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(SOLVED) color Western from the 1940s-1960s in which the army tries to fight a group of Native Americans and loses

posted 3 months ago by RustyShacklefurd (2026)
10 replies | jump to latest

A large body of U.S. soldiers, at least several hundred if I remember correctly, tries to attack a group of armed Native Americans somewhere in the desert or some other desertish environment. There were several engagements in which the army lost badly every time. I don't remember even a single Native American being killed or wounded. The Native American attacks were extremely well-coordinated and well-targeted.

There was an African American scout with the army. At least, I assume he was a scout for the army. He wasn't a soldier because he wasn't in uniform. During one of the battles he was shot in the arm with an arrow.

The Native Americans won in the end when the army just gave up and left.

[–] wositelec (290) 3 months ago

Maybe "Little Big Horn" (1951) ?

[–] RustyShacklefurd (2026) 3 months ago

Definitely not it. Little Big Horn is black and white. The movie I'm looking for didn't seem to have anything to do with a real battle. It didn't end with all the U.S. soldiers involved being massacred in battle. It ended with the army just giving up and leaving.

[–] wositelec (290) 3 months ago

Maybe "Ulzana's Raid" (1972) ?

[–] RustyShacklefurd (2026) 3 months ago

I looked at the trailer and Wikipedia summary for Ulzana's Raid and it doesn't appear to match what I'm looking for. There's no African American man in Ulzana's Raid, the army unit involved seems too small and it ends with the Native Americans losing.

[–] wositelec (290) 3 months ago

OK. And "Two Flags West" (1950) ?
"Forced by circumstances,Confederate POWs and Union soldiers join forces against Indians but old animosities resurface during their fragile alliance."

It has two versions: B&W and color.

[–] RustyShacklefurd (2026) 3 months ago

That's not it, either. In Two Flags West the Native Americans lay siege to an army fort but in the movie I'm looking for the army laid siege to the Native Americans.

[–] wositelec (290) 3 months ago

It will be tough to find, but maybe:
Bugles in the Afternoon (1952)
The Command (1954)
Sitting Bull (1954) - here is African American in civilian clothes
The Last Frontier (1955)
7th Cavalry (1956)
Pillars of the sky (1956)
Fort Massacre (1958)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Western_(genre)_cavalry_films

"Cheyenne Autumn" (1964) is similar, but I don't remember African American scout.

[–] TimeTunnel (4769) 3 months ago

🍿

[–] wositelec (290) 3 months ago

I have answers from my friends too:

"It could be an attempt to depict a battle like the renowned Little Big Horn (because of the "several hundred" soldiers involved), but it didn't happen in the southwest...they had an African-American in that battle , what seems the most strange in your account, is that no Natives are killed..."
https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/isaiah-dorman.htm

"Amazing. Never heard of such a story in a western movie.
"Duel at Diablo" does not match.
Interested if anyone knows it.
Maybe a TV western ?"

"The story reminds me Ulzana's Raid by Robert Aldrich but the year not match and there is no African scout ...
(Yes, I tried to speak English .... Laboriously)

Black actor un western .... Woody Strode, Sidney Poitier ?
Stepin Fetchit no...
Major Dundee with Brock Peters ? Maybe... But the last battle is in the river ...... "

Is it possible "Major Dundee" (1965) ?

[–] RustyShacklefurd (2026) 3 months ago

I think that Duel at Diablo is it. It's got a major black character not in an army uniform involved in a battle with Native Americans. More significantly, I watched the movie's final scene on Youtube and it looks very familiar to me. It shows Sidney Poitier standing in front of several freshly dug graves in the desert. I remember there being a shot like that at the end of the movie. His arm is in a sling, which is probably a result of him getting shot with an arrow. Thank you for helping me to find this movie.

It's been at least 30 years since I saw the movie on TV so I probably misremembered a lot of the details such as the size of the army unit involved, whether any Native Americans were killed, who was attacking who and the final result of the battle. I don't specifically remember no Native Americans being killed in the battle so much as I remember them seemingly achieving a very lopsided victory in the battle.