The Patriot Page #22

MARION:

That's right.

GABRIEL:

That's not enough. Tell me.

MARION:

Your mother asked me the same

question around the time you were

born. I was drunk and I was foolish

enough to answer her.

Marion shakes his head to himself.

MARION:

That's why it was four years between

you and Thomas. It took me that

long to regain her respect.

GABRIEL:

I'm not my mother. I can't have the

respect without the knowing.

Marion's quiet for a moment. Then he speaks:

MARION:

It was in '63. It was a bad time.

The French and the Cherokee had

raided along the Blue Ridge. All

the English settlers took refuge at

Fort Wilderness but the French

captured it. We were sent in

relief. Harry Lee, Billings, sixty

of us. We already had something of

a reputation for being... harsh.

When we got there the fort was

abandoned. Not a French soldier or

Cherokee anywhere. They had left a

week earlier. What we found was...

bad.

Marion grows quieter with the memory of how bad.

MARION:

They had left the settlers there.

The men had been burned alive, the

women were in pieces and the

children were on stakes.

Marion's silent for a moment.

MARION:

We buried them, then we went to

track. It was a cold trail and they

were moving fast. We went faster.

We caught up to them at Kentucky

Ford.

GABRIEL:

Go on.

MARION:

We took our time with them and gave

every one of them worse than they

had given at the fort. It was two

weeks before they were all dead, all

except two. We put the heads on a

pallet and had the two we let live

take it to the French at Fort

Ambercon.

(beat)

The eyes, fingers and tongues we put

in a basket and sent that down the

Asheulot to the Cherokee.

(beat)

The French stayed east of the Blue

Ridge after that and the Cherokee

broke their treaty with the French

and stayed out of the fight.

(beat)

That seemed to make a difference.

The war went another year, things

went better... and men bought us

drinks.

Gabriel is silent. Marion looks at him closely.

MARION:

It was a different time, son. And

you're a better man than that.

GABRIEL:

I see, do as I say, not as I do.

MARION:

Yes.

They hear HORSES HOOVES. Abner rides in from the opposite

side of the village from the church, not having seen the

results of the massacre. Excited, he dismounts.

ABNER:

THEY'RE HERE! CONTINENTALS, THEY'RE

HERE!

Marion and Gabriel just look at him. Abner is confused by

their reaction. Then he sees the remains of the church

and the laid out, charred bodies.

EXT. PATRIOT ENCAMPMENT - NIGHT

Mixed gatherings of Marion's militia and Continentals are

clustered around the campfires, with more Continentals

arriving all the time.

Some of the militiamen and regulars regale each other with

tales of their exploits but most are grim and tired,

talking quietly.

A couple of Patriots play a MELANCHOLY TUNE ON FIFE AND

VIOLIN.

Marion's tent is set up but he's nowhere to be seen.

Gabriel walks to Marion's gear. Finding Marion's weapon's

belt he opens one of the bullet pouches and finds the

paint-flecked MUSKET BALLS MADE FROM THOMAS' LEAD

SOLDIERS. As Gabriel takes one, Marion steps up behind

him.

MARION:

If this war is about more than

Thomas, it's about more than Anne,

as well. Stay the course.

GABRIEL:

As you did at Fort Wilderness?

Before Marion can answer they see HARRY LEE RIDE UP TO

THEM. He dismounts, excited, voluble. He strides over,

pleased to see Marion, oblivious to his and Gabriel's

mood.

LEE:

Look at you! I knew you could do

it!

Lee laughs, picks up a bottle and takes a big pull.

LEE:

We have a chance! Better than a

chance! Cornwallis is running to

the Chesapeake, probably to meet his

fleet at Yorktown. I wish I could

see his face when he sees a dozen

French ships floating there. And

Washington should be a day or two

behind him.

(beat)

And on top of everything, I have a

son! Born last month in Alexandria.

Gabriel rises and walks away. Lee finally tunes into the

pall hanging over Marion and the just departed Gabriel.

He turns to Marion.

MARION:

His wife was killed yesterday. She

was with child.

LEE:

I'm sorry, I didn't know.

Marion nods. They stand in silence. Lee hands Marion the

bottle. He takes a drink.

EXT. ENCAMPMENT - NIGHT

Dark. Quiet. Sentries are on duty. Marion's tent glows

from a single candle. He blows the candle out, then steps

out of the tent into the night.

He begins his nightly walk of the perimeter.

Almost immediately, Marion notices something amiss.

Dalton has discovered it at the same time and hurries over

to Marion.

AT ONE OF THE CAMPSITES

Marion and Dalton and several of the other men look down

at some empty bedrolls.

DALTON:

Gabriel and at least a dozen others.

They must have left right after the

watch change.

MARION:

That means they have two hours on

us.

Marion strides to his horse. The other men follow him.

EXT. WOODED ROAD - NIGHT

Marion, Dalton and Rev. Oliver and two dozen other men

ride.

EXT. WOODED ROAD - NIGHT

Dark. Very quiet. A moonless night. Marion and his men,

on foot, make their way along the side of the river.

Brother Joseph hurries out of the darkness and speaks to

Marion.

BROTHER JOSEPH:

Fifty Green Dragoons, camped about a

quarter mile from here. Sentries at

four points.

Suddenly they hear the SOUNDS OF MUSKETS FIRE ahead of

them in the darkness. Marion takes off at a full run with

his men right behind.

EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF GREEN DRAGOON ENCAMPMENT - NIGHT

Marion and his men BLAST THROUGH THE BRUSH. Running

toward the SOUNDS OF THE BATTLE, which grows louder with

every step...

Marion c*cks his pistol and extracts his tomahawk on the

run...

The LIGHTS OF THE BATTLE: The STROBES OF THE MUSKET SHOTS

illuminate the woods ahead of them...

Moving fast, they PASS TWO DEAD BRITISH SENTRIES, without

slowing down...

THEY BLAST OUT OF THE WOODS into...

THE CLEARING, seeing a tableau of TOTAL CHAOS:

Half-dressed GREEN DRAGOONS in formation FIRE IN

VOLLEYS...

Running men. Scattered MUSKET FIRE.

The strobes of the muskets illuminate RUNNING MEN and

other men in HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT.

WILKINS IS IN COMMAND. Tarleton is nowhere to be seen.

Gabriel and Abner, both slightly wounded, fight a

desperate holding action...

On the other side of the clearing, a square of Dragoons

forms near Wilkins.

WILKINS:

FIRE!

The DRAGOONS FIRE A MASSED VOLLEY, hitting Gabriel, Abner

and several other Patriots.

GABRIEL, BADLY WOUNDED, falls to his knees...

The Dragoons pull their pistols about to fire again.

Marion and his men OPEN FIRE...

Staggering them...

Marion sees Wilkins about to fire at Gabriel...

Marion runs...

Sees another Redcoat about to fire at Gabriel...

MARION KILLS HIM with a pistol shot.

Wilkins c*cks his flintlock pistol, aims at Gabriel...

MARION'S ABOUT TO THROW HIS TOMAHAWK... TOO LATE...

WILKINS FIRES... HITTING GABRIEL WHO FLIES BACKWARD...

Marion THROWS THE TOMAHAWK, sinking it into Wilkins'

chest...

The rest of Marion's men thunder into the Dragoons...

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