They march close to Gettysburg with thousands of other soldiers and then find a spot to sit and rest since they're not needed. Everything is quiet except for a message from Meade to be ready to fight as the enemy is there and that they will be punished by death if they don't fight. Chamberlain reflects on the foolishness of threatening a man at a time like this.
Kilrain notes that the black man is still following them and wants to offer him a rifle. He realizes there is little hope the man will ever see "home" again.
Kilrain and Chamberlain discuss black men, the nature of man, why they are fighting, the aristocracy, and "divine spark." Chamberlain relates the story of the Southern preacher and professor who visited Chamberlain's Maine home and spoke of the black man as if he was an animal. Chamberlain tried to make them see how wrong they were, but the professor asked him, "What if it is you who are wrong?" Chamberlain ponders this, decides he is not, then notices the smell of death drifting down to them. He waits.
