The 1952 film "Hangman's Knot" is a Western set in 1965 at the end of the American Civil War. Randolph Scott is the leader of a group of Confederate soldiers which steal a Union gold shipment and then find out that the war is over. At one point a civilian shows the soldiers an "Indian token" which will allow them to pass through Indian country unharmed.

It is 1865 and out west a group of Union soldiers are guarding a shipment of gold bars.

Randolph Scott is the leader of a group of Confederates who hijack the shipment. The group includes Lee Marvin as a sadistic killer and Claude Jarman as a very young soldier. After taking the shipment they find a Union survivor who, before dying, tells them that General Lee has surrendered and that the Confederate States are no more.

The soldiers decide to keep the gold and take it to Georgia to help in rebuilding. They hijack a stagecoach and capture wealthy civilian Richard Denning and former Union Army nurse Donna Reed. The soldiers are pursued by a posse and take over a stagecoach way station. They hold the station workers, Richard, and Donna as hostages.

The posse surrounds the building and the Confederates discover that the posse is more interested in the gold than in the robbers. The posse captures one of the soldiers and threatens to hang him if they don't get some of the gold.

Randolph's group manages to rescue the man and bring him inside the station. Richard shows Randolph a silver dollar sized token which has strange symbols on it.

He tells Randolph and Lee that he received it from an Indian tribe in exchange for some service, and it will allow them to pass the Indian territory without being harmed.

One side shows clouds and a mountain and the other shows crossed arrows and baby footprints. Similar items are for sale on Indian reservations and Southwestern souvenir stands. The posse attacks the station and Richard is killed. They then set the station house on fire. Most of the soldiers and civilians escape the house, including Randolph and Donna.

Randolph tells Donna that he and Claude will take the gold to the South and then return.

Randolph Scott as Major Matt Stewart
Donna Reed as Molly Hull
Claude Jarman Jr. as Jamie Groves
Lee Marvin as Rolph Bainter
Director: Roy Huggins
Writers: Roy Huggins