Benjamin Martin

"There's a story going around 'bout how some twenty Redcoats got killed by a ghost or some damn thing, carried a Cherokee tomahawk."

- John Billings, regarding Martin's extreme skill and ferocity.

During the American Revolution in 1776, Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), a veteran of the French and Indian War and widower with seven children, is called to Charleston to vote in the South Carolina General Assembly on a levy supporting the Continental Army. Fearing war against Great Britain, Benjamin abstains. Captain James Wilkins (Adam Baldwin) votes against and joins the Loyalists. A supporting vote is nonetheless passed and against his father's wishes, Benjamin's eldest son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) joins the Continental Army.

Some years later, Charleston falls to the British and a wounded Gabriel returns home carrying dispatches. The Martins care for both British and American wounded from the nearby battle, before British Dragoons led by a ruthless Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) arrive and arrest Gabriel. When Benjamin's young son Thomas tries to free Gabriel, he is shot and killed by Tavington, who orders the Martins' house burned and wounded American regulars executed. After the British leave, Benjamin gives his next two eldest sons muskets and they ambush the British unit escorting a shackled Gabriel. Benjamin skillfully, yet brutally, kills many soldiers with his tomahawk. A British survivor tells Tavington of an almost unseen man rapidly killing the soldiers, earning Benjamin the moniker of the "Ghost". Benjamin and Gabriel resolve to fight the British, leaving the younger children in the care of Benjamin's sister-in-law, Charlotte (Joely Richardson).

Benjamin meets with his former commanding officer Colonel Harry Burwell (Chris Cooper) and is given the rank of colonel to lead the local colonial militia due to his combat experience, tasked with keeping Lord Cornwallis's (Tom Wilkinson) British regiments pinned south through guerrilla warfare. French Major Jean Villeneuve (Tchéky Karyo) helps train the militia and promises more French aid. Benjamin's militia harass British supply lines, capture goods including some of Cornwallis' belongings, and burn half the bridges and ferries leading to Charleston. Lord Cornwallis perceives these actions as uncivilized and blames Tavington for creating this reaction with his brutal tactics. Irritated at his lack of progress and insulted by Benjamin's clever ploy to free some of the captured militia, Cornwallis reluctantly allows Tavington to use whatever means necessary.

Tavington learns the identities of some of the militia members and proceeds to attack their families and burn their homes. Benjamin's family flees Charlotte's plantation as it is burned and settle on the coast in a Gullah settlement with former black slaves. There, Gabriel marries his betrothed Anne (Lisa Brenner) and Benjamin commits to Charlotte. Tavington's brigade, seeking Martin's secret hideout, rides into the town that supplies the militia. He assembes all the townspeople into the church, promising freedom for the location of the hideout. But after the location is given the doors are barricaded, trapping the people inside. Tavington orders a horrified Captain Wilkins to burn it, killing all inside including Anne and her family. After discovering the travesty, Gabriel races to attack Tavington's encampment and is mortally wounded by him. Benjamin arrives to have his son die in his arms.

Benjamin mourns deeply and briefly wavers in his commitment to continue fighting, but is resolved when reminded of his son's dedication to the cause. Martin's militia, along with a larger Continental Army regiment, confronts Cornwallis' regiment in a decisive battle. The redcoats seemed to defeating the patriots until Benjamin rallies the troops to push forward against the British lines and Tavington personally targets him. The two dueled where Tavington's sword gain an upper hand over Martin's tomahawk. As Tavington prepares to finish him, Benjamin rises up with a musket, wounds him in the abdomen with the bayonet and delivers the coup de grâce, avenging his sons' deaths. The battle is a Continental victory and Cornwallis is forced to retreat. After many retreats, Cornwallis is besieged at Yorktown, Virginia, where he surrenders to the surrounding Continental Army and the long awaited French naval force. After the conflict ends, Benjamin returns with his family and discovers his militia men rebuilding his homestead, previously destroyed by the British Soldiers, whose orders came from Tavington to burn it down.

Battle vs Jack Sparrow (by Samurai96
The Famous Captain "Captain" Jack Sparrow has once again fled from the East India Trading Company and him along with 3 pirates from his Crew of the Black Pearl arrive saftely in the New World (America) hoping to hide out from the Company. Meanwhile Benjamin Martin along with 3 of his Militia soldiers are on their way home after the victory at The Siege of Yorktown. In a forest Benjamin and his men are walking on a path knowing that it is safe to walk in the open until a shot rings out and Benjamin and his men quickly kneel down and try to look for where the shot came from. 2 Minutes Before....

Jack and his Pirates are walking in the forest and soon begin to hear voices and go to investigate. They crouch down near some trees and see 4 men with weapons. Thinking they are part of the East India Trading Company a pirate takes out his Musket takes aim and fires but the shot misses and the 4 men are alerted to their presence. Current Time...

Benjamin and his men are still scanning the trees and meanwhile Jack knows that they need to move closer if they are going to get in their weapons effective range and so they quietly start moving forward. Unfortunetly one of the pirates step on a twig and cruches it and one of the Militamen quickly see the pirate and takes aim with his Kentucky Rifle and fires and with great accuracy hits the men in the heart. Jack quickly sprints forward and with his Flintlock Pistol fires at a Milita men and hits him in the soldier wounding him but another pirate with his Musket fires and quickly ends that wounded Milita's life. "Retreat!" Benjamin Yells and him and the 2 Milita men retreat into the forest and Jack and his pirates decide to give chase. After chasing Benjamin and his Men into the forest for 10 minutes Jack and the pirates lose sight of them and cautiously move through the forest. A Milita men is behind a tree and sees the pirates and takes aim with his Kentucky Rifle and fires killing another pirate. Jack grabs the dead pirates Musket and him and his last pirate return fire with their Muskets and both shots hit the tree and the Milita Men retreats and Jack takes out his Flintlock Pistol and gives chase along with the pirate who is trying to reload his Musket while running. After giving chase for a while Jack gets the Milita men in the sights of his Flintlock and fires and with luck it his the Militia men in his left leg and the pirate that was following Jack gets up to the Militia men and fires into his head with his Musket. A Ben is behind a nearby tree and watches this happen and looks to his other Milita men who is behind another tree and signals him to attack and without warning both Benjamin and his last Milita soldier attack Jack and his last Pirate and Benjamin charges at the pirate with his Kentucky Rifle w/Bayonet and while the pirate tries to reload Benjamin stabs him and fires his shot into the pirate killing him. Meanwhile the other Militia men is attacking Jack with his Rifle and Jack has since drawn his Cutlass sword and the two duel but soon when Jack notices a long branch near his foot and stretches towards the Militia Jack uses his Cunning and steps on the brach which hits the Militia men in his "private area" and Jack quickly finishes him with a slash to the neck and blood pours out off the Militia's neck. Benjamin rushes in and drops his Rifle and takes out his Tomahawk. The two begin to walk in a circle waiting for one of them to strike in which Jack strike first with a slash which Benjamin deflects and follows with a strike which Jack parries. The two warriors duel for nearly 7 minutes until Jack kicks Benjamin back and while he is charging Benjamin recovers and tosses his Tomahawk which strikes Jack's sword arm. Jack in pain drops his sword and looks up to see Benjamin walk up to him and pull out his Flintlock Pistol and soon Benjamin fires the shot striking Jack in the forehead. The famous, cunning captain of the Black Pearl falls down dead. Benjamin in victory yells "FOR INDEPENDENCE!!!" and walks away. Winner: Benjamin Martin

Expert's Opinion
While both warriors were very even in the close and mid range of weapons the most important range was Long Range becasue their was a reason the Rifles replaced Muskets and while Jack was cunning, and had more combat experience. Benjamin just dominated in the Long Range catagory and had the important X-Factors of Tactics and Health. Click here to see the original battle, votes and weapons.