Gabriel hears word of Tavington's slaughter and furiously attacks him and his men at their encampment. Captain Wilkins. From that farm and that stupid little boy! He is the definition of ruthless. This is actually based on the notorious Nazi massacre of French villagers in Oradour-sur-Glane in 1944. Buford's Massacre. Facing up to the nasty Brit. to burn the church. Wilkins: [after they have locked the townspeople in the church] Ready to fire the town on your order, sir.. Colonel William Tavington: You! Tavington crosses this when he murders one of Benjamin's sons. Captain Wilkins: [Realizing] There's no honour in this. Burn the church. Tavington then orders Loyalist . (Benjamin stops) Did he … Colonel Tavington falls squarely into the tradition of odious, sadistic villains, familiar to movies from their inception, and to romance and spy thrillers equally. In one scene, Tavington herds noncombatant men, women and children into a church, locks the doors, and sets it on fire. Colonel William Tavington: [laughs] The town?Burn the church. In the beginning of the film, Tavington orders Benjamin Martin’s son Gabriel to be hung as a spy … The English did not perform a Gestapo church burning of innocents two hundred years ago. When only Tavington remains, Gabriel shoots him and he collapses to the ground. But there is no record that he burned a church full of people, and he did not die at Cowpens (or in America). Colonel William Tavington: The town? -- Colonel William Tavington But that's between you and God. Some of the deeds attributed to Tavington may be fictitious, such as the church-burning scene, but in real life Tarleton had a well-deserved reputation for brutality, and was not only loathed by the American colonists but also distrusted by his own side. Correction: Actually, the British did burn a church with the entire population of a town inside. Colonel William Tavington: And indeed you may! Colonel Banastre Tarleton (inspiration for Colonel Tavington) never massacred the population of an entire town. Captain Wilkins: Ready to fire the town on your orders, sir. [British soldiers shut and seal the church doors. In the infamous scene you refer to, Gibson depicts Tavington herding noncombatant men, women and children into a church, locking the doors, and setting it on fire. FACTS: The only massacre that Lt. Cornwallis never gave any permission to a psychopathic officer to act in such a way. And if he somehow didn't cross it with this, he certainly did with three simple words: "Burn the church". Capt. One man reveals the location to him but Tavington has the church burned down anyway, killing everyone inside, including Gabriel's new wife Anne. I remember you! Tavington is a colonel in the notorious Green Dragoon Cavalry Unit of the British army, and the main antagonist in the film. So you are the ghost, are you?! FICTION: Lt. 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