Gen. Sherman has made Georgia howl and now wants Gen. Hugh Kilpatrick (Brad Owens) to do the same to South Carolina.
Kilpatrick relishes the task of invading the state where the Civil War began, burning homes, allowing his troops to forage at will and loot homes as they please.
Meanwhile, Confederate Gen. Joseph Wheeler (Danny Francis) assembles Rebel forces in the area, hoping to make a final stand near Aiken.
His goal: Prevent the Union Army from reaching the powder works and cotton mills in Augusta, Ga.
Oh, and the two officers have a history. They attended West Point together. And they despise one another.
Caught in the middle of the conflict is Victoria Thompson (Victoria Donofrio), who has tried hard to ensure her children aren’t affected by war raging around them.
Now, Union troops have raided her home, taking everything they please, nearly lynching one of her slaves in their search for valuables.
And her son Jack has marched off to join Wheeler’s troops, just as the fighting around Aiken is about to begin.
Brad Owens as Gen. Hugh Kilpatrick, ordering the burning of more South Carolina homes in The Battle of Aiken (2005)
Danny Francis as Gen. Joseph Wheeler, ordering an advance against the Yankee forces in The Battle of Aiken (2005)
Review:
The directorial debut of Christopher Forbes is a low-budget Civil War drama relying heavily on re-enactment footage to depict the Confederacy’s last victory.
It marked the beginning of a string of shoestring budget Westerns and Civil War films. In fact, Forbes would retell basically the same story in 2020’s “Kill Cavalry.”
The most interesting part of the film is the experience of the Thompson family once the Union troops come calling.
And, wow, talk about a pro-south film. In one scene, Kilpatrick shoots a southerner when he resists having his home burned down.
In another, Kilpatrick and his men talk a southern lady into hosting a dance for his officers. When the women there aren’t pretty enough for Kilpatrick, he orders up a pretty black slave. When the dance ends, he has the whole town burned. including the home of the woman gracious enough to host the dance.
Then there’s a scene in which a black slave boy refuses to disclose where he’s hidden his Mrs. Thompson’s silver because she’s been so good to him over the years. Yankees nearly lynch him. Then her son risks his life to interrupt the lynching.
Victoria Donofrio as Victoria Thompson, fearful for her son’s safety in The Battle of Aiken (2005)
Matthew Caleb as Jack Thompson, informing his mom that he plans to fight Yankees in spite of his young age in The Battle of Aiken (2005)
Directed by:
Christopher Forbes
Cast:
Brad Owens … Gen. Hugh Kilpatrick
Danny Francis … Gen. Joseph Wheeler
Tripp Courtney … Capt. Monroe
Charlie Gable … Gen. Sherman
Dan Keaton … Gen. George Spencer
Victoria Donofrio … Victoria Thompson
Gabriel Donofrio … Gabriel Thompson
Darlene Donofrio … Elizabeth Thompson
Matthew Caleb … Jack Thompson
Crystal Przybylowicz … Olivia Thompson
Jim Hilton … Capt. Andrews
Charles Kizer … Col. Hagan
Jerry Chesser … Col. Crews
David Coon … Capt. Miller
Runtime: 90 min.
Tripp Courtney as Capt. Monroe, supporting rough treatment of South Carolina civilians in The Battle of Aiken (2005)
Charles Kizer as Col. Hagan, pointing out the location of the Union Army in The Battle of Aiken (2005)
Memorable lines:
Gen. Hugh Kilpatrick in January 1865: “The war will be over in a month, general. We’re just mopping up the mess.”
Gen. Hugh Kilpatrick as he envisions a march through South Carolina: “A hundred years from now, I want these people talking about how terrible it was when Kilpatrick and his cavalry came through.”
Gen. Kilpatrick, riding up on the scene of a dispute between one of his men and a South Carolinian: “What the hell’s going on here, captain?”
Union captain: “We’re trying to fire the house, sir.”
James Courtney: “They’re trying to burn my house.”
Kilpatrick: “Why are you interfering with my men carrying out their orders?”
Courtney: “This is my house. And he’s trying to burn it.”
Kilpatrick: “Well, if you must know, my men have orders to burn any structure where they meet resistance.”
Courtney: “What kind of craziness is that? Of course a man is going to put up resistance if his house is being burned down.”
Martin Taylor as Frank, the slave who risks his life to save Mrs. Thompson’s silver in The Battle of AIken (2005)
David Coon as Capt. Miller, a Union officer stunned by the behavior of Kilpatrick’s men in The Battle of AIken (2005)
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