Sergeant Rutledge

Lt. Tom Cantrell defends his First Sergeant, Braxton Rutledge, at a court-martial where the African-American NCO is accused of raping and strangling Lucy Dabney and killing her father, Major Dabney. The story is told through the testimony of those giving evidence. The events of those days not only included the assault on Lucy and the murder of her father but was also at the time of an Apache uprising. Rutledge doesn't deny finding the dead girl or killing her father in self defense, the Major being in a blind rage and out for blood convinced that the Fort's senior NCO assaulted and killed his daughter. As the events of those days are revealed however, it becomes clear to everyone that there are two sides to the story and it is left to Cantrell to convince the court that Braxton is innocent.