Santa Fe Trail

At the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1854, the flash Jeb Stuart (Errol Flynn) is constantly taunted by Rader (Van Heflin), a disciple of John Brown (Raymond Massey). They fight and Rader is dishonorably discharged and goes to join Brown and his band. Upon graduation Lieutenant Stuart and some fellow classmates are sent to "Bloody" Kansas. Stuart and his friend Lieutenant George Custer (Ronald Reagan) fall in love with Kit Carson Haliday (Olivia de Havilland), the sister of classmate Bob Haliday (William Lundigan). Kit finally admits her love for Stuart. Custer and Stuart are acting as part of the military escort for a railway freight shipment and meet John Brown. The latter, posing as a minister named John Smith, meets the train and asks for the delivery to him of a consignment of Bibles. One of the boxes breaks open and the contents to be rifles. A battle ensues and Stuart and Custer are the victors. Stuart, with his guides "Barfoot" Brody (Alan Hale) and "Tex" Bell (Guinn "Big Boy" Willliams), posing as civilians , are caught spying on the Brown followers and captured by Rader. The latter double-crosses Brown by telling Stuart of Brown's plans to seize the U.S. arsenal at Harper's Ferry. Brown is taken prisoner, tried and hanged, but the ideal for which he had been fighting and martyred for begins to take root.