Original subtitles

Where is the general?

Where is the general?

I wouldn't bother Washington.

The battle's lost.

Where's the general?

Ordered a full retreat.

That way, life's nothing but death.

And my men?

You have no men. The Virginians?

They were at the front of the line.

If you go that way, you'll die.

You look like death already.

Listen to me.

You'll never find them, and even if you did, you'd never make it back.

Washington. Washington!

Come, Frank.

What could be worth the risk?

Mary, I'm so sorry.

This must be Jack.

This is.

It's Jack.

Where is he?

It's there.

He's not spoken since.

Since his father died.

Hello, George.

Do you remember me?

I'm your half-brother.

Lawrence.

You're an officer?

I was, yes.

Captain in His Majesty's Navy.

I have something for you.

It's a surveyor's compass.

It measures distances of land and sea.

This was our father's.

And now it's yours.

Won't you need it?

Well, my next adventure is here with you, George.

I've been appointed Adjutant General of the Virginia Militia.

So you'll command soldiers?

I'm to organize militia.

Volunteers, really.

Do Washington men die young?

What? I heard them say Washington men die young. That it's a curse to our

name.

Is that true?

Are you afraid to die?

Mother says I'll not be going back to school.

There's nothing wrong with tenant farming.

It's an honorable profession.

But that is not what I want.

It's what duty demands.

Time and circumstance have changed.

We have Fairfax attending school.

Why can I not?

The Fairfaxes are of a superior class.

With advantages we will never possess, George.

The world is often an unfair place.

And you must take what it gives you and make it yours.

Now come inside.

George, where are you going?

To school.

Stubborn child.

It's two miles.

I know.

They will not let you in.

They will.

Don't take it out on the tree.

Stop. Stop.

They turned me away because of you. And now I have nothing.

Nothing?

We have 250 acres.

slaves in bondage to feed and one widow's purse near empty.

You're the eldest son in this house and you have a duty to it.

That's not what I want.

I want more than this. And I want a husband back from his fever.

Providence denied me this. Then Providence is cruel.

God raises what is well grounded.

You'll not abandon what is yours.

Nor will I. You're my son and a Washington, and you'll behave like both.

Here.

Rules of civility and decent behavior.

That will teach you how to be a proper gentleman.

And then Cato, Lutarch, essential readings.

Seneca and Cincinnatus.

If one desires to be great, he must study those that were.

That's a lot of books, I know.

I am sorry for your misfortune, George.

If no one else would teach you, I'll teach you.

But I could loan you these, one by one, if you do

your chores.

Every public action should what?

Should respect those who are present.

What do you think respect means?

To listen to or obey the one you are respecting.

Perhaps.

But obedience can be command.

Respect must be earned.

That is why I became a soldier.

Aristocracy is a game, George.

But you can learn to play it, I suppose.

What piece are we?

We are pawns, George.

But even a pawn can take a king.

Play again?

Yeah.

Very nice, George.

Remember, heels down, chest up.

I think it's now time you ride alone.

Wouldn't you agree?

Yes. Very well.

Go on then.

Not too fast now.

Steady.

To obtain the applause of deserving men is a heartfelt satisfaction.

To merit them is my highest wish.

So here he is, the boy who writes all the letters, petitioning for a royal

commission. Yes, sir.

I dream of becoming a British officer.

Ensign or lieutenant, as His Majesty sees fit.

I believe my brother communicated this on my behalf.

Lawrence Washington.

He, uh, he served on... If I were to allow it, the purchase price for an

ensigncy in the Coldstreams is 700 pounds. Do you possess that, sir?

No, sir. I do not. Then why not seek to join the militia?

Well, I wish to serve the crown as an actual officer.

Then how much land do you possess?

I'm a custodian under my brother's estate, Mount Vernon.

Tenant farmer.

Education? I received no formal schooling after my father died, sir.

But I recently obtained my surveyor's license.

To be a British officer, you must first be a gentleman.

If I may, sir, how is it that my brother qualified, yet I do not? He owns Mount

Vernon. He was properly educated in England.

And what's more, he's married to a Fairfax. Yes, and he's been a great

mentor to me.

I've studied to become a gentleman. I've even compiled all I've learned.

Goodness, man, how much do you write?

Well, I compiled it from other books. It's called Rules of Civility and Decent

Behaviour. Which is to say you plagiarised it.

No, no, no.

Well, yes, but... Imitation of great men does not make you one.

I ask again, sir, how may I become a British officer of the Crown? You

cannot. There must be a path. There is not.

For you.

And please, stop writing me letters.

Go.

Hello, Jack.

Good to see you.

Are you an officer now?

Not yet.

But someday.

Or never.

If God hears my prayers.

Not tedious in discourse.

Especially tonight.

Where are you off to?

To see Lawrence.

At Belvoir?

You're not invited. How do you expect to get in?

Is it a sin to seek advancement?

It is to them.

You're just a pawn to them.

Even a pawn can take a king.

Invitation, sir.

I am Mr. Washington.

George Washington.

Half-brother to Lawrence, who's married to Anne, formerly Fairfax.

Well, thank you for the genealogy.

Now, your invitation, sir?

Um, I don't have it.

The guests for this party have been chosen with great specificity, so I

suggest you find it, Mr. Washington.

Sir.

You put him up front.

Good evening.

Good evening, sir.

We need more ice.

Can I carry that upstairs? No need, sir.

How do I get in the house?

You don't belong here.

Clever entrance, though.

Most guests just enter through the front door.

My brother spoke to me of this gathering. He is... Married to Anne

Fairfax.

Yes, I know.

You, on the other hand, are not.

A child of one of Virginia's largest fortunes and family estates.

You're right, I'm not.

And you are right.

I'm rich.

But... I also don't feel like I belong.

Well, that's like saying a rose doesn't belong in a garden.

I'll take that compliment.

I'd be happy if there were more.

Here's the problem with trying to sneak into a party.

You, sir, stand out in a crowd.

And dance with me.

I only dance with invited guests.

Well, perhaps you should make room for someone truly worthy.

Because I don't see anyone like that here.

Mr. Washington, aren't you bold?

Well, I'm off.

To where?

To fulfill my solemn duty.

Charm.

Gently does it, George.

As to proceed with caution, it would profit Sally's family greatly if she

were to marry a Fairfax.

Like you did?

Yes.

And until I did, I held all my hopes very loosely.

The odds were against me.

Well, the odds of a high has been against us.

Wish me luck.

Good luck.

Do you think of my proposal?

William, thank you for having me in your home.

George, what a surprise.

I didn't expect to see you in a place like this.

How ever did you get in?

I was enticed by the promise of beautiful women.

Well, we'd hate to disappoint you.

You have.

Meet Thomas Gage, newly minted Major, recently arrived from London, by order

of the Crown.

Pleasure. Pleasure is mine.

I too one day hope to serve his majesty.

Tell me, Washington, what is your opinion of the French building forts on

our land?

Well, I think the Ohio is a frontier.

It belongs to the one who tames it.

Ah, well said. But in reality, it belongs to the one who buys it.

That is the way of things, is it not?

Ah, a minuet.

I love a minuet.

I believe...

I have the first dance, if you'll excuse us.

Pleasure to meet you. I hope we meet again.

Pleasure.

Where are you off to? Sally.

My solemn duty.

Lord Fairfax, begging your pardon. I've dreamed of seeing your library.

These are my true tenants.

Who are you?

George Washington, sir. Brother to Lawrence.

I didn't know he'd invited you. Neither did he, if you must know.

So, I've caught you slipping in, and you...

Caught me slipping out. Come.

I can't take much of these soirees, so I hide until my wife finds me and

rousts me back out.

When vice prevails and impious men bear sway, the post of honor is a private

station. Cato.

You've seen the play?

No, but I've read it 50 times over.

It is not immortals to command success, but we'll do more. We'll deserve it.

Well said.

Do you happen to have Pope's essay on man?

Would it be imposing if I asked to borrow it?

I obtained a letter of introduction from your cousin.

An eccentric fellow, isn't he?

Indeed he is.

He lent me a book I'm surveying from his library.

Not nearly as grand as yours.

I put it to good use and obtained my license.

I know you own five million acres now.

The only thing a landowner ever desires is a plot next to his.

Yes, I do.

I also know a great amount of that land is in the Ohio Valley and has not been

charted.

I sense a looming storm over the Ohio Territory.

Inevitable, I'm afraid.

I could go there, survey it, and map it for you.

That land that isn't properly measured cannot be properly valued or protected.

Much of that territory is unexplored.

Many have traveled there never to be seen again.

Yes.

But no man who lived a life of ease ever left a name worth remembering, sir.

I'll take the risk upon myself.

I'll make it to the furthest reaches of your plot and report back.

And I'll put my name to that promise.

Is this man bothering you, sir?

Hardly.

I accept your proposal, George.

Thank you, sir.

Enjoy the party, Washington.

Christopher Guest.

George?

Good to see you. It's good to see you.

George, these are the brothers Frisk. Henry, the oldest, and his baby brother,

David. My two most loyal friends.

Do not trust them.

There's a nice coat you got there.

Careful, he's a thief.

Leave him alone.

Where are you coming from, all fresh and plump?

Beauvoir.

That mean you're too fancy to place a little wider?

How about you place one for me?

What are you doing here?

Not a job for us.

I'm too drunk for work.

Ambition waits for no man.

What is it?

You're surveying the Ohio Territory.

I need someone who could keep me alive.

Who?

North Fairfax.

What part?

Most all of it.

Days by the Acre.

Well, let's get it done.

To Virginia!

To Virginia!

And he's the last!

It's beautiful, isn't it?

Yeah.

That don't belong to you.

Well, if we go far enough, it doesn't belong to anyone.

Dear Madam, Gazing at the new world, I now write to express my joy.

I was honored with your short but very agreeable favor of our first

acquaintance.

In this case, to one who is too sensible of our charms to deny the power whose

influence I feel and must ever submit to, I am aware of how impossible this

is, but if you will allow me to prove myself, I pledge to rule out all

disappointment.

I wish I could be with you, or rather, you here with me, so that you could

witness the beauty of this land.

Thanks. Let's see who this is.

Pass it back. Pass it back. Miss Sally Carey?

You might as well petition the Queen of England, George.

She's above your station.

Permanently.

If our battles you can win, George.

Not signature, though.

I am your humble, devoted servant.

We're not going to make it back before winter sets in.

The horses have done all they can.

We must leave them.

There's a village.

About half a day's journey from here.

Take a shelter.

Right out the cold.

No, no, it's too long a time.

I suppose you'd rather freeze to death.

We have to return.

So you can see your woman? So we can get paid.

There's no becoming of a gentleman to lie to himself.

He's not too fond of your compass.

Offer them the horses.

George, no longer of use to us.

But we could still be saved. Serve them.

You offer dying horses?

For the land given to me by my father?

For him by his father?

You have no right to take what we've possessed for generations.

You're not here to claim this land.

We're here for civilians only.

I know what you want, Englishman.

I'm gonna offer something more.

Something for your king.

Who's for that?

It's the French.

Are you sure?

This is the fastest way home?

Saves us two days.

If we fall off this raft, we'll freeze to death. No, no, we have to get this

information back.

You're full of surprises, you know.

Speaking their tongue.

Well, know thy enemy.

Are they the enemy?

They let us go. Only because they hate the French more than they hate us.

George? Yeah.

George, look.

Look.

Get to the

shore! French!

Who brings push?

I'm trying to get to the shore! Hold

on,

hold on!

This way!

Where is Christopher?

Swing and cross.

Christopher.

Christopher, wake up.

Wake up.

Christopher.

You believe in miracles?

Get up. How does it freeze?

Do I risk it?

You can confirm this?

Yes. So can Christopher Guest.

If you have these delivered to Governor Dimwitty, he can...

Consumption, they say.

All men die, George.

I can't go to the governor in my state.

You wish to advance your station?

My condition may be your answer.

You saw these things with your own eyes?

Yes, Your Excellency. And land owned rightly and duly by us. The Fairfaxes. I

also own a significant share of land there.

This French encroachment cannot stand. They must be told to abandon it. By

whom, sir?

We don't even know where they are. I do, sir.

I could lead this expedition to deliver your demands to the French.

I know the land, sir, better than anyone.

You?

In the 15 years since the Crown sent me to serve, I've yet to have a good

experience with a colonist. Well, I look forward to changing your opinion. If

there is to be a colonial expedition, it will be led by your own brother.

He commands the militia.

Lawrence's health fails him, sir. And he is no longer able to fulfill the duties

of his post.

Here.

He recommends me as his replacement.

So you have ambition.

Yes, sir.

I do.

I see you met the savage you would call the half-king.

I have met the man.

He led me to this information, but whether he can be trusted, I'm not

certain. You should be alarmed if you were.

Go and parley with this half-king.

Learn all you can from him. Then take your men to Fort LaBeouf, demand a

French leave.

My... My... My men, sir? Yes, recruit.

A hundred and fifty of your fellow Virginians.

Lead them.

and deliver this message.

Which says what, sir?

That they leave immediately.

And if the French refuse?

Do not permit them to refuse.

So then I'm to fight? You are to deliver a message and await further orders.

Your Excellency, if I may, will he not need the assistance of professional

soldiers of the Crown?

No, Malachy will do, especially under one of such ambition.

You shall receive the rank of major in the Virginia militia, which is not a

royal commission, understood?

There's an interpreter here, von Braun, Dutchman.

Take him.

Will my men and I receive equal pay, sir?

To whom?

British officers of the crown.

Mr. Washington, you've just advanced from farmer to major in a matter of

seconds. What you ask for is offensive to me.

Then I will volunteer my service.

I have no need to pay that is not equal to those of whom I will prove myself

equal.

Sir.

God save the king.

I read them all ten times over.

At the river's fork, the world widened as though God himself had drawn back the

curtain and whispered, begin.

These are not Severus notes.

No, you love the frontier the way poets love their first muse.

Why?

They loved me first, I guess.

Offered fairness.

Fairness? Yes, because the frontier is new.

Wild, unclaimed.

Vast enough to outrun the old ways.

And old rules, like dowries and fathers who barter daughters. Rules that say a

man is measured by ancestors you never met.

Do you ever fear choosing incorrectly?

That the path you seek might vanish if you hesitate?

The fear of not being able to choose is worse.

My fear is choosing and then being told it was never my choice to be in with.

What would your choice be?

If we were to follow the river west, just you and I, what would we

call that life?

Wild. Beautiful.

Dangerous. But free.

I yearn for the courage I see in you.

And I for the grace you carry with ease.

I should be getting back.

Where?

Another party?

Another performance.

My solemn duty.

Congratulations on your first command, Major. An army of outlaws, debtors,

slaves, and, uh, some patriots.

Got any rum in those carts?

Only once rationed. Only rationed us some.

Bagging line frisk.

Should leave them. How we carry the rum?

Fair point.

Tucker.

Yes, sir.

We'll camp here for the night.

Ride ahead and make sure the road is clear.

I wake up at midnight.

George is staring into the woods, right up against a tree.

So he's been keeping watch.

You scared of the dark, George?

George, do you remember?

Another love letter?

That one's gonna make you soft.

It's Tucker's horse.

We meet again.

Lieutenant Treason of the Seneca Nation.

You ride on land we call home. The governor assures me you're willing to

aid us.

Many Indians are aligned with the French. Why aren't you?

I know their nature.

And their intentions.

What are yours?

To demand they leave.

And when they do not?

It's not my decision.

And yet you are here.

Yes, and I would greatly appreciate any help you could give us.

What are you called?

George.

Major George Washington.

The French fort is a day from here.

We can take you.

Why are you here?

On behalf

of

the royal governor of Virginia, gentlemen,

The lands located along the Ohio River are so universally recognized as

belonging to the Great Britain Crown that it causes me as much concern as

astonishment to learn that a corps of French troops is erecting fortifications

within the territories of His Majesty.

These territories.

Go on, please.

In the name of the king, my lord, I hasten the carrier of the present, Mr.

George Washington.

You are the Major.

Or his aide.

I am Major Washington.

He's inviting us to dine with him.

Can we speak in private?

He says there's no need to leave the table.

We're all friends here.

So,

how

is it you are a Major?

Do you even shave?

You have no military service.

Is this true?

Magnifique. You are not British, yet they send you to speak for them.

Why do you think that is?

So that when you fail, they'll have someone to blame.

The king emphatically demands you leave the Ohio country and the territories

altogether.

This land has long been claimed by the British crown.

And when it was this?

Come.

When did they claim it?

You must withdraw.

Because you think you own this land?

Who does own this land if not the one who has the will to tame it?

I accept your message.

You have delivered it.

Now go.

The king demands a reply.

Then tell your king we have claimed it.

We will never leave.

Then we will force you to leave.

You do not want to start a war.

Take your pet savage and go.

Camp 50 miles south of here.

We're gonna ride ahead and deliver the message.

Should we send a scout?

I'm the fastest scout we have.

Major, you will deliver this ultimatum at once.

The French spit in my face.

Governor, with respect, could you clarify... Transcribe all you have so I

can report this to the council in the morning.

Very well.

Grant me one night's rest and fresh balance. I've ridden 300 miles to get

here. You will rest when His Majesty's frontier rests. Before dawn, you'll

present a full transcription of your journal, maps, strength estimates, every

scratch of observation for the council's brief at 10 o'clock. Understood?

Understood, sir. Good.

Now go and prove the Crown correct in placing trust in the provincial.

This is a dangerous escalation, George.

You're to deliver this.

I've been ordered to deliver this.

You volunteered.

No.

No, perhaps I can speak. No, no. This is the moment I've been waiting for. I

don't think it is, George.

Why is no one else volunteering?

Why does no...

British officer, lead this expedition.

They're using you, George, as a proxy to claim land for them.

If you succeed, they will rob you of the glory.

If you fail, they'll have a colonial to blame.

Then I'll not fail. Well, if you do, you could start a war. Well, thank you for

your trust in me.

That's not what I meant.

Then we'll claim it.

And I will earn their respect.

That is what you taught me, is it not?

Besides, this is a new world. A new world?

The soil may be new, but their owners still write their ledgers into old ink.

I don't write!

You're betting your life on a system designed to deny you.

Every triumph you have will be chalked up to luck. Your native allies would...

British themselves.

Never a year.

So I should stay here, mind the crops, and live quietly because I was born

quietly, do nothing with my life?

Better alive and quiet than dead and forgotten in the Alligators.

You sound like Mother. I speak the truth. Well, I would rather die unknown

than live believing the world's measure of me is fixed. That...

That is pride. No, that is faith in what a man can forge with his own hands.

You cannot forge your way into their system. And why not?

Because that is not the way the world works. Then someone should remake it.

George, you cannot change these things.

And you may well die trying.

George, I wish you believed in me.

Major Washington, I thought you were leading your men to the frontier.

Tomorrow I am.

I've returned on an urgent matter.

I'll go back in the morning, but tonight I'm here for you.

George, there's no fairness here.

Miss Carey, may I have the stunts?

Yes, Major.

George, I see you found a tailor.

Yes, and tonight I wear His Majesty's commission.

At dawn, I am to lead 150 soldiers to demand the French leave our land.

Well, our land, to be precise.

And this is not exactly His Majesty's commission.

Your uniform, however crimson, still prints colonial.

William. It is a point I make intentionally, sadly.

I fear for you, George.

And I...

question our governor's decision.

If the situation with the French is so dire, why would they not send

professional soldiers of the crown?

Because I volunteered.

And if you care so much, why didn't you?

Because I have an estate to run.

And I have a fortune to manage.

And people depend on me.

But... I...

can send along two of my best slaves, Charles and Sam.

Charles knows horses better than most grooms in Virginia.

Well, I wouldn't want to deprive you of their labor.

We have plenty.

Major Washington.

Congratulations on your rank and assignment.

An astonishing rise.

Thank you, sir.

So, what think you about young William and Sally?

Do they not make a handsome couple?

We are gathered here to celebrate this.

Thy betrothal is scarcely a week old.

Indeed they do.

Splendid. Now, may I propose a toast?

To Major Washington, who rides at first light, who convinced the French that our

wilderness is rightly theirs.

Major Washington. Major Washington.

William, Miss Carey, forgive the stir. I look forward to returning worthy of your

investment.

Under your care.

Act on the defensive.

But if any attempts are made to disrupt our work or settlements... Restrain all

such offenders and make prisoners of or kill and destroy them.

Well, that's clear as mud.

He cannot be serious.

Destroy them?

If it's war he wants, it's best to reinforce us with proper British

soldiers. We ain't here to fight.

Why are you? Get paid. This is our duty. No, it ain't.

We delivered his little letter. We should leave.

You will not.

Or I will have you flogged as a deserter.

Now, we didn't sign up for no war. Put on the coat!

You took it off!

You have a duty, as do I.

If this goes wrong, he'll blame Virginia.

Then what he speaks for the crown.

It's decided this is a direct order, and we will obey it. It's not direct at all.

And your gods have delivered you to war?

That's not our intent.

It's much further south, much closer.

How close?

Five miles.

He searches for land to build another fort.

But a man you abandon the land he calls his own.

Take me to him.

A simple reconnaissance.

Agreed?

Drunk with his own pride, he defies you and your king by traveling this far.

What will you do?

Hold your ground.

It's all the monks again to leave.

What do you do when they refuse?

Pray.

Who fired that shot?

Hold your fire! Hold your fire! Prisoners only!

I do not know who fired that first shot.

But in light of these unfortunate events, I fear a war with the French is

indeed imminent.

We are building a fort and taking up a defensive position.

In the spirit of mutual benefit, please send reinforcements to aid our endeavor.

Hey, why don't we arm them?

Need all the men we can get.

They're my shooters.

Wouldn't you?

Fair point.

Gist! Yeah?

Permission to speak my mind.

Ever stopped you?

Building this fort too low.

What do you mean?

The walls?

No, not the walls.

This here, it's a dry lake bed.

One good rain, it'll flood out.

Besides, I could shoot every one of us from them trees.

I sure know what he doing.

What you riding?

Another plea for reinforcements.

From who?

Other colonies.

Pennsylvania don't care about Virginia's problems.

Well, the French are the concern of all.

Agreed?

This area lays awfully low.

The forest gives us cover.

The Great Meadows offer plenty of space and a clear view of any incoming

threats. If they attack from the front, or we'll be easy targets when the fort

floods.

I guess what would you have me do?

Major Washington?

The King's troops.

What about them?

They're here.

Where's Washington?

Hi, Major Washington.

Captain James Mackay.

Orders from Governor Dinwiddie.

We are here to reinforce the Virginia Regiment and deal with this situation

you've created.

French and Indian soldiers, professional soldiers, are nearly upon us. There are

a thousand in total.

They are commanded by Louis Coulon de Villiers.

Rather to Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville.

The man who you killed.

This letter says Colonel Joshua Fry is in command.

Oh, the boy can read.

Where is he?

Dead.

Fell from his horse two days ago and broke his neck.

You are to assume his rank as Colonel, Mr. Washington.

Well then, welcome.

We need all the help we can get.

I do not take orders from you.

But you just said I was to assume the rank as colonel. My commission is royal.

You could be a general and I wouldn't have to listen to you.

Praise God.

Now, what do you call this fort?

Well, it was made by necessity.

So I think that's a fitting name.

We will camp a hundred yards to the front.

No doubt the French will engage us there.

Colonel.

Van Bram.

The boy colonel.

How's the progress?

They're just taking in water faster than we can throw it.

I say, if this keeps up, I'll commission my men to construct a Royal Navy.

Keep trying.

I can shoot you from the trees.

The French won't fire from the trees.

They'll assemble in the open fields to fight with honor.

You call this land the New World?

that you live by the old ways, they will lead you to death.

Any recruits among the Shawnee?

No. What about the Delaware or the Mingo? No.

Some have even joined the French.

None will aid you.

Neither will we.

You will not lead.

Your vengeance startles.

And your stubbornness will be the end of it.

French are cowards, and the British are fools.

You do not know how to fight here.

I was born here on this land, as were you.

Can we not fight for it together?

This land does not belong to you.

While you kill each other, you wait to reclaim it.

George, you made the wrong choice of ground.

Admit it. It's just... It's all right. It's all right.

Admit it.

Our supplies are exhausted.

We're two days' rations at best.

Move the camp and save the men.

We'll stand our ground.

Any sign of the French?

Nothing. No doubt the arrival of actual soldiers would have stopped their

advancements. But listen, my men are camping in what is now a swamp.

What do you want me to do?

Find solid ground.

Or better yet, an experienced commander.

Are you challenging my authority?

You have no authority.

Fire to the men, keep 15 to 40, fire to the 3. 50 will fit in the 40, flood it

out. As many as you can, then.

All right, men, on me, move, move, move, move!

Level up at your front line, present!

Fire!

George!

Cannons!

The war trust will fly in here.

Second rank, forward!

Present!

Thank you.

We keep fighting. Attacks bayonet. The battle is lost.

The battle is just begun.

Manu boost.

Manu boost.

You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. Breathe.

Breathe. Breathe.

I'm sorry.

Yes, it's right

I'm sorry

Chris, I'm so sorry

Washington. Terms are somewhat favorable.

It's a mutual withdrawal.

They take our artillery.

We'll remove the flag.

And so they demand you take responsibility for their commander's

unfortunate death.

We didn't start this.

Nobody knows you'll find that fish.

I've offered myself a security.

I will go with them.

That's the best possible outcome, Colonel.

What is the date today?

July 3rd.

Then July 3rd will be etched in my memory forever.

Assassination. You confess to assassinating a French officer.

It was not my intention, Your Excellency. Is this not your signature?

Our intention had never been to trouble peace, but only to revenge the

assassination of one of our officers. The translator failed me, sir. I didn't

realize. I thought... Washington, to lead is to forfeit the right to make

excuses.

Have you any idea what you've done?

You started a war!

I report that the battle was lost due to poor munitions and lack of supplies.

But that is not the truth, sir.

That is the truth that suits me.

Otherwise... Sir, I came here to resign my commission.

I am not fit to lead.

I was never fit to lead.

God save the king.

And your resignation would say that I'm not fit to choose.

Washington, you abandon this office, you abandon your ambition with it.

Understood, sir.

Where's Lawrence?

I'm sorry.

He wanted you to have his journals.

You were right.

You knew I would fail.

It's not your fault, George.

You did not lay your brother low, nor those men.

I chose the ground.

I put on the coat, I gave the order, and now because of that... good

men are dead.

When your father died, there were accounts I could not read,

acres I could not plow.

But I learned, as women do, to keep a tally with one hand

and a prayer with the other. I hardened because the wind

here is hard.

Put iron in my voice.

It was hard on you, George.

I see you learned to be hard on yourself.

That was my sin.

You said Providence placed me here.

Why?

For me to fail?

Perhaps.

Failure is the tutor sent by God.

If you don't learn from it, you've failed twice. If you do learn from it,

you've earned wisdom.

So, what did it tell you?

To go back.

But I'm afraid.

of making the same mistakes.

War is not the path I would choose for you, but... Oh.

On your feet, son.

If you must return to soldiering... go.

As God's servant.

Do it with your whole heart.

Find your path.

Make it yours.

Make it straight.

And prove them wrong.

Because even a pawn can take the king.

Sorry to disturb, sir.

I'm George Washington.

Ah!

The reason I am here.

Meet Colonel Thomas Gage.

Gage has recently been promoted to Colonel by Royal Commission.

Who's that?

I'm assuming you seek your previous command.

Gage has been tasked with leading your militia and...

is far more qualified.

I'm sure he is.

I neither ask for rank nor pay.

I'm here to volunteer his raid to camp. I believe I could be of some assistance

to you. Oh, do not worry.

Young Washington, these French and their savages may have been a formidable enemy

to you and your militia, but to the king's troops, they are more of a

nuisance, really.

A bit of a waste of powder.

We will prevail with ease. But with all due respect, sir, I do not think

we'll... be with ease.

Having fought... And lost.

Having fought within the region, sir, I believe I could be of some help to you.

Fort Duquesne is difficult.

Duquesne can hardly detain me above three or four days.

Sir, this is a very different type of battle. Just the trip to the fort alone

is a treacherous... A week at most. A month.

A month?

If lucky.

For most of the journey, you'll be traveling single file over what is

barely a trail. Not even wide enough for wagons.

I've surveyed the land. I know this land.

The French are located here where the three rivers meet.

Because of the land, the style of warfare is, uh, it's different.

These are not the open battlefields to which you're accustomed.

I have fought in a great many battlefields.

Not in the New World, sir.

You lost in the New World.

Yes.

You're right.

But failure is a great teacher.

I desire to serve under someone of your ability and experience to learn more.

Sir.

You may come.

As advisor and aide, that is all.

Thank you, General Braddock.

Colonel Gage see that he is accommodated.

Yes, sir.

So, Washington.

From colonel to aide to camp, how the mighty have fallen.

Well, I was never given the royal commission as colonel, so does it truly

matter?

This is important to you?

In fairness, yes.

Gate!

What on God's earth is the delay here?

A fallen tree, I believe, sir. Well, how do you expect to win a battle if you

can't even defeat a tree? Yes, sir.

I have fought the king's battles on three continents, but never have I been

defeated by a tree.

This is no army. This is a centipede with death.

Henry, David, look who's here.

Mate? Hey, decant.

It seems you're my superiors, actually.

Take up an axe and help us with this tree.

Gladly.

What seems to be the delay?

I'm sorry, Colonel.

There's no damn road.

That's the delay.

Washington, these are your friends.

Why do they not wear the king's red?

Or at least try?

You stole our last uniforms.

Baby bastards.

The indigo grows wild around here. We use it for blue dye.

That's the color of Virginia.

You boys go ahead.

Wear all them pretty colors and get shot first.

I'll blend into the woods and die an old man.

What happened with your grandson?

Royal commission?

Little rich girl?

I buried those plans when I buried Christopher.

Why'd you come back?

Came back to apologize.

My ambition was selfish.

I owe a debt to every single one of you.

A debt I cannot repay, but... When the time comes for battle, I'll be

there.

Fighting beside you Words for me

When

you

place a wager George

How about you, uh, how about you pay some for me?

You sure you're all right?

Yeah. Never better.

Thank you.

Of course.

Excuse me.

Why are y'all here?

We were sent.

By who?

The Fairfaxes. You'll fight for nobles?

I'll be fighting their stead.

Is that a piano?

Pridex.

Halted all the way from Alexandria.

I'm sorry.

We're cutting the road.

all the way through the Ohio Territory for a piano?

God help us.

One, two, three!

Keep going, Henry!

I'm doing it! On the count of three.

You sure you're right?

I bet.

I'm fine, I'm fine.

We're nearly there. I equate Mr.

Hunter that his majesty's service requires the further sum of 10,000

pounds sterling.

How else are we to deal with the lack of roads in a wilderness that is proving

formidable? Did you get that?

Yes, Your Excellency. Now, where was I?

The siege had been the longest and the bloodiest of the wars.

Washington? Oh, man, you're pale as a ghost.

Washington.

Washington!

Deliver the dispatch!

Sorry, Your Excellency, I was... I was lost in your story.

Yes, yes!

How is he?

Dysentery. His case is very severe.

High fever, terrible nightmares.

He calls out names.

How long will he be dead?

Days. A week.

Forever.

Forever?

He'll survive, won't he?

Washington.

You're awake.

Where are we?

Five miles south of the river, past the Great Meadows, where you fought.

No necessity.

I've been tasked with the command of a flying column and 900 men.

We cross the Monongahela River tomorrow. The next day we reach Fort Duquesne.

You should rest.

Look to the trees.

This is a new world. Treat it that way.

Do you not think me up to the task?

You weren't there.

I question their strategy.

About the North.

Gage, look to the trees.

I've been preparing for this all my life, George.

Courage, man.

I'll do it, Vance.

Vance to column.

Number one section, number two section, in line formation.

Number one section, present fire.

Number two section, present fire.

Number one section, number two section, to my rear.

So where? Over the hill!

I wouldn't bother Washington.

The battle's lost.

What is it, General?

Ordered a full retreat.

And my men?

You have no men. The Virginians.

They were at the front of the line.

It's nearly four miles from here.

If you go that way, you will die.

You look like death already.

Listen to me.

You'll never find them, and even if you did, you'd never make it back.

Washington.

Washington!

Come, Frank.

What could be worth the risk?

My men.

Number two section, six.

Where is the general?

Get over here!

Get over here!

General. General.

Washington.

Sir.

You ordered a retreat.

I ordered no retreat.

Rally the men and fall back.

Where... Wear this. They'll know it's mine.

Take my horse.

And take as many as you can.

Yes, sir.

I won't let you down.

Retreat! Hold fast!

Forward!

On me!

George!

The advance ends here!

We will hold this line! Fire and move!

Find cover in the trees!

Fire from the trees!

Spread out! Spread out!

Then this is our land and we will fight for it!

Independent fire!

Independent file!

George! Tucker!

Where are the others? Where's David? Where's Henry?

By the river.

Surrounded. Still alive.

I'm going to try to reach them. Tucker, rally as many as you can and move to the

river. Wait for my signal.

I won't let you down, sir.

I'm no officer.

You're the only leader on this field.

Buy me some time.

You there! You! You and you! Follow me! We'll get to the river! On my command!

Rich, guns!

No, no, no, no, Sam, stay with me, son. Rich left us here to die.

Yeah, you sound surprised.

Son.

How many rounds left?

A gun doesn't even work, Henry.

Check for powder.

Henry, look.

Who's that?

Shut up!

It's Washington.

Man's a damn fool.

They're flying to you from the right side. What do we do?

We fight. We're all out of powder.

Has anybody got powder?

Who has powder? I got it.

Let's make them pay.

Reload every weapon you can find.

Red and Virginia, reload your weapons.

To the right, follow me.

Keep that powder on you and keep it dry.

Let's go. Let's go. Let's give them hell.

Keep your head down, Henry.

Take cover along the berth!

Get your heads down! Come on!

Realize your muskets!

Second rank!

Again!

Make ready!

Present arms!

Fire!

On my signal, take the men as fast as you can to the right!

He's making himself target.

It's independent fun!

Only tend to the ones who you can see breathing

What's wrong, sir?

Seen a ghost?

There was no order. What?

It's your treat.

That all was lost, George.

I see no point in joining him in the grave.

Whose land is this, anyway?

It's our land.

Well, my land is an ocean away.

See, that is the difference between us.

You're right.

How are the others?

Lost a lot of men.

How many?

Hundred.

Thank you

for coming back for us.

Major Washington?

The half-king.

So now you fight for the French.

No longer fight wars that are not my home.

And why are you here?

To find you.

Follow me.

He wants to know who you are.

Why?

I ordered my warriors to shoot you.

All of them.

We men never miss.

Our people.

I have a legend, a spirit of protection that shields those chosen, those who

walk in destiny.

The Creator chose you.

You have been shielded by this spirit.

So ask again, what are you called?

My name is George Washington.

I will remember this name.

Are those bullet holes in your jacket?

Apologies, sir. This is the only uniform I own. You misunderstand my statement.

And your hat?

Yes, it's the only one I own as well.

The militia is in general... It also has a bullet hole in it?

How are you alive?

A divine hand, perhaps.

Perhaps. That says maybe.

But you are the man of the hour. That is certain.

Your journals to the council, they've been published and have made you quite

well known. They've even awakened London to the situation our colonies now face.

The way you describe the frontier has sparked the imagination of many.

And to your recent actions.

Mr. Washington's exemplary courage was on full display as he evaded many

attacks on his person while he fouled Indian and French enemies alike.

He also selflessly rescued hundreds of his men during a most impressive

retreat, during which he continued to battle the enemy with fervor, despite

his infirm condition.

Well, we were defeated, sir. 450 lives lost, another 500 wounded.

But you won.

Because you endured.

For most, failure is the end. For you, it seems only to be the beginning.

And since leadership is the problem, I'm going to give you the

opportunity to answer.

The second chance.

We're forming a Virginia regiment, 1,500 men, first of its kind in the colonies.

I want you to lead it.

I'm reinstating your rank as colonel.

in the Virginia Regiment and Commander-in-Chief of all forces raised

in defense of His Majesty's colony.

Do you accept this great honor?

Yes, sir.

I do.

Well then, I have much to discuss. I have but one request.

Washington, if you ask for equal pay or a royal credit... No, sir.

I would like to discuss the uniform.

Welcome up, Colonel Washington!

I am not a British officer.

And I am not a gentleman of England.

I have no title, no royal commission.

But what I do have is you.

All of you.

I am a Virginian.

And it is my honor to serve you.

To Virginia!

To Virginia.