Revolt at Fort Laramie

The undermanned garrison at Fort Laramie in 1861 works to keep the peace with the Sioux led by Chief Red Cloud. They rely on diplomacy and a fragile balance of power to prevent conflict while tensions simmer in the background.

As part of the treaty, the U.S. government pays Red Cloud in gold to maintain peace. The arrangement depends on timely payment and trust, creating pressure points if the money is ever in doubt.

Red Cloud comes up with the idea to steal the gold shipment and use the resulting non-payment as a pretext to go to war. The plan casts a shadow over the fort as everyone contemplates the potential consequences.

The garrison is divided along Union and Confederate loyalties as the nation lurches toward civil war. A third of the men, led by Sgt Darrach, support the Confederacy while the rest back the Union. The internal rift threatens the fort's stability.

Word of the Battle of Fort Sumter reaches the fort, heightening anxieties about loyalty. The Confederate faction considers leaving with the gold shipment, potentially heading to Texas. Peace at the fort hangs in the balance.

One of the Southerners warns Capt. Tenslip and Lt. Waller about the mutiny plan, and he is murdered for betraying the cause. His screams are muffled by the men singing Dixie, illustrating how dangerous dissent has become.

Major Bradner, a Virginian, fears that Southern sympathizers may act against the fort. He contemplates how to preserve order and the mission while the loyalty issue intensifies. The looming threat shapes the decisions that follow.

Bradner sends Captain Tenslip to fetch the latest gold shipment using a mixed force of Southern and Northern troops. Tenslip worries that the Southern soldiers may try to steal it. The operation sets the stage for a tense confrontation with Red Cloud.

The expedition is attacked by Red Cloud, but they manage to recover the gold and bring it back to the fort. Bradner places the gold into a safe to safeguard it from further disruption. The incident shows how precarious the fort's control over its valuables remains.

The next day, Bradner informs that any soldier with Southern sympathies may resign and return home to fight for the Confederacy. He resigns his commission and hands command over to Tenslip. The fort's leadership is upended as loyalties shift.

The Southern loyalists leave the fort in civilian clothes, attempting to blend in. Red Cloud attacks, refusing to believe they are no longer soldiers, and surrounds them on the brink of catastrophe. The situation devolves into a perilous standoff.

Tenslip leads volunteers to aid the retreating Southerners and drives Red Cloud away. Bradner is killed in the ensuing battle, and the surviving Southern loyalists press on toward home. Tenslip returns to the fort at the head of his troops.