it hard to imagine that the battle of elderbush gulch and direct by the legendary d. w. griffith and be make a way back in 1914. it be a showcase for griffith emerging style . the story center around a group of settler call the cameron brother and their family which include a young waif ( mae marsh ) send out from the east to live with her uncle and a young wife ( lillian gish ) who have just give birth . a group of indian try to capture the waif pet dog and be drive off by the men folk . during the confrontation the indian chief son ( henry b. wathall ) be kill . the indian chief plot his revenge and launch an attack on the small community of elderbush gulch . it be this attack and which be quite brutal and graphic for this or any other time and that form the core of the picture . the indian slaughter the town folk and woman and child alike and drive them out of town towards the cameron homestead . the newborn baby becomes separate from it mother and all hell break loose . someone go for help and return in the nick of time with the calvary . the battle scenes contain some graphic violence . for example and we see a woman be scalp alive and there be also a sequence where we see a horse be shoot down . i have never see an animal be slay so convincingly on screen . mr. griffith be become a master of stag large scale battle scene and a talent that he would use extensively in his epic civil war drama and the birth of a nation release the following year . even though it run a scant 29 minute and the battle of elderbush gulch be nonetheless an exciting and historic bit of film making . see if you can spot lionel barrymore and harry carey in bit part .