gentlemen.
major, this is not an adequate map.
a useful place for our maps.
my harrier. join us, colonel.
gentlemen, celebration is premature. we have a difficult campaign ahead of us. we are in predominately hostile country and we cannot rely on forage. as we move north, the bulk of our supplies will reach us by sea, through charleston, which will give us a long and vulnerable supply line, one that can only be secured if the locals are loyal to the crown.
nonetheless, we must remember that this is a civil war.
these colonials are our brethren and when this conflict is over, we will be reestablishing commerce with them. surrendering troops will be given quarter and unwarranted assaults on civilians will cease.
i expect this war to be fought in a vigorous but civilized manner.
have i made myself clear, gentlemen?
why am i here, colonel halbert?
why, after six weeks, are we still here to attend a ball. by now, we should be attending balls in north carolina, not south carolina.
excellent guess, major.
and what, praytell, is this?
it's a horse blanket. first my personal baggage, then half the bridges and ferries between here and charleston burned, a dozen convoys attacked. colonel, if you can't secure our supply line against militia, how do you expect to do so against colonial regulars or the french when they come?
how impolite. and who leads these clever, secretive fellows?
colonel, i'm a civilized man but i'm finding to difficult to remain civil. secure my supply line.
fine animals, a gift from his majesty. dead now, for all i know.
yes, we have learned.
it's the weight of command and the lot of a widower -- memories, loneliness.  .  and long gazes at the moon.
colonel tarleton, you deal with these damned rebels.
it seems our swamp fox wants to have a formal parley.
most certainly. arrange it.
jupiter! mars!
my boys.  my boys.  you seem to have been well fed. thank you for that, colonel.
please forgive me for keeping you waiting.
thank you, colonel.  i'm afraid i don't know your name.
as you wish.
colonel.  colonel banastre tarleton.
let us. unless you object, i would like to deem this meeting a formal negotiation and, as such, there are certain customary practices. perhaps i could explain them to you.
oh?
oh. very well, then. would you, as the initiating party, like to begin?
you are familiar with how these things are done. in fact, i would like to claim aggrieved status.
first, you have in your possession certain belongings of mine, including clothing, private papers, furniture and personal effects of a non-military nature which i would like to have returned to me.
thank you.
apology accepted. now, on the matter of the specific targeting of officers during engagements, this is absolutely unacceptable.
certainly you must know that in civilized warfare, officers in the field must not be accorded inappropriate levels of hostile attention.
colonel, imagine the utter chaos that would result from un-led armies having at each other. there must be gentlemen in command to lead and, when appropriate, restrain their men.
that is a separate issue.
i beg to differ. one is a command decision on your part. the other represents nothing more than the occasional over-exuberance of field officers attempting to carry out their duty in difficult circumstances.
very well, let us move on to.
sir?
i do have eighteen criminals under sentence of death, but i hold no prisoners-of-war.
what officers?
their names, ranks and posts?
you are not a gentleman.
arrange the exchange.
jupiter! mars!
this fox believes himself clever. we shall see.
from general clinton in new york.  ".  your request to move north is denied until you have properly dealt with your militia problem." he underlined, 'militia'. "you have spent over six months dealing with a six-week problem. it is essential that you quell the militia" underlined again. ".  insurgency, particularly because of the likely move south of washington and the inevitable arrival of the french. militia, as you have so often pointed out, is not worth the attention of a significant army, hence it is mystifying why militia has bedeviled you for so long"
".  it is my fervent hope that the vigor of your campaign comes to match the vigor of your correspondence with your parliamentary and court patrons. only then might you share in the victory, on the verge of which i now stand." "your guardedly respectful commander, general sir george clinton."
if i fail, you fail.
and if i triumph, you triumph.
how can we end this madness?
civility is a secondary virtue. it is superseded by duty.
call a general staff meeting.
do you see that, colonel?
fix bayonets.  dispatch the green dragoons.