Original subtitles

Oh, that old bell mare.

I swear, I'm gonna make cat meat out of her one of these days.

Yeah. She breaks the picket line,

and the whole shebang takes off like a cyclone.

Hey, we got company over there.

Let's take a look.

Howdy, young fella.

Howdy.

Where's the rest of your outfit.

I'm it.

Where you headin'?

Cincinnati.

Maybe you don't know it, sonny, but, uh...

this here's Indian country.

They've been kind of riled up lately.

You can come on west with us on a wagon train as far as Fort Stoneman.

Then you can catch a supply wagon on east if you wanted.

No, thanks.

Well, all right.

But I'll give you one piece of advice.

Nobody but a complete fool would make camp

in the bottom of a draw this time of year.

Well, I like it here.

Good luck.

You'll need it.

'Evening. Oh!

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spook you.

Who are you?

Well, I'm camped up the draw a ways.

I just come down to borrow a little salt.

You've joined the train?

No, I'm going the other way.

Who with? Nobody. Just me.

You mean you're gonna...?

Uh... could you let me have some salt?

I never knew how much a body needed salt

until I started doing without it.

Whoever heard of a boy going east through Indian country all by himself?

Well, you've heard of one now.

What's your name?

Tom.

Tom who?

Uh... Smith.

Sounds like you're makin' that up.

It's a real nice violin.

It was my father's.

He got it from Germany.

I think it's worth a lot of money.

Oh, I know.

You goin' west with your folks?

I haven't got any folks now.

I'm bound to the Shackelfords.

Oh.

Where are your folks?

Well, I got a mother in Cincinnati.

Your father dead?

Yeah.

I'm sorry.

You goin' east to your mother?

Is she nice?

Well, I haven't seen her since I was 7.

What's your name? Pris Walker.

Pris?

For Priscilla. Nice name.

Good evening, Prissy.

Oh, 'evening, Major. Major!

This is Major Adams, our wagon master.

We met before, Prissy, this afternoon.

How 'bout it, sonny? You gonna join up with us and go on to Fort Stoneman?

His name's Tom Smith.

Oh? Well, how 'bout it, Tom?

I reckon I'll be goin' now.

You're bein' mighty foolish about this, boy.

I don't need any advice.

Good night, Prissy.

Sure wish I could talk you out of this fool stunt.

Good night, Major, sir.

Good night, boy.

What do you reckon's chewin' on him, Major?

I don't know, Prissy.

If he's not careful, it's liable to be a Cheyenne.

Major! Some of the stock broke loose!

Roll out some men!

All this thunder and lightning,

they're liable not to stop till they reach the Rocky Mountains.

Right!

Major Adams!

Keep moving!

I'll get over to the next ridge!

No use! Rain's covering up all their tracks!

Well!

Looks to me like you must have found out about flash floods, sonny.

I was awake. I heard it coming.

You're lucky.

Got my blankets, my rifle.

My horse run off.

Even got my pants and my boots!

You're gonna cause quite a stir in Cincinnati in that outfit.

I had almost $12 in my pants pocket.

Where do you suppose they ended up?

Well, they're probably about 14 miles this side of New Orleans by now.

Come on, Charlie, get him a pair of your pants, get him some dry clothes.

Come on, son.

You know, runnin' away ain't nothin' to be ashamed of.

Who says I'm running away?

Nobody. I just thought I'd mention it.

You know, I'm an old hand at running away myself.

I guess I ran away the first time when I was 9 years old.

My dear old mother, she caught me with a big plug of chewing tobacco.

She says, "Charlie, my boy..." she always called me Charlie...

"Charlie," she says, "now is the time.

"You've got to make up your mind.

"It's either this plug of chewing tobacco,

or your family and friends." So I ran away.

How long did you stay?

As soon as I took a big chew off that old plug,

I knew I had made a mistake.

How you comin' with them britches, Miss Prissy?

I don't know, Mr. Wooster. You're some bigger than he is,

especially in the sit-down part.

Here, try 'em on.

Thanks.

Now, give me your shirt.

It don't need fixin'.

But it's got two buttons off of it.

I said it would be all right. Now just leave me be.

What's the matter with you?

Nothin'! Just leave me be!

All right.

Prissy...

thanks for fixin' the pants.

You're welcome.

Sure would be nice to be young again.

How 'bout the stock, Major?

Well, Charlie...

I figure we lost about 25 head.

Rain covered up the tracks.

I guess some galdarn Cheyenne or Kiowa

is probably tradin' 'em off by now someplace.

Where you gonna find 25 head?

Well, there's supposed to be a stock trader at Fort Stoneman.

Can't get any there, why, we'll have to wait till we get to Laramie.

Where'd you find the pony?

Belongs to the boy. Where is he, by the way?

Right here.

Say! Let's look at you!

Look like you could stand a little growing into those, sonny.

Oh, I brought you some moccasins here.

One of the drivers took them off a Comanche last fall.

They'll do till you can get some shoes.

Thanks.

Where'd you find my horse?

Oh, he was up the draw a little ways. Water'd gone down.

He was just standing there like a cow waiting to be milked.

I reckon I could ride him bareback.

Or ride in the wagon.

I'm not going with you, Major.

You listen to me, sonny.

I've just lost 25 head of stock.

Looks to me like we're facing a whole week's delay,

maybe more,

and I am in no mood to argue

with a young squirt your age.

Now, you get yourself in that wagon and you stay there

till we get to Fort Stoneman, you understand?

Then you can take a supply train back to Cincinnati.

I'm sorry, Major.

I thank you for your help...

but I reckon I'll be going.

Maybe you didn't understand me sonny.

Get out of my way.

Here, now, just a minute, boy.

Let go of me!

Get away from me.

What in tarnation's the matter with you? Get away from me.

Let me look at you. Stop it.

You've been flogged.

Go ahead, you can tell me. Who whipped you?

Got 'em all right.

Price is probably sky-high, but we've got no choice.

Yeah.

Howdy, mister. Howdy.

What can I do for you?

Name's Adams.

Got a wagon train coming up in about an hour here.

We lost about 25 head of stock the other night in a stampede.

These critters here for sale?

Yeah, but the Army's got first call on 'em.

They gonna buy 'em? I don't reckon so.

But you ain't gonna get 'em unless you can persuade the C.O. to release 'em.

Who's the C.O.? Benedict.

Any chance it's Dan Benedict?

That's right. You know him?

We served under him for about three years.

I was best man at his wedding.

I'll get that release in about five minutes.

Don't be too sure. This is a sick post.

What do you mean a "sick post"?

I guess you'd better find that out for yourself.

Major...

Colonel Benedict wasn't much of a spit-and-polish man, was he?

Not that I recall, unless he's changed in the last five years.

Sergeant, everybody always work like this around this post?

They do, when General Sheridan's coming tomorrow.

I know what you mean. Where can I find the Colonel?

He's in his quarters. Thanks.

But he won't see you. Oh? Why not?

He's sick. Been sick for more than a week now.

What's wrong with him?

Like I told you, he's sick.

Sick with what?

Sick in his guts.

The Colonel isn't seeing anyone

except in an extreme emergency.

He's a very sick man.

I keep telling you, this is an emergency.

If you can't authorize the release of that stock,

I've got a trainload of people

that are gonna be really in trouble.

I'm sorry.

Now, if you don't mind.

But I do mind. I'm sure if you'll explain to Dan Benedict...

I told you, I will explain to him.

But right now. I want to see him anyway.

He's an old friend of mine. If there's anything I can do...

There's nothing you can do, Major.

I'll give him your message.

I'll wait.

He's sleeping now. I'll tell him when he wakes.

There's one thing you can tell me, Major.

That's what's wrong with this post?

What's everybody around here trying to hide?

I'm sorry, I can't help you.

Thanks. Thanks a lot.

If he'll see you, I'll let you know.

Yeah. You do that, will you?

Excuse me, mister. Yes?

You're the medical officer here, aren't you?

I'm the post surgeon, if that's what you mean.

What can I do for you?

Colonel Benedict and I are old friends.

I served under him for three years.

Oh? I'd like to see him.

What do you want me to do about it?

You can tell me what's ailing him, for one thing.

Like I said, I'm an old friend of his,

and I want to know why they won't let me see him.

You'd better take that up with Major Harrison.

I've been through all of that.

If Dan Benedict's sick, I'm gonna see him.

He isn't sick, he's drunk! Louisa.

I don't care who knows it. I've got just two more months in this command.

You keep still. It's true. He's drunk.

Listen, ma'am, I know Dan Benedict better than that.

He's too good a soldier...

That's what's the matter with him, mister.

He's too good a soldier.

He's a soldier right down to his shoe tops.

He doesn't care about anything but soldiering,

and if you don't believe me, go down to the graveyard

and see for yourself!

If you're a friend of Dan Benedict's,

you'll forget what you just heard.

Wait a minute, son.

Lafayette Jenkins.

You know him?

Yeah.

He died... May 28th.

That's only a few weeks ago.

Cheyennes got him.

He was the most wonderful man in the world.

He wasn't killed either.

He wasn't killed at all. He was murdered.

You live here on the post with him?

And this is what's eatin' all these people around here, huh?

No.

No, it isn't Lafe.

It's...

It's...

Go ahead, you can tell me.

The Army killed him!

The miserable Army killed him!

Murdered him, like with a knife!

Just a minute, sonny...

Hey, boy, wait a minute!

Where'd you find him?

Camped out back along the trail.

Didn't hit me till just now who he really was.

So you know then?

I do now.

He's got Dan's eyes.

Little bit of his mother in him too.

Major, I'm gonna ask you just once more,

what's going on around this place?

You can ask the Colonel.

He wants to see you.

Harrison? Yes, sir.

Come in.

Major Adams is here, sir.

Oh? Bring him in.

Hello, Seth.

Dan.

You want me to go, sir?

You might as well stay, Major.

It's all in the family.

I understand you're hurtin' for some stock.

I expect I can let you have 'em.

Make out a release, Harrison. How many head?

Need about 25 head, Dan.

Make it clear that Major Adams is to pay Army prices

and not one cent more.

Yes, sir.

That do?

I guess so. Thanks, Dan.

Sit down, sit down.

Now, Dan, you can tell me what happened.

Nothing.

Everything is wonderful.

I don't have to tell you what will happen tomorrow

when Phil Sheridan gets here, if he finds you like this.

Don't expect you do.

Funny.

Very name of Phil Sheridan used to make me shake in my boots.

Now somehow I don't care anymore.

Ulysses S. Grant himself could march in here

in dress uniform right now,

and I'd likely spit in his eye.

Would you like a drink?

No, thanks, Dan, not now.

You, uh...

you in Cincinnati last winter?

Yeah, I was there for a couple of days.

Yes, I saw her, Dan.

Where?

Having dinner with her mother at the National Hotel.

She's just as pretty as ever, Dan.

Sad mistake she made.

Never should have married a soldier.

It's a rotten life for a man to force on a woman.

She never could understand it.

I never could make it clear to her.

Can't make words do, sometimes.

Old Dan Morgan, Cowpens.

Dan Morgan Benedict I,

Lundy's Lane and Chapultepec.

Never could understand why I had to be

Dan Morgan Benedict II,

Vicksburg, Shiloh, and the Wilderness.

And my boy had to be Dan Morgan Benedict III.

A Morgan.

He fights for his country in every generation,

right down from 1776.

She always said it wasn't worth it.

You know something, Seth?

I'm beginning to see her side.

Maybe she's been right all the time.

Haven't drunk for weeks, Seth.

You know why?

Colonel. Shut up, Harrison.

You know why, Seth?

I stood my boy Danny up in front of the whole command.

Major Harrison.

Would you please read the 96th Article of War.

Yes, sir.

"The 96th Article of War. General Article.

"All disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order

"and military discipline,

"all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the military service,

"and all crimes and offenses not capital

"of which persons subject to military law may be guilty

"shall be taken cognizance of

"by a general or special or summary court-martial

"according to the nature and degree of the offense,

and punished at the discretion of such court."

The special court-martial

convened this morning at my request

found the prisoner guilty as charged

and imposed sentence.

It is a just and fair sentence.

However...

I cannot find it within myself

to ask any one of you to execute it.

My son has gravely offended every man on this post.

I feel it is my duty to you all

to carry out the punishment myself.

Five lashes,

in the presence of the assembled garrison.

All right, Danny. Grab the post.

What do you think of that?

What do you think of a man who'll do that to his own son,

whatever the reason?

You did everything a man could do to be... Shut up!

He was found guilty by a court-martial.

Don't ask me what he did.

He's gone.

Ran off into the night.

Maybe the Cheyennes got him.

Sent out four patrols. No luck.

Dan, I'm trying to tell you.

I've got him.

You've got him?

Seth...

where is he? Where'd you find him?

'Bout two days east of here, camped out along the trail.

Is he hurt?

No, Dan.

Just inside, that's all.

Dan...

you've got to make your peace with this boy.

No.

You take care of him, Seth.

Look after him, will you?

Do that for me.

Keep an eye on him.

I can't do anymore.

I've gone too far.

Too far.

Dan, will you listen to me, please.

Go on, go on, leave me alone.

All right, Dan.

I give up...

Colonel.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, Seth.

You'd better go now.

I'll get that release for you.

Major...

I want to know what that boy did.

I just can't believe that anything in this world

could justify flogging a boy Danny's age

in front of the whole garrison.

He stomped it into the mud,

spit on it.

That grave out there... Sergeant Jenkins'...

At his funeral, Danny went to pieces.

He did it in front of the whole command.

How 'bout the stock?

We got 'em.

We'll be moving out in the morning, huh?

There's nothing to hold us back now.

No, I think we'd best lay over for a day and rest.

Rest? Everybody's rarin' to go.

Bill, we're gonna lay over for a day.

If you take my advice, you'll get that stock

and move out while the gettin's good,

before General Sheridan decides there's something illegal about it.

Charlie, there's nothing illegal about it.

Unless'n he decides there is.

This old man gets a bee in his bonnet, he's a rip-roarer.

I served under him in the Army.

Charlie, we were there. Remember us?

What do I have to do, write these orders out for the two of you?

No, sir, just wanted to make sure, that's all.

All right, we lay over, but where's the kid?

I sent him after water about a half hour ago, and he ain't been back.

Bill, you take this order to that horse trader

and tell 'em we want the horses tonight.

We'll pay him in gold after the committee meeting.

All right.

I'd better get this water back to Mr. Wooster.

Ah, Wooster's been waiting for a half an hour.

Few more minutes won't hurt him.

Sit down, Danny.

I expect Major Harrison told you all about it.

Yes, he did.

Now I'd like to hear your side of it.

There's no good in that.

You're an Army man.

You wouldn't understand.

Why don't you try me?

Because you're all alike.

Don't you think you owe somebody an explanation?

No.

Danny, you're almost grown up.

You're almost a man.

You've been raised in a military family.

Your father is the finest officer I ever served under.

Now, what do you think it did to him

to have his own son stomp on the flag... I don't want to...

the flag that he's given his life to defend and honor?

What do you think it did to all those men in that post that day, Danny?

I know. I... I...

You what?

I don't want to talk about it.

Talking won't do any good.

There's no fixing it now.

Danny, I'm not trying to fix it.

I'm just trying to find out

what made you do it.

I don't know.

I was standing there in the hot sun,

listening to the chaplain read over

Lafe Jenkins' body...

and all at once I was doing it!

Danny, you told me that they...

That they murdered him.

What did you mean by that?

My father sent Lafe out on a scouting trip all by himself.

He did it on purpose 'cause he knew Lafe would get killed.

Your father wouldn't do a thing like that.

But he did!

Danny, I've known your father longer than you have.

He's not that kind of a man.

He hated Lafe. Why?

Because he wasn't like the others, that's why.

If you don't ask me, just ask Miss Louisa.

Who's Miss Louisa?

The nurse.

She was going to marry Lafe after his hitch was up.

She'll tell you about him.

He was different.

You should hear him play his guitar

on a soft summer night.

Or you should watch him on a Spring day,

sitting up there on a green hilltop with his paints.

He could bring the sky and the clouds

right down on a piece of paper,

and raise a flower-covered prairie right underneath.

He could write poetry right out of his head.

The words would just sing to you.

He saw things you'd never see for yourself,

unless he pointed to 'em.

He knew every story ever told,

and he could tell 'em better than anyone who ever lived.

Yeah, Lafe was different.

My father didn't like that.

That's why he sent him out on that scouting trip.

That's why you hate your father now, huh?

I-I expect it's myself I hate.

Maybe that's what's wrong with me.

I can't be what he wants.

I can't be Daniel Morgan Benedict III!

I'm sick in my guts of Daniel Morgan of Cowpens,

and of Daniel Morgan Benedict I of Lundy's Lane and Chapultepec,

and I'm sick of myself.

Danny...

what do you want to be? Do you know?

There's something I want to be so bad

I can hardly stand it.

What's that?

No, you're like my pa.

You wouldn't understand.

That just don't sound quite right.

Then bend your wrist more.

That's it. That's better. Try it now.

I'm hopeless.

No, don't say that.

Nobody ever learned to play a violin in a day.

It's such a beautiful violin,

and I keep doing such beautiful things to it.

You won't hurt it any.

I've been wondering about that.

Ow!

What happened?

'Evening, Colonel.

'Evening.

Uh... 'scuse my appearance, Mulleavy.

Yes, sir.

Where's the wagon train?

Cottonwood Spring, sir, down in the flat.

Thank you, Mulleavy, thank you.

Colonel...!

Don't worry. I'll be all right.

I'll... be back in a few minutes.

Hello, Seth.

Sit down, Dan.

Just heating up some coffee.

Where's Danny?

He's in the wagon, asleep.

I don't know what I said to you today.

Well, then, let's both just forget it, huh?

Sorry, Seth.

I haven't been making much sense lately, even to myself.

This belongs to him.

I want him to have it.

Sergeant Jenkins gave it to him.

I suppose he told you about Sergeant Jenkins.

Dan, he told me some things I would not believe.

Well, I'm glad you wouldn't 'cause they're not true.

I didn't order him out to parley with those renegades.

He volunteered,

told me I had to let him go.

Why?

Oh, he thought he had to prove himself to the men.

Maybe he did. I don't know.

Danny know this?

Never gave me a chance to tell him.

He wouldn't have believed me anyway.

Lafe Jenkins had cut our line of communications.

I saw it happening right under my nose.

I saw him Pied Piper-ing my son right out of my life,

away from everything I'd taught him to respect and strive for.

Dan, you just can't blame somebody else for this.

What do you mean?

He's your son.

He's got your eyes, your name,

but he's got his mother's heart inside of him.

Nobody can change that.

And how do you know so much?

I heard him play tonight.

Oh.

How 'bout a cup of coffee?

Thanks.

Yeah.

Yeah, he's her boy, I guess.

He's got her music and poetry and fire in him.

Lafe Jenkins didn't put it there.

Danny didn't either.

It was there when the doctor picked him up by the ankles

and smacked him on the bottom.

I've always known it, I guess.

I just wouldn't admit it to myself.

I thought I could make him into what I wanted him to be,

jam him into a ready-cut mold.

Guess that's why he blew up.

Dan, I don't know if you know it or not, but...

it's making you blow up too.

You think so?

I know so.

You're a fighter, Dan. You don't retreat.

I've got to retreat.

There's nothing else to do now.

I want you to give this to him.

All right.

Tell him I'm sorry I...

pushed him so hard.

Sure can make a violin sing, can't he?

Sure can.

There's a supply train starting back east

the day after tomorrow. I'll put him on it.

Tell him that, uh...

I'd like to talk to him when he...

When he comes for his clothes.

All right, Dan, I'll tell him.

He's just a kid.

He's young and he's strong.

Those stripes on his back

will heal a lot quicker than mine will.

Good night, Seth.

Oh, Dan...

you, um...

you gonna be ready for the general tomorrow?

I told you, didn't I?

I'll spit in his eye.

Come in.

I've... come for my things.

They're almost ready for you.

Thank you, sir.

You can forget the "sir."

Major Harrison fixed everything with the wagon master of the supply train.

It's leaving empty in the morning.

They'll take you all the way to Westport,

and then you can take a stage to Cincinnati.

Thank you.

I'll write to your mother.

I expect she'll be happy that you're with her at last.

I'll be sending money from time to time,

for your violin lessons.

You'll go to the conservatory, I guess.

I'll pay for that too.

Well, it's what you want, isn't it?

I've been wrong, Danny.

It's a hard thing to admit.

Takes a special kind of courage to come right out and say

that you've been wrong

way back from the beginning.

Took this to shake me up, I guess.

Rattle some sense into my old soldier's head.

I've gone through life thinking you were wrong

because you wouldn't fall into line.

But I've been wrong.

All wrong.

Tell your mother that for me, will you?

Tell her that I said I was wrong.

Well, I expect you'd better get in some clothes that fit you.

Tonight at least, while Phil Sheridan's here,

I... I want you to look like my son.

Oh, uh...

there's one thing you should know,

about Lafe Jenkins.

I already know.

Oh.

All right.

What's the matter? You got something on your mind?

You aren't like the others at all, are you?

What others?

The rest of the Army.

You know, sonny,

I had a couple of superior officers tell me that...

and they didn't mean it exactly has a compliment either.

Well, that's the whole trouble.

What is?

Well, if you aren't like everybody else in the Army,

you're no good.

No, I don't think it's quite that bad, Danny.

Well, the Army's always been like that, I expect.

Yep. With good reason too.

Well, what's that?

Well...

after four or five thousand years

of trial and error, they finally decided that...

this was the best way to get a bunch of men together

and get 'em so they'll do a job.

Well, I don't like it.

I don't either, Danny.

You know something?

You back that pap of yours up against the wall

where he's got to tell the Lord's truth,

and I'll bet you he doesn't like it either.

What do you mean?

Army life is fighting

every natural instinct a man has, 24 hours a day.

First, they force you to leave your girl,

or your wife and family.

Then they jam you into a uniform that doesn't fit most of the time.

Then they start you to killin',

even when your heart tells you it's wrong.

Then they make you take orders

from a fellow that you don't like very much,

and you don't think he knows any more than you do.

Then you sleep on a hard bed at night,

and you ride a harder horse by day.

Now, who likes that kind of a job?

Nobody.

But a soldier...

he does it anyway.

Why?

Because the one thing that...

makes the bumps and the lumps a little bit easier for him.

Because of pride.

Pride that goes with doing his duty,

that goes with making a sacrifice,

that goes with protecting his country's honor.

It gives him something that makes the hair stand up on the back of his neck

when he sees that flag floating out over the parade ground

'cause he knows he's helping to keep it there.

By golly, it's a miserable,

nasty kind of a life sometimes,

but if you're a soldier, you do it.

Somebody's got to.

Old General Hitchcock.

Ethan Allen Hitchcock.

He used to get so mad at the Army,

he'd turn purple in the face.

George Macready. There was a one.

Who was that?

He was a great deal like you.

He was chock-full of music.

I remember we took a little crossroads just before Cold Harbor.

There was a little tiny church there with an organ in it.

Had four or five music books stacked on top of it.

And one night, old George sat down at that organ,

and he opened the first book, and it was Bach,

and he played right from the first page

clear through that book.

Hadn't have been for some messed-up orders at Cold Harbor,

old George Macready would still have had music flowing out of him,

a flood of it!

Now that I think of it,

you know who's giving up the most of all right now, don't you?

That's your father.

He gave up the one woman in his life that he'd ever love.

Now he's gonna have to give up his son.

But...

that's the Army for you.

You do these things because you're a soldier.

Danny...

you're gonna be a great musician,

a fine violinist.

If that's what you want,

you stick to it,

that's what you'll get.

Attention!

Good to see you, Dan.

Honored to have you with us, General.

How you been? Fine, sir.

Any news of your boy?

I heard about it. I'm sorry.

Came back, and I...

we decided to send him east.

I see.

Well, probably the best thing after all.

Well, I hope you've got something besides fresh buffalo.

That's all we've been getting since we left St. Louis.

We'll see what we can do, General.

No.

What's he up to?

We're about to find out.

I don't know how I could say this.

I wouldn't know what words to use.

I did a terrible thing,

to all of you.

And to our country.

I don't know what made me do it...

but I did it...

and it's done, and I can't change it.

The only thing I can say is...

I'm sorry.

I must have been sick or something.

I didn't mean it.

The only way I know how to...

explain how I do feel...

is this way.

I want to be a soldier.