Major on the boats, he is  called to front and centre. As he does so, he salutes, with his palm  facing forwards, to the officers. However, in the next shot, his  palm is facing down to the ground.  In the film, Shaw asks who will carry the colors if they should fall  during the assault on Fort Wagner. In reality, it was General Strong  who asked this question, and Shaw was the one who volunteered to  carry them.