Charlie Anderson: It's no easy job, Sam, to take care of a woman.
Lt. Sam: No, sir.
Charlie Anderson: They expect things they never ask for. And when they don't get them, they ask you why. Sometimes they don't ask... and just go ahead and punish you for not doing something you didn't know you were supposed to do in the first place.
Jacob Anderson: I know how you feel about this war, Pa. I guess we more or less feel the same way, but I don't see how we can sit by and ignore it anymore. Now you say it's not our business, not our fight, but we're Virginians and I believe that anything that concerns Virginia concerns us.
Carter: You can have your chance tonight, if you want to take it.
Boy Anderson: Chance for what?
Carter: To run. They don't waste men on prisoner duty and they're usually the worst of the lot. They plan on herdin' us onto that sternwheeler and some of us don't fancy no sightseein' tour up North. When they open that gate tonight, you stay as close to me as a flea on a hound dog. Somethin' else. Once we get goin', you're on your own. I gotta forget you ain't nothin' but a lap baby.
Charlie Anderson: What about you, James? You ever think you might like to own a slave?
James Anderson: Well, I guess I never thought about it, Pa.
Charlie Anderson: Well, think about it! Think about it! If you had money would you go out and buy a slave?
James Anderson: No sir, I wouldn't.
Charlie Anderson: Why not?
James Anderson: Well, if I can't do my own work with my own hands it'd never get done.
Charlie Anderson: These are my sons. They don't belong to the state. When they were babies, I never saw the state coming around with a spare teat. We never asked anything of the state and never expected anything.
Charlie Anderson: What do you do with dead soldiers?
Charlie Anderson: Can you give me one good reason why I should let my sons march down that road like a bunch of damn fools?
Lt. Johnson: Virginia needs all her sons, Mr. Anderson.
Charlie Anderson: They don't belong to the state they belong to ME! When they were babies I never saw the state comin' around here with a spare tit.
Charlie Anderson: I wanna say somethin'. I've known since the train that we weren't liable to find him. It was just a hair of a chance that we got Sam back. I knew that. Maybe I knew even before we left home, but somehow I just had to try! And if we don't try, we don't do. And if we don't do, why are we here on this earth?
Lt. Johnson: When are you going to take this war seriously, Anderson?
Charlie Anderson: Now let me tell you something, Johnson, before you get on my wrong side. My corn I take seriously, because it's mine. And my potatoes and tomatoes and my fence I take note of because they're mine. But this war is not mine and I don't take note of it.
Charlie Anderson: John.
John Anderson: Sir?
Charlie Anderson: What are you going to do? You gonna keep your slaves or let them go free?
John Anderson: You know I don't have any slaves, Pa.
Charlie Anderson: That's right, John, you don't have a slave to your name, do you.
Pastor Bjoerling: Charlie Anderson, I wonder if you'd be good enough to tell me why you even bother coming to services. Meaning no disrespect, of course.
Charlie Anderson: It was my wife's last request, Pastor Bjoerling. Meaning no disrespect, of course.
Charlie Anderson: I'm glad you're here, Johnson. I've been meaning to have a word with your people about those cannons of yours. The chickens have stopped lying, the cows have dried up. Who do I send the bill to?
