Original subtitles

I'd like to send him

to visit his brother, the devil.

Dirty Yankee butcher.

Lee was worth 10 of that craven Grant.

Now, I'd give the Army didn't take it Vicksburg

to get him in my gun sight for half a minute.

Maybe somebody will.

Yeah, ain't nobody in Abilene to get near enough.

Well, Grant's staff knows where this town stood,

and still stands.

Maybe we could plant a bomb,

blow up the railroad.

Or maybe you could all go home

and quit fighting a war that ended two years ago.

Why don't you quit acting the town philosopher, McCune.

That blue-belly killed your son.

That'll do for now, loudmouth.

Come on Jimmy, get to your room.

The poor lad's own father he killed.

And you, McCune, want to scatter

our victor's roses in his bloody pair.

Jimmy, go on now, you hear me?

Alright, Gramps.

Now you listen, loudmouth.

It's about time we quit living in a world

that just isn't anymore.

It's about time...

Who says it isn't anymore?

General Grant?

A pack of Yankees up north?

Well, let me find out, we don't kill so easy.

You know, for someone who never lifted a gun,

never even saw a Yankee up close,

you sure are full of fight.

What are you intimating, McCune?

Someone had to supply beef for our boys.

I'll leave it up to somebody who did fight.

Ain't that so, Johnny?

Beef.

Sure, we had plenty of beef.

We had beef because all we had to eat

was beans and goobers.

Mr. McCune, the paper's all put to bed, sir.

Alright Johnny, thank you.

Two cents.

Exactly what you and your Yankee-lovin' people is worth.

And I hope somebody takes a scatter gun

and blows Grant into as many pieces as this.

♪ Johnny Yuma was a rebel ♪

♪ He roamed through the West ♪

♪ And Johnny Yuma, the Rebel ♪

♪ He wandered alone ♪

♪ Johnny Yuma ♪

Ah, those fools.

I lost something too, my only son.

Oh, how long, Johnny?

How long before the poison of defeat

gets flushed from our systems?

A couple of years ago they were

fighting and killing, now they're just talking.

Little while yet, maybe they'll stop counting

what was lost, and start to build.

Johnny, you know, for someone your age and experience,

you're uncommonly clean of hate and bitterness.

Well, I like to think it's coming along, Mr. McCune.

But believe me, it took some scrubbin'.

Goodnight, sir.

Goodnight, Johnny.

Johnny.

Jimmy, what's a matter with you creeping around

in here like a cougar, I could've hurt you.

What's going on here?

Jimmy, why aren't you upstairs?

And what in the name of common sense

are you doing with Johnny's gun?

Well, I was just showing him something.

No you weren't, Johnny.

There's no cost to tell a lie.

I was stealing it.

Why?

To kill someone.

Him, General U.S. Grant.

Son, now don't talk like your adult.

They'd never be looking for somebody

my age to do it.

And I could get close enough,

and I could kill him.

For what?

For killin' my pa.

Oh Jimmy, General Grant never killed your pa.

Well, somebody like him did.

Some dirty blue-belly, and he gave the orders.

Jimmy, those orders weren't directed

at your pa, not as a person.

And General Grant himself was taking orders.

It was a mean, unmerciful thing called war.

But isn't one side right, and the other one wrong?

Not always.

It's just that people think different about things,

so sometimes they fight.

And good men die.

Good men like your pa.

And the killing's over, Jimmy.

Why is it?

If you've got a gun, why is it over?

How do you answer that?

I guess I don't really know.

But maybe someone closer to his own age could try.

Sit down, Jimmy.

Here, hold onto the gun, but sit down for a minute.

You know, it wasn't too long ago

I felt pretty near the way you do.

For more than three years,

I've been fighting with the Confederacy.

Watching them that marched and lived with me

getting fewer and fewer.

Seeing others maimed and blinded.

And in a way, I got to be kind of blind myself,

cause I didn't want it to end.

Yeah, that's right.

I couldn't stand to get beat no matter what it cost.

First part of the war I was with the Third Texas.

And then I spent almost a year

in a Yankee prison camp at Rock Island, and I escaped.

Last six months, I was with Lee's Army, Northern Virginia.

On April 19th, 1865, we were at Appomattox.

And a man who was a lot wiser than me

knew we were beat.

Doug.

Doug, we can't let it happen,

it's gotta be stopped.

Johnny, are you off your feet?

I mean do you think that you,

a little old nothing of a corporal,

is gonna tell General Robert E. Lee what to do?

It's all over, boy.

Well not yet, it's not.

Well, it will be.

Thank God in a matter of minutes, too.

No more.

No more fearing death every morning.

Pretty soon, old fuzzy face Grant

and his staff will ride up outside of McLean's house

and Lee will sign that piece of paper,

and give him that tin sword,

and we can go home.

To what?

To boot licking shame and suffering?

To life.

To my Cora, and little Danny.

Well, not me.

Well, just go on.

You stay here and keep playing soldier boy.

Don't you fun me, paperback!

I fought every day you fought.

Well, did you fight as much as Stone Jackson?

Or Jeb Stuart, or Hill, or Pender, or Rhodes?

Well, they're all dead,

and most of their soldier boys with them.

Sure they are.

And if we give up what they all died for, what?

Well, sometimes you lose.

Well not yet!

Yes, yes, now, lost!

Now look, Johnny, I ain't no general,

but I know something.

Two weeks ago, Gordon had 75,000 men,

and now he's got less than 2,000, all starved.

And Theo's got more men absent than present.

And the only thing he has left to pick his whole army

is 60 bone beaten men.

Now what do you expect to fight with?

So long as I got a gun, I fight.

If I didn't, I'd be untrue to those screaming Rebs

I charged with at Shiloh and Chancellorsville.

We vowed together that we'd fight

until we were all dead if we had to.

If men are ghosts, they'd go right on fighting.

Well, that's all you're gonna have to fight with boy,

is a phantom army.

As far as I'm concerned, Grant can have all allegiance.

Grant.

Grant.

Grant.

That hog-backed, blister face.

I can just see him strutting up to General Lee.

Trying to make him grovel, humiliating a saint.

Beating him over the head with the bones

of the Confederacy.

Well, there ain't nothing you can do about it now.

So you just might as well be content

to witness history in the making,

this here Palm Sunday.

Witness?

I'm gonna make history, and alone.

That is, if you don't have the mind to help.

What you got nurturing in that hot Texas head of yours?

This morning I was in McLean's house.

Right now, General Lee is sitting in the parlor.

I'm climbing around back to an attic room

right over that parlor.

There's a vent there.

I got it all laid out.

When Grant walks into that room,

he's gonna run straight into a head full of lead.

Are you fevered?

I sure am!

If a Southerner kills Grant, there will be no peace.

We'll have to go on fighting,

and you'll see we'll win!

No, wait a minute now hear...

Sorry, Doug old boy.

But now you know.

I've gotta keep you from spoiling it.

Four years is nothing.

We'll go on fighting for 40 if we have to.

And we will win, you'll see.

Because they won't have Grant.

10!

Well, you made good time.

But then you have right along, how are you?

First rate, sir.

Been waiting here long?

Not too long, not for this.

Lynchburg?

Everything's going our way.

Good.

I wanted you along for this.

Thank you, sir.

I heard you were feeling poorly.

Phil, I've had the meanest headache

for near a week now.

Pain so fierce it hurt to open my eyes.

Hurt worse to close them.

No sleep, couldn't eat.

But after I got Lee's letter,

there was no more pain.

It was a long time coming.

I don't know how they held out this long.

I do.

Lee, where is he?

Over at the McLean house, just down the road a way.

Well then, let's go over and see him.

You know, Phil...

I met General Lee during the Mexican Campaign,

when we were both in the same army.

I was just a Lieutenant then.

I wonder if he'll remember me.

After today, he'll remember you.

Yes.

I suppose.

His name's Traveler, isn't it?

Yes sir.

Been tending him long?

About a year now, sir.

Looks like a good animal.

Where you from, soldier?

Chattanooga, sir.

Chattanooga.

When'd you get creased?

Yesterday, sir.

Doctor see it?

I reckon they're all up at the front lines, sir.

Front lines.

You take care.

Take care of old Traveler.

Yes sir.

And sir...

Thank you.

I suppose, General Grant,

that the object of our present meeting is fully understood.

I asked to see you,

to ascertain on what terms you would receive

the surrender of my army.

The terms I propose

are those stated in my letter of yesterday.

That is, the officers and men surrendered

to be pardoned and properly exchanged,

and all arms, ammunition, and supplies

to be delivered up as captured property.

Those are about the conditions

I had hoped would be proposed.

And I hope that this will lead

to a general suspension of hostility, sir.

And be the means of preventing any further loss of life.

May I suggest, General Grant,

that you commit to writing the terms you have proposed,

so they may be formally acted upon.

Very well, I'll write them out.

Can I have that book and something to write with, please?

I've written that what's to be turned over

will not include the sidearms of the officers,

nor their private horses or baggage.

That will have a very happy effect on my men.

Unless you have some suggestions

in regard to the form of the terms as stated,

I'll have a copy made in ink and sign it.

There's one thing, General.

In our army, the cavalrymen and artillerist

own their own horses.

I know this differs from the United States Army.

I would like to understand whether these men

will be permitted to retain their horses.

The terms don't allow this, General.

Only the officers are allowed their private property.

No, I see the terms do not allow it.

That is quite clear.

Well...

The subject is quite new to me.

Of course, I didn't know that any private soldiers

own their own animals.

I take it that most of the men in your ranks

are small farmers.

I know they'll need their horses

to put in a crop to carry their families

through next winter.

I'll instruct my officers to allow all men

who own a horse or a mule

to take the animal home to work their small farms.

This will have the best possible effect on my men.

It will do much toward conciliating our people.

I have about a thousand of your men

as prisoners, General Grant.

I shall be glad to send them to your lines

as soon as possible,

for I have no provisions for them.

I have indeed nothing for my own men.

Of course, I should like to have our men

within our lines as soon as possible.

I'll telegraph to Lynchburg.

Directing several trainloads of rations

to be sent by rail.

I shall be glad to have the present

wants of your men supplied from them.

I'm sorry, General.

But those supplies won't be coming.

Phil, General Sheridan here, captured the train

from Lynchburg last night.

I see.

Of about how many does your present force consist, sir?

I'm unable to say, General.

My losses in killed and wounded

are exceedingly heavy.

Many of our companies are without officers.

I have no means of ascertaining our present strength.

Suppose I send over 25,000 rations.

You think that would be a sufficient supply?

I think it would be more than sufficient,

and it will be a great relief, I assure you.

Your letter, General.

Lieutenant General U.S. Grant.

Commanding armies of the United States.

General, I have received your letter of this date,

contain the terms of the surrender

of the Army of Northern Virginia.

They are accepted by me,

and I will proceed to designate the proper officers

to carry the stipulations into effect.

Very respectfully,

your obedient servant,

Robert E...

Lee.

39 years of devotion to military duty has come to this.

And this too is my duty.

General.

The war is over.

You are all our countrymen again.

And this is that very same gun, Johnny?

The very same, Jimmy.

And that's how General Grant really was?

Jimmy, right after the war we lost a good friend

when Mr. Lincoln was killed.

Wouldn't do it all to lose another one.

Well, goodnight Gramps, goodnight Johnny.

Goodnight, Jimmy.

Goodnight, Jimmy.

Thanks, son.

And I know his father would want to thank you too.

Sure.

Johnny.

I knew you were with the Third Texas and at Rock Island,

but I never knew before that you were at Appomattox.

Well, Mr. McCune, here's how I look at it.

In a way, everybody who fought for either side

was at Appomattox.

♪ Johnny Yuma was a rebel ♪

♪ He roamed through the West ♪

♪ And Johnny Yuma, the Rebel ♪

♪ He wandered alone ♪

♪ He got fightin' mad ♪

♪ This rebel lad ♪

♪ He packed no star as he wandered far ♪

♪ Where the only law was a hook and a draw ♪

♪ The Rebel ♪ ♪ Away ♪

♪ Johnny Yuma ♪ ♪ Away rode the Rebel ♪

♪ He searched the land, this restless lad ♪

♪ He was panther quick, and leather tough ♪

♪ 'Cause he figured that he had been pushed enough ♪

♪ The Rebel ♪

♪ Johnny Yuma ♪

This has been a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production.