Remember the French officer the morning of the big battle. He was all "a-splendor" in lace, gilded thread and ruffles. His sword was probably dull and his pistol rusty, but he looked marvelous. It's not about how well you fight, it's all about how well you look.
I haven't seen "The Patriot". If I ever do I'm going to be thinking of this through the whole thing. LOL