Goofs

48 minutes: DeJardin's shoulder wound changes sides. On his horse he is shot in the right shoulder, the next shot it is still his right shoulder then subsequently his left shoulder.

Capt. Joseph J. Blocker is reading Julius Caesar early on and initially he's holding the book; it's on the table in the next shot and back in his hand the shot after that.

At the moment they leave the fort it is a sunny day but right out of it, where the fort is just a few steps behind, the weather is more overcast then clear. Also when Cpt. Blocker gets from the horse to talk to the buffalo man there are different conditions between the views. The recordings from back of the captain are sunny, the opposite not.

There is a single African-American soldier, Corporal Henry Woodson, in an otherwise White cavalry regiment. The only Black cavalrymen in the regular army were in the 9th and 10th regiments, where only the officers were White.

Colonel Briggs refers to a set of orders as coming from the Department of the Army. In 1892, the U.S Army was part of the War Department. The Department of the Army did not exist until 1947, when the Department of War became the Department of Defense.

There would have been no hostile Native Americans on any route from New Mexico to Montana by 1892.The majority of "hostiles" were either on reservations by that time or deceased. The reason why, decades earlier, the Goodnight Loving trail went to New Mexico before turning north was because there were no Comanche west of the Texas panhandle.

By 1892, The Comanche were living in reservations in Oklahoma. Quanah Parker had taken the last of the Comanche to the reservation nearly 10 years before.

Beginning in the 1840s, the Cheyenne and Comanche tribes were allies. The Comanche would not have tried to kill Cheyennes escorted by the Army, but perhaps tried to release them. It's a moot point, however as by 1892 both tribes had finished with warfare, both inter-tribal and against the whites.

When Mrs. Quaid is shooting the dead Comanche she continues pulling the trigger after she runs out of bullets. On the first empty chamber the gun still recoils as if a shot had been fired.

In her somewhat trance-like state, she becomes accustomed to the recoil and subconsciously expects it to continue until the sudden "click" of the 6th shot pulls her slowly out of her reverie. At this point, her temporary muscle memory (begun and lasting through the first five shots) dissipates and she no longer pulls the barrel back. The film makers should be lauded for the accuracy in which they portray this minor detail of how someone in her state of mind would react.

The pack train, which keeps appearing and disappearing, consists of two horses that seem to be loaded with a couple of sacks of flour apiece. Yet they produce all the appurtenances of camp life, including at least seven tents as well as folding tables and chairs, in addition to manacles and chains, picks and shovels, and anything else that comes in handy for the plot.

At one point the trail they are traveling along becomes visible to the audience. It is clear that the trail was made by vehicles with bigger tires than those of a horse-drawn carriage.

At 53.12 minutes into the film the spurs on the boots on the deceased Cavalry Trooper are on downside up.

The US Cavalrymen in Hostiles are armed with 1859 model Sharps carbines. This is a Civil War era weapon that was long obsolete by 1892, when the film is set.

In the credits, Rory Cochrane's character is listed as Master Sergeant Thomas Metz; the rank of Master Sergeant did not exist in the ranks of the United States Army until 1920. Also, Cochrane's character clearly holds the rank of 1st Sergeant throughout the film.

The order from President Harrison would be correct - Benjamin Harrison served from 1889 to 1893 as the 23rd President of the United States.

1:50:20 Chief Grey Hawk's Funeral, Looking behind Captain Blocker, the traffic from a freeway can be seen among the trees.

The reporter takes a photo of the soldiers and natives before they leave the fort. He uses flash powder during the exposure but this would have had no practical effect against the bright New Mexico sunshine.

In the 19th Century US military, the rules for addressing soldiers of different ranks were not as rigid as they later became. Officers sometimes used "sir" when talking to enlisted men in the context of a general term when addressing another person.

When the group arrives at Winslow, CPL Henry Woodson is in dire need of medical attention. Captain Blocker grasps Woodson's left arm and gives it a shake as if to wish him well. Woodson's left shoulder had a bullet through the front and back. Woodson would have screamed in agony if he were conscious. It just really didn't make sense that the Captain would even touch his arm, let alone grasp and shake it.

Wesley Quaid at the start wanders into the open, and shoots first at the intruders on his land. He does not stay behind shelter in his house which would afford him shelter, nor does he wait to see if these intruders can be bought off.

Rosalee Quaid puts on her husband's hat when they leave her house and it is a perfect fit. Given the size difference between her and her husband this is extremely unlikely.