Who's Who: "The Patriot" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Reverend Oliver

There is a long list of pastors who were actively involved in the American Revolution. It must be remembered that the church was the center of the community, and the pastor was the person who spread information among the members of the congregation; many pastors also preached sermons about resistance to tyranny and religious oppression.

The townspeople typically looked up to their pastor, not only for courage, but also for leadership. One of the most famous fighting preachers was Virginian Peter von Muhlenberg, who was known as "the fighting parson of the American Revolution".

Born in Pennsylvania, he was required to travel to England to be ordained in the Anglican Church and serve in Virginia. He, like many preachers, received a letter from George Washington, requesting that they help raise militia; the following Sunday his sermon was taken from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

He ended with "There is a time for war, and a time for peace; there is a time to pray and a time to fight!", after which he opened his robe and revealed that he was in uniform. Reverend Peter von Muhlenberg served in the Continental Army for eight years; his first post was serving in South Carolina and Georgia.

In the movie, Reverend Oliver also fought with his parishioners, but was eventually killed in battle.

Answer: Colonel William Tavington

The character of Colonel William Tavington, leader of the Green Dragoons, was based on Banastre Tarleton, who was accused by American colonials of massacring surrendering troops after the Battle of Waxhaws in South Carolina. While Tarleton was praised by the British for his leadership and tactics, the colonists nicknamed him "The Butcher". Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox", was especially successful in thwarting Tarleton's operations in South Carolina; when the war was over Tarleton returned to Great Britain, where he was elected to Parliament.

The quote from the movie was taken from a scene where Tavington had just shot and killed Benjamin Martin's second son, Thomas, after Thomas had attempted to stop the arrest of his brother. Tavington, also responsible for the death of Martin's oldest son, Gabriel, was eventually killed by Martin in the movie.

Answer: Gabriel Martin

In "The Patriot" (2000), both of Benjamin Martin's oldest sons, Gabriel and Thomas, wanted to fight in the war. Martin, a veteran from the French and Indian War, had seen the horrors of war, and believed that his sons were too young to fight. Gabriel, nevertheless, did join the Continental Army.

After Martin also decided to join, he was able to control some of Gabriel's assignments in an attempt to keep him out of danger. As it turned out, many of the most famous heroes of the American Revolution were young men. Nathan Hale was only twenty-one when the Declaration of Independence was signed; the Marquis de Lafayette was eighteen, as was future president, James Monroe.

The enlistment age in the Continental Army was sixteen, but if parents would consent, a young man could serve at the age of fifteen.

A study of the soldiers who spent the winter of 1777 with George Washington at Valley Forge revealed that the average age was between 20-25. There was no upper age limit; Samuel Whittemore, born in 1696, is the oldest known colonial soldier, serving in 1775 at the age of 78, and continuing until 1783.

He died in 1793 at the age of 96.

Answer: Colonel Harry Burwell

Colonel Harry Burwell had known Benjamin Martin for quite a long time; they fought together in the French and Indian War. He could, therefore, remind Martin that all men were needed to fight, after he initially refused to join the cause. Burwell's character is said to have been loosely based on Major-General Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee III, who went on to become the father of Robert E. Lee. Lighthorse Harry, so called because of his horsemanship, was the commander of a cavalry regiment during the American Revolution called Lee's Legion.

His dragoons not only provided support in battle, but also went on surveillance and reconnaissance missions. After the war was over, Lee went back into private life, serving as a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation, Governor of Virginia, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Answer: Occam

When the Revolutionary War broke out, Occam was a slave who was sent to fight in his master's place. While some of the members of Martin's militia were unsure if it was wise to associate with an armed slave, others treated Occam with the same respect given to everyone else. Over the course of the war, Occam earned his freedom, but continued to fight. Fighting in the American Revolution was a great incentive at the time for those patriotic slaves who hoped to gain their freedom; some masters apparently made promises, however, that they did not always keep.

As was the case with Occam, many whites were afraid that arming slaves would lead to a rebellion. It is estimated that about 20-25% of those who enlisted in the Continental Army were black patriots, keeping with the tradition of the famous Crispus Attucks, who was killed during the Boston Massacre in 1770.

It was recorded that some black patriots fought at some of the first battles of the war, such as the Battles of Concord and Bunker Hill in 1775.

Although some may have won their freedom, many patriot blacks were not treated well after the Revolution was over; in fact, the U.S. Congress passed a law in 1792 which banned African Americans from military service.

Answer: Major Jean Villeneuve

It is surprising that so many Frenchmen were willing to help the colonists fight in the American Revolution. They had just been, in some cases, vicious opponents during the French and Indian War, in which France lost most of its North American territories.

It is a testimony to their hatred of the British! Major Jean Villeneuve didn't trust Benjamin Martin much at first, but he trained the militia and fought with them, serving as Martin's second in command. There is a long list of Frenchmen, including the famous Marquis de Lafayette and Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who were key figures of the American Revolution. Lafayette lobbied in France for the naval assistance that would eventually be essential to the American victory at Yorktown.

It must be noted, however, that French troops were also important at Yorktown; some sources claim more French soldiers were there than American.

Answer: John Billings

John Billings was one of Benjamin Martin's neighbors and oldest friends in "The Patriot" (2000). His quote was in reference to Martin's attack on a group of British soldiers who had taken his oldest son, Gabriel, to stand charges as a spy. Martin, with the help of two of his younger sons, Samuel, and Nathan, rescued Gabriel; the two boys see a vicious side of their father - one that existed during the French and Indian War - that they had never seen before. Were atrocities committed during the French and Indian War? Yes, by both sides.

In 1755 the British led an intense campaign in Nova Scotia, massacring many of the Acadians and relocating them elsewhere as part of their campaign against France. Francis Marion and his brother were recruited by the British in 1757 to fight against the Cherokee. Using his famous scorched earth tactics, Marion burned crops and villages in an effort to starve the Cherokee into submission.

At the Battle of the Monongahela in 1755, a group of French troops, along with their Canadian and Indian allies, targeted commissioned officers in General Braddock's army of 1300, killing or wounding 878 men during their attempt to capture the French Fort Fort Duquesne. Both sides committed atrocities. War is hell for everyone involved.

Answer: Benjamin Martin

Benjamin Martin carried with him much guilt for acts committed during the French and Indian War. His friends and neighbors knew better than to bring up a past that was carefully hidden. With his family and home threatened by Loyalists and the British, however, Martin had to reveal his past to those he tried hardest to protect from it.

His character is said to have been a mixture of many of the patriots who fought during the Revolutionary War, including Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, Daniel Morgan, Nathanael Greene, Andrew Pickens.

The fact that Martin, called "The Ghost" by the British, and his men were able to disappear into the swamps of South Carolina is reminiscent of Francis Marion's actions during the American Revolution. While some historians condemn Marion's actions, others believe that he was a hero.

Answer: Lord Cornwallis

Lord Cornwallis, pompous and arrogant, believed that there was no way the Americans could win the Revolution. An experienced soldier, Cornwallis was the leader of many successful military campaigns beginning in 1776 that included a campaign in New York City. By 1781 he was second in command to General Henry Clinton, and was the leader of the British army sent to the South to gain control of the southern colonies.

Although his second siege of Charleston was successful in 1780, and he was the victorious leader at the Battle of Camden the same year, the order to create a base and seaport coupled with poor communication led to his entrapment at Yorktown; he surrendered after a three-week siege in 1781.

He returned to England, where he served with distinction as Commander-in-Chief of British India and Governor of the Presidency of Fort William.

In addition, he is credited with coaxing the Irish to sign the Act of Union in 1800, and was the British representative who signed a peace treaty with Napoleon, the Treaty of Amiens, in 1802.

Answer: Ann Howard Martin

Ann Howard Martin was briefly married to Martin's son, Gabriel, until her death when the British burned the town church and the congregation within. This part of the story raised some eyebrows among critics, as there was never any record of this sort of British atrocity being committed during the American Revolution.

It must be noted, however, that there were many women who were as ardent patriots during the Revolution as Ann was. Women served in a variety of roles including nurses, seamstresses, and even spies. Deborah Sampson famously disguised herself as a man so that she could enlist in the Continental Army.

She is even said to have removed a musket ball from her own leg, fearing that a doctor would know she was a female. Women were also present at battle to provide water for the soldiers; Molly Hayes, also known as Molly Pitcher, took over her husband's gun post when he was wounded at the Battle of Monmouth. And - don't forget Sybil Ludington, who was just sixteen in 1777 when she rode 40 miles through New York to warn militiamen that British troops were on their way.