Brave Warrior

In the days preceding the War of 1812, a band of outlaws led by Barney Demming attack a flatboat carrying a shipment of salt to the Kishpoco band of Shawnee Indians living along the Tippecanoe River. Although an American, Demming is a British sympathizer who hopes to incite the Shawnees to rise up against the Americans living in the Indiana territory by preventing the delivery of the salt in payment for Shawnee land purchased by the U.S. government. Demming's scheme works, and when the salt fails to arrive, Prophet, the one-eyed, rebellious brother of Kishpoco Chief Tecumseh, rallies the tribe to attack the Americans. In an effort to disperse the hostilities, the level-headed Tecumseh insists on conferring with William Henry Harrison, the governor of the Indiana territory. At Harrison's office in Vincennes, the governor warns Tecumseh that British agents are trying to foment war between the Indians and Americans to stem the Westward expansion by the Americans and to intimidate the Americans into allying with the British for protection against the Indians. As Tecumseh and the governor discuss the problem, a fire alarm rings out, signaling that a house in town is on fire. Prophet and his men have set fire to the house to distract the townsfolk while they steal salt and meat from the general store across town. To assure the townsfolk of their safety, Harrison calls a meeting with several town leaders, including fur trader Shayne Macgregor, and explains that the government is negotiating to buy land from the Shawnee on which a series of forts will be built. At the end of the meeting, Tecumseh warns that Prophet has a vendetta against all Americans because of losing an eye to one in a confrontation. Once the meeting has dispersed, Steve Ruddell, a government emissary who has been sent from Washington by President James Madison, emerges from the back room, where he has been eavesdropping on the proceedings. Steve has instructed Harrison to disclose the negotiations underway for the Shawnee land in hopes of flushing out the British sympathizer who is working with Prophet. Meanwhile, in his office at the trading post, Macgregor, who is secretly in league with the British, discloses the information about the negotiations to British general Proctor, who is working undercover as a fur buyer named Bancroft. Proctor tells Macgregor that he plans to attack American troops with a convoy of artillery hidden along the road to Vincennes. To prevent the Shawnee from selling their land to the Americans, Macgregor sends Demming to kill Chief Little Cloud, the Shawnee chieftain with whom the Americans are negotiating. At the Macgregor house that night, Tecumseh, an old childhood friend of Macgregor's daughter Laura, laments that he cannot declare his love for her because of the disparity of their races. Meanwhile, Steve learns of Prophet's impending attack and blows up the bridge to Little Cloud's village, thus staving off the assault. Later, Prophet comes to Tippecanoe and challenges Tecumseh to a tomahawk battle to the death to determine who will be chief. Although Tecumseh overpowers Prophet, he is unable to kill his brother and instead banishes him and his followers from the village. Afterward, Steve suggests building Tippecanoe in the image of a white man's town as a way to prove that Indians and Americans can co-exist. Hoping that the transformation will allow him to propose to Laura, Tecumseh agrees, and Steve secures funding for the construction from Harrison. When Steve comes to the trading post to meet with Macgregor, Proctor hides in the storeroom because he knows that Steve can identify him as a British officer. Puzzled by the fur trader's sudden disappearance, Laura shows Steve the snuff box she found in the storeroom bearing the initials "H.P." and an insignia of the King's Grenadiers. Surmising that the missing fur trader may be a British spy, Steve goes to his hotel room to confront him. After being greeted by Proctor at the door, Steve is knocked out by Demming. Although Proctor has escaped, Macgregor, fearful that Steve may suspect him of collusion, sends a message to Prophet to attack the house and kill Steve, who has been invited for dinner that night. Upon regaining consciousness, Steve tells Harrison about seeing Proctor, and when Harrison shows Steve a report about large shipments of artillery that have disappeared from a nearby fort, he realizes that Proctor has hijacked the munitions. That night at the Macgregor house, Prophet leads the attack, setting fire to some haystacks. Macgregor is forced to shoot one of the Indians when he swoops down on Laura as she jumps into the wagon to summon help. On the road to town, Laura meets Harrison, who is leading a column of soldiers to investigate the smoke coming from the direction of the Macgregor house. After the soldiers drive away the Indians, Steve, suspicious of Macgregor, asks Harrison to consign Demming to the labor detail building Tippecanoe. Later, Steve and Tecumseh trail Demming to Proctor's artillery division hidden in the hills. Once the building of Tippecanoe is completed, Tecumseh leaves to inform the other Shawnee tribes about the generosity of the Americans. In Tecumseh's absence, Prophet seizes control of Tippecanoe and Steve asks the governor to rally a militia to oppose the rogue Indian. As Steve prepares to confront Prophet, Laura tells Steve that she loves him, even though she knows it will cause Tecumseh great pain. Macgregor answers the call of the militia, but is surprised when they are ordered to hold back as a column of soldiers rides from town. When Proctor's cannons begin firing from the hills, the soldiers dismount and map out their location, allowing the militia to attack and defeat them. At camp that night, Steve sees Macgregor sneak out of his tent and follows him. After Steve overpowers Macgregor in a fistfight, Macgregor asks him to take care of Laura, causing Steve to let down his guard. As Macgregor attempts to flee, one of Prophet's newly armed Indians shoots him. Realizing that the shooting has alerted the Americans to the fact that the Indians now have rifles, Demming gives the order to attack. After Steve and his men route the British sympathizers, Prophet retreats to Tippecanoe and sets the town on fire. Upon his return, Tecumseh walks among the ashes and, after telling Laura and Steve that his place is with his people, leaves to join his tribe.