Original subtitles

- Taking a break already, eh, Nathaniel?

- Yes, sir.

Been out in those fields since early this morning.

- I see.

How are those crops looking, now those floods passed us by?

- Some parts good. Some parts poorly, sir.

- Behaving poorly?

- Yes, sir, because of those floods you mentioned.

- Those crops have plenty of time to recover.

- Yes, sir, they might.

- They might?

You better hope they might,

or it comes outta your hide.

- We all working on it, sir.

- Nathaniel, you remember them whuppings I used

to give you when you let your people slide.

I know it's been a long time,

but those whuppings can come back, you hear me?

- Yes, sir.

- Okay then.

- Did Nathaniel do something wrong, Daddy?

- Not really.

- Why you treat him like that?

- Wade, you gotta learn how to treat these folks.

Put the fear in them.

Don't worry, I'll teach you.

- Nathaniel, I told you this was gonna happen

if you didn't keep things right!

- Yes, sir.

- What you doing out?

- I heard you yelling, wanted to make sure you were okay.

- Hurt, but I'll be all right

in a few days, I reckon.

- Why'd my daddy hit you like that?

- That's just what he does, Wade.

- Can I get you something?

- No no.

You shouldn't be here. It's just ...

- It's just that what?

- One day, way off, you'll be running this place.

I want you to promise me something.

- Okay.

- Promise me you gonna treat my people

better than your daddy did.

- I promise.

- Thank you. Now get on back home.

- Okay.

- Is something wrong, Master Wade?

I figured you'd be outside enjoying this fine weather.

- Everything's okay. I was just thinking.

- Well, it must be some powerful thinking

if you had to come in here to do it?

- Sarah, when you promise something,

do you always have to keep that promise?

- I suppose you should try, Wade.

Somebody's promise is their word,

and keeping their word is very important.

- I know. It's hon, hon, honorable.

- That's right.

If you don't mind me asking, who'd you make the promise to?

- Nathaniel.

Nathaniel? From the village?

- Yes, ma'am.

- What was the promise you made, Master Wade?

- Don't tell my pa.

- Oh, I won't.

- Last night, I saw him beating on Nathaniel,

giving him a real hard beating.

- Did he know you were there?

- Uh-uh.

I saw Nathaniel later, and he was hurt.

- What did Nathaniel have to say to you?

- He asked me to promise not to hurt his people.

- Do you think you can keep that promise, Master Wade?

- I think I probably should.

- Sir, supper should be ready in an hour.

- Thank you, Sarah.

I saw you and my son speaking in the sitting room earlier.

- Yes, sir, we were talking about keeping promises,

that kinda thing.

- What promise did he not keep?

- Oh, well, he doesn't know if it'll be kept or not.

- I believe I know what this is about.

You do, sir?

- Yeah, he took a liking to my new rifle,

and I promised I'd get him one just like it.

- Oh, I see.

- Problem is, he's a mite small still

for a gun of that caliber.

- Sir, may I suggest the general store?

- What for?

- They have a fine selection of toy guns

that almost look like the real ones.

- That might buy me a year or two?

- Would you like me to pick up a couple?

I know you're busy.

- If you don't mind.

- Yes, sir.

- I always tell him, a man's word is his currency.

You can't break your word.

- Wade, Preston, y'all about ready in there?

That'll do.

Preston, you aint going to battle with your bare feet.

- I'm still getting my boots shined.

You might as well come in and see

what kinda mischief we're getting into.

- Well look at that, my three handsome men.

Tell me, Wade, what do we have here?

- I'm the colonel, and Wade is the aide-de-camp

to General Johnston.

Preston is my aide-de-camp.

- That's wonderful. What is an aide-de-camp?

- We tell them what to do, and they go out

and tell everybody else what to do.

- Do you boys think you can handle that?

- Yes, ma'am. - Yes, ma'am.

- So where are y'all heading off to?

- Well we're not 100% sure. We think it's Virginia.

- Well dinner's almost ready, so we better get in there.

- Men, I have asked you here today

to tell you about my family.

And I wanna tell you a little bit about myself.

I am Colonel Wade Hampton.

My grandfather was in the Revolutionary War,

served with a man named Harry Lighthorse Lee.

You may not know him now, but you will know his son.

Robert E. Lee, he is your commander.

My father rode with a man by the name of Andrew Jackson

in the Battle of New Orleans.

He actually carried the victory message

from the battlefield to the White House.

My heart and soul is in South Carolina.

You must watch everything on the battlefield,

because your life depends on it.

There will be hand-to-hand combat, which you will learn.

There will be snipers shooting above you.

There will be artillery fire over your head.

Do not let this scare you.

I want you to go out there and give them your all.

I want you to be tough as nails.

I want you be strong as steel.

I want you to go out there and I want you

to kill some Yankees.

Gentlemen, this will be an endeavor

that you are soon to begin.

Thank you for being here today,

and thank you for your service.

South Carolina depends on you.

- This looks like as good a place as any.

Hm, thought there mighta been a crowd.

- Is there a schedule of some kind?

- It's a battle, Lizzie, a real battle.

- Someone's walking around down there.

- I see cannon.

- Well I'll be.

- What color are those men wearing?

- Looks like blue.

- Is that our side?

- I believe the Army of the Confederacy

will be wearing gray, from what I've seen.

- Well I hope it starts soon.

- It'll start soon, now just relax.

Good morning.

- Good morning, is this where the battle's supposed to be?

- Yes, it is.

- We've been here for a while now.

Nothing's happened yet.

- We've been here forever.

- Oh now, we've only been here a couple of hours.

There's a lot of troop movement down there.

- What are you folk doing here?

We're here to watch the battle.

- Where are you from?

- We're from Manassas, right down the road a bit.

It was a very pleasant ride here this morning.

- We're from just outside of Washington City.

- Y'all are from Washington?

- Ladies and gentlemen, I do not believe

you comprehend the gravity of these circumstances.

Right down the hill, I have established a field hospital

where I will be tending wounded very shortly.

- That's why we're here. When does it start?

- This is not a game or a play.

Two armies will be attacking each other.

You are endangering your own lives.

- Finally.

- All of you folk, all of you,

need to leave here immediately.

- Doesn't she understand?

That's what we came here for.

- Don't worry.

If it gets too rough, we'll bugger out.

- Is this the way it's supposed to look?

- I can't tell who's commanding the field.

- Apparently, no one can.

This is a perfect example of how not to follow orders.

- Ma'am.

- Good afternoon, Colonel, I shall fetch the doctor.

- Colonel Hampton. Just get here, sir?

- Just a bit ago, they been keeping your busy?

- We're maintaining control.

- The wounded arrive sporadically.

How's the battle going?

- It's fixing to get worse.

- My guess, it's about to get a lot more ferocious.

What makes you say that?

Hampton Legion's here.

- I hope you can end this quickly.

- Well we'll end this all right.

- They sure sound confident.

- We'll have to make more accommodations.

Christine, the colonel anticipates more wounded.

- Right now?

Soon.

- I will get to the well for more water.

- What makes you think you can do anything

with that mess out there?

- We just got a gun.

Our brand-new Enfield rifles from England.

- They won't know what hit them.

- Y'all just remember, Hampton Legion's here now.

We'll protect you.

Ma'am.

- Those horses are magnificent.

- I think Daniel's in the cavalry.

- That's right.

- Do you know someone down there?

- Yes, my husband.

- Your husband's fighting out there?

- Yes.

- No wonder you came to see this.

What color is he wearing?

- He's wearing blue.

- Well, we're here supporting the Army of the Confederacy,

under the command of General Johnston.

- Okay.

- Do you hear that?

- Those big guns sure are powerful.

- Well, that officer is certainly doing his part.

- Why aren't the men responding?

- Many of them are going home next week.

I knew these short-term enlistments were a bad idea.

- What a mess.

- They're all green, both ours and theirs.

- What the hell just happened?

Why are we losing so many men?

- The enemy's carrying a new regimental flag.

- I believe that's South Carolina.

- Doctor, you need to take a look at this.

- Christine, come quickly.

Doctor, please wash your hands before you touch his face.

Colonel, you need to put this in your report.

- I'll do it, I'll do it.

Looks like I didn't give y'all too much to work with.

- We have set up stations all through the house

for the wounded soldiers.

We are trying to keep them as comfortable as possible.

- Christine, you can head back to the house now.

But when you're finished in there, please come back

and help me with the soldiers in the tent.

- Yes, I should be finished in an hour or so.

- How'd this happen?

- We were in the heat of battle. I didn't feel a thing.

- You'll have to forgive Mary. She's a little headstrong.

But she's got a lot of experience.

- Nothing to forgive.

- Our hospitals are getting overwhelmed, sir.

Should we pull back?

- We are here for a reason.

The men have to get used to the idea

that this is what war looks like!

- What are you folk still doing here?

- The children don't wanna leave yet.

- My husband's in this.

I'm not leaving till I know he's okay.

- Do you know what this is?

- Is that real blood?

- Of course it is. What else would it be?

- I have spent the entire afternoon

tending to injured soldiers.

Many had surgery, and some did not survive.

Now my hospital is about 100 yards down there,

and it's only about 100 yards away from the battlefield.

I will have many more wounded soldiers to patch up,

and I do not want to have to spend time tending to civilians

who were too foolish to get out of harm's way.

- I think we need to go, John.

- All right, well, we'll pack things up then.

- You have been warned.

And that goes for you too.

- Lizzie, Levi, help pick up.

- Well, hold on just a minute now.

Another few minutes won't hurt anything.

- Casualties are heavy, Colonel.

- I'm sure it's the same on the other side, Major.

Our men signed up for this of their own free will.

- I don't believe they knew what

they were getting themselves into.

- What the hell y'all doing here?

Don't kill us.

- Get the hell out of here!

It aint time for a picnic!

Come on.

Come on!

- Did you see that?

Our men pushed their cavalry

all the way back into the woods!

- Looks like they scared off that group of spectators.

- Spectators?

What are spectators doing here?

They have no business!

- Sir.

- Kirkland, I heard you was here. What happened?

- Yanks shot my horse out from under me.

Bullet grazed my head, but my horse took three hard hits.

Poor thing slid sideways for several yards.

My leg got trapped under him.

- What's the damage, Nurse?

- That wound on his head is still bleeding,

but it did not puncture his skull.

He was quite fortunate.

Another half-inch and it would have blown his head off.

That leg is the serious injury.

- Busted up pretty bad, she said.

- Broken in four places.

We set it as best we could.

- Does it hurt much, Sergeant?

- It was absolutely horrid,

till these nice ladies took care of me.

- Our morphine supply is adequate at present.

But I don't know how long it will last

if these battles continue.

- Sarge, don't you worry about it.

We'll make sure you get home to your family.

- Absolutely not, sir.

Soon as I can walk again, I'll be back in the fight.

- That could be a very long time, Sergeant.

- Kirkland, it's probably best that you recover at home,

instead of being dragged around who knows where.

Once you feel you can ride, we'll get you a fresh horse.

- As long as you're in the fight, sir, I'll be in the fight.

- Sergeant, I'll check on you as soon as I can.

Nurse, how long do you think it'll be

before he can ride again?

- I don't know if he'll ever even be able to walk again.

And if he does, it will be with a cane at the very least.

- I understand.

- Did you find out why that company of our infantry

just walked off the field?

- Heard tell they were headed back to Washington.

General direction anyway.

- Washington?

That's over 20 miles from here.

It would have been so lovely of them

to inform us of their destination.

- I don't think they care anymore, sir.

- This is desertion.

I want their officer and every man, ow!

Ow!

- Colonel!

- Ow, oh, please don't touch that arm.

I've been shot in the elbow.

- Are you sure it's the elbow?

- Yes, I'm sure it's the elbow.

- Let's get you to the hospital.

- Good afternoon, Sergeant Major, how may I help you?

- Caught a piece of something,

Shrapnel, I don't know, or something.

- Have a seat. Let's take a look at it.

I can fix that up for you. Does it hurt much?

- What do you think?

- Mary!

- I'm coming, Christine.

This looks serious.

- So is mine.

Sergeant Major, this man has a bullet in him.

Yours is not life-threatening. Please be patient.

- I aint trying to cause no trouble here!

- I hope not.

- What I mean is, we supposed to be first

when it comes to medical.

- Did you not just hear me tell you

that this man has a life-threatening injury?

- I'm just telling you the way it's supposed to be.

- Sergeant Major, Mary is very busy right now,

and she is the only one here at present

qualified to do what she is doing.

So I would suggest, you allow us to proceed,

and at the proper time, we will find you.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

- I didn't see you eat much today.

You must keep up your strength.

- It has been a chaotic day,

far busier than any of us could have anticipated.

- A long battle, and so many casualties.

Do you think they were expecting this?

- No I don't.

It was certainly more than the picnic crowd

could have anticipated.

- What were they thinking?

- They were thinking it was going to be quick

and easy, and it will be neither.

These politicians have no idea what they've started.

- So, who did you see today that tickled your fancy?

- You mean men.

- Of course I mean men.

So many fine specimen here today.

- Spoken like the school teacher you are, Christine.

But I'm not looking for another husband right now.

- Well I must admit that I am.

Surely one of these strapping officers

would love a fine German wife.

So who did you find interesting?

- I will tell you who I respect. It's that Colonel Hampton.

Why so?

- For one thing, he's very wealthy.

- Oh, I like him already.

- He's quite married, my dear.

But the reason I respect him so much is

that he financed his entire operation himself,

that army he calls Hampton's Legion.

Did he now?

- Yes, and I have done something similar,

though not quite such a grand scale.

- What do you mean?

- My field hospital. I paid for everything myself.

- I had no idea.

So, what do you hope to reap from your investment?

A political appointment perhaps?

- If women could only hold office.

You know, I would be happy to get the vote.

But as a nurse, you know my concern

has been with saving lives.

And this is one arena where I can put

my concerns into action.

So you will continue to do this?

- Yes, as long as it's needed.

And I think it will be needed for a very long time.

- And I will help, if that meets your approval.

- Of course it does. You were invaluable here today.

We need to show these men that nursing

is a profession for respectable women.

- What's the matter with this soldier here, ma'am?

I noticed the blue coat.

- Yes, General, he was bleeding profusely

and probably would not have survived

if he had tried to reach the Federal hospital.

- What's your name, Soldier?

- Francis Peffer, Private, 19th Indiana Infantry,

United States Army.

- All righty, if you wanna play that game.

Wade Hampton, General, Confederate States of America.

Something you don't understand about that, Trooper?

- The way I see it, you're all outlaws.

Outlaw leadership.

Outlaw government.

- You might wanna consider that these outlaws

just saved your life.

- Ladies, I am indebted to you, for your service.

General?

- Yes, Private.

- Sir, if you don't mind me asking,

what's going to happen to me?

- Well, we got a good many prisoners on both sides now.

I would say that we're due for a prisoner exchange.

But don't hold me to that.

- Thank you, sir.

And I am a volunteer.

- I am too.

- I believe there's something you wanted to talk

with me about concerning Sharpsburg.

- Yes, General, my scouts have turned up a way

through the woods that would save us a lotta trouble.

- What exactly would we be moving through the woods?

- Cavalry.

- Cavalry.

I'm not so sure that's realistic.

- Dismounted cavalry.

No heavy guns, so we don't bring the horses in first.

That'll put us right on the rear of the Yankee camp

and still give us the element of surprise.

- As you know, I tend to favor

a frontal assault in these situations.

- Which I would understand if troop strength was equal.

However, McLellan may have up to twice our number

if you count his reserves.

- He may not bring in his reserves.

So, I think this through-the-woods idea is untried.

And with as much as we have to risk,

I just can't support it.

- Corporal Jones, you're going to have to stay still

while I change this, or you are going to keep bleeding.

- It hurts! It hurts so much!

- Nurse, what's the problem here?

- General, a bullet went through this man's chest.

We don't believe it struck his heart,

but he must calm himself or he will die.

- Corporal?

- General, sir.

- You got to do what the nurses tell you, Soldier.

- General, sir.

The pain, horrible.

- General, we have run out of morphine.

We have a little laudanum left, Christine.

This will have to do.

- Please listen, Corporal.

This will help the pain, but you must stay still.

- General, these weapons are tearing our men apart.

- 57 caliber, large bullets.

- These bullets rip right through them.

The exit wounds are ungodly.

- Well, coulda been worse. Coulda been canister shot.

I've heard of it.

What exactly is it?

- They take the round balls, put them in a can,

seal it up, put a cannonball on top, fire it,

it explodes and rains down on the troops.

- That is savage.

Yes it is.

- Would you use something like that?

- Ma'am, I'd use anything I could to win this war.

- I was right about one thing.

He didn't bring up a lot of his reserves.

- No, sir.

- Casualties were extremely high,

on both sides, I might add.

We just simply can't afford to engage

in a situation like this again.

- So we are disengaging our adventure into Maryland?

- Yeah, we are.

- Nurse Wilkins?

- Good afternoon, General.

Were you looking for someone?

- I was, you.

- Very well, how may I be of help?

- I may have some unfortunate news for you.

We need no more of that.

What have you heard?

- The president, Jefferson Davis, has decreed

that all hospitals become military hospitals

and ran by a officer.

- An officer?

What is the purpose of that?

- I would suggest to hurry up supplies

and to maintain order.

This does not diminish our gratitude

for everything you have done, Nurse Wilkins.

- I have an idea.

- And what might that be?

- May I suggest that you commission me?

Then I can continue to administer

the hospital as an officer.

- Well, uh.

I don't know about that.

- This arrangement would be of great benefit

to the Army of the Confederacy.

You do understand that?

- Yes I do, but like me,

you pay for your whole arrangement, but--

- I am also a professional nurse.

When I was in London, I attended

Miss Florence Nightingale's Academy of Nursing.

That is where I learned the importance

of hygiene and sanitation.

That is why I insist that my doctors wash

their hands between every patient,

and why my hospital has the highest

successful recovery rate.

I am immensely qualified for this position.

- Of that, I have no doubt.

But the Army of Northern Virginia

does not commission female officers.

- Females in this war have excelled at tasks

that they were once considered unfit for.

Men need to acknowledge this.

You yourself are acutely aware

of how much I am needed out here.

- Let me think on this for just a bit.

- So what you're telling me, General Hampton,

is that we're running outta everything?

- I'm not as concerned about my legion.

As you know, I pay for everything.

- I continue to commend you highly for that.

- Thank you.

But I can't do that beyond my men.

My concern is with the units that I'm fighting alongside.

- I understand that. So what do you suggest?

- Well, we need to stop losing so many soldiers.

- And how would we do that?

- One way is to substantially increase

the recovery rate at field hospitals.

- Same question, how do we do that?

- By working with somebody who's done it.

- All right, who's he?

She.

- A nurse?

- Her name is Mary Wilkins.

I first saw her operation at Manassas.

She runs her own field hospital, and right now,

her survival rate is 97%.

- That's wonderful.

So what's the problem? Does she wanna leave?

- General, you may remember that Jefferson Davis decreed

that all field hospitals must have an officer in charge.

- Okay, I remember something about that, yeah.

- I don't wanna lose Miss Wilkins or her operation.

I believe we need her out there,

and my officers feel the same way.

- So what are you proposing?

- I'd like to forward a letter to Jefferson Davis

requesting permission to commission her in the army.

- General Hampton, I would love to discuss this

with you at length, but we've got so many matters

on the table, I just don't have time

to talk about it right now.

- So I have your support on this?

- For right now, yes.

So what else?

- I believe you wanted to see me.

Have a seat, gentlemen.

What's on your mind?

- Well, sir, the sergeant and the corporal here

got a idea they wanna share with you.

- All right, let's have it.

- Yes, sir, the corporal and I have been involved

in several special missions.

- Well, sir, most of these missions

have been dreamed up by the captain here.

- Special missions, huh?

Do I know about these special missions, Captain?

- Well, some you do and some you don't.

- I see.

Certainly, do tell.

- We've conducted several missions behind enemy

lines on the supply chain.

- These raids have been very effective.

- Well, sometimes it's just me and Sergeant Causey,

and sometimes ...

- Sometimes what?

- Sometimes, I go with him.

- Why?

- On account of he's pretty good at it.

- We make a pretty good team.

- A team?

Just you three in this team?

- Sometimes we bring sharpshooters.

- Sometimes, explosive experts.

- How long has this been going on?

- About a year.

- Really? And when was you gonna get around to telling me?

- This evening.

- Okay, fellas, what do y'all want from me?

- We're giving the group a name.

Just wanna let you know in case you hear about it.

- Oh well, thanks for keeping me informed.

What'd you come up with?

- Band of Confederates.

- If the captain here is involved with any

of these shenanigans, I wanna know all the way.

Good, now I have an announcement for you.

We been blessed to work with the best nurse

in this here Confederate Army,

and that would be Mary Wilkins.

- She's good.

- Recently, our president, Jefferson Davis, has decreed

that those that run our hospitals now be officers.

Of course, that would put Miss Wilkins outta the running.

Let me ask y'all, do we wanna lose Miss Wilkins?

- No.

- No, sir.

- Today, I received a letter that commissions

Mary Wilkins as an officer.

- This ever been done before?

- No it has not, but it took a piece of work

to get this done.

I'm presenting this letter to Mary in a few minutes,

and I would love for y'all to join me.

- Well certainly, sir.

- Okay, let's do it.

- Something wrong, Sergeant?

- Well, sir, I'm not one to complain, but um ...

- Yes, Soldier?

- Sir, I believe I've been qualified for promotion

for several years now.

I'm just wondering, why have I been passed over?

- I would need a letter of recommendation, Sergeant Major.

- I would do it.

- Find another officer to sign off.

- You?

- Can't be me. You gotta find somebody else.

- Okay, sir, thank you.

- Mary Wilkins, for outstanding service in support

for the Army of Northern Virginia, you have been

commissioned to the rank of captain.

Is there anything you'd like to say, Mary?

- I sincerely appreciate this opportunity, sir,

and I am honored to accept this commission.

- You're supposed to salute.

- As a duly commissioned officer, I would like

to recommend Sergeant Major Causey

for promotion to officer rank,

to be determined by General Hampton, of course.

- Well hell, I think this is gonna work out.

- And Lord, please watch over our house servant,

Sarah Baker, who left this world to join you last month.

Christmas, 1863.

The dinner will be ready in a few minutes,

and I have really been looking forward to this.

Every year since this war started,

we've had a special guest for Christmas dinner.

This year, it's Sergeant Major Causey.

- Thank you for having me here.

- One of my finest cavalry soldiers.

He's been with me from Manassas to Gettysburg,

and he's still with me.

- It's been a privilege serving with you, General.

- So, Sergeant, tell me about your people.

Where are you from?

- A small town right up the road, Brunson.

- The sergeant here can be a real terror on the battlefield.

- He fights like a wild animal.

- Well, I don't know about all that.

- Boys, you're embarrassing the sergeant.

Do tell me about your horse.

- Yes, ma'am. His name's Walker.

He's been with me a good long while.

- They both been shot a couple times.

- Really?

- Thankfully, it didn't hit anything vital.

- I hope you brought your appetite with you, Sergeant.

You're in a for a real treat.

- That's what I'm told.

- See anything, General?

- I seen a few skirmishes over that way earlier.

Here, you take a look.

- General, we're ready to go.

- Preston!

- Preston.

- Stay with me, Son. Stay with me, Son.

- I, I can't.

- Wade!

- Whoo.

Whoo, whoo!

- General, come on.

- Get him up on the table, boys.

Take that hat.

- Turn him over.

- All right, lay him up.

Let me get in here.

Oh, God.

- We gotta get him up on this side here.

- Turn him over.

- This is bad.

It's not bleeding much. It coulda been a lot worse.

- Were you hit too, General?

- I was not, but take care of my boy Wade.

- You sure you're okay?

- I'm absolutely sure, ma'am.

I gotta get back. My other son's on the battlefield.

He died, and I have to get back to him.

- We can patch him up for you.

It will hurt, but we have a little laudanum left.

He should pull through.

- Thank you, thank you so much.

My dearest Mary.

As I sit on the coast of South Carolina,

looking out into all of God's wondrous ways,

I take time to reflect.

The war is really not going well for us.

I'm okay. The men are fine.

But, Mary, I have some tragic news.

Our son Preston, our son Preston

was killed on a battlefield today.

And Wade fell over Preston to try to protect him

and was shot and wounded in the back.

Now, Wade the Fourth will be fine.

The doctors have told me that.

But he couldn't save Preston,

and he was shot down right in front of me.

And it hurt me more than it did when Frank died.

I mean, this was my son.

And, Mary, he'll never come back again.

Say a prayer for him in church.

I wish you were here, Mary.

Give my love to the girls.

There will be brighter days.

I'm sure of it.

All the best, and I love you, Wade.

- General Hampton.

- Yes?

- I heard about the loss of your son.

Please accept my deepest sympathy and condolences.

Is there anything that I can do to help you?

- When this started, how long did you think this would last?

- What, this engagement at Burgess Mill?

- No, sir, I mean the war itself.

,

after talking with a lotta people at the start,

we thought it might last up to a year maybe.

- I believe you're correct.

I just keep thinking.

If the war would have lasted a year, maybe two,

Preston would still be with me.

- Have you thought anything about going home

for Christmas this year?

- I haven't given much thought to it.

It's not even November yet.

- I think it might be a good idea

to consider going home and spending time with your family.

- Is that an order, sir?

- Wade, it's not an order, not at all.

It's just a suggestion from one old friend,

who's concerned, to another.

- I think it's a good idea.

- Wade, you haven't eaten any of your dinner.

- I'm not really hungry, Mary, thank you.

- And you, Son, you've hardly eaten anything at all.

- I'm just not hungry yet, Mother.

You're not hungry for Christmas dinner?

- I'm sorry, Mother.

I guess, I guess I'm just missing Preston.

- It's all right, Wade, we all are.

- Well, the good news is, there's been a shipment

of toys that have arrived in the village.

You can go and pass those out to the children this evening.

- Wade, would you handle that for me?

- Sure.

- No, absolutely not. It needs to be you.

It's tradition.

Besides, there's someone in the village

that's been asking for you.

- Who?

- Nathaniel.

He's in very poor health, and they don't think

he's going to make another Christmas.

- I don't, I don't know.

All right, let's go make some children happy,

and then I'll go see Nathaniel.

- Good evening, sir.

- Good to see you, Nathaniel.

I understand you're not feeling too well.

- Yes, sir.

I believe my time is coming to an end.

- What can I do for you?

- Just wanna thank you, sir.

- Whatever for?

- I was told you gave all the children

something for Christmas.

- Of course, we been doing that for a long while.

- That was very good of you, sir.

Do you remember

the promise?

- Promise? What promise would that be?

- An old promise.

You was just a little boy.

- I believe I remember that promise.

- Maybe 40,

50 years ago.

- I believe I promised you that I'd treat

your people better than my daddy did.

- That's right. You kept that promise.

- Do you know why I kept that promise?

- Why, sir?

- Because, considering it's the right thing to do,

I've always considered you my friend.

Goodbye, my friend.