Posted by Frank Bodden on July 17, 2000 at 20:56:22:
In Reply to: Lexington and Concord.... British Victory/ to much brainwashing posted by Robert Flemming on July 17, 2000 at 01:28:36:
I just read Bobby Flemming's posting regarding the Minutemen and particularly Banastre Tarleton. Gee, Mr. Flemming, I'm sure sorry you had to suffer through two and a half hours of "The Patriot" and the portrayal of your hero, Tarleton, who was really a good guy, but whose actions of total destruction were just misunderstood or ahead of their time. See Gen. Sherman's March to the Sea 60-70 years later. Next time such a movie epic insults your intelligence, look for the signs posted "Exit" and head for it. America's a free country.
Curious as to your representations regarding Tarleton's worthiness of his portrayal in the movie, I searched the Internet and found a site giving a biography of Tarleton. While I agree with you he was a great general according to the bio I just read, I don't think he got the nickname "the Butcher" for nothing.
If you read a little of your history you'll learn that at the battle of Waxhaws, the American forces under Buford tried to lay down their arms, but Tarleton ordered his men to continue to attack, thus EARNING his nickname of "THE BUTCHER"! This became known as the Tarleton Quarter, which meant no quarter, somewhat reminding me of a fella named Santa Ana, he of the massacre at Goliad and no quarter at the Alamo.
After Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown, as was the custom of the time, the American officers invited the British officers to dine with them: NO ONE invited The Butcher to dine at their table. Being a little ticked off, Tarleton asked if this was just a mere oversite. He was informed it wasn't.
You mentioned that American society depicts our enemies in the battle field as monsters of humanity. Well, except for the atrocity of destroying the Native Americans, stealing their land and their culture, you're damn right: they were monsters of humanity, unless you feel Hitler's Holocaust was a minor personality flaw, or Japan's Rape of China, the Phillipines, etc., and butchery of our POW's, and medical experiments, such as performing autopsies on live, conscious prisoners, injecting them with diseases to see how they react before they die,Yeah, most of our enemies were monsters.
No, I don't believe Tarleton closed up a church and burned the victims alive; I"m sure that was Hollywood trying to make it a little more dramatic and to make Tarleton even worse than he was. And no, I never expected to see Brits goose-stepping along the battlefield, as you suggest. Britain is our greatest ally now and their sacrifices during WWII and the Nazi bombings of London are inspiring; your comments are not.
I apologize to anyone else reading this posting, because I don't feel the boards should be used for personal attacks; however, some people's ignorance and arrogance can't be ignored.