On this Independence Day, I present “The Patriot” starring Mel Gibson, which I’ve recommended for 26 years, as it is an under-appreciated revenge-justice movie. Detractors note historical inaccuracies, though filmmakers never claimed it was a true story. But… they did get some history right: - The Southern Campaign was brutal warfare — exactly as the film shows. Battle sites like Cowpens and Ninety Six highlight how neighbors fought neighbors (Patriots vs Loyalists). - Benjamin Martin (Gibson’s character) is a composite of real militia leaders: Francis Marion (“Swamp Fox”), Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pickens & Daniel Morgan. - Guerrilla tactics (ambushes, swamp hideouts, supply raids) mirror Marion’s real operations and how these wore down British forces in the Carolinas. - The film’s climactic battle draws from Cowpens (1781); Daniel Morgan’s clever double-line tactics defeated Banastre Tarleton. - Tarleton is a bit like the fictional Col. Tavington in the film, as he was notoriously brutal. His forces once overran a surrendering American unit. His nickname, “Bloody Ban,” helped turn him into a symbol of British cruelty, boosting recruitment and morale for the Patriot side. Anyways, that all comes from the National Park Service, which gives tours of Cowpens and Ninety Six, while its tour guides often mention the film. Enjoy the “Battle of Cowpens” scene from the movie, where the Patriots use the double-line trick. Gibson’s patriotic flag-waving is one reason the left hates this film (another is that it downplays slavery).