THE PATRIOT

Martin salutes Cornwallis who doesn't return the salute.

THEN MARTIN TURNS TO TAVINGTON.  He walks up to him and

looks him in the eye.

                         MARTIN

          You don't remember me, do you?

Tavington examines Martin's face, finding him familiar,

but unable to place him... then Tavington remembers...

                         TAVINGTON

          Ah, yes, that boy.

Tavington calmly holds Martin's glare.

                         TAVINGTON

          Ugly business, doing one's duty.

                         MARTIN

          Yes, ugly business, doing one's

          duty.

Martin takes a step closer to Tavington, then speaks very

softly, very slowly, very clearly.

                         MARTIN

          If you are alive when this war is

          over, I'm going to kill you.

Martin locks his eyes on Tavington to make it perfectly

clear that he means what he says.  Tavington tries to

cover his reaction but it's apparent that he's taken aback

by Martin's icy words.

Martin turns and walks out.  The two Great Danes start to

follow, but Cornwallis SNAPS A COMMAND:

                         CORNWALLIS

          Jupiter!  Mars!

THE DOGS FREEZE, looking after Martin, who doesn't turn

back.  The dogs reluctantly sidle over to Cornwallis'

side.

EXT.  ASSEMBLY YARD - FORT CAROLINA - DAY

Redcoats glare at Martin who sits, mounted, waiting.  His

eighteen men are led out of the prison blockhouse and

directed to waiting horses.  Surprised to be freed, they

mount up.

CORNWALLIS AND TAVINGTON step out onto the front porch of

Cornwallis' headquarters and watch as Martin and his men

ride toward the gate.

THE TWO GREAT DANES, watch Martin from Cornwallis' side.

Cornwallis motions to the Redcoat Sentries to OPEN THE

GATES.  They do so and Martin and his men, without

hurrying, ride out.

Then, just as the gates are closing behind him, Martin,

without turning around, lets loose with a PIERCING

WHISTLE...

THE TWO GREAT DANES INSTANTLY RACE AFTER MARTIN, making it

through the gates just as they're closing.

CORNWALLIS, seeing his dogs run after Martin, SPUTTERS,

then turns and storms back into his quarters.

TAVINGTON, still off-balance from Martin's parting

statement, watches Martin ride away.  Then he turns to

Major Wilkins who stands nearby.

                         TAVINGTON

          Take a detachment and go get our

          officers.

Wilkins hurries off.

EXT.  HILLSIDE CLEARING - ABOVE FORT CAROLINA - DAY

Major Wilkins and a detachment of Green Dragoons ride up

the wooded slope toward the bound Redcoat officers that

Cornwallis saw through the spyglass.  As the Dragoons ride

out of the trees into the clearing they stop dead, seeing

that:

THE "REDCOAT OFFICERS" are not real -- they're nothing

more than SCARECROWS IN REDCOAT UNIFORMS.  There's no sign

of Martin or his men.

INT.  CORNWALLIS' HEADQUARTERS - FORT CAROLINA - DAY

CLOSE SHOT:  One of the "Redcoat Officers," stuffed with

straw is thrown onto Cornwallis' desk by Tavington.

Cornwallis looks at the scarecrow, then turns to

Tavington.

                         CORNWALLIS

          This fox believes himself clever.

Cornwallis grows eerily calm and turns to Tavington.

                         CORNWALLIS

          Colonel, how can we end this

          madness?

                         TAVINGTON

          Difficult, sir.  This is, as you

          pointed out, a civil war.

Cornwallis takes a moment, then speaks simply.

                         CORNWALLIS

          Civility is a secondary virtue.  It

          is superseded by duty.

                         TAVINGTON

          I understand, sir.

Tavington smiles grimly and strides out.

EXT.  FRESH WATER PLANTATION - DAY

Tavington and Wilkins wait while Green Dragoons and

Loyalist militia search the remains of Martin's house and

barn.  Gaskins, filthy from the ashes, walks up to

Tavington.

                         GASKINS

          Nothing.

                         WILKINS

          No one's been here for months.

                         TAVINGTON

          But now we have a name for our

          Colonel... Benjamin Martin.  And with

          a name will come a family.

EXT.  CHARLOTTE'S PLANTATION HOUSE - NIGHT

A thick ground fog surrounds Charlotte's house.  The soft

lights of candles glow in the windows.  All appears

peaceful.

Then, the SHADOWED FIGURES of THREE DOZEN GREEN DRAGOONS

appear out of the mist, silently approaching the house on

foot.

INT.  CHARLOTTE'S PLANTATION HOUSE - NIGHT

A fire crackles in the fireplace.  A curtain blows in the

open window.  THE DOOR BURSTS OPEN.  WINDOWS BREAK.  Green

Dragoons pour into the house, muskets brandished.  No sign

of occupants.  Tavington and Wilkins stride in.

                         TAVINGTON

          UPSTAIRS!

The Dragoons THUNDER UP THE STAIRS... Tavington watches

the search... the parlor... nothing... The kitchen... food

is cooking...

The dining room... the table is set, half-eaten food is on

the plates, abandoned in mid-meal.  TAVINGTON WALKS INTO

THE DINING ROOM, touches some of the food, gauging its

warmth.

                         TAVINGTON

          They can't be far.  Check the

          outbuildings and the woods.

The Dragoons race outside.

EXT.  CHARLOTTE'S PLANTATION HOUSE - NIGHT

A TORCH BURNS.  A dozen Dragoons light torches off of it

and fan out to search.  The thick fog turns the torches

into diffused, floating balls of light, turning the

Dragoons into ghost-like apparitions.

CAMERA FOLLOWS ONE OF THE TORCHES, carried by a

particularly rough-looking Dragoon who skirts the edge of

the underbrush closest to the house.  As the torch moves,

its flame sends long shadows and shafts of light into the

underbrush...

In the brush, TWO FACES, GABRIEL AND CHARLOTTE, dark,

motionless, watching the search.  Behind them, MARTIN'S

OTHER CHILDREN, Nathan, Samuel, Margaret, William and

Susan...

Around them, SEVERAL MORE OF MARTIN'S MEN, weapons ready.

                         NATHAN

          Gabriel, where is father?

                         GABRIEL

          Sshhhh...

AT THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE, the torches converge,

illuminating Tavington who gives the unheard order.  The

torches fan out and begin SETTING FIRE TO THE HOUSE, BARNS

AND OUTBUILDINGS.

MARGARET grips Charlotte's arm.  The rough-looking Dragoon

gets closer, about to discover them... Nathan, looking the

other way, doesn't notice, being more concerned with:

                         NATHAN

          Gabriel, where is father...?

SUSAN'S EYES GROW WIDER... the others notice, turning

their heads to see what she sees, which is:

MARTIN

A hundred yards away, on his rearing horse, lit by the

flickering light of the burning house, surrounded by a

dozen of his men.  Martin FIRES HIS PISTOL into the air,

drawing the attention of the Green Dragoons.

Several Dragoons FIRE, missing their marks.  The others,

including Tavington, race to their horses and mount up,

giving chase as Martin and his men, turn their mounts and

GALLOP OFF.

IN THE UNDERBRUSH, Charlotte, Gabriel, the children and

the handful of Martin's men watch as Martin draws off the

Green Dragoons.  Then, Gabriel motions and they all ease

back, disappearing into the brush.

EXT.  SHANTY TOWN - NIGHT

A compound of rude shacks, built of scraps of lumber and

rough-hewn logs, stands on the side of the Magpie River.

Martin's men wait with the children while Charlotte and

Gabriel, flanked by Aaron and Abigail talk with several

stern-looking, middle-aged, black FREEDMEN.

Joshua looks on, a shattered man, now with one arm and a

terrible facial scar.  He wears the remnants of a British

army field jacket.

The conversation, which is out of the children's earshot,

is testy, with one of the middle-aged freedmen

particularly troubled.

Martin's stone-faced children look around, appraising

their surroundings, registering the poverty of the shanty

town.

THE DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE GROWN-UPS ends with a guarded

exchange of handshakes.  Gabriel, Charlotte, Aaron and

Abigail rejoin the children and Martin's men.

                         GABRIEL

          It's all set.

They follow Aaron, down an alley to A SHACK.  Small.

Barely standing.  The children stop in their tracks,

knowing this is to be their new home.

Charlotte sees their hesitation.  She walks up to the

little structure, examining it with a critical eye.  She

looks in the doorway, seeing a single room, a dirt floor,

wax-paper instead of glass in the windows, a rude,

chimney-less fire-pit against the back wall.  She smiles.

                         CHARLOTTE

          This will do very well.

She turns to Aaron and Abigail.

                         CHARLOTTE

          Thank you.

Charlotte walks inside without looking back.  The children

hesitate, then follow her inside.

INT.  SHACK - SHANTY TOWN - NIGHT

The children help Aaron and Abigail make beds out of

armloads of hay.  OUTSIDE, Charlotte and Gabriel talk

quietly.

                         CHARLOTTE

          It's him, the one they talk about,

          the Swamp Fox.

                         GABRIEL

          Yes.

                         CHARLOTTE

          I knew... the bits and pieces we

          heard, a veteran, fought in the

          French and Indian War, knows the

          swamps, it had to be him.

                         GABRIEL

          They won't stop looking for you and

          the children.

                         CHARLOTTE

          We'll be alright, here, for now.

                  (beat)

          How is he?

Gabriel searches for an honest answer.

                         GABRIEL

          I don't know... I'm his son.

Gabriel steps over to his saddlebags, opens his pack and

pulls out a stack of letters which he hands to Charlotte.

                         GABRIEL

          These are for you and the children.

They sense someone behind them.

                         SUSAN

          Why didn't father come?

Gabriel is astonished to hear words coming from his

heretofore silent sister.  Charlotte nods, smiling.

                         CHARLOTTE

          Speaking for months now.

                         SUSAN

          Why didn't he come?

                         GABRIEL

          He wanted to, Susan, but he couldn't

          leave his men.

                         SUSAN

          He left us.

                         GABRIEL

          I know he did and he's sorry.  He'll

          come back as soon as he can.

Susan says nothing.  Gabriel continues, hopefully.

                         GABRIEL

          There are some letters here from

          him.  Some are just to you.

                         SUSAN

          I don't care.  I hate him.

                         GABRIEL

          You don't hate him.

                         SUSAN

          Yes, I do.

Gabriel kneels down and embraces her.

                         GABRIEL

          Oh, Susan...

She stands coldly with her arms at her sides.

                         SUSAN

          I hate him and I hope he never comes

          back.

EXT.  SMALL FARMHOUSE - SUNSET

Tavington lounges in the grass on a slope in front of a

farmhouse, looking out at a lovely sunset, absentmindedly

picking at the petals of some wildflowers.  A HIDEOUS

SCREAM pierces the calm.

Tavington analytically evaluates the tenor of the scream,

then rises, passing several Green Dragoons who wait with

their horses in front of the farmhouse.

                         TAVINGTON

          I believe they are almost ready.

IN THE FARMHOUSE

Blood is smeared on one wall, where half-a-dozen corpses

lie in a jumbles mass on the floor.

In the parlor, Tavington walks past more bodies, including

a dead woman who lie protectively but ineffectually over

the bloody bodies of her two young children, both under

eight-years-old.

In the kitchen, Tavington finds Wilkins and some Green

Dragoons.

Rob Fielding, one of the craftsmen in Martin's force, is

tied, spread-eagle to the table, showing the terrible

effects of PROTRACTED TORTURE.  Wilkins is apologetic as

Tavington walks into the room.

                         WILKINS

          I'm sorry, sir.  He died.

Tavington sighs, irritated.

                         TAVINGTON

          Very well, get one of the others.

Several Green Dragoons step into an attached woodshed

where Billings sits, bound.  They roughly grab him and

drag him into the kitchen.

                         BILLINGS

          Damn your eyes.  Do your worst.

                         TAVINGTON

          I intend to.

They tie Billings to the table.

EXT.  MARTIN'S ENCAMPMENT - DAY

An astonished Martin talks to Gabriel.

                         MARTIN

          She talked?  Susan talked?

                         GABRIEL

          Full sentences.  As if she had been

          speaking all along.

                         MARTIN

          And I wasn't there for it...

The cloud passes quickly.

                         MARTIN

          Tell me everything she said, word

          for word.

Gabriel hesitates.

                         GABRIEL

          She said... she loves you and misses

          you but she understands why you

          can't be there with her.

                         MARTIN

          She said that?  Oh, my Lord, she said

          that?

Gabriel nods.

                         MARTIN

          Isn't that something.

Martin shakes his head at the thought, smiling to himself.

Gabriel, uncomfortable with the lie.  They turn as REV.

OLIVER GALLOPS up, reins back his lathered horse and

speaks to them without dismounting.

                         REV. OLIVER

          Billings and Rob Fielding are dead,

          tortured, Tavington has a list of

          our men, most are on it.  A regiment

          of dragoons is going to the homes on

          the list, burning them, killing

          whomever resists, women and

          children, as well.

                         MARTIN

          Where?

                         REV. OLIVER

          Seven homes along the Black River so

          far...

Rollins hears and doesn't pause.  He rushes to his horse,

mounts up and rides off.  Martin and the other men mount

up and ride off fast after him.

EXT.  BLACK RIVER ROAD - DAY

Martin and his brigade catch up to Rollins and ride on

with him.

EXT.  ROLLINS' FARM - DAY

The small farm.  Very rudimentary.  The house smolders.

No sign of life.  Gabriel, Occam and a few other men

warily ride the perimeter of the cleared area around the

house.