Dear Mr. Inman,
I began by counting the days,
then the months.
I don't count on anything anymore except the hope that you will return,
and the silent fear that in the years since we saw each other,
this war, this awful war, will have changed us both beyond all reckoning.
This poor boy's from Alabama,
- He's a long way from home, - Thank you,
why don't them Yanks just attack?
Got any shirts, son?
It's Mo Oakley's boy,
Can't be old enough to fight, can he?
- Good morning, - Morning, son,
Got some boots and jackets, You want one?
- Here, You want that? - Thanks,
I hope these boots can hold up for 400 miles,
'cause they're taking me back to Cold Mountain,
I think now on the fleeting moments between us
and wish I could repair them.
My awkward nature, the things left unsaid.
All right, that's it,
Enough powder here to blow a hole in the sky,
Yeah, a real Yankee good mornin',
That old book of yours is in shreds,
Same as us, Seen too much war,
Hey, Oakley, Don't worry, son, Them Yankee boys keep store hours,
They ain't open yet,
Close it up,
- Hey, where'd you come from? - Hey, that's fresh breakfast,
- He's mine, Butcher, - Hey! Hey! Get away!
- Hey, I saw him first, - Come on!
- I saw it first! - That's my rabbit! That's my rabbit!
Get your paws off my rabbit! Get your paws off my rabbit!
when I came with my father to the town of Cold Mountain,
I was so shy of how I looked,
so out of place.
But did you know how happy I was to escape from Charleston,
from a world of slaves and corsets and cotton?
what do you fools think you'll be fightin' for?
- The South? - I call this nail Northern Aggression,
- Damn right, - I call this nail the Yankee Skulls,
last time I checked, the South was a direction,
Never figured you for a lincoln lover, JT,
I tell you, as soon as I finish this chapel,
I'm gonna go off and kill me some Yankees,
Piss and vinegar,
Fightin' for a rich man's slave, that's what,
whoa, here comes the minister,
Ben, thank you, will you assist my daughter?
lord have mercy, look at that bonnet,
look what's in it,
Oakley, hand me the hammer, boy,
That's a true Southern belle,
- Mr, Swanger! Good morning to you, - Morning, Reverend,
Esco, you remember my daughter, Ada,
- Miss Monroe, - Good morning,
- Morning, - Morning,
- Excellent progress, - Morning,
- Mrs, Swanger, Mrs, Castlereagh, - Morning, Reverend,
Now, if y'all will excuse me,
In Charleston, my congregation would still be disputing the size of the windows,
It's a chapel,
Miss Monroe, I was just thinkin' about you,
Cold Mountain must feel like the end of the world,
Not at all,
- It's very beautiful, - well, you put us all to shame,
Men up here had a bearing on what they thought a woman was,
- and then you showed up, - Oh...
- No, I doubt that, - Oh, believe me,
If you was to say a word to one of these fools, I could get my top field cleared,
- Any one? - No, um...
Him in particular,
Up in the rafters,
won't normally say boo to a goose,
He's been pressin' me since the day you arrived here,
- Your top field cleared? - That's right,
Good morning, I'm Ada Monroe,
Inman,
wP Inman,
Repeatin' a thing doesn't improve it,
People call me Inman,
How 'bout that? Inman speaks,
If you were to take a glass of cider, your friends might stop staring,
Inman,
You're just jealous, I'm gonna take her for a walk at Bishop's Creek,
- Billy, is this frame flush? - Thank you,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Thank you, yeah, right,
Richie, I seen your house, There ain't a square angle anywhere near it,
And what do you do?
I work wood,
Hunt,
Mostly work wood,
Clear fields?
I can clear a field,
was there something in particular you wished to say to me?
Not that comes to me,
I'll say thank you... for the cider,
Move back! Go back! Move back!
Go back! Go back!
They're trapped in the wrong damn crater, whole plan backfired on 'em,
Send them Yanks straight to hell,
- Hold it, hold it, - let's go, Turn it around,
Damn fools dug their own grave,
we've got 'em now, boys,
- It's a turkey shoot, - what?
It's a turkey shoot, They've run themselves into a hole,
Hell's busted,
Oakley!
- Inman! Inman! - Oakley!
Oakley!
- Inman! - Come on,
Inman,
- I've got you,
I got a few,
- You saw? - I saw,
Am I gonna die?
Your folks can be real proud of you,
Son, this fellow says he'll play whatever you want,
what about Bonaparte's Retreat? That's one I play,
No, Play me somethin' sweet,
like a girl's waiting for me,
- You heard him, - I only know a couple of tunes,
like when you're at Bishop's Creek...
and you're thirsty...
and the water's so cool,
I don't know what music that is,
I'm reachin' Cold Mountain before you,
Good morning, Sally,
- well, that's a fine-sounding thing, - Oh...
My piano,
Oh, I've been missing it,
Thank you, by the way, Inman's in my top field clearing his debt,
Oh, dear,
And then he had nothing to say,
He was happy,
Really?
Are men so different in Charleston?
Men?
I don't know,
If you're sayin' you might like him, why not go over and say good mornin'?
I should be gettin' along,
walk on, quickly,
Come on, walk on, Slowly,
walk on,
My dear daughter, Ada,
who's given up so much for so long to help me in my ministry, and upon whom I rely,
Friends, we are both very happy to have this opportunity tonight...
to thank you from our hearts...
for your kind welcome and, most of all, such a fine chapel,
So...
...thank you, and God bless you,
Our house is always open to any of you at any time,
welcome,
Esco?
That gentleman - he help build the chapel?
Him? No, that's Teague,
At one time the Teague family owned the whole of Cold Mountain,
My farm, your farm, it all belonged to his grandpappy,
Teague wanted this place bad, and you got it,
And he's here sniffin' out an advantage,
There's no advantage here, except to celebrate a job well done,
And that is a good thing in these troubled times,
- Miss Monroe, - Thank you,
- were you never planning to come inside? - I'm wetter than a fish,
- There's a good fire going, - I'm all right,
You're always carrying a tray,
I was going to take some root beer over to the Negroes,
Somebody said you were enlisting,
- Are you? - If there is a war, we'll all fight,
- Did you get a picture made? - Say again?
A tintype, with your musket and your courage on display,
You're laughin' at me,
I don't know you,
This doesn't come out right,
If it were enough just to stand, without the words...
It is,
You... look,
look, look at the sky now, what color is it?
Or the way... a hawk flies?
Or you wake up...
and your ribs are bruised thinking so hard on somebody,
what do you call that?
I'll do that,
I can't get much wetter,
what if you are killed, and I'll never see you again?
You said after a few years I would barely remember your name.
Oh, Inman.
It is more than three years, and I remember your name.
Soldiers, Don't get up,
You are mentioned tonight in my report,
You men from Cold Mountain have once again been heroes for the cause,
There are Yankees in that stand of trees between us, stuck there from the retreat,
If they stay there, tomorrow mornin' they can shoot us down for sport.
Go around,
- It's a Reb!
How many of them are there?
I think there's five,
Under the trees,
- we got 'em, - let's go, let's go,
Butcher's down,
leave him, leave him, He's gone, let's go,
Go, go! Go! Run!
- Go! Go! Go! - Hold your fire!
what's over by them trees?
It's us! It's us!
I said hold your fire! Hold your fire,
leave him, leave him,
Agh!
Inman'll get it.
Supposed to bring good luck, a bird caught in a room,
I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, She'll just be a few seconds,
- Mr, Inman, - Reverend,
- what can I do for you? - I have some sheet music,
It belonged to my father, No use to me,
Thank you,
- You must come in, - I should probably get along,
Mr, Inman is more comfortable outdoors,
Perhaps we might... perhaps we might take a walk,
A splendid idea,
let me just get your hat,
I dragged my poor daughter 400 miles from Charleston to Cold Mountain
because my doctors, they've been sayin' my chest is weak,
So the air's supposed to do me good,
But it's the view I think heals,
It's what people say we're fightin' for, To keep it that way,
I have no plans to preach war in my church, Mr, Inman,
I imagine God is weary of being called down on both sides of an argument,
I imagine God is,
Thank you,
Now, your father played the piano, did he?
That's right, He was a teacher,
And is your father living, Mr, Inman?
- He is not, - And your mother?
No, sir, She died when I was born,
- Secession, - North Carolina left the Union,
for I don't care to stay here long
- we got our war! - whoo-hoo!
we got our war! we got it! we got it! It's about time,
whoo!
- All right! - Inman! Inman!
Ready to fight, son, ready to fight,
whoo!
we got our war, man,
well, you have your war,
Ada,
It's a great day for North Carolina,
Those who follow lincoln or preach abolition...
you best keep one eye open when you're sleepin',
Ol' boogeyman might get you,
Are you the law all of a sudden, Mr, Teague?
That's right, son,
Home Guard for Haywood County, And I'm the law from today,
Y'all go fight now, we'll watch over your sweethearts,
Hey, Teague, why ain't you fightin'?
'Cause he's too old,
- Yeah!
You might be safer back in Charleston,
- But then who'll be waiting for you? - Three cheers for North Carolina!
- All right, - Three cheers for the South!
Hip hip hurrah!
Inman, It belongs to Inman,
I got it, He's here,
They found that book you been worryin' about, soldier,
wait,
I found you this book to take with you,
william Bartram,
They tell me it's good,
I think he writes about these parts, the author, so...
Thank you,
And this,
I'm not smiling in it,
I don't know how to do that,
hold a smile,
- Ada, - what?
- whoa! - He'll be back in a month,
Kiss her for me,
Come on, let's go,
I'll be waiting for you,
lookin' good, Butcher,
Bring home some Yankee scalps, Swimmer,
Yee-haw!
look out the window, ladies. See what these poor fools are dyin' for.
How many would still lose a leg for the rich man's slave?
Most of these soldiers'll be dead by morning, or if they're stubborn, by nightfall,
I've other men outside in the courtyard waitin' for beds,
so any kind word will be a blessin',
It's the heat, I'm sorry, They rot,
Pigeon River...
How are you, son?
Cold... Mountain...
I- I'm sorry,
- You want water? - Cold... Mountain,
Cold Mountain?
Cold Mountain,
Do you worry when there's no word from him? From Mr, Inman?
Yes,
But then I've tried countin' the number of words
which have passed between Mr, Inman and me - not very many,
But I think about him, Daddy, all the time,
I lost your mother after 22 months of marriage,
It was enough to fill a life,
That was the last of the ham,
- It was delicious, - I have to learn how to cook,
I was thinking of saying something in chapel,
Perhaps some of the womenfolk will volunteer,
I can't have people coming here and cooking for me,
I so...
I so regret...
I should have raised you less like a companion and more like a young woman,
I'm sorry, Ada, And for dragging you here,
I'm not sorry,
I would have followed you anywhere,
- To Mongolia, - Mongolia,
But with no one left to work this place, nothing to buy, nothing left to buy it with...
I just don't know how we're gonna get through another winter,
will you play me somethin'? Somethin' peaceful while I look over my sermon,
It's too damp out here, You should come inside,
No,
I like it,
Daddy, bring the tablecloth in,
Come inside before you drown,
You have a letter,
North Carolina,
It's come a long way,
It's not too recent,
It's written this past winter,
I'm afraid I can't read who it's from,
Dear Mr, Inman...
Since you've left, time has been measured out in bitter chapters.
last fall, my poor father died.
Our farm at Black Cove is abandoned.
Every house in these mountains touched by tragedy.
Each day the dread... of learning who has fallen...
who will not return from this terrible war.
And no word from you.
Are you alive?
I pray to God you are.
This war is lost on the battlefield
and is being lost twice over by those who stayed behind.
He ain't comin' back, you know that,
You must know that in your heart,
look at me,
- look at me,
I'm not nothin',
I'm still waiting, as I promised I would.
But I find myself alone and at the end of my wits...
too embarrassed to keep taking from those who can least afford to give.
Ada! It's Sally!
Ada!
look at the state of this place,
- well, set it on the porch,
She let them slaves go free, and now...
Poor soul, she's got nobody and nothin', and waitin' on a ghost,
Shoo!
Go away,
Devil!
My last thread of courage now is to put my faith in you...
and to believe I will see you again.
So now I say to you, plain as I can...
if you are fighting, stop fighting.
If you are marching, stop marching.
Come back to me,
Come back to me is my request,
Come back to me.
Come back to me is my request.
wounded men, don't stray from the hospital grounds,
Hey!
If they send us back to fight...
Hey, get your peanuts now, from the blind man,
- Hey, your hot goobers here, - It's a sad day,
Gettin' better, soldier?
Seems that way,
I wouldn't hurry,
The war's almost done, Don't need your help to lose it,
You got ten minutes now, boys, Ten minutes to get your haircuts and shaves,
I've been meanin' to ask you, where'd you take your wound?
Oh, before I was born,
Never set eyes on a thing in this world,
Not a tree, a gun or a woman, Put my hand on all three, though,
- what would you give for that? - Hm?
- To have your eyeballs for ten minutes, - Ten minutes?
I wouldn't give an Indian head cent,
- Might turn me hateful, - That's sure what seein's done to me,
No, that's not the way I meant it,
You said ten minutes,
It's havin' a thing and then the loss of it I'm talking about,
Then we don't agree, There's not much I wouldn't give for ten minutes of someplace,
Yeah, someplace... or someone,
You watch yourself, now,
They're shootin' men who take themselves a walk,
By order of Zebulon Vance,
governor of this great state of North Carolina,
any soldier turned deserter is guilty of treason,
and should be hunted down like a dog,
Any man who takes in a deserter is likewise guilty of treason,
The Home Guard is powered to enter any place it sees fit without notice or constraint,
Captain Teague needs more volunteers,
Any man whose age or infirmity prevents him from fightin' shall join us
to protect this county from Yankee raiders and traitors to the cause,
- Is there a letter for me? - Nothin',
we've been gettin' no post through at all, The sooner we lose this war the better,
They say not one boy in ten is comin' home to these mountains,
Teague and his rabble throwin' their weight around, They're worse than the Yankees,
Might I speak with you, please?
This was the Reverend Monroe's,
I don't know who would want a watch,
who can bear to look at the time?
I've got a little salt pork you can have,
Keep your daddy's watch,
Thank you,
I was talkin' to some of the other womenfolk
about maybe lookin' in on you at Black Cove, It's hard right now, but...
Oh, no, I manage very well, whatever the talk is,
I'm very grateful for the pork,
which I intend to pay for, of course,
Is everything all right?
Mm-hmm,
Ada,
why, Ada, you are skinny as a whippet, girl,
- You are comin' indoors with me, - No, I can't,
I don't...
I can't keep countin' on your kindness,
Now, come on, I'm makin' a stew,
we'd be proud to have you, Esco's gonna be wantin' his dinner,
I just wanna stop, I tell you, Yeah,
Sit on the porch with Sal, watch my boys in the fields,
holler Good job every hour or so,
That'll be a good day, when our boys get home,
what about your people in Charleston?
There are no people,
And there's no money,
My father had some bonds and investments,
They're worthless now, of course, The war...
They're not worth anything, I don't have anywhere else to go,
I don't wanna go,
- You're waiting on a feller, - Oh!
- look down our well... - Esco...
She should,
If you look down our well with a mirror, you'll see the future, It's what they say,
You do it, She does it,
what kind of mirror?
- we'll hold on to you, Esco, you hold on, - I got her,
- we got you, - Mm,
See anything?
- I don't know, - I tried many a time,
lookin' for a sign my boys were comin' home,
I never saw a dickey bird,
- Oh! - Are you all right? Ada?
what? what happened?
what'd you see? what'd you see?
Yesterday, I saw you walkin' back to me...
or thought I did.
I found myself crouching over Sally Swanger's well...
...like a madwoman staring into its secrets.
was it you I saw walking home to me, or was it your ghost?
After so long, I know I must learn to survive on my own
and accept you will not return.
And yet I cannot. I cannot.
Them cows wants milkin',
If that letter ain't urgent, them cows is is what I'm sayin',
I don't know you,
Old lady Swanger says you need help,
Here I am,
I... I need help but... I need... I do need help, but I need a laborer,
There's... there's plowing and rough work, I think there's been a misunderstanding,
what's that rake for?
- The rake? - well, it ain't for gardenin', that's for sure,
Number one, you got a horse? I can plow all day, I'm a worker,
Number two, ain't no man better'n me,
'cause there ain't no man around who ain't old or full of mischief,
- I know your plight, - My plight?
Am I hard to hear? 'Cause you keep repeatin' everything,
I ain't lookin' for money, I never cared for it and now it ain't worth nothin',
I expect to board and eat, at the same table,
- I ain't a servant, if you get my meanin', - You're not a servant,
People's gonna have to empty their own night jars is my point,
And I don't expect to work whilst you sit around and watch, neither,
Right,
Right, Is that a yes or a no?
There's a rooster, He's the devil, I'm sure of it,
I go near him and he is at me with his spurs,
He's lucifer himself,
- I despise a floggin' rooster,
Oh, no, I wouldn't...
My name's Ruby Thewes, I know your name,
let's put him in a pot,
Urgh!
You're my angel, my butterfly,
Come fly away,
My love...
God forgive me for doin' this,
I'm so sorry,
I'm sendin' you to a better place,
You go fly away,
Hey!
- Don't do that, - Don't pull that trigger, I'm a man of God,
- I killed several of them, - I mean I'm God's minister,
what part of God's business is throwin' a woman down a gorge?
A slave woman,
Can you see that in this light? Black as a bucket of tar,
- Is she dead? - No, I drugged her,
like you would a butterfly,
And I care for her, That's the heartbreak of it,
She's got my bastard in her belly,
Come on, Back up,
- I'm beggin' you, - Git,
It's better you blow out my brains than return me to this place,
You're gonna put her back where she sleeps,
I do that, the members will lynch me
for sirin' a bastard while servin' as their preacher, we're a strict congregation,
we've churched men for pickin' up a fiddle on the Sabbath,
So you reckon to kill her? what, because she's a slave?
I... um...
There's a back door, Have pity,
Thank you,
I was gonna do a grievous wrong,
I think I should go back up to my wife,
She wakes at the slightest noise,
Agh! Ohh...
where's some paper and a pencil?
- Hey, Ada! You up?
- Yes,
wha...? It's still dark,
Tell that to the cows, It's late,
You all set?
Oh, I-I just have to eat somethin',
well, then, you got to get up earlier, what's that?
A novel,
You wanna carry a book, carry one you can write in,
we got our own story, It's called Black Cove Farm: Catastrophe.
I can spell it, too, learned it the same place you did, in the schoolhouse,
One of the first words they taught me,
Ruby Thewes, you are a c-a-t-a-s-t-r-o-p-h-e,