it be the american civil war a envision by italian and set apart from the main theater of conflict and out in the southwestern desert . james coburn be col. pembroke who have lose impregnable ft. holman to the reb and who have a private scheme to retrieve it along with his honor . he set out on a commando expedition with a sergeant and a dirty half dozen volunteer and scalawag free from the gallows and keep in line ( barely ) with a promise of hidden gold . telly savalas be the southern commander dread pembroke reappearance . some exciting action and tense situation and but credibility be strain when and with the ft. holman gatling gun spray shot into the parade ground and the confederate troop show no interest in cover but keep milling in the open like ant from a hill goad with a stick . not a great or inspiring movie but a solid performance from coburn . and for all the death there not much blood .