I am not a history buff, but there were too many errors to count in that plot
Language was a BIG error in the book and more so in the movie- but my main complaint was that the story was so absolutely formulaic and boring- hell if you had ever seen the original Star Trek series you already knew the plot- Crichton is a tired hack, his 'masterpiece' Andromeda Strain, was a lousy read- and everything since that has been pablum- Jurassic Park was ok, but the sequels were not even fit for use as toilet paper....