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Exodus in America, John Marston
New Austin

Exodus in America

John Marston

Mission giver
John Marston
Location
New Austin and West Elizabeth
Starts at
Blackwater
Ends at
Fort Mercer
Unlocked by
Not stated
Unlocks
New Friends, Old Problems

Player notes

John Marston steps off the Morningstar ferry at Blackwater, where Bureau agents Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham meet him. They see him onto a train bound for Armadillo. During the journey, John listens as Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Ditkiss discuss a changing world, while a preacher speaks with the young missionary Jenny about faith and forgiveness. The train reaches Armadillo, and John heads into the town saloon.

Inside the saloon, Jake identifies himself as the guide arranged by the Blackwater authorities. He tells John that Bill Williamson is believed to be at Fort Mercer and provides him with a horse. John rides out of Armadillo with Jake, crossing the New Austin countryside toward the gang's stronghold. At the fort, Jake leaves John to face Williamson alone.

John approaches Fort Mercer's gates and calls for Bill. Williamson appears above the entrance with members of his gang and dismisses John's demand that he surrender to the law. John urges his former associate to come peacefully before the authorities kill him, but Bill rejects him and mocks his appeal. As John reaches for his revolver, one of Bill's men shoots him in the torso. John collapses outside Fort Mercer as Bill and his gang leave him bleeding on the ground.

Objectives

2 steps

In the order the game gives them. The unnumbered steps only appear if you go off script.

  1. 1Find Jake in the Armadillo Saloon.
  2. 2Accompany Jake to Fort Mercer.

Gallery

06

Screenshots from Exodus in America, mirrored from Red Dead Wiki.

Exodus in America (1/6)
Exodus in America (2/6)
Exodus in America (3/6)
Exodus in America (4/6)
Exodus in America (5/6)
Exodus in America (6/6)

Trivia

  • โ—†The cutscene with John sitting in the train is also an introduction to the theme of the game; at one side, the conversation between Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Ditkiss is about old world facing change from a new world. The Old West in the game is being introduced to technology and civilization. The other conversation between Jenny and the preacher is about redemption and forgiveness which John is seeking; he is trying to leave his criminal life behind and make everything normal, which requires him to repay himself for what he's done.
  • โ—†The exchange between John and Bill at the end of the mission was the very first scene performance-captured for the entire game. Rob Wiethoff (John) and Steve J. Palmer (Bill) were actually standing right next to each other in the studio acting out the scene, with Rob being directed to be looking up at Bill, and Steve being directed to be looking down at John.
  • โ—†The ferry that John exits from is called the Morningstar.
  • โ—†Bonnie MacFarlane was also present at the train arriving from Blackwater. It is unknown why, although some players speculate that she was visiting her older brother, a banker in New York.
  • โ—†The train leaving Blackwater actually goes backwards as if going to Mason's Bridge, but the game flips it so the train goes the right way.
  • โ—†It is unknown why John was on a steamboat to Blackwater, even though he lives in Beecher's Hope. It could be speculated that he was abducted along with his family and taken to the same prison (which may be far enough from the game world (like Saint Denis) to require a boat ride back.
  • โ—†Jenny, who was seen on the train, is later found in the wilderness during the Stranger side-mission "Jenny's Faith".
  • โ—†The event Jenny heard about is quite possibly the Topeka I test flight of September 5th, 1911, during which aviator Albin K. Longren flew 200 feet into the air for a total distance of about six miles.
  • โ—†Jake, the man that acts as a tour guide, is only present in this mission. It is unknown what happens to him afterwards.
  • โ—†The opening cinematic bears a close resemblance to the opening cinematic from GTA IV, also made by Rockstar, which shows the protagonist Niko Bellic getting off a boat, followed by a shot of a car being unloaded from the same boat.
  • โ—†Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Ditkiss, the ladies seen talking in the train, never appear again. However, in "The Women" trailer, Ditkiss can be seen berating Abner Forsyth outside Blackwater Saloon.
  • โ—†This is the only mission in the game where John gives himself the mission.
  • โ—†Shooting a cow while riding to Fort Mercer will cause the player to fail the mission.
  • โ—†This is the only mission that the player can see more than one vehicle parked around Blackwater.
  • โ—†If the player incurs a mission failure by shooting at any civilian or lawman in Armadillo, Link Huston will appear in front of the saloon when the player restarts the mission. If the player kills him, they will not fail the mission, as he is a member of Walton's gang. This can be useful in collecting up to six extra bullets of Revolver Ammo that can be used in the early missions of the game.
  • โ—†This is the only mission in which an active steamboat is shown.
  • โ—†When the player approaches the fort walls, there will be 4 birds on one of the taller walls. The player can scare them off by firing they gun. Shooting all 4 of them will unlock the Sharpshooter Challenges. (The player can get the 5th at the MacFarlane's Ranch before they are shown around by Bonnie).
  • โ—†When John is found by Bonnie after he is wounded by one of Williamson's men, he is much closer to the road from where he was shot. A trail of blood can be seen, indicating he either limped or crawled away from the fort whilst injured.
View on Red Dead Wiki โ†’

Mission data from Red Dead Wiki, CC BY-SA. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games.

Last verified September 14, 2026