The beginning of a day.
September 7,
1878.
It dawned like any other day
on the Cheyenne reservation
in that vast, barren land
in the American Southwest,
which was then called Indian Territory.
But this wasn't just another day to the Cheyenne.
Far from their homeland,
as out of place in this desert
as eagles in a cage,
their three great chiefs
prayed over the sacred bundle
that at last the promises made to them
when the white man sent them here
more than a year ago
would today be honored.
The promises that had led them
to give up their own way of life
in their own green and fertile country
1,500 miles to the north.
Morning, Wichowsky.
Troops all present and accounted for, sir.
Thank you.
Morning.
Can I steal some of your coffee?
Help yourself.
Thanks.
Any news?
Here comes another name now.
Senator.
Great.
Looks like we're gonna be up to our ears
in congressmen.
Yeah, the more, the better.
I wish every bigwig in Washington
could see this place.
Deborah,
they're here already.
Lord knows when the Congressional Committee
will arrive.
I don't blame them for being early.
You and I know what this means to them, Uncle.
A-B-C-D-
E-F-G-H-I-J-K-
L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-
T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z.
Wonderful,
come help me set the table.
Attention!
Scott.
Good morning, sir.
Sergeant.
Morning, sir.
Archer.
Morning, sir.
Hmm.
Indians, huh?
Yup.
Any word from the Congressional Party?
They haven't left Fort Scott yet.
Well, let me know. Keep me advised.
Yes, sir.
Wichowsky,
put the men at ease.
Let 'em smoke...
If they've got anything to smoke...
Which I doubt.
At ease!
You may smoke!
Good morning, friend Thomas.
Good morning, friend Deborah.
Well, now, where have you been hiding that dress?
That's pretty stylish for a Quaker.
I made it just for this great day.
It's mighty pretty.
Do you know when they'll arrive?
Well, you can't expect speed from congressmen,
but they ought to be here any minute, now.
Well, I'd offer to help you,
but I can see you don't need it.
Oh, don't I, now?
Well, the leg on the senator's chair
seems to be stuck.
Senator, huh?
Well, let's see what's wrong.
There we are.
All neat and tidy for the senator.
Thank you.
You're welcome. Anytime.
Friend Deborah,
where do you want the senator's chair?
I think I'll put him at the head of the table.
He'll like that.
Plumtree!
Go down the road. Let us know
when those gentlemen from the East arrive.
Yo!
Hour after hour
they waited under the hot sun,
waited for the moment
when the white chiefs from Washington
would see for themselves
how the Cheyenne had been forgotten.
Archer!
Yes, sir?
When is that blasted party coming, anyway?
I don't know, sir.
You don't know, sir.
Hey, you.
Sir!
No, no, sir. Nothing since 11:30.
11:30?!
Do you realize it's 5:30 now?!
Yes, sir.
Sir.
Archer, see what he wants.
Plumtree?
I ain't a'getting paid for thinking, sir,
but I don't think them folks is a'coming.
This came in from Fort Reno, sir.
I'll be damned.
"Congressional Committee delayed
"by bumpy roads and dust storms.
"Decided to return to Reno
"in order to rest up
for the Officers' Ball tonight."
You mean they're not coming here at all?
How long do they expect me to wait
to build some barracks out here?!
Archer! I'm going to Fort Reno.
See to it.
Friend major, please.
Will you tell them about the medicine
and the food the Indians need...
And all the things that were promised?
Uncle, you must make him listen.
How can I?
You know what he thinks of Quakers.
You've been here from the beginning.
You've watched them die of smallpox
and measles and malaria.
You've watched them starve.
Haven't you anything to say?
Nothing that you can't say better.
Major Braden!
I'm asking you to plead for justice.
I'm asking you to make them realize
that over a thousand Cheyenne
were brought here,
and only 286 are left alive.
Miss Wright,
my responsibility to the Indians
is only to guard them.
When you have reached my age,
you will have realized
that it pays to stick to your own knitting.
That's exactly what I intend to do.
Dull Knife,
Little Wolf.
What happened today changes nothing.
The Indian Bureau is still pledged
to provide you with adequate clothing
and rations.
You're still pledged to abide by the law.
Remember that.
We are asked...
To remember much.
The white man...
Remembers nothing.
You spoke the truth
for us.
This we will...
Not forget.
But there will be
no more school.
Oh, no.
Oh, no, please don't do that to the children.
The white man's words are lies.
It is better
that our children
not learn them.
It is not the words,
but who speaks them.
Has speaking white men's words made you a liar?
Our words were learned long ago...
And so began what to most people
must seem to be only a footnote in history.
It ain't my department, sir, but...
Looks to me like them kids is playin' hookey.
You're gonna be pretty lonesome,
friend Schoolteacher.
No scholars.
They'll come.
When?
Spanish Woman.
Friend Deborah,
leave this place.
Friend Thomas,
I can't leave now.
Bunking in this school house won't help.
It will show them that I'm on their side.
Uh-uh,
not unless you can change color.
Do you know what they call whites?
Ve'ho'es,
and ve'ho'es--
means spider.
That's right,
and that's what they think of us.
That's what they think of all of us.
And why shouldn't they?!
How many Cheyennes have you fought?
How many have you killed?!
Look, will you take the blinders off
just for once?
You--you claim no self-respecting Quaker
could fall in love with a soldier,
but you've fallen in love
with a whole tribe of them.
Have you ever seen a Cheyenne?
Of course I have.
No, you haven't!
All you've seen is reservation Indians
looking pitiful as fish out of water,
but give them a chance,
Will you listen to me?!
It takes a blue coat
to make a white man a soldier,
but a Cheyenne is a soldier
from the first slap on his bottom.
War is his life.
He's fierce, he's smart,
and he's meaner than sin.
Possibly you can only think of the past,
but I'm here to think about the future.
All right.
You think of the future.
Want some help?
I'll manage.
Better keep that lamp lit tonight.
And if anything happens,
ring the bell.
- Little Wolf. - Yes!
What's happening?
This is not a place for you.
Spanish Woman...
Where are they going?
Home.
Home?
What you call Yellowstone country.
What about the children?
They are Cheyenne.
Well, who will care for them?
We will do what we can.
They are Cheyenne.
Dull Knife, the old chief is much too sick.
He'll never make such a trip. Let--
If he lives to ride even a mile closer to home,
he will die as a man should.
There will be no more dying in this place.
They've skipped.
Thank God.
What the hell do you mean by that?
I've waited since I was 10 years old for this chance.
Then you're a damned idiot.
I want "D" Troop ready and mounted
in 10 minutes, "E" Troop and wagons
to follow under your command.
No artillery. Plumtree!
"E" Troop and train reporting, sir.
You brought the wagons along too fast, Mr. Scott.
Draft animals can't stand it.
They can rest up tonight.
They can?
Well, now, that's an assumption you had no right to make.
We're gonna keep moving.
That's fine with me, sir.
Scott, tell me something.
Sir?
What put the blood in your eye?
It's just a private matter, sir.
Nothing that affects an officer's conduct
is private.
My father died in the Fetterman Massacre back in '66.
Mother and I were at the fort
when they brought his body in.
I was only 10 years old.
Until that time
I never wanted to be a soldier.
Well, that doesn't give you
a personal license to kill Indians.
The job of this Army is to keep the peace.
I understand, sir.
You do, huh?
Well, just make sure you understand
these Cheyenne broke no law when they left the Agency
and they won't unless they cross the river.
So if you provoke trouble
I'll see that you lose those shoulder straps,
if I have to tear 'em off myself.
Understood?
Understood, sir.
Mr. Scott!
Sir.
I knew your father.
Guard on!
Sir!
Troop halt!
Prepare to dismount!
Dismount!
Sir!
Yes.
Jump the reservation right before your--
They haven't crossed the river yet.
Sir, I most respectfully object--
Put it in writing.
Join your troop, mister.
Sir?
No. No, thanks.
Whoa.
Spanish Woman,
what's happening?
I think war.
Spanish Woman, speak to Dull Knife.
He'll listen to you.
I can do nothing.
Nothing.
Schoolteacher.
Little Wolf, you promised that--
Take the children. Join the others.
Troop halt!
Plumtree.
Sir?
I don't like the look of it.
Take a look up that canyon.
Yes, sir.
Jones, you cover him.
Jones!
Name's Smith, sir.
Oh.
Well, go on up with him. Go on.
All right?
Yes, sir,
but that canyon there
is plum full of Indians.
On ride! Into line! Yo!
Hey, Smitty, wait a minute!
On ride! Into line!
You've got a lot to explain to a court martial, Archer.
Sergeant!
Cannons ready!
Forward on the double!
Cannons forward, on the double! Yo!
Prepare to dismount!
Dismount!
Horse-holders to the rear!
Troop!
Yes, sir.
Major Braden!
Go back to your troop!
Major, I've got to tell you
the majority of those people
are women and children!
Maybe 50 or 60 warriors.
Archer, you're under arrest.
Number one gun,
fire!
Number two gun, fire!
Fire number one!
Fire!
Cease firing!
Where's the major?
Is he...
Yes, sir.
Pobrecita. Pobrecita.
They're angry,
because my son fired the first shot.
Does it ever matter who fires the first shot?
Those dirty, murdering--
The major's dead, sir.
Pick up the horses.
Shut up!
Plumtree, Brown,
get the horses off the wagons.
Yes, sir.
Name's Smith, sir.
All right, get to work!
My son says
the soldiers do not follow.
Dull Knife, you know the soldiers
will have to follow us.
Have you thought what will happen to your wife and son?
There will be war.
Little Wolf.
These are my wives.
I pray the young one will give me sons,
but I want them to be born where I--
and all of my people before me--were born.
Even a dog can go where he likes,
but not a Cheyenne.
You may go where you like.
No.
No!
But...
The report from the Army's field telegrapher
to headquarters in Omaha
listed only nine casualties incurred
in the troop's first encounter
with the homeward-bound Cheyenne...
But by the time it came off the press in Kansas City,
somehow it had mysteriously grown to 29.
And suddenly it expanded to 59, 69,
109 when the news reached
the tiny hamlets of the Western Plains.
Meanwhile, the Army
was frantically deploying troops
along the 1,200 miles that still lay
between the Cheyenne and their homeland.
The railroads they had to cross were patrolled,
river crossings watched.
The alarm was spreading through the west.
Settlers crossing the plains demanded Army escorts,
or they rushed frantically to the safety of Army posts.
No one asked how many Indians had escaped.
The word "Cheyenne" was enough;
heated words echoed through the halls of Congress.
The Department of the Interior
was crowded with western railroad tycoons,
mine owners, and land speculators,
all such people to whom Indian scares
meant lost dollars,
while the generals came to fix the blame
on Carl Schurz,
the Secretary of the Interior.
In his misguided effort
to eliminate corruption in the Indian Bureau,
it was Mr. Schurz who had brought in the Quakers,
and to the Army it was obviously the Quakers
who had encouraged the Cheyenne to rebel.
In all the land, there was not one voice raised
in behalf of the Cheyenne.
Until...
Take your pick.
They're all saying the same things
we're saying.
Blood-thirsty savages on the loose,
burning, killing, violating beautiful white women.
It's not news anymore!
We're gonna take a different tack.
From now on, we're going to grieve for the noble red man.
Now, see to it.
But by now, any rumor could be believed,
because suddenly the news from the west
had stopped.
The Cheyenne and their pursuers
had disappeared into the emptiness and silence
of the thinly populated continent.
Mr. Secretary.
Come in, come in.
Good afternoon, Mr. Secretary.
Now, no matter what you may have heard...
We assure you there's nothing personal
about our proposed legislation.
The entire Senate has the greatest respect
for you, you know that.
Well, all I know is that you're trying
to snatch the Indian Bureau
away from my department
and hand it over to the Army.
Mr. Senator,
have you ever seen a Cheyenne?
Arapahoe? Any Indian?
Have you ever even been west
of the Mississippi river?
What are you driving at, sir?
Well, just this:
So concerned about Indians?
Well, it's strictly a matter of economy.
The Army has to be out there anyway.
Oh, so that's all it is.
I was afraid perhaps that,
uh, some of the dollar patriots
who are sleeping on my doorstep
might have been sleeping on yours.
Sir, are you questioning our honesty of purpose?
No more than I question theirs.
Their honest purpose
is to grab every acre of land
the Indians once thought they owned.
You can't say that's Army policy.
Well, I can say that it amounts
to the same thing.
The smaller the reservations,
the easier they are to guard.
You let the Army have its way
and they'll end up
the size of postage stamps;
exactly what the land-grabbers want.
We'll be late for that committee meeting.
Excuse us, Mr. Secretary.
Oh, Henry.
You and I fought together at Gettysburg.
You'd never even seen a Negro slave.
All you ever knew was that--
was that they were human beings,
with the rights of human beings...
And it was worth an arm to you.
Carl, I'll stall this legislation,
but unless those Cheyenne are found soon
or if you make one false move,
God help you.
God help me.
Leave us.
When Little Wolf speaks ve'ho'e words,
they are for my ears alone.
Hyah!
This I say--
we have always thought as one.
Never has the thickness of a straw come between us.
We still think as one.
As war chief,
I may raise my hand only against the enemy.
We still think as one.
That is why I must sleep with no wife,
saving all my strength
for a fight against the soldiers.
But your son...
Tries to steal my youngest wife.
This cannot be.
He is of my blood...
And my blood has never been bad.
He is of your blood...
But he is not you.
Troop halt!
Sergeant!
Mr. Scott!
Unlimber the guns!
If we attack, I think we're in for a beating,
so here's what I want--
And a lot of flat land to cross
before we get there.
Well, they ain't done nothin' foolish yet.
I know.
Take "D" Troop. Get on their flanks.
Sir!
Mr. Scott, dismount half of "E" Troop
to protect the guns and wagons,
and you move out with the rest
to cover the right flank.
Yes, sir.
And, uh...
Remember, Mr. Scott...
The trick to being brave is not to be too brave.
Any questions?
No questions, sir.
Right.
Plumtree!
Murphy!
Take the point!
Yo!
"A" Troop! Lead out!
Hyah!
A little faster over there, Joe.
Come on.
Hurry it up, Joe.
Come on.
You all right?
Well, yes, sir.
On the left, in a line!
Forward at the walk!
Yo!
Walk trot!
What in the hell is that kid doin'?
As you were!
What the hell is he doin'?
Canter!
Company, charge!
Mr. Scott!
Scott!
Damn you!
On the left, in the line!
Yo!
Prepare to dismount!
Get the guns out!
How about the wagon, sir?
Get the guns! Move!
Yes, sir.
Come on, move it!
Get 'em out of there. Let's go!
Come on! Get out of there.
Mr. Scott!
I told you to cover that flank.
I'm sorry, sir.
From now on, you don't scratch
till I itch. Is that clear?
Yes, sir.
Plumtree! Thompson!
Here, let me have it.
Sir...
Despite the Indian scare,
from Texas to the railhead in Dodge City, Kansas.
Sometimes the hungry Cheyenne
were able to pick up a few stray cows,
and sometimes they even begged for charity
from the tough trail hands.
Yo! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!
Come here! Come here!
Look there.
A real blanket-head Injun.
I sure would like
to have me that little paint.
And I sure would like to kill me a Injun.
Can't you g-g-g-g-gut eaters
talk any Texican?
Yes, sir. I'd sure love to kill me a Injun.
I dare ya, Homer.
You dare me?
I dare you.
Ha ha!
I've always wanted to kill me a Injun.
All them old-timers back home are hoorahing
about how many scalps they've took.
Jesse, that's one of them there--
that's one of them there Cheyennes.
We'd better skedaddle
and get that herd out of here.
Let's go!
Not till I get my scalp, we won't.
G-O-O-D.
Good.
G-O-O, good.
G-O-O-D. Good.
Good.
Where are you taking my colt?
My colt! My colt!
Always they had to move
through unwanted and desolate country
where the chances of detection and capture were fewer,
and there the land was poor and wild game rare.
Always hunger bade at their heels
more fiercely than the soldiers.
What is it?
Hotoae.
I don't understand.
A-B-C-D.
Hotoae! Hotoae!
Hotoae.
Oh, buffalo.
Oh.
Buffalo.
Do you remember what a buffalo looks like?
No?
Soon she will see one again.
Many, many.
Always they come from the north
before the cold.
Always over same ground.
Then our bellies will be full again.
Our bellies will be full,
and no longer will we be alone.
Our friends, the Dakota...
Sioux?
Will be coming south with the buffalo.
Always it is so.
It's got to be soon.
Very, very soon.
And then in one tragic instant,
after 500 miles and many weeks of desperate flight,
hope was gone.
The white hunters had been there first,
but for hides.
The hungry Cheyenne now stood alone.
Extra! Extra!
Latest on the red devils!
Cheyennes attack settlers and massacre 'em!
Extra! Read all about it!
Extra!
Dog!
Guinevere!
Dog Kelly.
Guinevere Plantagenet.
Good to see you.
Welcome to Dodge City.
Ladies.
Girls.
Come on. Come on in.
Cards, gentlemen, if you please.
Ace, king,
and a jack.
Ace bets.
Check.
Wait a minute.
How come you check with an ace showin'?
Oh, is that an ace?
I'm blind as a bat.
Now, Marshall, you can see
right through to my ace in the hole.
What's your ace worth, Major?
Check.
$5 for a start.
Call.
Cards.
Ace, deuce.
Mingle, girls.
Jack right here.
Oh, no, no. Just a slug of rye.
Ace, jack, 7.
Say.
Isn't that Wyatt Earp?
Sure. Over in the corner playin' poker.
Excuse me, Mayor.
Miss Plantagenet.
Major.
Now there's a real royal name, gentlemen,
and a noble lady.
You bet 25 bucks?
Doctor Holliday. Wyatt.
Hi.
Well, last year back in Wichita...
No. Don't do that. Don't do it.
Keep your hands off the cards.
Tsk, tsk. Well...
You thought this was the prettiest dress
you ever saw.
Why, you couldn't take your eyes off it.
That was when I was 10-high,
and now I'm ace-high.
Doc, what do you do?
I draw.
Would you like to join us, Madame?
Madame?
Madame?!
Are you gonna sit there
and let this tinhorn insult me?
It doesn't make any difference.
What kind of a marshal are you?
Doc Holliday, now, come on.
Apologize to the lady.
I'll call.
Forgive me, Mademoiselle.
What the hell kind of talk is this?
As I understand it,
a mademoiselle is a madame
who ain't quite made it yet,
only younger and friskier.
I'd call it a compliment.
Oh, you would, would you?
A brave marshal.
Why, he won't even protect a lady from an insult.
Wyatt Earp!
You sure got a great way
with women, Wyatt.
The only trouble is she thinks she knew me
back in Wichita,
and I just plain can't remember.
That makes for a very embarrassing situation.
All right. The deuce is best.
Bet the whole lot.
Hey!
How many men will this leave at the fort?
Oh, about a corporal squad.
A corporal squad?
Now, don't worry, Mayor.
We'll cut them Indians down to our size.
Why, you can't leave this town unprotected...
- Orders. - Like this.
Well, listen, I tell you,
I'm gonna have your command for this.
We'll see you when we get back.
I'm gonna-- I'll tell you,
I'm gonna write to Washington,
and when they get my letter...
You can't leave a town like this...
Unprotected...
Like this.
No.
Hey! To the saloon!
Aren't horses in here a bit unusual?
What horses?
You bettin' or not?
Ten.
I stay.
We been ridin' them bulls!
Bottle up. Get 'er down!
You sound Texas.
We ain't heard any Texas around here
for quite a while.
Extra! Extra! Latest on the Cheyennes.
Commit murder and pillage.
Extra, extra!
Eyewitness report.
Cheyennes commit murder--
What's you fellas' hurry?
You rushing for a train?
Fort. We got a-plenty to tell them soldiers.
Plenty, and then some.
You hear that? You're too late.
All of the corporal's gone.
It's gone west to fight the Cheyenne.
What? Them damn fools.
Mister, we just fought off them murdering devils
southeast of here,
but we showed them how the cow eats the cabbage,
didn't we, boys?
If you don't believe it, take a look at that.
After they killed four people,
we thank the Lord and his avenging sword.
Indians, huh? Well, just southeast.
Well, Indians, well--Wyatt!
Wyatt, you've got to listen to me.
Wyatt! You've got to listen to me.
Quiet down there. Shut up!
What's he sayin'?
Something about Indians.
You plan on putting up
one of them wooden Indians
out front, Mayor?
It would look real nice.
It would give the place some tone.
Wyatt, listen. The Army's pulled out,
and we're all about to be masa-creed!
That's w-w-w-Wyatt w-w-w-Wyatt--
Wyatt Earp. Yeah, I know.
Yeah. That deck feels light.
Don't look at me.
I sometimes decorate cards,
I never steal them.
Well, just listen to this.
"Several herders murdered.
"Farmhouses burned down.
"Straggling bands of Indians
"raiding everywhere,
and the good trains robbed."
Wyatt. Wyatt.
Over there are four Texans
who just had a battle--
yeah, it is light.
Are you claiming you can judge
the weight of one single card?
Count 'em.
Wyatt. The fate of this city
rests in our hands.
Your hands.
Strike me dead if there aren't 51.
Let me see.
Oh, it's not just the town,
it's business. Now, you all know
that we depend upon them Texans
comin' up here with wages in their pockets.
Well, they haven't been coming up
as much as they have been.
And if this kind of stuff keeps up,
they won't be coming at all.
Bless my soul. Fifty-one.
Now, Major, you were the last one
to shuffle that deck, and where's that card?
Every citizen of Dodge stands with anyone--
Gentlemen, I swear I didn't palm it.
Major, where's the card?
Wyatt, if we shoot him,
we won't have anyone left to play with.
Gentlemen.
That's a good point. New deck.
Now, Mayor, about all these things
you read in the newspaper,
now, did you ever in your whole life
read anything true in that paper?
You calling me a liar?
Take a look at them apples.
Get outta here.
Well, you fellows
drove a herd up here, where is it?
We got 'em g-g-grazing about a m-m-mile
outside of t-t-town here.
Well, if you'd run into a flock of Cheyenne,
your herd would be bulging Cheyenne bellies
by this time.
Then you are calling me a liar.
Gentlemen, I open for ten.
Well, you gonna take that back
or ain't you?
See that and I'll raise it.
Answer me!
I don't give a damn
if you are the best gunslinger in Kansas.
Take that back, now!
Ace checks.
I'll bet 20.
I don't doubt your word,
I just--just, uh, question your eyesight.
You question my eyesight too, mister?
Er, kings say 20.
I'll up you 20.
Something smells of fish. I'll drop.
Wyatt, for the last time, come on. That's an order.
You too, Holiday.
Are you still calling me a liar
or ain't you? I'd purely love
to have your scalp, too.
Now, Texas, you're just talking yourself
straight into the cala-boose.
Not me. The Injuns.
Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!
Look at that.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Your deal, Marshall.
Wyatt! Wyatt!
Damn it, Wyatt.
That fellow's bleeding all over the place,
and the bullet's still in his foot.
Now, I've seen you operate on a horse once,
and you've gonna give him a hand.
It's awful noisy in here.
Now, what about you?
I'm out.
You're out. And you?
- I raise. - You raise.
Now, I'll see you and raise you 20.
Oh, Wyatt. You shot him.
All right. Fine, fine.
A fellow just wants
a little friendly game of poker,
and uh...
Ooh! Ow!
While you're thinking it over, Major...
All right, come on. Put him up on the bar.
No, no, Wyatt. Not the bar.
He'll bleed all over it.
Take him outside.
It's genuine mahogany, Wyatt.
All right. Put him up on the bar.
Oh, no, Wyatt. Not the bar.
Take him outside. Put him on his horse.
Aw, shut up!
This is genuine mahogany.
Ow! Ow! Ow!
His blood'll stain it, Wyatt.
Now, don't you cowpokes ever wear any socks?
I do. Eh--eh, once in a while.
Jesse.
Here.
Thank you, uh, thank you, Miss, uh--
Plantagenet.
Wichita.
Thank you. Now, would you hold that bottle up, miss?
Hold it up high. Now, you,
I want you to keep your eye right on that bottle.
Don't even blink.
It's kind of like hypnotizing you.
Keep your eye right on it. Homer?
Keep your eye right on the bottle.
You're not gonna even feel it.
Give me the bottle.
One side, please.
What if that ash fell by mistake?
Wyatt might shoot you...
By mistake.
There it is. Miss, may I...
Uh...
All right. Take him away.
Now, wait a minute.
There you are. Good as new.
Hey, dog. You missed one.
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Come on, get out.
Honest game.
Major, do you have any news for me?
I know you're bluffing, Earp. I'm out.
Ah ah ah. Ah ah.
Say, you're the doctor around here.
How come I always have to perform
all the complicated operations?
You know I'm a dentist, not a doctor.
Wait till somebody shoots him in the teeth.
Ah.
It's your deal.
Are you sure that's all there is in there?
Come on. Come on.
Go on, men. Load it up there.
Come on. Get it out of that stall there.
Get your lot out of there.
Come on, men. Get it up there.
Mayor, what in the blazes
are you doing?
Why, loading ammunition. What's it look like?
Come on now, men. Get it on there.
Grant took Richmond with less than that.
Well, it never hurts to be prepared.
Now, Mayor. Hold on, hold on.
Now, I've just been thinking.
Seeing as how you control
all the gambling in this town,
and I get 10% of the take,
just exactly what would happen to my livelihood
if you went out and got yourself shot?
So it behooves him to keep you
at least 10% alive.
So, Mayor. Why don't you
just go back to your office and take it easy,
and just see that that precious hide of yours
don't get pierced by any foreign objects,
and the doctor here and me will go forth and assume--
Ladies and gentlemen--
Hey, get off of here!
What the hell is this?
Marshall--I mean, field marshall,
you've got quite a motley Army.
Yeah.
Colonel, here.
Oh, there's Miss What's-Her-Name.
Say! Say, Miss, uh...
Where are you going?
Following the flag, Mr. Earp.
Where the men go, we go.
I'd say that's quite understandable, Wyatt.
After all, the girls have to--
I know, I know, I know, I know.
All right, sergeant... Blow your horn.
General, do you mind
confiding your plan of campaign
to your chief of staff?
Not at all. Not at all.
From which direction
are these blood-thirsty Cheyenne savages approaching?
Southwest, of course.
And in which direction are we headed?
Northeast.
That's my plan of campaign.
Have a beer, ma'am.
There they are! Indians! Indians!
Doctor? As a Christian gentlemen,
I am opposed to profanity.
But let's get the hell outta here?
Right. Hyah!
Whoa! Whoa!
Aah! Oh!
Whoa! Whoa!
Something's gone wrong!
Whoa!
Hey, grab that Miss--
Plantagenet.
Aah! Oh!
Grab her, Doc!
Grab her! Don't let her get away!
Come on, grab her! Hyah, hyah, hyah!
Oh! Oh!
Ah!
By golly, I did know her in Wichita. Yah!
And so ended the Battle of Dodge City.
Casualties? One silk dress.
Essex, sir.
Archer.
Coffee, sir?
Coffee.
Here's the answer to your message, sir.
Help yourself.
Oh, thanks.
Important?
The usual thing.
No reinforcements available.
Well, didn't you tell them
your company's in no shape to fight?
Yes, sir. I told him
we're all scattered up and down the line,
and I haven't even seen the captain in two days.
There've been too many of these false alarms.
We'll have to wait until we can swear
we saw them trying to cross the tracks.
Yeah, if they haven't crossed already.
They can't have done that. Nobody could.
Not even a rabbit could get--
You're not talking about Cheyenne.
Well, tomorrow, come sun-up,
I'm sending out my own patrols.
Both sides of the river.
With 900 miles still to go
to reach their northern home,
the Cheyenne suddenly faced a hazard
they had never heard of.
The long line of steel rails
were as the bars of a prison.
Well, what do you think you're doing?
Have a snort.
Where the hell did you get that?
See that nice, shiny boot?
Yeah.
Captain What's-His-Name
is an infantry officer, a doughfoot.
Now, why do infantry officers
need nice, shiny boots?
I'll bite. Why?
To hide whiskey bottles in.
Look, Sergeant, you sober up
and be ready to move out
when I give you the word,
or you're Mr. Wichowsky.
Sonny.
It's plain to see
you ain't the officer you used to be.
No.
Ten days ago.
Thirty years. Thirty years, and ten days.
Thank you. Thank you.
You're talking to Mr. Wichowsky,
so climb off that high horse
and drink me a little toast.
Uh-uh. No-no.
No, you climb off your high horse,
and you get ready to sign this.
You're reenlisting, as of right now.
Oh, no, I ain't.
Oh, yes, you are.
You want to know why?
Why?
I'm a Pole.
Really?
What have they got?
They've got Cossacks.
Mmm.
You know what a Cossack is?
What?
A Cossack is a man on a horse
with a fur cap on his head,
and a saber in his hand.
Now, he kills Poles just because they're Poles,
like we're trying to kill Indians
just because they're Indians.
I was proud to be an American soldier,
but I ain't proud to be a Cossack.
Wichowsky, you fought Indians before.
I fought Indians who wanted to fight me,
not just some poor, starving blanket-heads
trying to go home!
All right, Mr. Wichowsky.
Did you say you had a drink for me?
Well, sure, Tom.
Thank you very much, Stanislaus.
Ah. See you around.
Hey, doughfoot. Seen any Injuns around?
I guess they must have skedaddled
when they heard you manure-spreaders was coming.
Manure spreaders.
Hmm!
Hey, wait a minute.
Hey, Smitty. Can you read?
Well, sure, I can read, and write.
"Debra Wright. Her book."
Sir.
Yes?
Sir, we, uh...
Well, speak up, Murphy.
We--we found this in the river.
It means they've crossed.
What, sir?
Trumpeter?
Sir.
Boots and saddles.
Good luck, sir.
Well, good morning, Mr. Wichowsky.
Sergeant Wichowsky, sir,
reporting for duty.
Sign me in.
Sign it yourself. I'm busy.
Yo! Forward at the canter! Yo!
And so the pursuit continued,
across changing terrain and changes of season.
The pursuers sometimes almost as hungry
and exhausted as the pursued.
Halt! Who goes there?
Mr. Scott!
Well.
Lieutenant Scott, reporting for duty, sir.
Did the surgeon release you?
I slipped away, sir.
Mm-hmm.
And how 'bout this government horse?
Well, he slipped away, too, sir.
I see.
You know something, Mr. Scott?
What, sir?
You might make a soldier after all.
Well, thank you, sir.
You're welcome. Wichowsky.
Sir!
Boots and saddles!
Boots and saddles?
Boots and saddles.
What's the matter, sir?
Fort Robinson is near here.
If we go there--
we will die before we reach our homeland.
There was hope in your heart when we started!
Where has it gone?
Maybe the hunger, clawing out our bellies,
has clawed my hope away, too.
Why was I given this?
Why?
To lead our people home.
If we go on, the children will die.
If we go to Fort Robinson,
you will speak for us?
Yes, of course.
The straw has come between us.
Yes.
Now our people must choose
who they want to follow.
And so, in the grim north of Nebraska,
with less than 700 miles to go,
and over 800 miles of pain and hunger behind them,
the Cheyenne nation broke apart.
Off to your right, now. Off to your right.
That way.
Cheyenne, sir.
Good, good. Feed them.
Find shelter for them.
And give them good fire and make them...Comfort.
Sir.
Ja, ja.
This will make me a major.
Would you be pullin' the curtain?
That must have been a terrible, terrible journey.
Well, it's exhaustion and malnutrition.
Oh, it's--it's a horrible leg altogether,
but we'll feed her and keep her warm.
And I'm afraid after a while,
I'm going to have to operate.
I wish...
I wish I were a better doctor.
Captain Archer, sir.
Captain Oscar Wessels.
Well...
There are your Cheyenne.
Ja, ja, you are right, captain Archer.
Fenimore Cooper knew little about Indians.
But his books first made me interested in them.
Here. Half the volumes you see here
are about Indian life and culture,
but no one else will read them.
Captain Wessels neglects to mention
that most of them are written in German.
So Captain, you don't believe that the Indians
should be wiped off the face of the earth
along with the buffalo?
Agh! Nein! No! Of course not.
Miss Wright,
it has been much too long
since we could enjoy a lady's presence.
Here. Does cigar smoke bother you?
Captain, I'm so happy to be warm and comfortable
that nothing could bother me.
Ah, danke.
Yes?
Oh...Excuse me.
Headquarters, sir. Urgent.
Stand by.
"Omaha. Cheyennes are to be kept under restraint
and then returned south as soon as escort troopers arrive."
But they surrendered voluntarily.
Oh, this is simply a military routine.
They escaped from a reservation
and are to be returned.
Murder's not routine.
These people could never survive that march
in the dead of winter.
Excuse me.
Captain Archer, I feel as you do,
but this is an order.
An order.
Mr. Peterson.
Sir?
The warehouse is empty. We can put them there.
Captain!
The fort area's restraint enough.
Where can they even try to go
in this weather?
This order came to me.
And to me is the responsibility.
I can take no chances.
You claim to be a doctor.
You gonna let him put those women and children
in a warehouse at ten below zero?
What are you gonna do about it?
As ordered, sir.
Orders are orders.
Well, this time we ain't the Cossacks.
Well?!
I am commander of this post.
All messages must be cleared through me.
I read your report, captain.
It doesn't begin to give a picture
of this situation.
One must be tactful with higher authority.
Would you have me call them fools?
No, I'd have you tell 'em the truth.
They have given me an order.
An order.
I questioned it once.
It will not be questioned again.
You will accept no more messages
from this officer.
He'll accept this one, because you can't refuse
to allow it.
I have a month's leave coming.
I'm requesting two weeks of it.
Why? Why at this time?
I'm not required to tell you why.
Lock the door.
Lock the door?
I said lock the door!
Sir...
Never mind!
You, Dull Knife.
You and your people will be prepared
to start south in the morning.
We will not go back.
You have no other choice.
If you try to force us...
First I die.
We will not go back.
Who in here speaks English?
Besides this-- this--this chief!
Yes.
You?
Yes.
You will tell your people
that I have tried to get the order delayed until spring,
but the order stands.
However...
I will provide additional wagons
for the sick and feeble.
And you will further tell them
that their chief--
This chief is brave...
But no longer wise.
They must obey just as I obey.
They will not go back.
Life there is not life.
They will die here.
Authority must and will be obeyed.
They will die here.
There will be no more food,
no more water,
and--
and no more firewood...
Until they change their minds.
They will not go back.
Hello.
She's not gonna lose her--
No, no, not at all. Not at all.
You know, I was a good surgeon once.
See that? I haven't had a drink in a week.
Amazing.
God's truth.
Look for yourself here.
Hello, Scott.
Hello, sir.
Aye, it is pneumonia all right,
but he's young and strong,
thanks be to God,
so he got over it.
Good, he'll be on his feet in no time.
Now, what's this, huh?
T-R...
Oh! "A"...
"A"...
"I"...
"N."
Train.
Train!
That's good. Very good.
Bye, honey.
Good luck, Scott.
Good luck to you, sir.
I'll need it.
You're going away.
I hope you'll be here when I get back.
T-R-A-I-N.
Miss Wright, if you please.
I hope you know what you're doing, sir.
Let's go.
Smith, sir.
All right. Move.
Yes?
I was told the secretary wanted to see me.
Were you also told that the secretary
is a very busy man?
Well, sir, I am also a very busy man.
And what is your name?
Archer, Captain Archer.
I do not see the name of a Captain Archer--
Look, sir, I have to get back to Fort Robinson.
Fort Robinson?
I've been wanting to meet someone
from Fort Robinson.
Come with me.
Thank you.
Gentlemen, gentlemen, please!
Come in.
Captain Archer, aren't you?
Yes, that's right.
This is my hideout.
This is where I keep away
from the leeches and vultures upstairs--
Excuse me, but I have an appointment
with Mr. Schurz, the secretary--
I'm Carl Schurz. Cigar?
Oh, I'm sorry, sir.
I didn't recognize you.
Nobody does. Sit down. Sit down.
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
Captain, I understand you've been making yourself
quite unpopular over at the War Department.
For what purpose?
Is that why you wanted to see me, sir?
I'm not supposed to discuss this
outside of channels.
Well, if it concerns the Indians
at Fort Robinson, I'm the channel.
I'd like to know why you're risking
your career, your commission,
by questioning superior authority.
I'd like to know, uh...
Confidentially, the truth.
I don't often manage to hear it.
Well, sir...
At Fort Robinson, I've seen respect
for superior authority gone stark raving mad.
Those Indians are dying of cold and starvation
in that prison.
I only heard they were being--
What's the word--
Restrained?
- Uh-uh. - Disciplined?
No, sir.
Murdered is the right word.
And you'd like me to do something about it.
Sir, I only know what those Cheyenne have gone through.
If the people had seen it,
they wouldn't have liked it.
The people?
Captain...
You're asking me to make that false move
that a lot of people have been hoping for.
They need your help, sir.
There's a train at 7:00 this evening
for the West. You'll be on it.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, sir.
Old friend...
Old friend,
what would you do?
Ah, they sound like a--
a thousand banshees out there,
keening over the grave of Cruachan.
Young lady, you don't seem to realize
what you're asking of me.
The Army is the only living that I have.
Now, you listen to me for a minute,
and I'll explain it to you.
Look, when I was studying medicine on the continent,
it was read a book, look at a corpse,
and say, "thank you for the license."
Well, the Civil War changed all that.
Civil war was my salvation.
I stepped right off a boat
and straight into uniform,
and I had the good sense to stay there.
Now, all I've done ever since
is hand out blue pills
and give doses of castor oil.
Man alive, I--
Look, I'll starve to death
in civilian practice--
You use the word lightly.
Lightly! I--
These Cheyenne are starving now.
Now, listen to me.
Listen to me, Miss Wright!
You're a Quaker,
and you're dedicated to self-sacrifice.
Well, I'm dedicated to self-preservation!
You know, you want me to go out there, don't you?
Yeah, and take me future, me career,
and me pension and throw it down the drain.
Is that what you want, huh?
Yeah, well...
That's exactly what I'm going to do.
Captain,
you've got trouble on your hands.
Trouble? How can there be trouble?
They have nothing to fight with.
Their bare hands, maybe.
Hands.
The question is, do you want to be responsible?
Responsible?
I am responsible for nothing.
None of them have to die.
They could have walked out of there
anytime they liked.
I have simply been the instrument of an order.
An order I did not agree with.
You say that as--as if you've memorized it.
Why? Why you talk to me?
Why don't you talk to those Indians?
That is where the blame is.
Anytime--
anytime they could have ended this.
First it was the order from headquarters.
Now it's the Indians.
Everybody is to blame but you.
I will not stand for any more insubordination.
The whole truth of this matter is
- that you have-- - Get out!
Let this become a test of wills
between you and the Cheyenne.
You have made it your own personal fight.
You are a liar.
You lie!
Oh,
nothing I have done is personal.
I am a soldier.
I was a soldier in Prussia,
and I am a soldier here.
All my life I have given and taken orders.
What would be this world without orders, huh?
What would be?
Chaos,
anarchy, that's what would be.
Well, I'll not let that start here.
And you--
You--you--oh--
I will not let you spread these lies.
You are under arrest.
Gentlemen!
Ah, Mr. Peterson.
Lieutenant Peterson, bear witness.
I have just arrested this man.
You are mistaken, Captain.
I am not under arrest,
but you are.
Huh?
The regulations state,
"that when an officer..."
I know the regulations.
"Due to alcoholism,
- Alcoholism?! - "Brain injury,
"or any kindred disability,
is not capable of command..."
What did you see of this?
"He may be removed."
I am doing just that.
You are the one with brain disease, not me.
I am doing just that, sir. These men are--
I will see that you are court-martialed and shot!
My witnesses, but I am assuming
full responsibility.
You are confined to quarters.
Officer of the day, the keys, please.
Mr. Peterson,
I am taking full responsibility.
Aah!
On the double. On the double!
Men, take your mark!
Oh, glory be to God!
As you were!
Stop it, you idiots, stop it!
Has authority been sufficiently obeyed, sir?
As if guided by instinct,
the survivors of the Cheyenne
joined together 1,200 miles
from the territory they had fled,
at a place in the arid hills of Dakota
which they held sacred,
called, in their language,
"Victory Cave."
Ve'ho'e! Ve'ho'e!
Cavalry in position, sir.
Colonel, I'd like to have you meet
the Secretary of the Interior,
Carl Schurz.
Well, I'm glad to see you, Mr. Secretary.
Riding all night didn't help my lumbago.
That coffee I smell?
Yes, sir.
- Captain uh-- - Archer, sir.
Archer.
You see those guns, Mr. Secretary?
Yes.
Well, in just about one minute, now, sir--
Yes, I know. I know.
You're all set.
But not before I've had a chance
to talk to those Indians.
Well, now, this is hardly
a civilian matter, Mr. Secretary.
Army coffee hasn't improved in all these years.
I have my orders from General Sheridan, sir.
One question, Colonel.
Do you enjoy killing Indians?
Women? Children?
Well, no, of course--
Well, then you'll be pleased I came.
You mean the orders have been changed?
I mean that the ground that you're standing on
is government property controlled by
the Department of the Interior.
Now either I parlay with those Cheyenne,
or I consider you and your troops trespassers.
Well, that's absurd, Mr. Secretary.
Colonel, I know,
I may be on shaky legal ground,
but, uh, that's for the courts to decide.
You ever have lumbago?
Uh, no, sir, I--
Little Wolf, Dull Knife,
this is Mr. Schurz,
one of the chiefs
of our government in Washington.
They both speak English, sir.
Oh, good, good.
I know how many promises
have been made to you and then broken,
but I'm not here to make any promises.
I'm asking you to take a gamble.
All ve'ho'e words are the same.
You keep us talking.
The soldiers.
Now, please listen to me. Please.
You've made one of the most
heroic marches in history.
You deserve to go back to your own homeland
and stay there in peace.
I'm sure that the people of this country
will understand-- will agree
when they hear the facts.
Now, will you take the gamble?
The people--
who will tell them?
Who will tell the people
about Fort Robinson?
I will.
I promise you.
You call this Victory Cave.
You can have another
greater victory here.
Right now.
He speaks the truth.
We have no--
Tobacco.
No tobacco
for the peace pipe.
Well...
Maybe we can start a new custom.
Thank you.
But there were still wounds to heal,
and there was still peace to be made
among those who had lived through
the long heroic march,
and there were still some who had yet to come home
to the land of the Cheyenne.
And so when the nation was safe,
the sacred bundle,
symbol of the chief of chiefs,
was passed on,
for no one could carry it
who had shed the blood
of another Cheyenne.
Home.
H-O-M-E.
Home.
H-O-M-E.
Home.