[watching Searles practice with his bayonet]
Oh, what do we have here? Bonnie Prince Charley and his toy bayonet! Stab me.
Searles What?
[Searles comes at him gingerly and Mulcahy slaps it away]
I said STAB, not TICKLE! Come on, you prissy little schoolgirl!
[Searles comes at him again, Mulcahy disarms him and slams the rifle butt into his stomach, then his face. Searles falls to the ground, writhing in pain and sobbing]
No shame, son, get up... I SAID GET UP!
**** forgot to duck, that's all!
S Shaw
Sergeant, deal with that man!
Hey, yo, ****, that's my spot, see.
Searles If you don't mind, there's more sufficient reading light here.
Oooh, I like it when **** talk good as white folks!
Searles I'd be happy to teach you.
Now, listen here, I ain't got nothin' to learn from no house ****, you hear?
Searles I am a free man, like my father before me.
Oh, really? Then move your free black ass out my spot, see!
Wait, no. That's my space, ****. I sleep better close by the door.
Thomas Searles Well, if you don't mind, I'd prefer a space where there's more sufficient reading light.
Oh, I like it when **** talk good as white folk!
Thomas Searles I'd be happy to teach you. It would be my pleasure.
Hey, listen here, snowflake, I ain't got nothin' to learn from no house ****, you hear?
Thomas Searles I am a free man, as was my father before me.
Oh, you free, huh? Then move your free black ass out my space, before I have to bust it up!
SM Sergeant Mulcahy
[Sergeant Major Mulcahy is leading a Company of the 54th during a bayonet drill]
Thrust! Develop! Guard! [walks past Jupiter Sharts] You're not a dancing school son, take his head off! Thrust! Develop! Guard! [walks to Thomas Searles] Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what have here? Bonny Prince Charlie and his little toy bayonet. Your not reading your books now. Go on, go on, get over here, get over here. Now stab me.
Thomas Searles What?
SM Sergeant Mulcahy
Stab. Me. [Searles half-heartedly prods with his bayonet. Mulcahey sweeps it aside disdainfully.] Stab, not tickle! Hit me! [Searles again lunges with the bayonet] Come on! You prissy little schoolgirl, you're the worst Soldier in this whole company, now hit me![Thomas lunges with his bayonet, Mulcahy deftly grabs his weapon and viciously knocks him to the ground with it.] No shame son, get up. [Searles lies on the ground crying] I said get up!
**** forgot to duck, that's all. [a few other soldiers laugh]
[points at Trip]
Sergeant, deal with that man.
SM Sergeant Mulcahy
[walks over to Trip, whispers]
Let me tell you a wee secret, son. The only thing you're to learn to do is to keep your mouth shut. [pushes Trip back]
[holds Trip back as he tries to lunge back at Mulcahy]
Save it, son. Save it.
SM Sergeant Mulcahy
First rank to the rear, back to work!
Thomas Searles [to Shaw, on the verge of tears]
Robert, Robert. I'd like to speak to you for a moment in private, if I may.
Enlisted men wishing to speak to their commanding officer, must first get permission. You understand, private?
Thomas Searles [shedding tears, salutes]
Yes, sir.
[to a group of Union soldiers marching up the road]
Look like we goin' the wrong way. Hey. Hey, come on now, buck up boys! Hey, buck up now, come on! Be someday they gonna let the 54th get into it, see! And all your troubles would be over. Come on now, cheer up!
1C 10th Connecticut Corporal
[stops to face Trip]
What'd you say, boy?
Boy? Hey, let me tell you...
Thomas Searles Shut up, Trip.
[to Searles]
Would you get up off me, snowflake? [to the 10th Connecticut Corporal] See, let me explain something to you. See, the way I figure, I figure this war would be over a whole lot sooner if you boys just turned right on around and headed back on down that way, and you let us head on up there where the real fighting is.
There are men dyin' up that road.
And there wouldn't be nothing but Rebs dyin' if they'd let the 54th in it.
[Men of both regiments argue and begin fighting]
Hold it! As you were, Trip! As you were! [to the Connecticut soldiers] You men move on.
1C 10th Connecticut Corporal
[scoffing as he notices Rawlins' rank]
Stripes on a ****. That's like tits on a bull!
[The other Union soldiers laugh]
You're lookin' at a higher rank, Corporal. You'll obey and you'll like it.
1C 10th Connecticut Corporal
Make me.
[The 10th Connecticut soldiers push forward again and the fight resumes] [arriving on his horse]
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!
[The fighting immediately stops]
Attention!
[pointing at the 10th Connecticut Corporal]
You! Yes, you! What's your name? I'm putting you up on charges!
[The Corporal freezes in fear, unable to speak]
There ain't no cause for that, sir.
It's just a soldiers' fight, sir.
All right. You men move along. [pause] MOVE IT!
[The 54th resumes its work and the 10th Connecticut continues marching; the Corporal looks at Rawlins briefly, then rejoins his unit]
Yeah, button up that collar. Suck in that gut. Tuck in them big black lips. Lighten your skin, shrink up that nose.
Thomas Searles I don't have to listen to this. [stands up to leave]
[blocks his way]
Where you goin', boy?
Thomas Searles Let me by.
Let you by? Let you by. Let me tell you something boy. You can march like the white man. You can talk like him. You can learn his songs. You can even wear his suits. But you ain't never gonna be nothing to him but an ugly ass chimp in a blue suit. Oh, you don't like that, do you?
Thomas Searles No.
Well, what we gonna do about it? Want to fight me, boy? Huh? What you gonna do about it? You want to fight me, don't you? Don't you? Come on, nig.
[Trip and Searles are about to fight] [stepping in]
All right! All right!
Hey, get your hands off me, gravedigger!
Goddamn it! Does the whole world gotta stomp on your face?
****, you better get your hands off me!
Ain't no **** around here, you hear me?
Oh, I see. So the white man give you a couple of stripes, next thing you hollerin' and orderin' everybody around, like you the massa hisself! ****, you ain't nothin' but the white man's dog! Shit.
[slaps Trip in the face]
And what are you? So full of hate you just want to go out and fight everybody because you've been whipped and chased by hounds. Well, that might not be living, but it sure as hell ain't dying. And dying's what these white boys been doin' for going on three years now, dying by the thousands! Dying for you, fool! I know, 'cuz I dug the graves. And all the time I'm diggin', I'm askin' myself, "When? When, O Lord, is it gonna be our time?" Well, time's comin' when we're gonna hafta ante up. Ante up and kick in like men. LIKE MEN! You watch who you callin' ****. There's any **** round here, it's YOU! Smart-mouthed, stupid-ass, swamp-runnin' ****. If you ain't careful, that's all you ever gonna be.
[After the battle of Grimball's Landing, Shaw is walking amongst the dead and wounded, and comes across Thomas Searles, who has been shot]
Thomas!
Thomas Searles How do, Colonel?
Hurts, doesn't it? [Searles nods] Well, I'm extremely jealous. You'll be back in Boston before me, stting by the fire, reading Hawthorne, decent cup of coffee.
Thomas Searles I'm not going back.
Thomas, listen to me. You're shot. You have to go back.
Thomas Searles Robert, promise me that you won't send me back. Promise me!
