War Drums 1957

Set before the Civil War, a band of Apache led by Mangas Coloradas tracks stolen horses to a Mexican camp. The raid ends with the slaughter of the Mexicans and the abduction of their communal woman, Riva. Their initial plan is to sell her north of the border to the Americans, but the chief refuses to part with her on two occasions, even when approached by his good friend Luke Fargo.

Not content with simply seizing a captive, Mangas presses his claim to make [Riva] his wife. He defeats three braves who oppose him and proclaims that she will not be a squaw but will be trained as a warrior, a bold break with custom. Following this, Mangas’s wedding to Riva is held, and [Luke Fargo] reluctantly attends, witnessing a union that tests loyalties on both sides of the border.

Meanwhile, a group of American gold seekers intrudes onto Apache land. After a successful gold strike in a stream, they attack the Indians’ camp, and Mangas is pinned down, pinned, and whipped. This brutal act sparks an Apache war, earning Mangas the nickname “Red Sleeves.”

Fargo tries to de-escalate by bringing a Washington representative to meet Mangas, hoping to avert bloodshed. The Apaches misread the move as an ambush and open fire on the visitors. During the clash, Luke is struck by an arrow and falls; Riva tends to him, removes the shaft, and nurses him back to health. He returns to Mangas with a message for the government, bridging a fragile line between two worlds.

When the Civil War erupts, Luke volunteers for the Union and is commissioned a major in the cavalry, assigned to the frontier to address the Apache problem. Mangas is wounded on a raid, and Riva helps him reach a town with a doctor. The doctor warns that if Mangas survives, the town will be safe; if he dies, the tribe will burn the town to the ground.

Toward a tense reconciliation, Fargo arrives with a troop in tow and enters the town under a flag of truce. Recognized by braves who know his friendship with Mangas, he gains entry, where the old friends meet and speak frankly. Luke then leads Mangas, [Riva], and their warriors out of the town and toward safety, advising a retreat deep into the mountains where the cavalry may take time to reach them. As they part, Mangas and Riva bid farewell to Luke, choosing to move their people into the rugged interior to endure what lies ahead.