Hangman’s Knot

A small band of Confederate soldiers disguised as civilians intercept a shipment of gold being escorted by Union cavalry along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. A fierce battle erupts and the Union troops are killed, leaving the Confederates in command of the gold. Major Matt Stewart and his men prepare to move the loot toward a rendezvous with their officers.

During the aftermath a dying Union officer tells Stewart that the Civil War ended a month earlier. He warns that pursuing the gold could provoke disastrous consequences if pursued under a false claim of victory. The news hardens Stewart's resolve to advance with the plan to ship the gold south.

Captain Petersen, who has been scouting disguised as a traveling peddler, confirms he knew the war was over but didn't warn them. Enraged, Rolph Bainter shoots Petersen dead, escalating tensions and anger within the group.

The Confederate soldiers debate what to do with the gold, weighing loyalty and practicality. As ranking officer, Major Stewart decides they will take the gold back to the South to help finance reconstruction.

The following day, Stewart disguises himself and uses Petersen's covered wagon to transport the gold and his men out of the territory. The disguise helps them slip past curious eyes as they begin the long push south.

They are stopped by a group of drifters posing as a posse looking for the gold thieves. Stewart persuades the posse's leader that they have been caught elsewhere, allowing them to continue, but the mules bolt and the Confederates are forced to commandeer a stagecoach carrying Molly Hull and her companion Lee Kemper.

Quincey's posse chases the stagecoach to a station house in the Sierras and captures one of Stewart's men, Cass Browne, who is taken with them. Stewart and his men seize the stage passengers, the aging station agent Plunkett, and his daughter Margaret Harris, making them hostages.

That night, the posse surrounds the station house and uses threats to try to draw the Confederates out. Stewart asserts the gold's location is uncertain and leverages the danger to rescue Cass, using the remaining sticks of dynamite from their ambush to create a distraction and slip away.

The next day Kemper offers a plan to escape in exchange for two gold bars, providing an Indian token to signal safe passage and foretelling a coming rainstorm that could cover their escape. He also mentions an approaching storm that will aid their getaway.

During a tense moment, Rolph Bainter makes a move to assault Molly; Stewart stops him in a brutal fistfight. In the chaos that follows, Jamie Groves shoots Rolph dead, earning Molly's gratitude and deepening Stewart's bond with her.

Quincey and his men dig a tunnel under the station house and nearly reach a trap door, but Cass stops them from entering. Frustrated, Quincey orders the station to be burned; Kemper tries to escape with two gold bars but is shot dead by the posse, and Cass is killed while scattering the posse's horses. The storm arrives, amplifying the chaos.

With the posse scattered and the storm raging, Stewart and Jamie surrender the gold to Plunkett. Margaret and Plunkett offer Jamie a home, and he vows to return. Stewart also promises Molly that he will return to her after he is repatriated in Virginia, and they share a heartfelt embrace.