02x07 - Valley Forge

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Previously on TURN: Washington's Spies.

It appears your son Abraham has been arrested as a spy.

All right I wrote the letter.

Write to Major Hewlett.

He's the target.

He'll corroborate every word that I've said.

Your Major Hewlett was kidnapped by rebels, the same night that you were caught.

If you were able to rescue the Major, I would be deeply in your debt.

It does not feel compelled to free an alleged m*rder*r on behalf of a failed spy.

Abe isn't just Abe.

He's Culper.

( Chatter )

( man coughing )

( horse neighing )

Evening, William.

Mutton, potato, and cabbage, sir, with bread.

Thank you.

Oh, General.

The northern post rider said latest he ought to leave for Connecticut is midnight on account of the storm brewing.

( Cracks )

( tooth clatters )

( crunching )

( gasps )

Billy: General?

Need anything else?

Summon the doctor.

♪ Hush, hush ♪
♪ There's snakes in the garden ♪
♪ Soul for sale ♪
♪ Blood on the rise ♪
♪ Hush, hush ♪
♪ Know there will come a day ♪
♪ As they're hiding in the cover of night ♪
♪ I can't wait anymore ♪
♪ Soul for sale ♪
♪ I can't wait anymore ♪
♪ Hush, hush. ♪

One more deep breath, please.

( Inhales )

No pain?

None.

Good.

Very good. You may get dressed.

The good news is that physically you're fine.

There's no sign of typhus or typhoid fever, pneumonia or scurvy.

None of the ailments currently afflicting the camp.

There's also no reoccurrence of the malaria from your youth.

And you've already had the pox.

I suffered from pleurisy as well.

It often saps the strength in my voice.

Well, percussion has ruled out inflammation of the lungs as well.

Any other history of illness I should be aware of?

My half-brother Lawrence d*ed from the white plague.

Age at death?

34.

Hmm. Well, based on your symptoms, visions and sounds of objects not present, I'm forced to conclude that you have developed a case of acute melancholia. It is an ailment that originates not in the body, but in the soul. Now, there are two strains of the malady... Unnatural and natural. The former is caused by demonic possession. Natural melancholy is far more common. It is brought on by a deep moral conflict within the soul. This illness can be quite severe if not properly treated.

How so?

In the most extreme cases, the...

Yes?

The patient succumbs to madness.

His Excellency should get a full night's rest.

Much obliged, Doctor.

Doctor.

If anyone asks, it wasn't me you came to see.

Billy has a pain in his back from when he was kicked by a horse.

Uh, of course.

Yes.

I'll brew you that tea and then we'll get...

Coffee.

Sir?

We're going to resolve this matter tonight.

We?

William, do you know what a moral conflict is?

No, sir.

It occurs when one's most deeply held convictions do not match one's actions.

All right.

Prior to my melancholic att*ck, do you remember what I was doing?

You had just sat down to dinner.

Yes, and just before that?

I came in, set down the plate, and I told you about the northern post rider.

Said the latest he can leave camp tonight is midnight.

There's a piece of correspondence I have delayed sending for several weeks.

It's an execution order.

Execution? For who?

A royal officer held by our forces.

The crime he's committed most certainly merits death.

Our Connecticut 5th has been awaiting my instructions for a month.

If they do not hear word by tomorrow, they'll assume they have my approval to proceed with the execution.

Well, do they or don't they?

I don't... I don't know.

Clearly something about this execution order is troubling to me.

I must do whatever it takes to resolve it.

And you will aid me in this pursuit.

Tonight, you are to treat me as an equal. You are to spare me no quarter.

Read this out loud.

Let me call back the doctor. He knows better...

No, Thacher knows too much already.

You see, a commander who suffers from madness risks the life of every soldier under his command.

What we discuss here tonight will determine if I remain in command of these American forces... or if I announce my resignation to Congress.

Now go on.

"December 6, 1777. Dear General, I am Lieutenant John Chaffee of the Connecticut 5th. As you know, my unit suffered a profound loss when our Captain McCarrey was m*rder*d by the enemy. I'm writing to inform you that through diligent pursuit we were able to capture and bring to trial the British officer responsible, Major Edmund Hewlett."

No, I will not admit to a crime that I did not commit.

I did not skulk into your fort and m*rder your commander and neither did my men.

Remember this?

It was inked with our captain's blood.

I am innocent, Lieutenant.

You have made a grievous error.

Cameron, the bag, please.

How about this, hmm?

Our captain's tongue.

No. No, no, no.

Did you flinch when you cut it from his mouth?

Then impaled it on his desk for us to find?

No, no, no.

Was he alive? Or did you defile his corpse to strike terror into our hearts?

No, no! A thousand times no!

I am an officer and a gentleman, but above all, I'm a child of God.

I could never inflict such horror on the body of a man alive or dead.

But I did not commit these terrible deeds.

Only a demon could enact the scenario you've recounted.

A demon, you say?

Yes, a monster of pure evil.

Then renounce it. Cast it out.

Confess your crimes before God and salvation will be yours.

Are you mad?

Bastard!

Not yet. Not yet.

Soon.

Major Hewlett, I pronounce you guilty of m*rder.

Please, I swear to God and by all that is holy, I am innocent.

I am... ( groaning )

You don't deserve to wear these or any colors.

There are rules! There is common decency.

I demand to be treated with decency.

There are rules!

Not for a demon like you.

( Whimpering )

So what's the problem?

Don't you want this man ex*cuted?

This is the last report prepared by Major Tallmadge before he departed.

It's based on a letter from a female intelligencer on Long Island.

Go on.

"General Washington, I'm saddened to report that our signal agent in Setauket has written to say that on the 1st of December our man Culper was captured by the royal authorities while on assignment in York City and charged with espionage."

Continue.

"As far as we know, Culper is still alive and being held at Livingston's sugar house prison."

Please, God.

Please hear me. Hear me.

( Muttering ) I was not open with my family.

Man: Woodhull.

Go slow or you'll bring it back up.

Name's Gareth. And you're Woodhull?

I'm Abraham.

Father of the Hebrews.

Guard: Spread out. Spread out.

How did two God-fearing men like ourselves end up in a sugar house?

Assaulting a king's officer.

Bollocks. All's I did was tell a man to unhand my sister.

She's 11.

Been like a father to her all her life and now she's got no one.

Sorry.

What about you?

They don't lock up Tories unless it's serious.

I was caught somewhere I shouldn't have been caught carrying something I shouldn't have been carrying.

Please tell me you're some kind of Nathan Hale.

Sticking it to the enemy behind their lines.

Give me some reason for hope.

No...

I'm just one man in the city trying to do something right, that's all.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Guard! Take me to Yates.

Mr. Woodhull just confessed he's a spy.

( Men arguing )

Shut up! Shut up, you sordid bastards.

He said that one man in the city could do as much damage as 1,000 in the field.

Do not listen to him, sir. He's lying.

Hold your tongue.

( Sighs ) Do you have proof?

A witness?

No, but you said I would go free if I got a confession.

Ah, yes, I did.

However, it takes more than hearsay to hang a man.

Now you're worse than a Tory, Gareth.

You're a conk, a snitch.

You might not even make it through the night tonight.

Take him back.

Let's go.

No! You can't do this!

No! No!

You enjoy this, don't you, huh?

Can I tell you a secret?

I don't believe there's a God in heaven nor do I believe there's a Devil in hell.

They exist merely in the minds of men.

But... when a mind is broken... and a man... ( sniffs ) is stripped down to his base nature...

Hmm?

Then you can see who he truly is.

It will be with great pleasure that I finally meet you, Mr. Woodhull.

Get out.

Go on!

Washington: Of all the decisions I make, it is this one which threatens my life and our future.

Shall I pardon a brutal m*rder*r in order to save a failed spy?

What should I do?

You always do the right thing, General.

The right thing?

Was it right to get Nathaniel Sackett's throat slit?

Or... or to have the king's ledger fall into the hands of Robert Rogers?

Was it right to lose the French alliance and the entire bloody w*r?

But...

But the w*r ain't lost.

If he could see me now, he'd laugh.

He'd already know what to do.

He'd have done it.

How would he do it?

Have a seat, Billy.

We're going to stir the proverbial pot.

But you can't play whist without four men.

Then let there be two Washingtons and two William Lees.

My brother Lawrence taught me this game.

He used it to order his thoughts.

Lawrence introduced me to a world of culture and opportunity.

He taught me how to dance.

( Laughs )

Sort of a rough country boy.

He took me in at Mount Vernon and fashioned me into a gentleman.

I recall it was I who watched over him when we went to Barbados where we hoped to cure his tuberculosis.

( distant choir singing )

Look in my bag, George.

I have something for you.

Lawrence, no. This is your pocket watch. I can't have your pocket watch.

Yours now.

( Coughing )

Be mindful of time, my brother. It can easily run out.

Billy: Must have meant a hell of a lot to him to give you that watch.

I owe him everything.

I taught my brother to play, too, soon after we was brought to Mount Vernon.

Frank was missing Mama something fierce.

Wouldn't stop crying all through the night.

So I thought teach him a game.

Brighten his spirits.

Is Frank any good?

Hmm, he ain't better than me. ( chuckles )

I seem to recall the Good Book mentioned something about pride coming before destruction.

You're right. Sorry, General.

I'm pulling your leg, Billy.

Have another drink.

Barbados rum is the finest.

Counting them cards. Good memory.

I owe my memory to my days as chief surveyor of Culpeper County.

Another debt I owe Lawrence.

Culpeper. That sound like Culper.

Abraham Woodhull.

That's his real name.

His father is a county magistrate and a Loyalist.

And he has a wife and a young son.

His older brother was a captain in the king's American regiment, but he d*ed suddenly, tragically.

And so the second son became the first.

Just like you.

I am nothing like Abraham Woodhull.

No, General, you sure ain't nothing like him.

If you have something to say, say it.

All I meant to say was that you seem just fine to me.

Dr. Thacher probably making too much of nothing.

You strong as an ox.

You just having a bad night is all.

It's not just one night.

This has been happening for weeks.

I'm hearing things, seeing things.

Seeing Lawrence.

No, this malady is real, and I'm not going to let it b*at me.

( Pounds table ) I'm going to fight and I'm going to win.

And I'll be damned if I allow you to deny me that.

Deny you?

I told you to give me no quarter, but you're throwing the game, hiding behind lies.

You think I don't see you counting cards, too?

Clean up this mess.

No.

No horseshit.

That's what you asked for.

Till midnight, you clean up your own mess.

Less than two hours till the post rider must leave with my answer.

Remember, give me no quarter.

You're playing your two hands with completely different stratagems.

I imagine one's Frank and one's me.

Why?

'Cause there ain't two Billy Lees.

You need to figure out if you got two Abe Woodhulls.

A spy and a double.

To figure that out, you gotta play Abe's hand.

Woodhull hasn't broken.

How do you know?

Because he hasn't been ex*cuted.

If he had, we'd have read it in their gazettes.

For a lawful execution to take place, one requires sufficient evidence.

Right, and without evidence you gotta get a confession.

Mmm.

Despite whatever miseries they've heaped upon him, Woodhull hasn't succumbed.

Neither did the other one.

The other one?

Major Hewlett.

He didn't confess neither, did he?

No, indeed.

Which is why Chaffee sent the second letter.

December 18th. 14 days ago.

"Your Excellency, it has been two weeks since I wrote to you.

We tried Major Hewlett and found him guilty.

Even though he refuses to confess, there is no doubt he is lying.

All I require is permission to see justice done and Major Hewlett ex*cuted.

I appreciate that you have countless decisions to make, but with respect, we have waited long enough."

( wind howling )

Now, where were we?

Aries?

No, Perseus.

Yes, do you see it?

The bright star there is called Algol.

It is Arabic for demon.

That's quite fitting, really, because Perseus slew a demon.

Medusa.

Her gaze turned men to stone.

But Perseus, he saved her.

Just like I saved you from Simcoe.

Anna.

Andromeda.

You see, we are fated.

( door unlocks )

Oh, no, not yet. Not by me.

You see, I'm still waiting on the order.

But you don't have to.

I'm going to leave this here.

You can try to end yourself.

Or maybe you'll make things interesting and run for the trees.

You never know when you'll find the door unlocked.

( Door closes )

No. ( muttering )

No, no, no.

No!

( Whimpering )

Maybe I did do it.

Maybe I did do it.

Was it me? Maybe I did do it.

Maybe I did.

Maybe I am a demon.

A demon.

De... demon.

Simcoe.

So decisions get made with or without you?

Yes. If I want Hewlett's life spared, tonight's post is my final opportunity.

Your play.

This is ridiculous.

Beg pardon?

Gambling isn't medicine.

This is vice.

Lawrence would never waste time playing games with a servant.

He would serve justice and execute Hewlett.

Just 'cause Lawrence protected you don't mean you gotta try and be him.

Watch yourself.

Whoo. What I tell you?

That brother of yours must have had a really bad hand.

( Choking )

Never speak of my brother again.

( Coughing )

( crying )

And how was your dinner, darling?

Exquisite. There was pork, venison, beef, and rabbit.

And a lovely claret to wash it all down.

How about yours, dear?

Oh, we had all that plus a couple of quince pies for dessert.

( Laughing )

You know what I wish?

That I wasn't toppin' your mother?

( Laughing ) Toppin' your mother!

( Laughing )

Soldier: The old warhorse just takes it instead of hanging that redcoat what m*rder*d McCarrey in Connecticut.

( Men grunting )

What's he afraid of?

( Men grunting )

Soldier 2: Yeah?

Well, my mother has the clap, so you two are perfect for each other.

( Laughing )

Soldier: What's he afraid of?

I am not afraid.

Anna.

Fight, Abraham.

Fight.

Yates: Woodhull!

( door creaks )

( coughing )

Yates: Happy New Year, Mr. Woodhull.

You have a visitor.

( Door opens )

( Abe coughing )

Go.

( Coughing )

How much did you pay Yates for this visit?

That's not important.

I wanted to see you and to bring you something that will help.

You took your time.

I was busy making sure your wife and child were safe.

You know Major Hewlett has been abducted from Whitehall with Mary and Anna Strong and myself held at gunpoint?

( Coughs ) Anna?

What was Anna doing there?

It's for her protection since Simcoe returned.

Simcoe?

Yes.

( Coughing )

( coughing continues )

What's he done to her?

Abraham...

Tell me what he's done to her!

She's Simcoe's now!

Half the town saw her kissing him in broad daylight on the tavern green.

But you stand here accused of treason and all you can think to ask me about is Anna Strong?

After all this time, you haven't learned a thing.

I spent night after night wondering why you would do this.

Why would you write a letter incriminating yourself?

And there was my answer.

You wanted to be caught.

You know what you're doing is wrong.

You really travelled all this way just to lecture me?

I'm not lect... ( groans, shouts )

( exhales )

But you know what?

I have learned my lesson in regard to you.

You will not listen to reason and you won't stop on your own.

So perhaps this is the safest place for you, at least until this w*r is over.

Hmm?

Is that what you want?

To stay here?

To rot?

Answer me!

Ah, you...!

You know, you're right about one thing.

As long as I have air in my lungs, I will never, ever stop.

( Wind howling )

Lawrence?

What is all this?

This w*r, was it a mistake?

Was it greed?

Is that what you're trying to tell me?

Answer me, damn you!

I have done everything you ever taught me.

I tamed my temper, became a gentleman.

I sought opportunity.

I've climbed and clawed and fought and now I'm respected, feared, hated, and worshipped.

But for what?

I am not who they think I am.

Oh, for the love of God, say something.

Please.

As always, you ask what I would do and I will tell you what I would not.

I would never spare a m*rder*r.

Nor lose Long Island.

Nor retreat at White Plains.

Nor be outflanked at Brandywine.

Nor crossed the Delaware on Christmas night... to claim a surprise victory.

Nor led a campaign against the mightiest empire on Earth.

But then again...

I am not you.

( Wind howling )

Man: Post rider for the commander.

Guard: All right, go on in.

( sniffles )

The general ain't here.

Don't know when he'll be back.

Do you have his letter?

No, sir.

It's half midnight.

The storm is churning up.

If I wait much longer, I might could get stuck.

If you need to go, go.

Wait.

Best you hold post. Check back at midnight.

I require fresh paper.

Would you be needing anything else, General?

No.

Thank you...

William.

Washington's voice: "Dearest Lieutenant Chaffee, I wish to stay the execution of Major Edmund Hewlett."

( wind whistling )

"He'll be traded back to the British in exchange for several valuable officers of the highest rank and importance to the army.

I offer my deepest regret that I cannot provide justice for Captain McCarrey at this time.

But allow me to assure you that sparing Major Hewlett will save the lives of our countrymen.

It is of extreme importance that he survive."

( whimpering )

( screaming )

"This decision was mine, but was not made alone.

I have consulted with valued confidants, top men whom I trust with my own life.

This has been a difficult winter for us all, but we'll survive it.

We will prevail."

Pardon Hewlett?

What... ( groans )

I'll finish Hewlett.

You lot take the rest.

( g*nsh*t )

( men shouting )

( g*nshots )

( shouts )

( g*nshots, shouting continue )

Happy New Year, Major.

Oh, dear, what have they done to you?

It looks like a little oyster.

You k*lled their captain.

I did?

You cast the blame on me.

To be fair, I thought these rebels would have put you out of my misery right away.

Seeing you like this, though, is a welcome surprise.

( Groans )

( shouts )

( both shout )

( screaming )

Where is Hewlett?

Save your strength.

Mark his grave. We'll say he was dead before we arrived.

He ain't dead now.

He will be.