Factual error: When Cornwallis is preparing to hang the militia they are testing the gallows which have trap doors, these were not yet being used at the time of the American Revolution. (Source director's commentary.)

Visible crew/equipment: In one scene while Benjamin and his friends are standing and talking, you can see above them a large microphone.

Continuity: In the final fight scene between Benjamin and Tavington, when Tavington flies off his horse and lands on the ground, his pants are visibly untucked from his boots. A few seconds later, when he stands up, his pants are tucked back into his boots.

Continuity: In the scene where Cornwallis is being shaved with a straight razor the amount of shaving cream on his face changes from almost none to nearly full in one shot.

Continuity: When Thomas is sitting by the window painting his tin figure he looks out the window while holding his brush away from the figure. When it cuts to close-up the brush is on the figure.

Continuity: When the Colonial militia leave after the parlay with Cornwallis, Benjamin Martin whistles for the two dogs. The dogs can be seen running through the gates at the heels of the militia but do not appear in any other of the scenes with the militia riding back to camp.

Factual error: All soldiers in the Continental Army are wearing the same uniforms. Officers and enlisted men wore significantly different uniforms.

Factual error: Although the historical advisor for the film is The Smithsonian Institute it does not seem to have noticed that the toy soldiers used in the film (some in superb close-up} are all dressed in uniforms of the mid to late 19th cent., i.e. approx. 100 years later than when the film is set.

Factual error: During the evening at the beach scenes, the sky over the sea appears as though it is during sunset. In the morning, the sunrise is in the same direction. A South Carolina beach would only face toward a sunrise.

Factual error: In the scene where the Martins are leaving Charlestown to go to Santee, they are actually travelling south toward the west Ashley area of south Carolina. If they were actually travelling to Santee they would be heading northwest with Charlestown directly behind them.

Continuity: In one battle scene, a soldier's head is knocked off by a cannonball but the same soldier appears in a later battle scene, complete with head.

Continuity: In the scene where Benjamin is saying goodbye and asking Susan to speak to him, Charlotte (standing beside Susan) puts her hand on Susan's back. In the shots of Susan (from the front), the hand remains on the back throughout the scene. In the shots from behind her (showing Benjamin's face), the hand is not on her back. There are several back-and-forths.

Continuity: In the scene where Mel catches his son trying on his old uniform jacket. The shot goes from Mel to his son then back to Mel. The candle on the wall behind him is not lit, then lit, then out again.

Continuity: When Gabriel wakes up after having had his wound treated he lifts his hand, covering his eyes. When it cuts his hand is suddenly on his forehead.

Audio problem: After Gabriel shoots Tavington, he walks over to finish him off with his knife. He tosses it up in order to change his grip. When he does so, we hear metal scraping against metal, but he tossed the knife through the air, so it could not possibly have made that sound.

Continuity: This mistake is painfully speculative. A British soldier falls "as if he was hit with Benjamin's bullet" but this is not shown definitely, even submitter is not sure. Ends with a question, "How did he reload his gun so fast?" Because he has extensive military experience. Because the shot may not have represented real time. Because his life depended on it. Because he may have had a second gun. If submitter does not know these things for sure, how can this possibly be a valid mistake?

Continuity: In the part when Gabriel and Tavington are fighting right before Gabriel is killed, Tavington drops his sword before getting shot by Gabriel. When he is shot by Gabriel, he falls onto the ground which is clear of all debris. When Gabriel approches Tavington to stab him, Tavington flips over and stabs Gabriel with his sword, which he had dropped earlier.

Continuity: When Thomas is shot, the entry and exit wounds are the same height. SInce the shooter was on horseback, the exit wound should be lower.

Continuity: In the scene when Benjamin's previously silent daughter runs to him - to say that she loves him and wants him to come back, there's a continuity error in the location of her pigtails. When the camera is at her back, they're behind her head and when the camera faces her, they're in front over her shoulders.

Continuity: When Gabriel is sitting in the snow writing a letter, we see a close up of a quill pen.   Then, in the next shot, the writing implement looks more like a pencil than a quill pen.  And wouldn't it be a trick to sit in the snow with a bottle of ink?