Battle of New Orleans Page #24

---

Lafitte walks over to Mary-Anne Dern at Claiborne’s table -

JEAN LAFITTE:

May I have this dance?

INT. BANQUET HALL - NIGHT

A few minutes later. Lafitte and Mary-Anne DANCE in themiddle of the room. Jackson shares a shot with DominiqueYou. Dominique watches his brother with pride.

Lafitte and Mary-Anne notice all eyes are on them -

MARY-ANNE DERN

I’ve never felt so many stares.

And as Lafitte looks around at those faces, HIGH SOCIETY now

seemingly at his beck and call, something clicks...

JEAN LAFITTE:

Come with me.

Lafitte takes her hand. And as the song continues, Lafitteleads Mary-Anne back out the doors and into the night.

FADE TO:

116.

EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY - ESTABLISHING

The city is slowly being rebuilt from the British invasion.

A PAPER BOY stands in front of the WHITE HOUSE selling paperswith triumphant headlines about the victory in NEW ORLEANS.

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - OVAL OFFICE - DAY

PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON (63) and his staff are moving back into the WHITE HOUSE. His wife DOLLEY is there directing thesame SERVANTS that helped her save the wares of the house -

DOLLEY MADISON:

The color in here was always sodrab. Perhaps we should trysomething bluer.

WAR SECRETARY JAMES MONROE (56) appears in the doorway with aMESSENGER. Monroe can barely contain his excitement --

SECRETARY MONROE

Mr. President. Word from Belgium.

EXT. THE TEMPLE - DAY

Jackson and Lafitte meet in the swamp. Lafitte finishes

reading a LETTER. He shakes his head --

JEAN LAFITTE:

It was all for naught.

ANDREW JACKSON:

Nonsense.

JEAN LAFITTE:

The commissioners signed a peacetreaty on Christmas Eve! The war

had been over for two weeks!

ANDREW JACKSON:

A piece of paper only stops the warif the men stop fighting it. Had

we not fought that day, Packenhamtakes the city. With the city, whocan say what land would have fallennorth of the River. And at that

point, with those conditions, atreaty is as worthless as if it hadnever been signed.

117.

JEAN LAFITTE:

You saved the country.

And in a moment of honesty and friendship -

ANDREW JACKSON:

We both did. I could not have done

this without you or your men.

JEAN LAFITTE:

Or a declaration of martial law.

Jackson smiles contemplatively -

ANDREW JACKSON:

I’ve learned there are times that

call for bold decisions, Monsieur.

That was the right one. One day itmight not be the case.

(beat)

You and your men haven’t been seen

much in the city after our victory.

JEAN LAFITTE:

Nothing’s changed. The legislaturelauded us for days, then I went toreclaim what was stolen from Grand

Terre and they wouldn’t give it.

Claiborne has already accused us ofwar profiteering and there’s a

marshal on my tail as we speak.

(beat)

I’m a pirate, General. And so I

shall always be.

ANDREW JACKSON:

And so I shall be as well.

The men sit in silence for a moment. And then -

JEAN LAFITTE:

Show it to me. Please.

ANDREW JACKSON:

What?

JEAN LAFITTE:

How you duel. I’ve heard the

stories -- the Benton Brothers -

ANDREW JACKSON:

The Benton Brothers were fools.

118.

JEAN LAFITTE:

It’s all I ask.

ANDREW JACKSON:

All right.

EXT. THE TEMPLE - DAY

Jackson and Lafitte stand back to back. They begin pacing anequal distance apart. And as they do --

ANDREW JACKSON:

The key to a duel isn’t always to

fire first, but fire best. Thomas

Benton had challenged me after his

brother Jesse was embarrassed by

one of my junior officers outside

of Nashville. After much goading,

I arrived at the designated

location but Thomas had acquired a

bit of cold feet. Not taking

kindly to that ungentlemanly like

behavior, I told a local reporter

the next time I saw Thomas Benton,

I would whip him like him a mule.

Lafitte smiles -- he loves that he’s hearing this story -

ANDREW JACKSON (CONT’D)

Ten more paces. Don’t be nervous

in the turn -- the key is to be

level and fire straight. One night

I received word Benton was in the

hotel next door. So I retrieved my

whip and headed over. He begged my

forgiveness, but seeing as how a

whipping was better than a

shooting, I was ready to commence.

Only the original brother was there

hiding in a coat closet. He drew

on me, and as I dispatched of him,

Thomas Benton ran through the

streets blathering for his mother.

It was said he could be heard for

blocks in every direction. And now

we’re here, and then we turn -

But when Jackson does, Lafitte is GONE. He’s disappeared

into the swamp. Jackson knows he will never see him again.

119.

EXT. FRENCH QUARTER - BOURBON STREET - DAY

Jackson rides back into the QUARTER at sunset. He sees

someone waiting for him by his office...

Jackson can’t believe it. He gets down off his horse andruns into her arms. It’s RACHEL JACKSON (48).

ANDREW JACKSON:

Rachel. My love.

RACHEL JACKSON:

I am here.

ANDREW JACKSON:

And so am I.

And as they finally KISS in the middle of the city he saved -

FADE TO BLACK:

ANDREW JACKSON WAS LAUDED AS A HERO ACROSS THE NATION. HE

WAS SWORN IN AS THE SEVENTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES ON

MARCH 4, 1829.

JEAN LAFITTE AND THE BARATARIANS WERE EVENTUALLY FORCED OUT

OF LOUISIANA BY GOVERNOR CLAIBORNE. AFTER RELOCATING TO

GALVESTON, LAFITTE WAS AGAIN PURSUED BY THE FEDERAL

GOVERNMENT.

LAFITTE MARRIED MARY-ANNE AND THEY LEFT TEXAS TO SETTLE IN

THE MIDWEST. HE CHANGED HIS NAME AND LIVED OUT THE REST OF

HIS DAYS THERE, A MAN NO LONGER A PIRATE.

FADE OUT.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes