Ward Bond as Wagon Train master Seth Adams finds a wagon on the prairie, with a broken wheel and axle. He accepts the two occupants into the wagon train, an alcoholic doctor and his wife. The doctor (Carleton Young) is tormented by memories of his inability to save lives during the slaughter of the Civil War. Consequently, he finds himself unable to perform surgeon duties and turns to the bottle. His long suffering wife (Anna Lee) stays by his side hoping for him to come back to his former self. During the trip, the doctor does a wonderful job setting the broken leg of a little boy on the wagon train. Crossing desert conditions, the wagon train stops by an outpost to get water. It is run by John Carradine and his two sons, one being Ken Curtis (acting curiously like his later part in Gunsmoke). Carradine in his wonderfully characteristic bad guy ability, wants the wagon train to pay very high amounts for barrels of water, but Ward Bond refuses and they make for the distant river without it. Carradine and sons hope to see them discard heavy items they can pick up to make them richer. The test comes for the doctor when a pregnant woman needs a cesarean operation. He is the only one that can do it but his hands just won't work due to his preoccupation with his Civil War failures. This is where it gets interesting as Seth Adams tells him the story of U.S. Grant (Paul Birch) and his drinking during the war and how he pulled himself together. There is a long flashback scene where many of the John Ford company appear. In fact, this episode was directed by John Ford. John Wayne appears in darkened background as General Sherman but you could tell it was him with that walk and voice. His name credit was Michael Morris a form of his real name. Also seen were Hank Worden (old Mose in The Searchers) and Jack Pennick (Sgt. Major in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon), and Willis Bouchey (Col Secord in The Horse Soldiers). That's the general idea, but I won't spoil the ending. Let's just say it was a wonderfully done episode of Wagon Train with many familiar faces.
