During their dialogue, O'Hara says, "Well, M'Lord, it appears that the field is yours." (This line is missing from the final cut.)
We start with a wide shot from the edge of the British camp as as Colonel Tavington and his lieutenant ride up from the battlefield.
Closer shot of Tavington dismounting, then the shot pans to follow him and his lieutenant walking into a tent.
Once inside the tent, the camera follows Tavington as he takes a few steps inside the tent. The tent is full of British officers talking in twos and threes. General Cornwallis comes into view through a doorway to a nearby tent where he is being dusted off. Tavington comes to halt and speaks.
Tavington:
"M'Lord, General, Gentlemen, a glorious day for His Majesty and England."
Closeup of General O'Hara looking on in disdain as General Cornwallis replies.
Cornwallis (off-screen):
"Colonel Tavington."
Back to the wide shot, which now shows Cornwallis walking toward Tavington as he addresses him.
Cornwallis:
"Always too early. Always too eager for glory."
Closeup of Tavington where dried blood is easily visible on the side of his face. He is taken aback by Cornwallis' chiding.
Tavington:
"For Victory, My Lord."
Cut to Cornwallis feeding his two dogs from the dishes of meat that were laid out. Tavington continues speaking during this shot.
Tavington (off-screen):
"I believe we took the field."
Closeup of Cornwallis addressing Tavington again.
Cornwallis:
"Next time, you'll wait for my command."
Closeup of Tavington.
General O'Hara is heard beginning to speak during Tavington's closeup and continues to speak as he steps into a shot with Cornwallis.
O'Hara:
"It appears that Colonel Tavington prefers to follow his own commands.
Cornwallis:
"General O'Hara tells me that you've earned the nickname 'The Butcher'.
Back to closeup of Tavington as Cornwallis finishes speaking on the matter.
Cornwallis (off-screen):
"...among the populus. We'll discuss it tomorrow."
Back to the wide shot of the tent interior.
Cornwallis (toasts):
"Gentlemen, my compliments."
O'Hara (toasts):
"To Victory."
Tight closeup of Tavington who has obviously been left out of the loop.
Switch to a pulled back shot of Tavington. He turns and after a sneering glance at something off to the left of the tent entrance, he walks out of the tent with his lieutenant following him out. They exit the shot as the camera continues to pan until it centers on the object of Tavington's sneer: a portrait of the dogs.
Comments About 'The Butcher' Scene:
The deleted material here is a little over a minute long. This sequence helps develop Colonel Tavington's zeal for absolute victory at all costs and without patience. Through shots intersperced with the dialogue, he is portrayed as an outsider to the point that General Cornwallis shows more respect to his dogs. It also adds some possible conflict between Tavington and General O'Hara, which never appears later.
I think the reason why the scene was eliminated is that Tavington is shown as somewhat powerless amongst his own. This adds depth to the character, but also undermines his villainy almost as soon as he was established. If the film had shown more interaction amongst the British officers, then this scene would be necessary. This is a nice scene, but the film's length warrants its omission.
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