BATTLE OF BUSHY RUN 4/15/21 39.

CONTINUED:
GRAHAM (O.C.)
Dysentery, sir.

They are approached by HIGHLANDER CAPTAIN JOHN GRAHAM - a

Iris, gruff man with plenty of enthusiasm.

GRAHAM (CONT'D)
But ready to fight on a moment's
notice.

CAMPBELL
Colonel, this is Captain John
Graham. He and his men have just
returned from battles in the
Caribbean.

BOUQUET
(to Graham) How long until your men
are ready to ship out?

CAPTAIN GRAHAM
Upon your orders, sir.

BOUQUET
Very well.
Graham walks away.

CAMPBELL
(A beat. Then to Bouquet) Sir, no
disrespect to Captain Graham, but
his optimism is unmatched by what I
saw of his men.

BOUQUET
Add more wagons to carry the
remainder.

As they walk, they are approached by LIEUTENANT JAMES DOW,

mid 30's, and a bit off. The kind of man who you fear making
eye contact with in a bar. But the kind you want on your
side.

CAMPBELL
(To Bouquet)
Colonel, this is Lieutenant James
Dow.

DOW
At your service, sir.

(CONTINUED)
BATTLE OF BUSHY RUN 4/15/21 40.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOUQUET
I've heard great things about you
Lieutenant.

CAMPBELL
He fought with me the past five
years with both Colonel Washington
and Colonel Armstrong. I highly
recommend he lead the advance
guard.

BOUQUET
We usually reserve that for someone
a bit unbalanced.

DOW
That would be me, sir.

CAMPBELL
I can vouch for that. I've seen the
man bite the head off a lizard for
taking his seat on a log.

BOUQUET
Then it is decided. Lieutenant, I'm
also searching for sharp shooters
if there are any among your men.

DOW
I have several highly trained with
the long-rifle, sir.

BOUQUET
Let's see what they can do.

CUT TO:

EXT. PHILADELPHIA FIELD - DAY

ANGLE NINE SOLDIERS who stand behind a tenth, who aims his
rifle up ahead. As he fires, we see him miss what he's aiming
at: a large watermelon, sitting on a stool. About a foot from
the watermelon is a cantaloupe on a separate stool, then,
another foot over, an apple.

Lieutenant Dow stands nearby and watches closely.

Another man steps up, fires and misses.

ANGLE BOUQUET, who watches from a short distance.

(CONTINUED)
BATTLE OF BUSHY RUN 4/15/21 41.
CONTINUED:
Another shot fired. Another miss. The men appear only mildly
frustrated.

ANGLE DOW, who is more than mildly frustrated.

DOW
(to the men)
Boys, there is no fruit larger than
a watermelon for you to take shots
at. And I cannot spare a steer.
This is the largest target
available, lest I decide to put one
of you upon a stool. Hit it.

Another shot, this time by a man named HOPKINS, another miss.

HOPKINS
That was close.

Dow walks up to Hopkins.

DOW
Close? What does close get you on
the battlefield, Hopkins?

HOPKINS
Don't reckon I know.

DOW
It gets you killed by the man you
missed while you reload your
weapon. You are lucky, the fruit
does not fire back. You will not be
so lucky on the field of battle.
Next!

Another steps up, fires and misses.

DOW (CONT'D)
You just died on the battlefield
Kenner. I'm forced to write a very
sad letter to your mother. I don't
want to write a letter to your
mother, Kenner. Next!

Another man steps up, fires and misses. He checks his barrel,
as if it might not be straight.

DOW (CONT'D)
Your barrels are straight. Do not
think me a fool.

(CONTINUED)
BATTLE OF BUSHY RUN 4/15/21 42.
CONTINUED: (2)
Another shoots and misses. As he does, Bouquet approaches
Dow, who meets him on the way, out of earshot of the men.

DOW (CONT'D)
I assure you, my men can hit these
targets.

BOUQUET
I don't doubt that, lieutenant. I'm
seeing a lack of desire.

DOW
Sharpshooters stay back during
heavy action, these men are too
aware.

BOUQUET
They want to fight.

DOW
I recruit fighters. Skilled men who
prefer to get their hands dirty.

BOUQUET
Keep them here. I'll be back
shortly.

CUT TO:

EXT. PHILADELPHIA FIELD - LATER

Bouquet walks up to the men who are sitting down now.

BOUQUET
Gentlemen, which of you would like
to have tea with those lovely
ladies?

The men look over and see four lovely ladies in chairs not
far away. The women wave. All the men raise their hands.

BOUQUET (CONT'D)
Top four shooters get to join them.

ANGLE THE WATERMELON. A bullet takes out the top. Another

drills the middle. Another two hit the main chunks left.

Suddenly, one flies through the center of the cantaloupe.

Then the apple is hit, dead on.

(CONTINUED)
BATTLE OF BUSHY RUN 4/15/21 68.
CONTINUED:
DOW
Colonel. Something you need to see
up ahead.

Bouquet, Gordon, Campbell, Graham and Dow quickly ride off,

Dow leading them.

CUT TO:

EXT. BURNED UP HOMESTEAD - MOMENTS LATER

The four of them come up on a cluster of small homes, all

burned to the ground. A few chimneys remain. But in the
middle is a barn, burned but mostly standing. Dow's men are
here.

Bouquet dismounts and walks into the barn. As he does, there

is a crackle in the trees. This sends Dow riding in that
direction. He pulls out his pistol as he does.

CUT TO:

INT. BURNED BUILDING - CONTINUOUS

FROM INSIDE the burned building, we see Bouquet enter and

react to the horror of what he sees - charred men, women and
children. We do not see it clearly, but we get the idea.

Bouquet walks out. Graham starts in and Bouquet puts a hand

in front of him.

BOUQUET
You have children?

GRAHAM
Two, sir.

BOUQUET
Don't go in there.

Campbell ignores Bouquet and walks in, then backs out and
looks from a distance. He starts to count bodies.

Dow now rides back slowly. Next to him, one of his men has an
Indian by a rope around the neck. The Indian is bleeding from
the head and appears disheveled.

DOW
Look who we found waking up from a
bump on the head?

(CONTINUED)
BATTLE OF BUSHY RUN 4/15/21 69.
CONTINUED:
Bouquet takes a step toward him.

BOUQUET
You speak English?

He says nothing. Dow pulls out a knife.

DOW
Only one way to find out.

BOUQUET
(to Dow)
No. Not under my command.

Bouquet takes another step toward him as a SHOT IS FIRED and

a bullet goes right through the Indian's head and he falls to
the ground.

Bouquet is startled by the gunshot and whirls around to see

Gordon with his musket up with smoke coming from the barrel.

Bouquet, with some of the Indian's blood on his face, is

enraged.

BOUQUET (CONT'D)
What have you done?

GORDON
No prisoners. We aren't supposed to
take prisoners. I saw the message
from General Amherst myself.

BOUQUET
I'm in charge on this mission! I
could have you hung for disobeying
orders.

GORDON
Sir. He's not human. You yourself
saw what he did to that family in
there.

CAMPBELL
(still sickened by what he saw)
Families. By my count, three sets
of parents with those children.

Bouquet gathers himself before he speaks.

BOUQUET
Before we go any further, let me
make something abundantly clear.
(MORE)

(CONTINUED)
BATTLE OF BUSHY RUN 4/15/21 75.
CONTINUED: (4)
The soldier then turns and shoots one Indian. The other
charges at him with a tomahawk, but the soldier shoves the
bayonet into his stomach, turns it and yanks it out. Another
Indian near him fires into the caravan and kills a soldier,
who staggers then falls on top of a dead horse.

On the other side of that horse, we see Lieutenant Gordon

hiding among the dead animals. He's breathing heavily as he
looks over at the dead soldier. He reaches over and puts his
hand in the blood on his chest. He pulls his hand back and
begins wiping the blood on his face then some on his arms.

ANGLE the soldiers racing to help Dow's crew. They arrive and
start firing on the Indians.

DOW
(To the new crew)
Welcome to the front, boys. Keep
this hill and drive them back.

Dow aims and fires on another Native American, striking him

in the chest. Before he can reload, a bullet rips through
Dow's stomach and he crumples to the ground.

He gets up and continues to reload, albeit slowly and

painfully. Graham runs up to Dow, who drops back to one knee,
in pain, still trying to reload. Graham grabs him, but Dow
pushes him away.

DOW (CONT'D)
I'm fine.

But Dow drops to the ground. Graham picks him up, throwing
him over his right shoulder. Graham keeps his gun in his left
hand.

DOW (CONT'D)
What are you doing?

GRAHAM
Saving your arse.

As he continues to run as best he can, Indians fire at him

and miss. He is determined to continue, with Dow over his
right shoulder.

An Indian steps in the path with a Tomahawk, Graham shoots

and kills him, never slowing his brisk pace to get Dow out of
there. He drops the rifle and continues with both hands of
Dow now.
As he does, another Native American steps out just as they
pass, seeing them as an easy target.

(CONTINUED)
BATTLE OF BUSHY RUN 4/15/21 76.
CONTINUED: (5)
The Indian takes aim as Dow reaches down pulls out Graham's
sidearm and fires into the Indian's chest. As Graham
continues to run, another Indian steps out and Dow throws a
tomahawk into his neck.

DOW
(to Graham)
Better hurry. You are out of
weapons.

ANGLE Bouquet, near the trees, who looks straight up, then
fires at a Native American in a tree, sending him tumbling
down. Suddenly all the soldiers look up.

BOUQUET
(motioning)
Stay tight to the trees.
(Then, yelling)
Sharpshooters.

ANGLE the caravan, where the four top shooters stand on a

platform, two of them aim above Campbell and his men, two aim
above Bouquet and his men. All fire. As they do, four Indians
fall from high in the trees. One above Bouquet lands on a
branch, suspended by his midsection.

The sharp shooters are handed four more guns and take aim. As
they do, four other men reload their guns. Then an arrow shot
from high in a tree strikes one of the shooters in the
shoulder, sending him to the ground. Hopkins, one of the
reloaders, takes his place.

The sharpshooters are ready again. One fires and an Indian

falls. The rest look around and see nothing. A beat, then:

HOPKINS
All clear!

The trees are cleared. The soldiers get back behind them.

Bouquet has secured the flank.

ANGLE Graham carrying Dow. He sets him down in the middle of

the caravan where we can see a makeshift ER has been set up.

Dow is in a lot of pain.

DOW
(to Graham)
Anybody ever tell you you run like
a lizard?

(CONTINUED)