Furnace Flat

"Sergeant Forson's Dirty-Shirt Army" follows a troop of inexperienced Oregon Volunteer Cavalry soldiers at Fort Haney, a neglected outpost during the War Between the States, where their main conflicts arise not with the enemy but among themselves. As Sergeant Forson, with his regular army training, attempts to instill discipline in his unruly men, the looming threat of a Native American attack intensifies with the arrival of the commanding officer's daughter. In "Furnace Flat," Grady Ryan, a borax miner with dreams of striking it rich, partners with the enigmatic Mysterious Smith to pursue a promising lode in Death Valley, while navigating the dangers posed by claim jumpers. Maggie Conway, who runs a local eatery, senses that Ryan’s fortunes may finally change, though her intuition is merely a guiding hope rather than a guarantee.