Taken from a review at Time Out: Excellent, factually based Civil War Western, in which Heflin's Confederate officer leads a group of soldiers, with whom he has escaped from a Union prison camp, in a plan to avenge the destruction of Southern communities by first taking over, and then sacking, a Northern town close to the Canadian border. Tension is slowly but surely built up as the men try to infiltrate the township; conflicting emotions arise with Heflin's growing respect for the widow with whom he lodges (Bancroft). Throughout, Fregonese makes superb use of Lucien Ballard's typically moody photography. This was the film that served as a springboard for John Arden in writing his play Serjeant Musgrave's Dance.
