| “ | The time is passed, and you have failed. I shall granted you one path of redemption - ONE path only: take this man into the forest, where he die like the animal he is. | „ |
| ~ Tarleton to Ichabod |
Banastre Tarleton is a minor antagonist of TV show Sleepy Hollow. He is a Revolutionary War British Colonel who was actually a demon in disguise.
Historical Facts
Sir Banastre Tarleton's portrait
Banastre Tarleton (21 August 1754 – 15 January 1833) was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Revolutionary War. He was the most infamous of all British commanders becuse of his brutality, earning the nicknames "Bloody Ban" and "Butcher". He fought in several great revolutionary battles, including the British defeat at Yorktown.
He was hailed by the Loyalists and British as an outstanding leader of light cavalry and was praised for his tactical prowess and resolve, even against superior numbers. His green uniform was the standard of the British Legion, a provincial unit organised in New York in 1778. Tarleton was later elected a Member of Parliament for Liverpool and became a prominent Whig politician. Tarleton's cavalrymen were frequently called 'Tarleton's Raiders'.
TV show biography
Tarleton briefly appeared in the epsiode The Sin Eater. He was Ichabod's commanding officer when he was stationed in the colonies. He proved to be a very brutal man, who despite Ichabod's warnings that his actions were turning the locals against them, he ordered multiple exercutions on flimsy charges and forced men to torture Arthur Benard for infomation about Cisiro. He tried to force Icabod to do so as well, but Arthur and Katarina managed to convince Icabod to switch sides.
At the end of the flashback, it is revealed that Tarleton is in fact a demon, most likely one of the Shadows of Darkness, and killed Arthur Bernard. He then proceeded to atttack Ichabod Crane, leaving him badly wounded. However. when more soliders started to emerge, Tarleton ran off and was not seen again.
Personality
Tartleton as a demon
Tarleton in the TV show is a sadistic and twisted torturer who is fond of hanging and killing people (espeacially if the implication is there a traitor) without mercy and regret, possibly worse than his real-world counterpart. Despite his anger against treachery, he himself proved to be a hypocrite as he was secretly a legionary of Moloch and not a loyal soldier of Britain.
Trivia
- He is portrayed by Craig Parker.
- He is credited as "Tarleton Demon".
- He is the first Sleepy Hollow antagonist based on an infamous real-life figure. The second is Benedict Arnold and the third is William Howe.
- Its unknown if Tarleton was always a demon or if a demon replace the real Tarelton.
