Original subtitles

- ♪ I see a land ♪

♪ With liberty for all ♪

- ♪ Yet still I know ♪

- ♪ The truth will rise and fall ♪

- ♪ Ooh yeah ♪

♪ That's just the way it goes ♪

- ♪ A word now to the wise ♪

♪ The world was made to change ♪

♪ Each day is a surprise ♪

♪ I'm looking at life through my own eyes ♪

♪ I'm searching for a hero to idolize ♪

♪ Feeling the pain as innocence dies ♪

♪ I'm looking at life through my own eyes ♪

- ♪ I'll take my heart into battle ♪

♪ Give that freedom bell a rattle ♪

♪ Get my independence signed ♪

♪ Declare it on the dotted line ♪

♪ Let Philadelphia freedom ring ♪

♪ And patriotic voices sing ♪

♪ Red white and blue never give up ♪

♪ You represent America ♪

- ♪ Hoping and praying for a brighter day ♪

♪ I listen to my heart and I obey ♪

♪ How can I see it any other way? ♪

♪ I'm looking at life ♪

- ♪ Looking at life ♪

- ♪ Through my own eyes ♪♪

♪♪

(man) - Today on "Liberty's Kids"...

(gunshots firing)

(man) - Fighting for liberty's one thing.

Dying for nothing's another.

(man) - Stand your ground!

(horse neighing)

Stand your ground!

You... you can't win a war by retreating.

Or can you?

- He is in danger of becoming a parody of a general.

(wind whistling)

(Sarah) - "22nd December, 1776.

(man sneezing)

(Sarah) - "Dearest Mother,

"The war goes badly for the Americans.

"General Washington has been driven out of New York entirely.

"His men carry on bravely

"but the lack of supplies and victories

"is taking its toll.

"Some feel that General Washington's plan

"of constantly retreating

"will wear out his own forces

"while the British troops remain strong.

"The winter has forced all sides to make camp.

"We wait, watching each other.

"Even tonight the camp is alive with news of a captured spy.

♪♪

"His name is John Honeyman.

"He's a butcher from Griggstown, New Jersey,

"and a former British soldier.

"He has been supplying cattle and intelligence

"of Washington's movements

"to the Hessian army camped in Trenton.

"It seems that Mr. Honeyman journeyed

"too far away from the Hessian camp

"in search of more cattle.

He was captured by American soldiers on patrol."

♪♪

What do you think they'll do to him?

- What do you think?

He's a Tory spy.

He betrayed his neighbors.

(wind whistling)

(Sarah) - "I don't understand why they call him a traitor.

"He's just being loyal to his king.

That's something James will never understand."

♪♪

♪♪

(Sarah) - "Right now, James is interviewing the soldiers

to see what they think of Mr. Honeyman."

- I don't care about it one way or t'other.

- But what if General Washington

gets helpful information from questioning the spy?

- I'll give the general some helpful information.

My enlistment's up in ten days and I'm counting the minutes.

- You mean you won't reenlist?

- Don't you want liberty?

- I signed on to fight for liberty.

Now I'm sorry I ever heard the word.

It's cold and I ain't got nothing for my feet.

I went four days without food

'til I caught me a possum.

Ever eat possum?

I never will again.

Never will enlist again either.

I'm running home to my family in ten days.

You know what?

The rest of the militia is going with me.

Won't be nobody left.

- Look, Henri,

General Washington and the Tory spy.

♪♪

I hope that spy Honeyman

hasn't ruined Washington's plans.

Whatever they are.

- This man is a notorious turncoat.

I want to interrogate him personally in my tent.

- Did you hear that?

He's going to personally interrogate...

Henri?

Henri?!

♪♪

- Psst, Henri.

Get away from there.

That's official army business.

We can't be listening in on that.

- But I want to know if the spy has ruined anything.

(Washington) - What do you have for me?

- I bring news that is better than your wildest imaginings.

General Howe is suspending

military operations for the winter.

He's moving the British troops

to Staten Island and Manhattan.

Howe has left Trenton in the hands of

Colonel Rall and his Hessians.

Rall has relaxed his guard and is ripe for attack.

The Hessian colonel is a brave warrior

but he's fond of comfort

and they're about to begin their Christmas celebration.

I have prepared a diagram of the Hessian camp.

I have also assured Colonel Rall

that you and your men are in no condition to attack.

Tonight, after I made my miraculous escape,

I shall reassure him again.

- Words cannot express my gratitude.

By posing as a traitor,

you have put yourself and your family

in a most unpleasant position.

- I am glad if I've been of service.

- That you have.

Take charge of the prisoner.

This man is unrepentant.

Lock him in the guardhouse.

- Honeyman has been spying on

the British for General Washington.

(door creaking)

(wind whistling)

(Sarah shuddering)

- Where have you been?

- Looking for you.

- We've been worried about you.

- Did you find anything out?

- He was trying to eavesdrop on official army business.

- Henri!

- But what about the spy?

- That is none of our business.

- Hmm!

♪♪

(door creaking)

♪♪

(man) - Remember me?

You were asking me those questions last night.

I'm soon to be ex-Private Edward Hughes

of Virginie, by the way.

- I'm James.

- Henri.

- My name's Sarah.

- I don't suppose y'all could spare a little extra?

(James) - Sure.

- Oui. - Of course.

- Much obliged.

Y'all hear about the spy?

He got away.

(Sarah) - What?

(Edward) - Nobody knows how.

The guardhouse was still locked.

He just wasn't in it.

- This is a disaster.

He's probably blabbing

everything to the British right now.

- You're right.

That puts us right in the middle of a camp

that could be stormed by British troops at any moment.

James, you don't seem very concerned.

- What?

- I'm the loyalist, you're the patriot.

Shouldn't you be at least as worried as I am?

- I am, I'm just hungrier.

♪♪

(horse neighing)

- Dr. Franklin?

- Monsieur Pene?

- No, monsieur, his partner.

Gerard.

All of France has been awaiting the arrival

of the great American genius.

- And all you behold is a grouchy old man with gout.

- Not at all.

You are welcome in my home to eat, drink, and rest.

- I shall take you up on all three.

- So, you come to France to ask the king for help

against the British, no?

- No, I come to end my days reading, experimenting,

and working with the great scientists of France.

- Oh, yes, of course.

Then your coming has nothing to do with Washington's

crushing defeats at Long Island and New York.

- Ours must seem a lost cause.

If only some good news

of Washington's army could reach France.

(wind whistling)

♪♪

- Tomorrow, just after sundown,

we are going to cross the Delaware

and attack the Hessian camp in Trenton.

My plan is derived from the hit-and-run tactics

that the Indians on the frontier used,

quite effectively, in the last war,

but with a touch of my own strategy.

Basically, it's a three-pronged sneak attack.

Three regiments crossing the Delaware

at three different points:

above Trenton, opposite Trenton,

and downstream from Trenton at Bordentown;

surrounding the Hessians and cutting off escape options.

- General, won't this plan be

terribly difficult to coordinate?

- Yes.

Its success will depend upon our ability

to meet that challenge

and time the landings so that the Hessians

will be surprised before they are out of their beds.

♪♪

Tonight, after evening parade,

instead of returning to your tents,

you are to prepare to march to McConkey's Ferry.

There, we will cross the Delaware

and mount an attack

on the British stronghold in Trenton.

That is all.

(man) - Just when I thought I was going home.

(men murmuring)

- And a merry Christmas to you.

Only seven days to go and we have to go get ourselves killed.

- After that spy has gone back and told them everything,

they'll be waiting for this.

- Has General Washington lost his mind?

- He knows what he's doing.

- So, you still think he's got some secret plan?

- Of course he does.

- I ain't seen none of it so far.

All's we've done is retreat and retreat again.

This is the most useless mess I ever got involved in.

I oughta desert.

- But you're a soldier.

You can't just leave!

- Finding for liberty's one thing.

Dying for nothing's another.

- James, he has a right to know what he's risking his life for.

- He'll be all right if he just follows Washington's orders.

♪♪

♪♪

(James) - We spent that Christmas night

crossing the half-frozen Delaware River,

hoping the Hessians wouldn't catch on

to General Washington's plan.

♪♪

♪♪

(men chuckling)

- Whoa!

(men laughing)

♪♪

- Ha!

(water lapping)

- I'm cold.

Why are we doing this?

- Come on, Henri.

This is a chance to see history in the making.

- Oh, and maybe freeze to death.

(Edward grunting)

- Help!

- Man overboard!

- Help!

- Grab it and hold on!

(all grunting)

- Come on now.

Y'all can't afford to do that.

Heck, everybody's cold.

Why'd you take a chance like that?

You could've fallen in too.

- Every man is important, Private Hughes.

I'm just thinking about the cause.

- I gotta admit.

I ain't been thinking about the cause for quite some time.

(wind whistling)

♪♪

(men humming)

(men chuckling)

(men humming)

- Oh! - Oh!

(men laughing)

(wind whistling)

(man gasping)

- Open up!

Open up!

I must speak with Colonel Rall at once!

- Colonel Rall has given explicit instructions

that he is not to be disturbed for any reason.

- Could you give him a message right away?

- If you'd like to write a note,

I would be glad to deliver it to him.

- "Colonel Rall:

"Washington's troops have crossed the Delaware.

"They are mounting an attack.

You must rally your forces immediately."

(knocking)

- What is it?

I told you not to interrupt us.

No more interruptions, please.

- Yes, sir.

- Gentlemen, shall we continue?

♪♪

(horse neighing)

(horse whinnying)

- General Washington, the sleet has ruined

most of the gunpowder.

- Then use the bayonet, Captain.

Trenton must be taken.

- Has the great George Washington gone mad?

Everything has gone wrong

and he still wants to continue.

- Y'all better take cover in that there barn.

We'll be in the shooting war soon.

- Please be careful

and don't take any unnecessary chances.

(chuckling) - Too late.

(wind whistling)

(Washington) - Charge!

(man gasping)

(men shouting)

(horse neighing)

(man speaking German)

(horse neighing)

(man speaking German)

(men gasping)

(horse neighing)

(knocking)

- Colonel Rall, Washington's troops have attacked!

(men shouting)

(men yelling)

(man panting)

- Are you hurt?

- Yes, I've been hit.

I cannot stand, I cannot move.

- Let me see the wound.

- Oh... the note.

"Colonel Rall:

"Washington's troops have crossed the Delaware.

"They are mounting an attack.

You must rally your forces immediately."

If I had only read this note,

I would not be lying here now.

(James) - Look, the flag!

Our flag.

- Our flag, our flag!

- Well, it's not exactly my flag.

(Edward) - We won, we won!

We lost nary a man.

The town is ours!

We caught 'em with their breeches down.

- Congratulations!

Finally, a victory!

- I'll tell you what else.

When we was marching in,

I saw General Washington on his horse,

the horse slipped on the ice

and would've fell

but the general grabbed his mane with his big right hand

and pulled him straight.

Kept on going without a hitch.

That's when I first started to think

we might have a chance.

- James, but what happened to the spy?

- Honeyman was secretly spying for Washington.

(Sarah) - What?

- I overheard them talking

when I went to get Henri away from the tent.

He told Washington that the British

had pulled out of Trenton and the Hessian soldiers

would not be ready for an attack.

- You knew this all the time and didn't tell us?

- It was a military secret that I wasn't supposed to know.

- So he really did have a secret plan.

I wonder what he's going to do in five days

when he loses his troops?

- My brave fellows,

you have done all I have asked you to do

and more than can be reasonably expected,

but your country is at stake.

Your families, your houses,

and all that you hold dear.

I know your enlistment ends tomorrow.

The present moment is one which will decide our destiny.

I'm asking for volunteers

to stay on and continue the fight.

Philadelphia merchant Robert Morris

has donated the money for me to offer each man

$10 for another tour of duty.

Do I have any volunteers?

- Please... somebody.

- Heck, I will if somebody else will too.

I can't fight this thing alone.

- Now we have an army.

- Without your courage, Private,

we wouldn't have a chance.

- Aw, heck.

Let's win this thing.

- General Washington, I want to congratulate you

on your brilliant success.

- Yeah, even though she doesn't believe in your cause.

(man) - General Washington?

- Yes.

- A message from Congress.

They've fled to Baltimore

due to the British advance on Philadelphia.

- So now I'll have to go to Baltimore

to plead for more money and troops?

- No, sir, you won't.

That's the whole point of the message.

- Evidently, Congress has seen fit to give me full power

to do all things relative to the operations of war.

- That's fantastic!

First a great victory, and now this!

- Most generals, when they get that much power,

become dictators.

- A free nation must not be ruled by generals.

The sword is the last resort

for the preservation of liberties,

and so it must be put aside

when those liberties are established.

♪♪

♪♪

(Sarah) - "Dearest Mother,

"I now know that I have been in the presence

"of a true military genius.

"When the British General Cornwallis

"learned of the surprise attack on Trenton,

"he immediately marched his troops there.

"The Hessian forces and all of their weapons were gone,

"captured by the Americans.

"But Washington's troops were nowhere to be found.

"Where were they?

(wind whistling)

"They were mounting a surprise attack

"on Princeton, New Jersey.

"Since most of the British troops were in Trenton,

Washington's men took Princeton handily."

- It's a fine foxhunt now, my boys!

(horse neighing)

(Sarah) - "Washington's skill and inventiveness

"and using the tactics he learned from Indians

"is beyond compare.

"I am of course still loyal to my king,

"but I fear that England faces

"a greater challenge than she knows.

"The American cry for independence

"is being backed up by a very canny general,

and the tide perhaps is turning."

♪♪

- ♪ I'm looking at life through my own eyes ♪

♪ I'm searching for a hero to idolize ♪

♪ Feeling the pain as innocence dies ♪

♪ I'm looking at life through my own eyes ♪

- ♪ I'll take my heart into battle ♪

♪ Give that freedom bell a rattle ♪

♪ Get my independence signed ♪

♪ Declare it on the dotted line ♪

♪ Red white and blue never give up ♪

♪ You represent America ♪♪

(children giggling)