Late in the American Civil War, the New Mexico Territory is full of spies and guerrillas for both sides. Local cowboy Gil Kyle, realizing that many of these people are merely criminals out for themselves, tries to do his work and steer clear of the conflict. But he keeps running into violence and hostility. And after a brief encounter with a beautiful new saloon girl, he stumbles into a crime scene and becomes a fugitive wanted for murder.
His only alibi is the girl, Candace Bronson, who has disappeared. She turns out to be aiding the Confederate cause, and has fled to deliver a vital message about a Union gold shipment. Kyle sets off in pursuit of her. Along the way, he runs into desperadoes, government agents, guerrilla fighters, and renegades—some whose true loyalties are unclear.
^'The Top Box Office Hits of 1951', Variety, January 2, 1952
Further reading
Kinnard, Roy (1996). The Blue and the Gray on the Silver Screen: More Than Eighty Years of Civil War Movies. Carol Publishing Group. ISBN9781559723831.
