Lightning flashing, thunder...
like the roll of cannon...
like some great battle was going on out there somewhere.
And then the room flashed...
daylight bright...
and you screamed.
And then another bolt of lightning splintered the window...
flashed across the room, hit the opposite wall.
And I turned to you...
and you were gone.
That's all I remember.
Scared me, Mary.
- But it was only a dream. - I know.
But when I have dreams like that, they almost always come true.
I took it as a sign...
a kind of warning...
that we shouldn't let things get too serious between us.
I was worried that...
if we did...
some harm would come to you.
Do you think you have some kind of psychic gift?
I don't know. Maybe.
Whatever it is, I just figured you'd be safe if I stayed away from you.
So that was it?
What made you change your mind?
Well, when a feller's in love, he don't hardly have much willpower.
Do you realize what you just said?
It just slipped out, I guess.
That night I took you upstairs...
I asked you if you liked bold girls.
You didn't answer.
The bolder the better.
Good.
Jonas...
promise me you'll never worry about that dream again.
I'll try.
On the way over here I rode through a nice little town down the road.
Hanover.
Saw a wonderful house there for sale, just right for a young couple.
Are we a couple?
I think you just proposed.
Damn it.
- Now we have to get married. - Oh, Jonas!
Good-bye.
Hay foot, hay foot, hay foot, straw foot, hay foot.
Fight fire right.
March!
Fight fire right.
March!
Right shoulder shift.
Men, if you never learn nothin' else, you're gonna learn to load your rifle.
Remove one paper cartridge from your cartridge box.
Observe one round of ball ammunition.
What we call a mini-ball is contained in the top part of your cartridge.
Powder is down in the paper right here.
You're gonna bite off the tail, like so...
place the cartridge in the muzzle so the powder goes down...
tamp it down snug with your rammer.
Do not forget to remove the rammer from the barrel.
Half-cock the hammer.
Take one cap from your pouch.
Place the cap right here on the nipple and push it home, so.
Now, don't you do this next step.
But when I full-cock the hammer, she's ready to fire.
You leave it right there on half-cock where it's safe.
Now we're gonna step over to the range...
where each one of you will get a chance to fire one round.
It's dangerous to move with a loaded weapon...
so carry it with the muzzle up.
- What's goin' on, Malachy? - It's a cockroach race.
- First one off the plate wins. - Who else wants to challenge the champ?
Come on, little men, let's gamble.
Three dollars is bet.
Whoa. Tiger says he can whip any cockroach in the army.
Got a half-dollar here that says my cockroach is faster than yours.
That's a bet, sonny.
- Where's the challenger? - Down by the guardhouse, trainin'.
I'll be back in a couple minutes.
Hey, Alvin, I need a match box.
I got more if you need 'em.
What I need is a plate.
What's wrong, James? Screamers?
- I gotta go to the sink. - What?
- The latrine! - Oh, the bog.
Heat this plate up and bring it to our tent. And hurry.
Here he is!
Come on. You've kept us waitin' long enough.
You ready?
He's still warmin' up.
Anybody got a plate?
Here.
Set it down, Mooney.
- What's wrong with the plate we got? - This is one ornery cockroach in here.
He'll fight on your plate, but if you want a race...
All right, all right, we'll do it your way.
On your mark, get set...
go!
Come on, Tiger! Come on!
Come on! You can move faster than that!
Come on, Tiger, you beautiful beast!
Come on, Tiger! All right!
What happened?
My money went up in smoke.
Tried to outfox me, did you, sonny?
Too bad for you.
Give me that. I'll take that. Who wants to try again?
Mooney, you are the most stupidest...
First you're late, then you overheat the...
Let's go. Let's gamble one more time.
James, what's the matter?
You got the screamers?
It's bad, Malachy. It's real bad.
Come on.
Do you happen to know Mr. Arbuthnot of Harper's Weekly?
This way, please, sir.
Mr. Geyser, I assume.
Pleased to meet you, Mr. Arbuthnot.
I'm correspondent for Harper's stationed here in Washington.
I understand you've joined the fold. Welcome, and what are you drinkin'?
Brandy.
I've been instructed by New York to give you this.
You'll find credentials, information on where and how to send your stuff...
nice little sheaf of expense money...
and that's about it.
Be a good feller and pick up the bill, huh?
Mr. Arbuthnot, is someone gonna show me the ropes?
Not me.
I don't know anything about covering a war.
No doubt you'll learn.
Look at that.
Another regiment arriving.
We must have 50,000 troops in this city.
Seventy-five thousand, and every one of 'em itchin' to fight.
Have you been reading the New York Tribune?
- On to Richmond. - Correct.
The Rebel congress meets in Richmond on the 20th.
We must be there to prevent it.
You're a bunch of fools, the whole lot of you.
- Really, Major. - Boasting about the troops you have.
I'll tell you how many you have... a handful.
The rest are 90-day enlistees.
They'll probably be on their way home before they learn how to fire a rifle.
I'll tell you what kind of army you have... an army of civilians.
Major, that's uncalled-for.
My men are soldiers, and they're ready.
What do you know? You're a civilian yourself.
- Another brandy. Make it two. - Yes, sir.
How long you been rich?
Since I became a war artist for Harper's Weekly.
Congratulations.
What about you? You goin' down to West Virginia to join McClellan?
No, they changed their mind. They seem to think McDowell needs me more.
McDowell? What's his command?
All the federal troops around Washington are under his command.
- I'm assigned to him as an army scout. - What kind of work is that?
Well, I ride ahead...
until I locate the enemy.
Then when I find 'em, I ask 'em what they're up to.
When they tell me, I ride back and I tell McDowell. Simple.
Could I ride with you?
I'm afraid not. An army scout has to be a loner.
Jonas, I have to cover the war. I don't know what to do.
Please, show me where it is.
All right. We'll ride south, and I guarantee you we'll find it.
May it be over soon.
We're lookin' for the Hale brothers.
Go down to the hospital tent. James took sick.
Where?
Evening, Captain.
We came to see James Hale. I'm his cousin.
- He's dying. - What are you doing for him?
It's some kind of galloping dysentery.
I've tried tartar emetic, ipecac and epsom salts. That's all I've got.
That's all I can do.
Excuse me.
Don't get up.
I'm glad you're here, John.
You too, Jonas.
It's me, Jake.
- Jake? - That's right, James.
Tell Mama to come upstairs.
Yeah.
Sure.
Right away.
Tell her...
Tell her I feel poorly.
Captain.
I'm mighty busy, Captain.
It's about Private James Hale. I'm his cousin.
Arrangements have been made.
How about letting one of his brothers escort the body?
They already shipped the body home. Forget it, men.
Nobody leaves camp. We move out tomorrow morning.
Down the Warrington Turnpike?
That's right, Captain.
Right through Fairfax Courthouse...
Centerville...
across Bull Run to Manassas...
on to Richmond.
Colonel Wade's shoutin' for you, sir.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
On to Richmond, hmm? Maybe.
General Beauregard is waiting right in here with 25,000 men.
General Johnson has 12,000 more Rebs waiting in here.
It'll be a fine old dust-up.
You see the stone bridge where the turnpike crosses Bull Run?
If I were an artist lookin' for a battle...
I'd start lookin' right here.
Looks peaceful enough.
It's probably mined.
Let's get some rest.
Army's got more campfires than the sky has stars.
Well, maybe it'll be a short war like everybody says.
What do you think? That psychic sense of yours told you anything?
I had a dream the night young James died, but...
I can't figure it.
Try it on me.
It's about an old lady.
She lived on a farm.
She was like that old lady who lived in a shoe.
Had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
Well, this old lady had more children than she could handle...
and the children began feudin' over who was gonna inherit the land.
They split into two sides.
A house divided against itself.
But you know, it's the rest of the dream I can't understand.
Somebody killed the old lady.
Everybody was accusin' everybody else.
Then I was in the dream...
and everybody was accusing me.
Then I was runnin'.
Runnin' through a forest of endless trees.
That's it?
Campfires are blinkin'.
What do you mean, blinkin'?
The men are passing back and forth in front of them. The army's stirrin'.
I'd better get over there.
Only three hours till daybreak. Better use it to sleep.
All batteries, position yourselves by the river!
Batteries one, two, three and four, over here!
Prepare to load!
- Range? - Two hundred yards!
Number one, fire!
Number two, fire!
Fire!
Number one, fire!
Number two, fire!
Number three, fire!
Reload!
Number one, fire!
Number two, fire!
Number three, fire!
Reload!
This is just a feint. The main army's crossin' the river a few miles upstream.
- Where? - You stay with this outfit.
They'll be joinin' the battle soon enough.
Move it, move it, move it!
Cease fire! Cease fire!
We're movin' out!
- Who the devil are you? - John Geyser, Harper's Weekly.
Who the devil are they?
Those are most important people, Mr. Geyser.
Senators, congressmen and the like, with their womenfolk.
They rode all the way from Washington...
to have a picnic and watch the fun.
Oh, I know what they deserve.
I just can't waste the ammunition.
Gentlemen, fire when you see their blue bellies!
Here they come, Mark.
Steady now.
Take cover!
Get set, boys!
We gotta take that hill!
We go straight up!
No pauses...
no turning back.
Forward!
Hold your fire for my command!
Steady!
Ready! Fire!
Steady!
Do not fire!
Ready!
Fire!
Everybody down!
Fire!
And I thought I'd make such a great soldier.
So far, so good.
I wet my pants.
Everybody will know. They'll see.
No, they won't. We just crossed the stream, didn't we?
Everybody up!
Forward!
Fire!
Hold!
Ready!
Aim!
Fire!
Circle right! Circle right!
Load! Fire!
Bugler, sound the charge!
Battalion, charge!
Adjust left!
Ready! Fire!
Fire!
Hold your positions!
Use your bayonets!
It's Jackson!
Fall back to the fence!
Fall back!
Kneel and fire!
Let's go, boys!
Men, what are you doin'?
Take courage!
Look, there's Jackson...
standin' like a stone wall!
Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer! Follow me!
Victory, men of Virginia!
Down, men, down!
Charge!
Charge! Charge!
Charge!
Bugler, sound the retreat!
Fall back!
Retreat!
Run, you hellions...
back to hell!
Malachy! Malachy!
Stop!
Whoa, whoa!
Help! Help!
Help me! Help me!
Get in here! Help these men!
- No, I can't! - If you want a ride, get in there!
Come on!
Move it, move it, move it!
God bless you, miss.
Give me a hand over here, please.
All right, all right, ease up.
Ease up.
You did well.
So did you.
You want a ride?
Men...
the army to which this regiment belongs...
is now under the command of Major General George B. McClellan.
The mistakes of Bull Run...
are being corrected.
Never again...
will a half-trained civilian mob...
be marched into battle.
When next you march...
you will be soldiers.
When next you march...
you will be part of General McClellan's new army...
and you will march to victory.
Mark you well the lesson of this morning.
I n this army...
there will be no room for shirkers...
and layabouts...
and certainly no room...
for cowards.
By order of regimental court-martial...
Private Lawrence Jones...
having, by his own admission, fled from the battle of Bull Run...
is declared guilty of desertion under fire...
and in the face of the enemy...
and is hereby sentenced...
to be branded a coward...
and dismissed from the army of the United States.
Corporal...
carry out the sentence.
Dear God! No!
Malachy's got the blues, John.
He's had 'em real bad ever since Bull Run.
Says he's the one that should've been branded.
Bull Run was two months ago.
Why can't he get over it like everybody else?
I don't know.
When we were kids, he fought our battles for us.
He was our soldier.
I don't know what's wrong with him.
Coffee?
I heard this story about Bull Run.
This Confederate general...
was ridin' up from the rear echelon, towards the fightin'...
and he saw so many Rebs hightailin' it from the battle...
he thought the South was licked.
See, thousands ran away that day...
on both sides.
Why do you want to act like you lost the battle single-handed?
Just leave me be.
Listen to me, cousin.
I think the problem is, you thought you'd be the best soldier in the army.
You even said so back in Gettysburg. You said you were a born soldier.
Well, you're not. Nobody is.
You went into your first battle untrained, and it scared you.
So what? It's not the end of the world.
It proves you're human, like the rest of us.
You don't have to be a hero. You just have to do your share.
But that's important, because you're needed.
I'm needed?
Yeah.
First of all, there's your brother Jake.
Jake's a banker.
He's a desk man.
This is gonna be a tough war. He's not exactly cut out for it, is he?
No, he isn't.
Well, he's gonna need your help.
Think about it.
You make lousy coffee, Jake.
From now on I'll do it.
Fine.
I had a little talk with our cousin, the artist.
Yes?
You know, John's turning out all right.
Miss Kathy Reynolds?
Your name, sir?
Excuse me, sir.
Who is that young man?
John Geyser, sir, from Harper's Weekly.
Always delighted to see the press.
Not at home, though. All interviews are at my office.
Thank you, Senator, but actually I came to see Kathy.
You know my daughter?
Yes, sir.
Are you sure?
Where would Kathy have met a...
journalist?
As a matter of fact, it was at the battle of Bull Run, sir.
Oh, so you're that young man, eh?
I expect you'd like a reward.
Accompany me to my office.
Excuse me, sir, I don't want an interview or a reward.
I just came to pay my respects to Kathy.
I don't suppose I can stop that. Just don't make it a habit.
My daughter's in the parlor.
How nice to see you.
You're just in time to settle an argument.
Everyone, I'd like you to meet my friend, John Geyser.
How do you do?
Dr. Bennett. Count Von Ziller.
- How do you do? - The count is with the German embassy.
This is John Geyser. He's the man that rescued me at Bull Run.
Ah, the journalist.
Why did you put Kathy in that ambulance and force her to tend those wounded men?
They were not even officers.
That's what started this whole harebrained scheme.
- Now she wants to become a nurse. - I told you there was an argument.
They're training a few women nurses at Georgetown Hospital...
an experiment, and I thought I'd sign up.
Women nurses.
Do you realize, my dear, that you'd have to wash men's bodies...
and carry away their...
their waste products.
A lady, forced to look at naked men.
Naked enlisted men.
As you see, I have opposition. What do you think?
I saw you in action. I think you'd make a wonderful nurse.
No gentleman would say that!
She will not with the hospital sign.
I will not allow it.
I think it's up to Kathy. What makes you think it's your decision?
My fondest hope is that I and Kathy...
in the spring...
will be married.
You'll have to kill me first.
If necessary, Doctor.
Well, married or not, I still think it's up to Kathy.
You can't be serious.
I think John's right.
Where did you get your odd ideas? Did you say he's from the South?
Virginia.
Well, what's a Southerner doing working for a New York publication?
And attached to the Northern army?
What side are you on?
Why do you not fight for your homeland?
I'm an observer. It keeps me impartial.
Impartial.
It also keeps you out of the line of fire.
You calling me a coward?
- Take it as you wish. - Gentlemen, please.
I'm sorry, Kathy. I've got to set this popinjay straight.
This what?
Tell me something. That day at Bull Run, you were Kathy's escort, weren't you?
I was.
I was knocked unconscious.
When I recover...
Kathy is gone.
That's a lie, Von Ziller.
Apologize.
Stop it, both of you.
You will apologize.
I'll kill you on the field...
of honor.
Do go on.
Oh, I saw him that day in his fancy blue uniform.
He was far from unconscious.
I warn you...
You were thrown from the carriage, all right...
but you got up unhurt...
completely ignored Kathy, ran off like a frightened rabbit.
I hate duels. They're stupid and they're dangerous.
- Stop complaining, Jonas. - And they're going out of style.
He doesn't think so.
Good morning.
Good morning, General. Good morning, Duke.
I am Mr. Geyser's second.
- I am not a duke. - Then you're overdressed.
You'd better put that thing away before you cut yourself.
I believe we have the choice of weapons.
Correct. That is by the book.
Pistols.
At my signal...
take ten paces forward...
turn and fire.
Do you understand?
Ready?
Now!
One, two, three...
four, five, six, seven...
Nine, ten.
Stay where you are!
Why does he not shoot?
- He doesn't want to kill an unarmed man. - He must shoot. It is in the book.
I'll tell him.
What do you do in a case like this?
Fritzie says you gotta shoot the clod. It's in the book.
- He'll kill me! - Probably.
You move, and I'll kill you myself!
Twenty paces. I can't possibly miss him.
For five dollars?
It's a bet.
Right on the mark.
You win.
You gamble on a duel?
You have no respect for tradition.
Maybe not, Fritzie, but at least we don't cheat.
Fred, would you please drive down there?
Yes, ma'am.
Buy you breakfast.
You have a visitor.
Are you going back to Washington?
- It's too far to walk. - Go ahead. I'll take care of the horses.
- Do you mind? - Not at all.
To the victor belong the spoils.
Bye-bye.
You fired those 7 rounds in 28 seconds, Mr. President.
And the barrel remains cool.
Well, that's not too bad, is it, Jonas?
It's good shooting, sir.
It's reloaded for you, Mr. President.
Let's set the board back further, back by the pine tree.
Now let's see what an expert can do, Jonas.
This'll be an excellent test of your invention, Mr. Spencer.
Capt. Steele here is an army scout attached to Gen. McClellan's staff...
and one of the best shots in the army.
Ready, sir?
Ready.
Fire.
Sixteen seconds.
Incredible. That is, if you hit anything.
What do you think of it, Jonas?
Well, she hefts well, sir.
Lever action is smooth. Capability for rapid fire is amazing.
Looks like you missed one.
There'll have to be an official test, Mr. Spencer...
but I'll recommend to the war department to evaluate your rifle right away.
You'll hear from them.
Oh, please keep that, Mr. President.
I had your initials put on the stock.
Why, thank you.
Thank you kindly.
Perhaps you'd like this as a memento of the occasion.
I ndeed I would, sir.
Thank you, sir.
McClellan tells me you're to be married.
Yes, sir.
Soon?
Well, the general promised me leave as soon as the work slacks up.
Does your bride-to-be know of the...
dangers that go along with your army assignment?
Yes, sir.
Jonas, we've been friends for a long time...
and I'd sure like to give you a wedding present...
but the gift I have in mind is one that your bride might consider...
inappropriate.
Now, you explain to her...
that any gift that might help you to survive...
and bring you back to her safely...