Springfield Rifle

The Union Army is desperate for fresh horses to sustain campaigns. A Confederate spy in Colorado feeds freeboot rustlers with the timing and route of herds, enabling theft and resale to the South. The looming animal drives become the central target of both sides.

Major Lex Kearney is drummed out of the Union Army for cowardice after abandoning his herd. His dishonorable discharge stuns his wife Erin, who reveals that their harried son has run away in shame. The personal disgrace mirrors the military crisis around the horse drives.

Captain Tennick provokes Kearney into stepping on Army premises, triggering a death-penalty threat. While in the brig with two captured raiders, Kearney realizes he is baited but begins to plot his next move. The confrontation sets the stage for his undercover ascent.

In the brig, Kearney aids the two captured raiders to escape and follows them to their main hideout. He begins to integrate with the rustlers as a potential ally rather than a prisoner. This turn marks his entry into the criminal operation he is meant to infiltrate.

Kearney chooses a black horse that nobody can approach, a symbol of his burgeoning authority within the rustler camp. Head rustler Austin McCool accepts him as part of the crew, and second-in-command Pete Elm resents the intrusion. The new alliance gives Kearney cover for his covert mission.

Though publicly an adversary, Tennick is secretly allied with Kearney and the rustlers’ real goal. He uses his position to guide the operation and to flush out the true head of the gang. The betrayal adds a dangerous double-game to the plan.

An ambush is arranged with the goal of killing McCool to flush out the operation's mastermind. Tennick kills McCool but dies in the process, leaving Kearney stranded without a contact man. Kearney nevertheless continues the ruse as the true player moves behind the scenes.

Despite McCool's death, Kearney keeps up the deception and forges a business partnership with Elm. The alliance helps him stay inside the rustler operation while he edges closer to the real traitor. Their collaboration deepens the plot against the roving horse thieves.

A shipment of Springfield Model 1865 rifles is due, offering the Army a five-to-one advantage in firepower. The rustlers are tipped off to its pending arrival, escalating the urgency of Kearney's undercover mission. The looming delivery shapes the big showdown to come.

Kearney accepts a fake discharge so he can operate as a Union counterintelligence agent. His mission is to uncover the rustlers and expose the spy feeding them information. The deception allows him to move freely among both sides without arousing suspicion.

Colonel Hudson, the Fort commandant, is revealed as the chief traitor who sympathizes with Kearney's wife and scheme. Upon discovering Kearney's undercover role, he murders anyone who knows the truth and frames Kearney for treason. The conspiracy threatens to topple the entire operation.

Sympathizers within the Fort help Kearney escape custody and join the plan to hijack the Springfield rifle shipment. The team prepares for a decisive clash with the rustlers and their insider network. The hijack shifts the balance of power toward a big showdown.

In the ensuing clashes, Elm is killed, removing a key ally from Kearney's side. Kearney redoubles his efforts to expose Hudson and bring him to U.S. military justice. The losses sharpen the resolve for a final confrontation.

The big showdown culminates with Hudson cornered and Kearney determined to bring him in alive. Even with betrayal and death around him, Kearney fights to ensure the traitor faces military justice. The mission resolves with Hudson under arrest and the rustling operation disrupted.