John Ford's The Horse Soldiers John Ford's film the Horse Soldiers is a stimulating and changeless stunning success featuring John Wayne in one of his best acting performances. Wayne plays Colonel Marlowe a man that thinks that the Army's duty comes before being a humanitarian. Wayne runs into a pacifist-leaning surgeon Major Kendall (William Holden). The film is set in 1863 as the practical-minded Colonel Marlowe is ordered by General Sherman to take a cavalry brigade 300 …showed first 75 words of 417 total…

…showed last 75 words of 417 total…war was necessary. It gave the film an accurate historical viewpoint. It also showed some violent battle scenes, especially when the Union forces take Newton Station and the out manned Confederate ragtag soldiers fight bravely knowing they do not have a prayer. In one scene, their elders draw children from a military school into battle out of necessity and Marlowe shows the good sense to retreat rather than to slaughter the brave but foolish youngsters. .