Story Context: The Seven Days Battle
 


The eve of William Fletcher's first battle near Richmond, where the Texas Brigade had been in training for some months, found he and members of Company F both joyful with anticipation and horrified at the looming reality. The Seven Days Battle was a particularly bloody engagement which drew first blood for many a Confederate unit.

The letter read by Juliana is a flash back, interspersed with battle scenes as illustration of what he had seen while involved, a letter in reality penned after the battle. Following is a poignant portion of the script which begins Fletcher's war with realization of what is to come and which solidifies their relationship. This window on the story also evolves the transition of Levi Miller, the black Captain's servant who then becomes a fully accepted and free Confederate soldier.

Script Excerpt
( First Combat-Seven Days Battle-Near Richmond )
 


EXTERIOR-ROLLING FIELDS-EARLY MORNING

Across the clearing, Union infantry advances. Bill places the Indian charm around his neck.
Retrieving his musket, loading on the move, he rejoins the company by Archie. Other Confederate
units stretch in long wavy lines over lush rolling hills. A nearby fife blends with drums, oddly in harmony with a cheerful Mockingbird. Trailed by the Captain's black servant, Levi Miller, carrying medical supplies, the company advances.
ARCHIE
(nervous, sweating)
     

First blood!...Scared me into a fine case of Virginia quick step!!
BILL
     
What?!
    
           
ARCHIE
      Runs!!    

BILL
      Be strong! I have stood my ground...as you will.
 
Union artillery. Bill twitches. The bravado of boyish faces written with fear, as elbow to elbow they face first battle. The Captain raises his sword, walking backward toward the enemy as they advance.

CAPTAIN BRYAN
      Men of Texas! The sword of the Lord to protect this our
baptism of fire!!
 
Continuing to advance. Distant Union commands. Bill takes a chaw, touching the Indian charm. Grape shot grotesquely removes six men.

FIRST SERGEANT POTEET
     
Close ranks! Don't let none of that lead through, boys!

WILD BILL
      I expect we'll smell hell now.
 
Wild Bill braces a man falling against him of fear, his britches wet with urine. Jesse Foote vomits, Morgan hugging him close.

BILL
      Hey Jessie! Ya'll remember that neked picture? That'l keep
your spirits!
 
Still drumming, a frightened Johnny ( drummer boy ) leaves the Captain, passing anxiously to the rear, a path opened by Bill and Archie.

CAPTAIN BRYAN
      Halt!! Fix bayonets!
 
The Captain moves to the end of the formation. Long silence, but for the battle flag snapping to a light breeze. Innocent sweating faces. A loud fart breaks tension. Next to Wild Bill a soldier laughs. Union fire explodes his head, splattering Wild Bill, who shrieks, racing forward. Sergeant Poteet trips him.

FIRST SERGEANT POTEET
      Order!! Damn you! Prepare to fire!!!
 

Union musket fire. Dull thuds as minie balls find target. Several fall. Tension builds. Silence broken by the occasional scream and clink of equipment. A loud buzzing fly. Bill spits his chaw. Bagpipes begin, "Amazing Grace". Frozen, Captain Bryan stares at the Union line, slouch hat now atop his raised sword.
           
FIRST SERGEANT POTEET
(continued)
      Sir?...Sir!!!
           
CAPTAIN BRYAN
      Firrre!!!!!!!
 
Firing in unison, Company F is consumed in smoke. Captain Bryan, now alert, bursts through the haze, screaming.

CAPTAIN BRYAN
(continued)
      Charge!!!!!!

FIRST SERGEANT POTEET
      Follow your Captain!!
 


Slowly, a chilling Rebel yell swells from the charging men, blended with the chaotic sound of artillery, small arms and screams of those consumed in pain. Crossing the plain, Bill, Wild Bill, Archie, Fiddler ( fiddle strapped to his back ) reload on the run. Levi ( Captain's black servant ) races forward scooping a fallen musket, bursting forward by the Captain.

EXTERIOR-LONG FAMILY FARM - LATE AFTERNOON

Pastoral setting by the farm pond, Juliana reads. Battle imagery: SOUND FADES TO SILENCE,
contrasting her soft emotional voice over as she reads Bill's first letter home.
     
 
JULIANA'S VOICE OVER

July 1, 1862. My Dearest Juliana...We have seen our first
battle at Gaines Mill, near Richmond. What a beautiful sight to
behold, as the long wavy lines of our boys advanced by regiment
to the glorious noise of our wild Rebel yell. Yet soon, the fight
proved a hardening of the soul. Two brothers of our company,
Morgan and Jessie Foote, both nice, gentle courageous boys,
have been killed merely for one aiding the other.

  Morgan Foote falls arms outstretched, blood gushing from a chest wound. Pushing through the
fight toward him, Jessie kneels, whereby he too is shot dead, collapsing over his brother.
 
     
 
JULIANA'S VOICE OVER
(continued)

The first fell near me, mortally wounded. Calling out for his
brother, who, without thought of his own peril found him and
while bending to help, was himself taken, both dead over each
other before my eyes. Exposed to shell, grape, or canister shot,
moving, standing, or lying down, it is all the same. A man can
be shot down without opportunity to so much as raise a hand
in self defense.
  Bill and friends in gory combat. Fiddler lifts a Yankee, hurling him onto bayonets of his own men. Other Confederates rush into a deep creekbed. Union artillery impacts the edge burying them, a row of twitching bayonets protruding above mounded dirt. Captain Bryan is overpowered. Wild Bill fires into his attacker's chest, the same ball taking a nearby Confederate. Jumping bodies, a mounted Federal horseman knocks down Wild Bill. The rider circles tightly, firing under his horse, as Wild Bill clings desperately to a stirrup, hooves trampling him. Levi bursts into the chaos, firing at the Yankee. Missing, he hurls his musket spearlike, the bayonet skewering the Yankee horseman.
 
CAPTAIN BRYAN
Give em hell, Levi!!
 
Standing, Wild Bill pauses briefly in the midst of chaos, eyes locked with Levi. He salutes. Leaping the fallen, through smoke and hell, Bill sprints for a Union cannon. An officer mounts it's wheel taking aim. Bill fires and the officer falls dead over the barrel, just as the cannon fires point blank, cutting a swath of raining body parts through charging Southerners. Wildly bayonet-ing, swinging his musket, Bill reaches the artillery position first. Now attacked by the gun's sergeant, he is thrust backward over the dead officer, his own musket choking him.
     
 
JULIANA'S VOICE OVER
(continued)

I have now seen the face of hell, whereby reason does
not prevail. The joy every Southern man felt at hearing of
Ft. Sumter, the spring in our step, now settles. My first
encounter with the invader finds me little more than numb.
Where I had expected a great sense of victory, I now fear we
are merely laid on the bloody altar of war.
  SLOW MOTION: Ethereal drumming, Johnny appears from the haze near Bill, desperately fighting for his life with the sergeant. Johnny wrests a pistol from the officer's death grip and shoves it into Bill's clawing hand, whereby Bill fires into the Sergeant’Äôs belly. Terrified, Johnny crouches under the cannon behind his drum.
     
 
JULIANA'S VOICE OVER
(continued)

Forgive dark accounting, yet, realize the revelation of such
horror. Where could the Lord be such a day as this?
 

BATTLE SOUND UP: Smokey battlefield, broken and bloody. Screams of dying. Exhausted. Disheveled, Bill breaks the Sergeant's grip, sinking to the ground at the canon. Confederates overwhelm the Union line. Creeping from underneath, Johnny offers a canteen. Trembling, Bill finds Juliana's image.

EXTERIOR-LONG FAMILY FARM - DUSK

Night falls. Tearful, Juliana holds the letter close.
     
 
BILL'S VOICE OVER

My curiosity of glory is satisfied forever. My life now a
burden, saved only by your love. You are ever in my thoughts.
                                   William Fletcher.
  EXT - CREEK - LATE AFTERNOON

Beautiful trees arch over a flowing creek. Crying, alone, Bill kneels, rinsing his face. Slowly a large swirling volume of blood meanders downstream, followed by a headless body. Shaking, he vomits. Sergeant Poteet nears. Kneeling, he touches Bill's arm.
     
 
FIRST SERGEANT POTEET

Fletcher...We have done our soldierly duty. This day...we have
prevailed. You are one of the strong among us. You'll harden
to it. We must all...harden to it.