how accurate is the "patriot"

[march1781]

I have seen this movie like a thousand times and awalys have wanted to know how accurate this movie is and exactly what some of these battles are in the movie.

 

[bwhoffman]

lost me right at the point where he was "runnin' ball" and emptying his mold into his hand at the fire.Hollywood screwed the pooch at that point.
excellent movie just the same!

 

[XXX]

I like the film to an extent, but I think he tried too hard to be all things to all people and that catering to these interests for a wider audience detracts from the film. Gibson also elected to make his character a compilation of several real men rather then a depiction of anyone specifically. He seems to have borrowed from Daniel Morgan and Francis Marion most heavily. The epic battle with "Tarleton's" legion at the end of the film seems to have been borrowed from the Battle of Cowpens based upon the tactics and participants. As for accuracy, it is a historical fiction. On a costume and prop level it is probably pretty good. As a depcition of 1770's South Carolinian social interaction I find it far fetched

 

[PaulN/KS]

It's a movie...
They did a bit of homework as to costumes and such and there are a few of "our own" as extras so, all in all, not bad for a "movie"...
"aim small miss small"
:grin:

 

[nchawkeye]

Actually that last battle on the movie was more like the battle of Waterloo when Napolian got beat....

At the battle of Cowpens, Morgan put 2 lines of militia out in front of the Regulars, that way the British had to fight through 2 lines before getting to the Regulars, they actually got off a couple of volleys and then moved away before actually "engaging"...Kinda like Guilford Courthouse...

We don't know of any churches being burned with people in them...Charleston was taken by the British, Camden was a rout for the British, General Gates did run from the British at that battle and made it to Hillsborough, NC in 3 days, if my memory is correct...

South Carolina wasn't "excited" about joining the cause in the beginning of the war, so I feel that there were very mixed emotions about them getting involved...This was was actually the first Civil War, at least in the South...So, I feel that the emotions of the general public were fairly well captured in the movie...

Because of the brutal tactics of the British, many decided it was time to take up arms, when the British did show up down here...

There is very little truth in the Patriot, good story, but little history...

It's a shame that Hollywood couldn't make a true to life history about either Daniel Morgan or Francis Marion for the general public to see...

 

[Birdman]

In a real general sense, if ya look at the population of the colonies at the time you can break down who wanted what into thirds. About 1/3 wanted to break from England, 1/3 wanted to to stay under English rule and the last third didn't really care one way or the other but were waiting to see the final outcome before commiting. LOL sort of like todays politics. They movie has many flaws but is great entertainment and at least it is one of the better ones to come out of Hollyweird in quite a while

 

[davidthered]

Spit!

 

[Black Hand]

It's a shame that Hollywood couldn't make a true to life history about either Daniel Morgan or Francis Marion for the general public to see...

To the general public, History is boring. Fantasy is, well, Fantasy.....

There are a lot of things that would make fantastic movies for a few of us, but wouldn't sell well to the public. And when has Hollywood ever been concerned with accuracy?

 

[sharps54]

I think a historically based movie would do fine if they did it right. I was turned off as soon as I saw this was fiction based on Marion and Morgan. I hate the idea that Hollywood wants to make up heros instead of teaching our youth about real American heros. You just can't make up stories that match real life. For example I would love to see a movie based on George Rogers Clark's Rev. War experiences.

 

[colmoultrie]

On a costume and prop level, Tarleton's Legion were known as the "Green Dragoons." Funny, I don't remember seeing any green in the British lines...

The church burning did not occur.

Explosive shells were an extreme rarity at best for field artillery at that point.

All in all it's more of "The Road Warrior wins the Revolution" than a serious historical piece. Of course, I liked "The Road Warrior"...

Actually I'd rather see Hollywood produce fiction that they call fiction than try to tell "history." How many versions of Jesse James or Billy the Kid or other historical figures have they just plain screwed up?

 

[colmoultrie]

...remember Disney's "Pocahontas?"... :barf:

 

[Le Grand]

The director sure loved to see people throwing their ramrods away. Le Grand

 

[SimonKenton]

While REGULARS never burned a church we must assume that a Tory militia unit might have. One bunch of Tory pigs hung a woman from the beam in her kitchen, cut open her belly (she was pregnant) and wrote in her blood on the wall "Thou shalt not give birth to a traitor!".

-Ray

 

[rabjr]

Saw this today, had to laugh as Mel has 3 in the top ten.
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/10mosthistoricallyinaccurate.html;_ylt=AmfYYtAfz.2.cKIWdFlU8QBfVXcA

 

[tg]

"lost me right at the point where he was "runnin' ball" and emptying his mold into his hand at the fire."

Common Brett ain't you ever done that....accidently?

 

[Okwaho]

While REGULARS never burned a church we must assume that a Tory militia unit might have. One bunch of Tory pigs hung a woman from the beam in her kitchen, cut open her belly (she was pregnant) and wrote in her blood on the wall "Thou shalt not give birth to a traitor!".

-Ray

Given the savagery in the back country of South Carolina during the Revolutionary War, I can well understand either side burning a building with opposing combatants inside and as I recall this may have actually happened but don't recall which side did the burning.I do not, however, for one minute believe that either side burned any churches and more especially not with non combatants including women and children inside. As to the brutalization of the woman cited,I would very much like to see any solid documentation on that act.I speak,incidentally,as a descendant of an officer who commanded Catawba scouts against the British and Tories in the King's Mountain Campaign so I can hardly be accused of being a Tory apologist.
Tom Patton

 

[flyfisher76544]

The final battle is suppossed to be the Battle of Guilford Court house. And as history shows us the British won...even though Cornwallis lost over a quarter of his men. Most of them due to friendly fire...it still was a British victory.

 

[SimonKenton]

"Victories" like that lead to defeat.

-Ray

 

[nchawkeye]

While REGULARS never burned a church we must assume that a Tory militia unit might have. One bunch of Tory pigs hung a woman from the beam in her kitchen, cut open her belly (she was pregnant) and wrote in her blood on the wall "Thou shalt not give birth to a traitor!".

-Ray

The week before the annual Guilford Courthouse reenactment, they have a lecture series, I have attended for several years...

The story about Tories killing a pregnant woman has no historical basis...

One of the speakers this year was Dr. Anthony Scotti, he is a historian and author and has done quite a bit of research on Banester Tarlton, this story was attributed to his Legion...

Three different versions of this story were circulated from the Tidewater area of Virginia just before Yorktown...Different versions, different locations...This was actually propaganda that was circulated by the Rebels...

 

[Okwaho]

Thanks for that response. I wonder if you know or have heard of a structure {a tavern maybe?}burned with combatants{I don't know which side}inside? That would make more sense than the other rather far fetched tales put forth in a preious post and hopefully dispelled.
Tom Patton