Assault on Fort Texan (Gli eroi di Fort Worth)

July, 1863.

The civil war continues in Virginia but Mississippi is in the union's hands

and Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas have all been separated

from the rest of the confederation territory.

There is a group of confederate troops that, so far, have not been located

by the enemy, and they are now attempting to flee into Mexico.

Everybody, out of the stage!

Don't take any risks, Miss Nelly. I am Major Forsythe.

You will have to stay in Wichita Pass

and work in the saloon until you hear from us. Did you understand?

Don't worry, everything will be OK.

You will pay dearly for this.

Do you know him?

No.

I think you do. He is Major Forsythe.

Take your things with you and consider yourself under arrest, Miss.

I want to find out who you are.

Those damn Confederates are everywhere

and nobody knows where they are hiding.

Can we please keep going?

It's late and we are doing nothing here. Everybody has died.

Nice seeing you, gentlemen.

I won't hide that I was starting to be a bit worried in view of your delay.

Did you have any problems?

Yes, General. I had to hide with my platoon to avoid being located by Union troops.

And you, Major?

Bringing the cannons with us slowed us down. It was hard work.

Well, I hope you brought them all.

I feel a bit nervous without the cannons,

probably because I've always been in Artillery.

Well, we are all here with our weapons, our wagons and our scarce supplies.

This is our position.

We are located between two Union military detachments, which control this valley.

The 5th Cavalry Regiment in Fort Worth, and the 7th in Wichita Pass.

We are out of their sight in this forest, but the area is controlled by Union troops.

What's left of our Army is fighting in Virginia with General Lee.

Unfortunately, we are unable to join him.

Maybe a different Army would have surrendered by now, but not us.

Had we ever considered that possibility, the Union troops would have won the war

in one month, as they outnumber us.

However, if our moral remains high, I know they will lose in the end.

OK, gentlemen, as I was telling you we just have to...

cross the Mexican border and make an alliance with the Emperor

to keep fighting this war. - That's it, General.

General, Maximilian could have helped General Lee, but he didn't.

Things have changed. Europe is far away, and Juarez is managing to isolate him.

We are his only friends in America.

Unfortunately, this is the only way to reach Mexico...

between Wichita Pass and Fort Worth.

The Union troops stationed in that area

are no more and no less than the 5th and 7th Cavalry Regiments.

Due to their locations, it is almost impossible to cross

without suffering major casualties.

I think that we could pass if we attack them by surprise with artillery support.

That's only one possibility, Quantrill.

One thing is for sure: The moment they spot us,

all the Northern troops stationed in Texas will be after us. That would be our end.

I intend to reach Mexico with an army instead of with a military hospital.

This is the first requirement to deal with Maximilian.

Then I don't understand, General. You brought us to this place.

And I will take all of you to Mexico!

But I will do that without having one single casualty.

You may have noticed that there is an Apache tribe stationed nearby Fort Worth.

If they are skillfully guided,

we won't have to fight the 5th and 7th Cavalry Regiments.

They would destroy the enemy's stations.

Once the Indians have massacred the Union troops,

we could quickly slide into Mexico without any interference.

The first attack will be here, in the village by the fort.

That area is protected by the 5th Cavalry Regiment.

And who will guide the Apaches?

- It will be Colonel Bonnet. - An excellent choice, General.

I think so, too.

Once you attack the village, the 5th Regiment will have to leave the fort.

True. This way, they will fall in our trap.

We will destroy the 5th Regiment and we'll make sure the news reaches Wichita Pass.

Then, the 7th will have to come here to secure the fort.

We will also destroy them. This is Wild Horse's promise.

The Emperor of Mexico will reward you for that.

This land will be yours forever

and your dream of being the Chief of all the Apache tribes will become true.

Yes, they will declare me Grand Chief.

Come with me.

This is the best rifle that was ever made

and each of your warriors will have one.

Here...

No Apache Chief has ever had a rifle like this one.

Squadron... Forwaaard, march!

All is taking place they way you forecasted.

Today, I will win a big victory.

Just remember you must surround them so that nobody can escape.

Don't worry. Wild Horse wants peace, but peace after victory.

All this land you can see will be mine

and I swear that white men will die if they trespass.

Gentlemen, get the troops ready. We will attack the fort.

Did you tell headquarters?

Yes...

No!

Come in.

General, the Indians have attacked Fort Worth.

The telegraph operator managed to send this message.

They are requesting reinforcements.

That's strange. Something very serious must have happened.

We should send the 7th Cavalry Regiment.

But then Wichita Pass will be unprotected! - There is no other way.

Those damned Indians sign peace treaties and then they break them.

But we'll teach them a lesson!

Tell Col Maxwell and Maior Shane to report immediately.

And give the pertinent orders for the 7th to be ready for departure.

Yes, General.

I must speak to Col. Maxwell.

Come in.

The General wants to see you.

Is there any news?

The 7th will be departing on a mission, Colonel. To Fort Worth.

Very good.

I'm sorry, Sir, but nobody told me you were coming.

Not even jail can make you lose your sense of humour. You haven't changed.

I do what I can.

Hurry up, get your belongings and leave. You are free and discharged from the Army.

Finally, I'll be a civilian once again.

That won't happen until 4 PM, which is when your commitment ends.

Don't worry, time will fly. A card's game, two dolls by my side

and it will be 4 PM before I realize. - You will never change.

Won't you regret leaving the rank of Captain and the military?

Well, you come from a family with military tradition, so you won't understand.

I became an officer because my father, the Senator,

wanted one of his sons to join the Military.

Sugar, you must leave the walls the way you found them.

But Sam, that's all the companionship I was allowed.

They can stay here for the next guy.

Ok...

Goodbye, my dear dolls.

I will find some better ones, but they won't be as beautiful,

as sweet or as quiet as you were.

There is nothing more important for you than women, huh?

Of course, that's the best thing for anyone who feels lonely.

Things are different for you. You have ideals, but I left mine to my father.

But sometimes I wonder if he ever had any ideals himself.

And to have fun, the best thing you could do

was facing a court martial for insubordination.

You see, that was an excellent opportunity.

A demotion from Captain to Sergeant, one month in prison,

and at 4 PM I will be free to go wherever I want, with anyone I want,

without having to think which foot has to move first.

You have forgotten a doll.

No, please. That would be a crime.

Unfortunately it has to be, it doesn't help anything.

No, I can't wipe her away.

Not even the cruelest hangman would have the courage to do that.

Major Shane, the General wants to see you immediately.

Thank you.

See? He is the right type for the Army.

He is an excellent officer.

Yes, but he is also a bore. An officer...

We'll talk again before you leave. See you later.

I'll wait for you playing cards. And if I happen to find two good...

specimens, I'll save one for you.

Have you forgotten that the military are not allowed in taverns?

Can't talk to you, you are all virtues. You will end in History, like George Washington.

So you don't like my paintings. You find them repulsive, don't you?

So if one night you were to meet one of those beauties

your military duty would be first, huh? - People like you should be...

Hey, show some respect. Wait a minute.

Let us forget about ranks.

I'm going to miss you a lot.

Most likely, it was Wild Horse the one who carried the attacked.

He is the most ambitious of all the Apache chiefs.

Most likely, he has a large number of warriors.

So far, the proximity of the fort dissuaded him from starting a war.

Shane, I'm afraid this is going to complicate matters.

Col. Maxwell, you will depart immediately with the 7th.

You will take with you Major Shane and Lieutenant Webb.

Down here, we just need a few men. There are no Indians, and war is far away.

Gentlemen, I have nothing more to add. Good luck.

Maior Shane... the rest of you are dismissed, thank you.

What about former Captain Patterson?

I didn't hold you here to ask you that question.

I wanted to tell you that... you know I fully trust you.

Thank you, General.

I hope to see you back soon.

Hey, give me a bottle. Of the best one.

Excuse me, Sergeant, but the Military are not allowed in here.

Sorry to contradict you, my good man. My clothes must have confused you.

What do you mean? - It's the latest fashion,

from Boston's best tailor. Dalton Brayn. Do you know him?

But I will get changed just to please you. I have been discharged.

Well, this doesn't look like a uniform, does it?

Is it OK now?

That's fine.

Hey, I'm looking for someone who knows how to play.

He must be a good player, otherwise I become bored to death.

I am ready, but first let's see your money.

Is that enough?

Hey Sergeant, did you clean the fort's safe prior to leaving?

That's my pay. You should have seen what I was making when I was a Captain.

If you keep going at this pace, how high are you going to make it?

Maybe I will become a governor, or a senator.

Being as cheeky as you are, I have no doubt you will make it.

You are very observant, and I like you. You are my type, don't go too far.