Today in history: the battle of Little Bighorn

Custer's Last Stand ^ | June 25, 2007 | drzz

[Wombat101]

“That’s the usual hatred from cautious generals against the ones who fight and win...”

Ummmm, no, that’s the verdict of any clear-thinking, intellectually honest individual who takes the time and makes the effort to obtain the facts, and then makes a reasoned analysis based upon them.

“Patton was one of the best field commander. He was full of energy and it’s not surprising that many of his jealous comrades began to hate him...”

Questionable. As I’ve stated, his Russian and German counterparts were much more realistic in thie view of war, and often far more tactically and strategically adept. As for jealousies, it seems ego is a requirement for the job of General or else no one would want it. Patton was a colorful character and became a celebrity, which someonehow, seems to innoculate one against reasonable criticism (against all logic), but a great field commander? The verdict of history says otherwise.

[nicmarlo]

Thank you VERY MUCH! I appreciate this information. I will be teaching elementary school...and what they’re doing at the college level is putting on a pedestal the Native Americans and criminalizing all things American....that is not to say that there weren’t wrongs committed by individuals, and this govt. (as they even today continue to do), but I’ll not be putting on a pedestal any people/nation just so that I can degrade another (i.e., Americans/America).

I’ve put this into a word doc so that I can refer to it for buying these books...thanks again so much.

[Inyo-Mono]

Didn’t the Indians have “repeating rifles” and Custer still using the single shot of the civil war?

Custer's men were mostly armed with single shot 45-70 cartridge carbines (not single shot muzzle loaders like in the Civil War).

Having fired this type of rifle myself, I can see where they would jam easily after repeated fire and you would have to take a knife to try and pry the expended cartridge shell from the breach. Anyone who has fired black powder cartridge rifles (or pistols) knows what I mean as black powder fouls and jams a gun very easily.

Research has shown that many of the Indians had Henry rim fire repeating rifles (predecessor to the Winchester rifle).

[mtnjimmi]

Custer, Cut it how you like, but Custer was a daring and brave leader of fighting men whose subordinates failed him and 210 other men who all paid for those shortcomings with everything that they had to pay. history by the "hero's" wife a true measure of how history should be written, with rose colored glasses.

[bill1952]

> history by the "hero's" wife a true measure of how history should be written, with rose colored glasses.

WTF are you talking about? - Put down the pipe and back away - far away ...