Today in history: the battle of Little Bighorn

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

[drzz]

The most accurate portrayal of the last stand is this:

[Red6]

I agree.

Looking at the terrain and standing there you can literally see how the battle unfolded.

[Sherman Logan]

Okay, then he obviously overestimated his own prowess.

Something didn’t work out too well.

[tubebender]

Back in 1995, I had the opportunity to visit the Little Big Horn battlefield.

My wife and I were there on about June 10 1995. Were you the guy in the cowboy boots? We over stayed our time allotment and we were a several of hours for our next stop. I have photos somewhere. A few years after our visit the whole Battlefield burned all the vegetation and the Parks Service was able to find many hidden artifacts. The were documented and left in place I believe...

[drzz]

I don't think the fence is new Here's a picture of the battlefield in 1959:

[Red6]

What’s impressive is if you go there, the mounds that were dug still exist! Apparently they shot their own horses and used them as cover while another trooper would scrape up a little earth mound for better protection. It’s a pretty cool battlefield. Also while a very good picture, the area they held was a lot larger and they did set up a casualty collection point. You can tell that they though hastily, found well suited terrain to fend off attacks.

[drzz]

Hello Sherman, Did you know that of 647 men with Custer, only 210 fought during the whole battle? 400 men, with Captain Benteen and Major Reno were detached for a front attack and scouting. William Taylor, private and survivor of the battle, wrote this: "Reno proved incompetent and Benteen showed his indifference – I will not use the uglier words that have often been in my mind. Both failed Custer and he had to fight it alone." (William Taylor, 02/20/1910) US general in chief Nelson A. Miles wrote in his autobiography in 1898 that Custer had been betrayed by both Benteen and Reno. The man responsible for the Reno Court of Inquiry, the only federal inquiry of the battle, agreed with Miles. See http://www.custerwest.org for the whole case

[MplsSteve]

I’ve read a number of stories about why Custer’s attack failed.

One was due to archeological evidence showing that many troopers’ carbines were affected by continual jamming.

This led to a slower rate of fire and the Indians took advantage of this by moving in closer than they were earlier in the battle.

The decline in overall rate of fire apparently also rattled many of the troopers which could be noted by how separated they became from one another along Battle Ridge Hill.

This, of course, is only one possible scenario.

[drzz]

Hello Red6,

I love the battlefield, I was there in 2002. If you go to http://www.custerwest.org, there are videos of the battlefield in 2007.

Medicine Tail Coulee, the coulee Custer got into to approach the village, is completely filled with water this year!

[MplsSteve]

LOL!

No cowboy boots. Shorts, t-shirt and tennis shoes.

[herMANroberts]

Thanx! I’m suffering from oldtimers disease.

[drzz]

Hello Steve,

The “jamming” only concerned 1% or less of the regiment. It’s a myth.

The real cause of the failure of the attack was that Custer didn’t have his full regiment in the battle. He divided his forces to attack the Indians by front and flank, but the other columns, led by Major Reno and Captain Benteen, never joined him.
see http://www.custerwest.org

[drzz]

hehehe you were just so impressed by the grave that you forgot to see the fence! :-)

[investigateworld]

and again

[drzz]

The real question of Little Bighorn is why 400 men watched the battled from a point called Weir Point instead of joining Custer on Last Stand Hill. It's a betrayal. Here's what the witnesses said: Despite what countless books said, when Captain Weir reached a peak named afterwards Weir Point, Custer’s battle was still raging. Little Bighorn specialist Wayne Michael Sarf admits that many officers on Weir Point “apparently saw more than they would later admit. There is little doubt that (Lieutenant) Edgerly destroyed the portion of a letter to his wife dealing with the Weir Point episode.” Sergeant Charles Windolph remembered what he saw on Weir Point : “Way off to the north you could see what looked to be groups of mounted Indians. There was plenty of firing going on.” Lieutenant Hare was interviewed by Walter Camp, who wrote: “While out in advance with (Captain Weir’s) Company D, the Indians were thick over on Custer ridge and were firing. (Hare) thought Custer was fighting them.” Private Edward Pigford: “at first when looked toward Custer ridge the Indians were firing from a big circle, but it gradually closed until they seemed to converge into a large black mass on the side hill toward the river and all along the ridge.” Captain Weir was watching his comrades battling without helping them, because Benteen and Reno were still on their hill. When Benteen eventually reached Weir Point, he put an American flag on the peak to “show my position to Custer. The bugle began to sound on Custer Hill, which means that Custer was watching the flag or the dust of the other battalions and was using the bugle as a signal. Custer’s men asked for help, after having waited for Benteen and Reno… during more than two hours! Sitting Bull: “As (Custer’s soldiers) they stood to be killed they were seen to look far away to the hills in all directions and we knew they were looking for the hidden soldiers (Benteen’s and Reno’s soldiers) in the hollows of the hills to come and help them.” A little band, led by warchief Low Dog, eventually attacked the men on Weir Point while the battle on Custer Hill was still raging (see Michno). Benteen decided to withdraw his troops, according to Private George Glenn and Lieutenant Francis Gibson. The troops fell back without any rear guard, just like Reno had done in the woods. Lieutenant Godfrey decided to deploy his men on his own initiative. He later said to the Reno Court of Inquiry: Question by the court: “Was the engagement severe in and around (Weir Point)?” Answer by Lieutenant Godfrey “No severe engagement at all (on Weir Point).” Question by the court: “Was there much firing on the part of the Indians down at that point up to the time to command started to go back (from Weir Point to Reno Hill)?” Answer by Lieutenant Godfrey: “No, sir.” Question by the court: “State if the Indians drove (Weir’s and Benteen’s) command from that position (Weir Point).” Answer by Lieutenant Edgerly: “They did not. The orders were to fall back and we fell back.” 400 men fell back without ever supporting the last stand. Custer would never have the support he had asked for during more than two hours. His heroic last stand would end at 6.20 p.m., almost at the time Reno had reached Reno Hill again. A betrayal had just happened at Little Bighorn. A betrayal that would be covered during a century, and which is still covered up by many scholars and historians. Major General Thomas Rosser, cavalry officer during the Civil War, wrote in 1876: “As a soldier, I would sooner lie in the grave of General Custer and his gallant comrades alone in that distant wilderness, that when the last trumpet sounds, I could rise to judgment from my part of duty, than to live in the place of the survivors of the siege on the hills.”

[herMANroberts]

This was a big car trip for our family.

I also drove about 160 miles out of our way to go to Dodge City, where we saw plastic tombstones and a train station and turned around. I still hear about that from my kids. And yes, we saw the world's second largest ball of twine.

[tubebender]

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

[Sherman Logan]

Custer was in charge. His plan failed, and he and all the men under his direct command at the time died.

That’s about as clear an example of poor military judgment as there can be.

Especially as he was attacking and chose the fight, it wasn’t one he was forced into.

Custer’s a very interesting guy. I’ve read a couple of books about him. But nobody ever accused of being prudent or careful. He was one of the very best Union cavalry officers, but only if you wanted a wild charge rather than cool, collected planning of an attack.

I find it very difficult to think that he would have tried such an attack against a similar number of Jeb Stuart’s men. To me this indicates that he underestimated the fighting ability of the Indians, and they killed him for it.

[drzz]

Excellent account of the travel! Visiting the West is so exciting - when I went to LBH, after visiting Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, we traveled several miles without any building, just a road, a little fence and the Plains.
You just begin to feel like you’re John Wayne.

[drzz]

Hello

In fact, the repeating rifles had poor range and the Indians quickly began to use arrows and bows to protect themselves.
But as it’s shown on http://www.custerwest.org , the Indian casualties are today estimated as high as 200-250. The battle was hard, 210 men were fighting with Custer to the death, and 400 were out of the battle with Benteen and Reno.