 The three Union soldiers who come to Saras house are named Pistol,  Nym, and Bardolph, sharing their names with three of Falstaffs men  from several Shakespeare plays, including The Merry Wives of  Windsor, Henry IV 1 and 2, and Henry V. In the latter, Pistol, Nym,  and Bardolph are soldiers fighting in another country who loot  locals houses and get punished for it, just as their Cold Mountain  (2003) namesakes are.