Vicksburg being captured at the same time as Savannah. Vicksburg was captured in 1863 while the battle of Gettysburg was fought.
The Union army flew a flag with 36 stars in a 6x6 grid, which was never a configuration of the U.S. flag. At the court martial, they had flags in the proper 8-6-8-6-8 configuration for the 36 star flag. But that flag wasn't adopted until 7/4/1865.
Early in the film Julie is on an Overland Stage Line coach that stops for a Confederate checkpoint at Morgantown, Kentucky. But the Overland Stage Line never operated in Kentucky; it ran only between St. Louis and San Francisco.
They talk about moving the gold through Amarillo, Texas. The city was established as April 1887. The settlement originally was called Oneida; it later changed its name to Amarillo.
Throughout the movie the movie characters refer to Las Vegas but the town and later city wasn't even founded until 15 May 1905
During the gun battle at the blacksmith shop, "Moosehead" and "Marblehead" are blazing away at the opposing southern sympathizers. In their relish to shoot someone, they use a "throwing action" with their pistols. This action serves no purpose firing a pistol and would decrease their accuracy.
Actually, as described in an item in the Trivia section, the throwing action served the purpose of preventing jamming when firing a percussion cap revolver.
Actually, as described in an item in the Trivia section, the throwing action served the purpose of preventing jamming when firing a percussion cap revolver.
In the opening scene Captain Irby inspects a pistol. He opens a loading gate on the right side of the pistol. This indicates a metallic cartridge pistol. Almost all Civil War pistols in use at that time were cap and ball or paper cartridges. Both were loaded in the open end of the cylinder and used percussion caps.
The Union troops at the outpost were using "Trapdoor" Springfield rifles. 1863 Springfield rifles of Civil War vintage were not converted to trapdoor until 1865/1866.
During John Murrell's escape from the runaway stagecoach, he shoots it out with Bradford and Swenson. All three men are firing Colt revolvers that won't become available until the 1870s.
The stagecoach Murrell is riding in carries the name "Wells Fargo Overland Mail Co." During the Civil War, though, Wells Fargo did not have its name on stagecoaches and did not carry passengers. It carried only cargo and some letters as an express service. Although it provided funding for Overland Stage and some other passenger carriers, it did not have its name on stagecoaches until 1867, when it bought Overland and consolidated it with some independent lines.