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00:00From the archives of the United States Cavalry, the true stories of Colonel
00:12Randall McKenzie and the cavalrymen he led. McKenzie's Raiders. His secret orders
00:18from the President of the United States. Clean up the Southwest. Make it a fit
00:23place for Americans to live. Wipe out the renegades, outlaws, and murderers. If
00:27necessary, cross the Rio Grande. Knowing capture means hanging by the enemy.
00:32Discovery, court-martialed by the United States Army.
00:38October 1873, Texas country. Fort Clark was fast becoming a vital part of the
01:00border territory's expanding economy. Colonel McKenzie's remote 4th Cavalry
01:04outpost depended largely on local settlers for forage, fresh beef, and
01:09horses. In return, the settlers grew to depend on the patrols of Cavalry Blue
01:15as their only protection against death from violent nature, from violent men.
01:20All right, Mr. Fields. We'll take all of them. Just give this to the paymaster at the
01:28host and he'll cash it for you. This doesn't look like McKenzie's signature
01:36to me.
01:38This requisition you gave me is a forgery.
01:57He's been paid off now.
02:03That looks like we bought ourselves some horses. All right, let's get him out of here.
02:07Colonel McKenzie had made the Army uniform a symbol of absolute trust, but
02:13now this trust was reaping grim rewards.
02:18Colonel, Josh Benson is in your office waiting for you. He's been there for a
02:22half an hour. What's his business? I don't know, sir, but he's all steamed up.
02:29Imagine he isn't.
02:36Colonel McKenzie? What can I do for you, sir?
02:40May I be frank, Colonel? Certainly. I will put it to you simply, Colonel. You are an
02:47inefficient commander. More killings done by men in Army uniform, I gather. More
02:54killing by your troopers, Colonel. That's a very serious accusation. What else am I
03:02to believe? How do you explain the series of murders? First Adams, then Gifford, then
03:09Harry Towne. You know them all as well as I do, and the only single fact to come
03:13out of it all is that the attacks were made by soldiers. All right, I admit that
03:18everything you say is true, excepting those were not my men. Are you prepared
03:23to prove that, Colonel? How do you mean? I speak for 30 families. Families who are
03:28still alive, who have not yet been attacked. This group has sent me here to
03:32tell you this, beginning now. Keep your patrols away from us. We are prepared to
03:37shoot anyone in uniform and ask questions later. Give me no choice, Mr. Benson. You
03:41must be aware that my orders to this fort obliged me to protect the peace. To
03:45do that, I depend on my patrols. Now you're threatening those patrols with
03:49death. You're courting disaster, Mr. Benson. Perhaps, but until these assassins
03:56in uniform are dead, we must protect our lives. Good day, Colonel.
04:04Good day, sir.
04:11Sergeant.
04:18Sergeant. Sir? Order out another patrol, ready to ride immediately. We'll be gone
04:26two days. Yes, sir. The marauders in uniform had to be stopped. To this end,
04:35McKenzie led his troops out of Fort Clark to search the territory for some
04:39sign of the disguised killers.
04:56He found what he was looking for, more ruthless attacks on helpless ranchers.
05:12Hysteria was so great that every soldier was in danger of being shot on sight by
05:17frightened civilians, unable to detect protector from assassin.
05:27McKenzie returned to Fort Clark driven by the knowledge that immediate action
05:32was necessary to stem this widespread threat.
05:37Come on in, Lieutenant. Any luck, sir? I'm afraid this requires a little more than luck.
05:57I got enough sand in my eyes to fill a bucket. I'll get the sergeant to hustle up
06:01some hot water. No, later, later. Lieutenant, everywhere I went, stories of
06:06men in uniform committing every crime in the book, lots of them. Deserters, sir? Can't
06:11be, there aren't that many in this territory. Can't be regulars, there are not
06:14that many men out on pass. Sounds like the Jayhawkers during the war. Exactly,
06:19professionals. We've got to break up this gang before they get more uniforms or
06:24they'll terrorize this whole territory the way they did Kansas and Missouri.
06:29Take a look. It is Horse Ranch, Paso Doble Mine, Stageway Station, Hacienda
06:38Quintera. We got there an hour after they hit the place. Before that, here and here.
06:44Like scattered buckshot. Exactly.
06:50Buckshot has a pattern like that, arcing from the muzzle. Prieto? Prieto. The gun
06:57muzzle pointing right into the heart of our territory. I don't know what we're
07:02gonna find there, Lieutenant, but that's where we're gonna start looking. Across
07:05the river. Across the river, sir? Tell me, Lieutenant, you ever hear of a man named
07:13Nolan? Amos Nolan? I don't think so, sir. He's a scout, kind of a no-good drifter. I
07:23want you to meet him three weeks from today on our side of Devil Horn Ford. If
07:29my plan works out, I think he'll come out of Prieto with exactly the information
07:32we want. Can this Nolan fellow be trusted, sir? Hmm. I've often trusted him with my
07:41life. That's strange. I thought I knew them all. When you're in the army a little
07:47longer, Lieutenant, you'll find out that you never know it all. Every day, something
07:51new. Yes, sir.
08:21Extraordinary circumstances once again forced Mackenzie to violate Mexican
08:35sovereignty. Following his secret orders, he crossed the Rio Grande, knowing that
08:40his capture in Mexico would surely mean his death.
08:51Are you alone? I don't seem to be now. Mind if I sit down? My name's Rita. What
09:14are you? Drifter? Saddle tramp? My name's Amos Nolan. I'm a professional scout. That
09:23is, when I need a job.
09:55You can give these back to him when you see him again. We're to help if you ever ask.
10:12When I want help, I'll ask. Just being friendly. Well, you next? No thanks. I just want to
10:27say a man who handles himself like you do could find some work around here. A man at
10:32Scott Angles doesn't need a job. Fair enough. You're a scout. I can smell him a mile away.
10:41I suppose that getting paid for leading freighters into Fort Clark is your idea of an angle. You
10:46suppose right, mister. With me, that's a job. It's a job with angles. That's a fancy gun
10:55belt you're wearing. Yeah. A friend of mine makes them. Suppose he'd make one for me?
11:01Depends. On an angle? Sometimes a scout's information is worth a lot of money. Uh-huh.
11:09Well, like I told your friends, when I need help, I'll ask for it. Any idea when that'll
11:14be? Depends on how long my money holds out. The slow action around here, that'll probably
11:19be two or three weeks. I'm going back to the fort. You don't expect to find any action
11:25there. Maybe. Maybe not. Well, if you hear anything, I'll be here.
11:42Senor, are you coming back? In three weeks.
11:47Well, what do you think of Nolan? I don't know. There's something about that guy that
11:51bothers me. Exactly. Kansas? He's a scout. Like I told him, I can smell him a mile away.
11:57He's got a sharp pair of eyes. He noticed your belt. He was admiring it. The kind of
12:02admiration I don't trust. I think maybe you'd better follow him. Settle up and get on his
12:06trail and let him out of your sight. We'll find out just how legitimate Mr. Nolan is.
12:13May 17th, 1875. Mackenzie rode to his secret rendezvous with Lieutenant Summers at Devil
12:19Horn Fort. But a sick sense warned him of something he had not foreseen.
12:25May 17th, 1875. Mackenzie rode to his secret rendezvous with Lieutenant Summers at Devil
12:32Horn Fort. But a sick sense warned him of something he had not foreseen.
12:54So
12:59so
13:19A few hundred yards across the river, Lieutenant Summers waited for Scout Amos Nolan.
13:24Under the watchful eye of the enemy, it was too late for Mackenzie to turn back.
13:29One salute, one word of recognition could destroy his plan. There was only one chance.
13:39I still say there's something snaky about him.
13:44Somebody's coming.
13:54Don't shoot. What?
14:24Snaky, huh? That saddled tramp would murder his grandmother for a plug dollar.
14:54What happened? You don't remember. Only that you jumped me.
15:11My watch. And your wallet. I'm sorry, Mark. I had everything set up, but they got suspicious
15:20and followed me, so I had to make it look good. When you found them? I think so. The next step is
15:26to make sure. Yes, sir. Now look, we've got three weeks. Three weeks. I want every second to count.
15:34Yes, sir. First, you know where we can get a Conestoga wagon? A Conestoga wagon? A Conestoga.
15:42Yes, sir. I think so, sir. Get it. Get it. And have the carpenters start taking it apart
15:48immediately. Yes, sir. Another thing, Lieutenant. I want five men trained to hip shoot the eye out
15:55of a squirrel in the middle of a somersault. Sir? After two weeks of long-range practice, give each
16:01of these men a week's furlough so his absence won't be noticed. You got that? Yes, sir. I may be wrong,
16:07Mark, but I think they're going to attack in here again. They're going to attack an army freight
16:12wagon coming in secretly with something they need more than guns and bullets. A wagon load of
16:20army uniforms. How are they going to find out, sir? From Amos Nolan. For a price.
16:30Get going, Lieutenant. Yes, sir.
16:32McKenzie's plan to entrap the outlaws raiding American settlers in stolen cavalry uniforms
17:01would require split-second timing and precision-like teamwork.
17:13That's as sharp a squad as I've ever seen, Colonel.
17:16They'll have to be. Keep at it, Lieutenant. See you back at the fort. Yes, sir.
17:22Come in. Lieutenant. You sent for me, sir? Yes. I'm leaving now.
17:53I want to go over with you once again exactly what I expect of you. Yes, sir. Now, remember,
17:57the whole operation depends on split-second timing. In the first place, I'm counting on
18:01their buying my information about that wagon and setting out for you. Yes, sir. So you see,
18:06you'll really be on your own because I probably won't be able to get back to you in time.
18:10I understand, sir. Now, if everything goes according to plan, you'll be escorting that wagon
18:14and they'll attack you. Yes, sir. That's when we use surprise. Don't let them get too close.
18:19When you do open fire, shoot to kill. Every shot must take deadly effect.
18:24It'll seem strange shooting a cavalryman, sir. I know.
18:31Lieutenant, the whole success of this mission depends on you.
18:35It depends on your following your orders straight down the line. Yes, sir. I understand, sir.
18:40Oh, and Lieutenant, good luck. Good luck to you, Colonel.
18:55Let's see if your information's worth buying. $500 first.
18:59Talk first. Lay it on the line first.
19:06That's better.
19:10The two convoys headed for Fort Clark. The second one's the one you'll be interested in.
19:14It's loaded with carbines and ammunition. And what's in the first? Just shipment of uniforms.
19:23Well, I guess you've earned your money. Keep an eye on them, Kansas.
19:29Why are you more interested in uniforms than in guns and ammunition? You'll see.
19:40So that's why you wanted the uniforms. Yeah, and we got a lot of guys just dying to use them.
19:57All right, let's get on with it. Well, let me tell you the trail that wagon's going to take.
20:02Oh, you're going to do better than that, Mr. Nolan. You're going to show us the way.
20:05I wasn't part of the deal. What do you want to be, Kansas? A sergeant or a corporal?
20:12I'd hate to have a saddle tramp outrank me.
20:15There you are. Here you are, Corporal. These ought to fit you.
20:19Put them on. We've got to get going. This was the unexpected. The one thing
20:23McKenzie hadn't counted on. In uniform with these Jayhawkers, he'd be shot down with the rest.
20:31He remembered his own orders. Don't let them get too close. Shoot to kill.
20:39Following McKenzie's timetable, Lieutenant Summers left Fort Clark with
20:43a Conestoga supply wagon. The bait to attract the marauders.
20:46Lieutenant Summers knew this had to be the disguised renegade patrol.
21:03McKenzie had done his job well.
21:07Get set.
21:19Now, remember, keep a steady course and move when I call for action.
21:23Yes, sir.
21:38Sir.
21:44No escort. Just one man on the seat and an officer in the lead.
21:47Sit and duck.
21:49Lead on, Scout.
22:02McKenzie's voice kept mocking him. They'll be in cavalry uniforms. Don't let them get too close.
22:08Steady now. Don't let them get too close.
22:28Fire!
22:37Fire!
22:49Fire!
23:07We almost shot you, sir.
23:08I'm aware of that, Lieutenant.
23:11You followed your orders explicitly. Permit me to congratulate you.
23:15Thank you, sir.
23:31Hey, Corporal.
23:35Yeah.
23:36You got a match?
23:38Uh, yeah, I think I have.
23:45Thanks.
23:52How long you been in this outfit?
23:54I enlisted in Houston. Just got in this afternoon and some lieutenant gave me this fort.
23:59Yeah. That's a lieutenant for you.
24:02Well, I enlisted to fight.
24:04Well, you'll probably get a chance.
24:07How long you been in the Army?
24:1111 years.
24:1211 years?
24:14And still only a Corporal?
24:17Must be the stupidest man in the outfit.
24:21Sometimes I'm inclined to agree with you.
24:24Watch out, Corporal. I don't get what you're saying.
24:28Colonel McKenzie, platoon is ready for inspection, sir.
24:34What's the matter with you, Private?
24:36Oh, it's just the excitement, I think.
24:43He's a rookie.
24:45He'll be all right.
24:59McKenzie's Raiders rode again and again,
25:02carrying out the secret orders of the President of the United States.
25:06Do whatever necessary to clean up the Southwest.
25:09Make it a decent place for people to live.
25:11Ride with McKenzie's Raiders as they relive the blazing pages of history in the making.
25:41© BF-WATCH TV 2021