Major General Jubal Early Joseph Fuqua as Major General J. E. B. Stuart Tim Scott as Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell George Lazenby as Brigadier General J. Johnston Pettigrew Graham Winton as Major General Robert E. Rodes Ted Turner, the owner of the film's production company Turner Pictures, has an uncredited appearance as Colonel Waller T. Patton. Union Jeff Daniels as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain Sam Elliott as Brigadier General John Buford C. Thomas Howell as Lieutenant Thomas Chamberlain Kevin Conway as Sergeant Buster Kilrain Brian Mallon as Major General Winfield Scott Hancock Buck Taylor as Colonel William Gamble John Diehl as Private Joseph Bucklin Joshua D. Maurer as Colonel James Clay Rice John Rothman as Major General John F. Reynolds Richard Anderson as Major General George Meade Billy Campbell as Lieutenant Andrew Lewis Pitzer David Carpenter as Colonel Thomas C. Devin Maxwell Caulfield as Colonel Strong Vincent Donal Logue as Captain Ellis Spear Dwier Brown as Captain Brewer Herb Mitchell as Sergeant Andrew J. Tozier Emile O. Schmidt as Brigadier General John Gibbon Ken Burns, who wrote and directed the 1990 documentary The Civil War, portrays an aide to Hancock. Civil War historian Brian Pohanka makes an uncredited appearance as Brigadier General Alexander S. Webb. The character Sergeant Owen is portrayed by Mark Moses. Matt Letscher, who would later appear in the 2003 prequel Gods and Generals as Colonel Adelbert Ames, makes his film debut as a 2nd Maine soldier. Production Reeves Teletape Studios first acquired the rights for an adaptation of The Killer Angels in 1978. In 1981, Ronald F. Maxwell acquired the rights to the property and hired Michael Sharaa to write a screenplay adaptation. Although Sharaa died in 1988, Maxwell completed the 400-page screenplay. PolyGram Pictures agreed to produce the project as a film starring Robert Duvall and William Hurt but went bankrupt shortly afterwards. Maxwell was unable to sell the project to any other studio because of the failures of recent historical epics such as Heaven's Gate and Revolution. Kevin Costner was interested in adapting the film but chose instead to direct Dances with Wolves. Although Maxwell was displeased with American Civil War television series such as North and South and The Blue and the Gray, he reluctantly decided to try to release the project as a television series. The producers originally pitched the project to ABC in 1991, as a TV miniseries. ABC initially agreed