Battle of New Orleans

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FADE IN:

EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - DUSK

The sun sets as 4,500 BRITISH REDCOATS march onto Washington.

TITLE:
AUGUST 24, 1814

The British soldiers are a sight to behold. Professional,

well-trained, orderly. Several haphazardly-dressed AMERICANMILITIA run from the capital, not even bothering to fire backin defense. The sound of BRITISH WAR DRUMS fills the city.

GENERAL SIR EDWARD PACKENHAM (36) rides forward on his horse.

Handsome and strong, Packenham has earned the respect of his

veteran troops. He comments after the retreating militia --

GENERAL PACKENHAM

Such cowardice! Their bellies are

as yellow as their teeth!

The men cheer. Packenham eyes the surrounding buildings --

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, THE CAPITOL, and in the far distance

across a great field, THE WHITE HOUSE...

GENERAL PACKENHAM (CONT’D)

Captain, fire your torches! All

public buildings, we shall burnthem straight to the ground!

EXT. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS - DUSK

The British troops approach lighting TORCHES. Several

LIBRARY WORKERS are pulled out the front of the building.

Around back, the matronly LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS meets with anOLD FARMER in the alley. The farmer has a line of PRODUCE

CARTS pulled by a tired donkey.

LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS

For the Patterson farm in Manassas.

The librarian hands over a STACK OF PAPERS. The farmer

unceremoniously places the stack in a cart full of apples.

And as the farmer covers the cart with a tarp, we see thesearen’t just any old papers -- these are the original copies

of THE CONSTITUTION and the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

The farmer pulls away. The building burns.

2.

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAY - DUSK

A SERVANT uses a LOOKING GLASS to survey the chaos across thecity. The redcoats turn toward the White House.

SERVANT:

Mrs. Madison, we best be leaving!

The servant hightails it down a hall and into -

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - MEETING ROOM - DUSK

Where FIRST LADY DOLLEY MADISON (46) is supervising a quickcollection of important items from the house.

DOLLEY MADISON:

With care, gentlemen! Let’s keep

it a painting worth our efforts.

Two WORKERS cut out a full-length OIL PAINTING of GEORGEWASHINGTON from its frame hanging on the wall. Other workers

carry in sacks full of silver and other wares.

SERVANT:

Mrs. Madison, the redcoats.

DOLLEY MADISON:

(to the workers)

Carry everything we can. Who knows

what they’ll see fit to pillage.

VALET:

Dinner’s already been served ma’am.

DOLLEY MADISON:

Then leave it for them. May it bethe last hospitality they receive.

EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - NIGHT

Packenham watches as the redcoats use a BATTERING RAM to

break down the FRONT DOOR. The British storm the castle.

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT

The redcoats move from room to room, ransacking as they go.

No table is left unturned, no artifact intact.

3.

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Packenham arrives at the STATE DINING ROOM. He gives pause --

indeed, a full DINNER has been left served on the table.

SOLDIER:

Sir?

The soldiers wait as Packenham tries the soup...

GENERAL PACKENHAM

A fouler meal never tasted so well.

Shame to let it waste.

The soldiers help themselves. Packenham finishes his soup,

revealing a victorious scene from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONetched on the bowl bottom. Packenham SMILES at the irony.

EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT

The city is on FIRE. Flames climb high into the sky. The

British abandon the WHITE HOUSE and light the exterior walls.

It’s unlike anything we’ve seen... and it actually happened.

Packenham overlooks the carnage from atop his horse. And as

a BRITISH UNION JACK is raised over the American capital --

FADE TO BLACK.

THE WAR OF 1812. FORTY YEARS AFTER GAINING INDEPENDENCE, THE

UNITED STATES IS ONCE AGAIN AT WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.

AFTER RECENTLY DEFEATING NAPOLEON’S ARMIES IN EUROPE, THE

BRITISH HAVE REFOCUSED THEIR MILITARY EFFORTS IN AMERICA.

WITH PUBLIC SUPPORT WANING AND THE BURNING OF WASHINGTON, THE

UNITED STATES IS IN DANGER OF SURRENDERING TO THE REDCOATS.

THIS IS A TRUE STORY.

EXT. COTTON FIELD - DAY

Deep in the South. A handful of SLAVES works the fields.

TITLE:
MOBILE, ALABAMA

A young BOY turns his head and sees a THOUSAND AMERICANTROOPS making their way down a country road. The boy wavesto the troops, but the troops are too tired to wave back.

4.

They’ve been on a journey. Of the thousand, about 400 are

regular enlisted men, while the rest are ragtag militia.

And even though some look like they’d be pretty good in a

fight, just from their disposition marching through the hotsun, it’s clear -- the British redcoats, these men are not.

CAPTAIN:

Company, halt!

The men do, a few immediately taking a knee and drinking fromdry canteens. The CAPTAIN surveys an area over the ridgeahead of them as a man rides up on his HORSE from the rear...

Distinguished, but considerably rough around the edges, thisis MAJOR GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON (47). Once a militia man

from Tennessee, Jackson is now a commissioned officer in the

UNITED STATES ARMY and for lack of a better word, a hard ass.

ANDREW JACKSON:

Captain, these men aren’t scheduledto break for another -

But Jackson stops when he sees it. The quaint French-Spanishcity of MOBILE sits before them on a bay off the GULF COAST.

CAPTAIN:

We’re here, General.

ANDREW JACKSON:

Good. I need a drink.

EXT. MCKINLEY’S ALE HOUSE - NIGHT - ESTABLISHING

A corner TAVERN. Quite a rowdy crowd has gathered inside.

INT. MCKINLEY’S ALE HOUSE - NIGHT

A wide swatch of TOWNSPEOPLE. A few of Jackson’s OFFICERS

and ENLISTED MEN drink at nearby tables, happy to havereached their destination. Dependable BRIGADIER-GENERAL JOHNCOFFEE (45) finishes his beer and looks across the room...

And sees Jackson sitting ALONE at the bar separated from his

men. The BARTENDER pours Jackson a shot. Jackson drinks.

ANDREW JACKSON:

Again.

Down the bar a few LOCALS are engaged in drunken discussion.

Jackson can’t help but listen with half an ear.

5.

MUSTACHE:

Invade Canada -- that was their

brilliant plan? The currish louts!

WIRE RIM GLASSES

Brits turned us away at Montreal,

marched straight through Maine -

MUSTACHE:

Maine has fallen by God! Maine is

gone! I barely even knew her.

MUSTACHE raises a glass in a faux-toast. Everyone drinks.

TALL MAN:

Word from Washington is ten times

worse. The nancy boy Northerners -

MUSTACHE:

Couldn’t even hold the damn capitalcity! Their militia run like dogswithout even firing a shot!

TALL MAN:

Dolley Madison a better leader thanher windbag husband. The rest of

the lot, throw ‘em into the fire.

WIRE RIM GLASSES

Best be practicing our salute tothe King and the Queen. Up yerass, yer Majesties, our leaderswere no better than you I reckon.

One of the men with them is an eager NEWSPAPERMAN (22). He

eyes Jackson at the bar. The newspaperman sidles over.

NEWSPAPERMAN:

My apologies. General Jackson?

Don’t mean to be interrupting -

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