The Free State of Jones

1

Left!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

- Stay with me!

- Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

- Left! Left!

- Close that rank!

- Left, right, left!

- Steady, boy!

Left! Left!

Steady!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Left of the colors, boys!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Guide right!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Top of the hill, boys!

Just over that Ridge!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Kneel!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Ready!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Fire!

Left! Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Left! Left!

Left, right, left!

Almost there, boy.

Almost there.

It's my leg.

I know it's your leg.

It hurts.

Yeah. They got ether.

Here we go. Here we go.

Hold pressure.

Hold pressure here.

Let's get this off you.

If they think you're an officer,

they'll fix you sooner.

Yeah, they're gonna fix you.

Here we go.

One, two, three.

We need clean water!

Hold pressure here.

The lord is

the stronghold of my life.

Captain Jeffrey Bailey here,

7th Tennessee.

Mini ball, left thigh.

Captain!

I got a captain here!

Captain up front! Captain up front!

Hold him!

Hold him down!

Hold him!

Where they going?

Charleston.

Charleston.

That's Carolina 3rd. A bunch

of them are headed home.

Twenty negro law.

If you own 20 Negroes,

you get to go home.

Since when?

The first, I guess.

New conscription act.

Poor man's fightin'

a rich man's war.

Yeah.

You know they got a house in

Natchez with gold doorknobs.

Not gold-lookin'.

Gold. Real gold.

"But all their gold

and all their silver

will not protect them

from the wrath of the lord."

You so smart, Jasper, how

come you still here, huh?

"The oldest son

on such plantations

where 20 or more Negroes

are owned or leased

are hereby exempt in the armies

of the confederate states.

Furthermore, any plantation

where the total number of Negroes

owned or leased shall equal 40,

the eldest and second eldest shall

be exempt from military service."

That's you and a brother.

And then it goes up one family member

for every 20 Negroes after that.

So what, if we all chip in and buy us

one negro, we get a couple weeks off?

Ah, I swear,

I'm tired of it, Jasper...

Tired of helpin' them

fight for their damn cotton.

You don't fight anyway.

You're a nurse.

Yeah, you get gut-shot

out there tomorrow, will,

why don't you go find an artillery

officer, see if he can help you.

I ain't fightin' for cotton.

I'm fightin' for honor.

Oh, that's good, will.

I'd sure hate

to be fightin' for cotton.

Who's there?

Uncle newt.

Daniel.

That you, boy?

Come here.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

What happened?

They-they took me,

and they took

the mule and our hogs,

half the corn crib,

and they told me

I'd been drafted.

Can I stay with you?

Of course you can, boy.

You're my kin.

They put me

with another company,

and I finally ran off

and I looked for you all day.

I found this man

and told him I was from Jones,

and he said that was

Mississippi 7th, and so...

Shh, shh, shh. I got you, boy.

I got you.

I got you. I got you.

I got you.

I got you.

You're with me.

You're with me now.

Are you gonna be there

with me tomorrow?

Yeah, I'm gonna be there

with you tomorrow.

You hear me? I'm gonna be

there with you tomorrow.

We're gonna make for a tree

line about a quarter mile out.

You don't listen to no sergeant, no

officers. Only me. You understand now?

When I tell you to go, move

fast and stay close to me.

All right?

You got a full load?

Half-cock, safe.

Full-cock, fire.

Ain't no different than shootin'

a bird or a deer, Daniel.

No different than that.

All right?

Okay.

They're shelling us.

Come on. Move.

Right this way.

Stay low. Low.

Stay low.

See that rifle pit

about 50 yards out?

That's where we headin'.

That's where we're going.

You ready? You ready?

Let's go. Go! Go! Go!

Stay behind me!

Go down.

Ahh!

You all right? Huh?

You all right?

All right. All right.

All right, stay down.

They got sharpshooters

out there.

We're gonna make a way

for that tree line, all right?

Find some shelter and hide out.

You all right?

All right, let's go.

Stay low.

Whoa, whoa!

Careful. Down. Down.

Who you with?

Mississippi 5th, "f" company.

We all that's left.

All right, you're with us now. We're

makin' for that Ridge over to the right.

- Uh-huh.

- So fix bayonets!

Fix your bayonet, boy.

Yeah, I got it.

Here.

Fixed!

All right.

You ready? Ready?

All right.

On my command.

Ready?

- Go! Go! Go!

- Go! Go! Go! Go!

Go, boy! Move!

Hold, hold, hold.

Hold, Daniel. Hold.

Move!

Hold!

Sh*t!

Uncle newt?

No!

Ahh!

Uncle newt?

I got you, boy. It's gonna be all right.

It's all right.

It hurts.

I know it hurts.

Just hold on to me tight.

Hold on to me.

Am I gonna die? You're not gonna die.

I'm gonna fix ya.

Can I get some help right here?

I got a boy here.

I got a boy here.

I got a boy here.

And I got officers

I can't even get to.

It hurts.

I got you, boy.

I got you, boy.

I got you. I got you. I'm gonna get

you a doctor. Gonna get you a doctor.

Hang on. Hang on.

Can I have some water? Shh.

In a second. In a second.

I'm just so thirsty.

Why am I so thirsty?

Shh. Shh.

Hang on, boy.

Hang on, boy.

Hang on, boy.

Hang on. Hang on.

There we go. There we go.

There we go.

Shh.

You love god, don't you, Daniel?

Hmm?

Yes.

There we go.

I'm scared.

I know you are.

But you love god,

and god loves you.

You understand?

Jesus loves you, son.

You're not dying.

You're not dying.

You're not dying.

You're not...

You're not dying.

You know

they shoot deserters, don't you?

Well, they shoot everybody

around here anyway.

It don't seem to make no difference

where the bullet come from.

And you're stealing a mule.

You know, we can bury him

proper right here, newt.

We don't have to leave him.

Nah, he's going home, Jasper.

It's where he belongs.

Here.

Take my hardtack too.

It's a long trip.

Appreciate it.

He died with honor, newt.

No, will.

He just died.

I tried

to save him, Annie. I...

I did everything I could.

He... he...

It ain't your fault.

You didn't start

this war, did you?

Or drag him out of here.

He's my boy.

Daniel.

Oh, my boy.

Dan...

Dan...

They hung three deserters

down in Perry.

Didn't put 'em back in the army.

Just hung 'em.

Yeah, I got a leave.

No, you didn't.

A good mama deserves

to see her son again.

Hmm.

She don't deserve

to see him like that.

No.

No, she don't.

"If I go up

to the heavens, you are there.

If I make my bed

in the depths, you are there.

Even in the darkness,

will not be dark to you.

The night will shine like day,

the darkness is as light to you.

- It is you who hath

possessed my reign.

And it is you who hath covered me in...

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