J.C. decides he no longer wants to follow Buck and takes his money and leaves. Buck finds him just as he is shot and killed by card sharks. Buck rejoins the remaining five and takes a stage to Shreveport, Louisiana, on the way picking up a run-away slave. Out of duty they deliver him to the next town's sheriff, only to see him hung on the road out of town, despite promises he would be returned to his owner.
In Shreveport, Buck meets and makes love to Gabrielle DuPrey, but leaves her to lead his men to join the Confederate Army in Richmond, Virginia.
After being forced to join Braxton Bragg's army and joining the Battle of Shiloh, Little Bit Lucket dies of disease. Todo dies gunshot, Eubie Bell dies in a mortar attack and Willie Bill is shot in the head - all but Miller and Buck are killed in the battle or die of wounds. Miller deserts and is shot by a bounty hunter and dies with Buck by his side, trapped in a barn with the army closing in on them. Before Miller dies, he encourages Buck to leave the army, go get the girl he met in Shreveport and return to Texas.
Sgt. Barnes, who had befriended the Texans, convinces Gen. Bragg to allow Buck to return alone back to Texas instead of being shot as a deserter, the last survivor of the seven who set out for Richmond.
TV Guide gave it a negative review, scoring it 2/5, and finding it too talky despite a small number of good action scenes; they also found attempts to establish parallels to the Vietnam War did not work.[1]Filmink magazine said "the only interesting thing about the film, which stinks of cheap TV and dodgy craft, is that cast and Caan’s terrible wig."[5]
