That must have been a massively interesting experience to ride on horseback along MTC and the ridges. I’m jealous!
I believe your Custer battlefield analysis probably fits pretty closely to the modern interpretation of what happened. This can be backed up with multiple eyewitness testimony as well from the Indian survivors.
A good intentional holding force to keep the Indians from Reno’s fight at bay (Co’s C, I, L) while Custer with E & F moving to look for a good ford to cross and capture the women and children.
The debate as to when the holding companies fell apart is either with Calhoun changing his company’s direction of fire or with the failed Company C charge to scatter Indians gathering to the south.
Company C got way too close to the Indians IMHO based on my reading and Calhoun probably should never have changed the direction of their fire (but what choice did they have?).
I totally agree with you that Keogh didn’t have a prayer in the world to form a defense. Seems like the Indians rode through them and went back and forth until they scattered or killed them all. Whoever survived ran towards Last Stand Hill and they were horseless.
For the record, I wouldn’t suggest Custer was an idiot with tactics - but he always failed to recon his battles, and with Indians he never trusted his scouts. Here the terrain and heat wore out his already exhausted & thirsty troopers. There was no way his 210 man force could hope to capture even 20 non-combatants and then try to put up a fight against the 2,000 - 2,500 warriors that were there.
*He believed the Indians would “run”. They didn’t.
*He thought they numbered less than 1,000. Wrong.
*He woefully believed that officers who loathed him would be supportive and obedient to his orders.
*Reconnaissance. Reconnaissance. Foreign words apparently.
*Single-shot rifles and limited ammo
*Horses scattered when dismounted for a skirmish line
*The terrain favored the attackers (Indians)
He and his troops were outgunned and shot to pieces.
Also, not sure if this has been mentioned but there were reports of White Renegades or Trappers who fought with the Indians that day. These guys probably married into the Sioux or Cheyenne tribes. One was a sniper who killed several troops who were surrounded on Reno Hill. He was supposedly shooting from “Sharpshooter Ridge”. Somebody shot and killed him from the lower position on Reno Hill.
Thanks for the recommendation on the book, I’ll look at it as I’m always willing to add to the collection.
I suspect one of the big differences was the quality of men in the CW versus LBH. He generally had good, trained and motivated men in the CW. The men on the frontier during the Indian Wars were the dregs of society. Typically poorly trained and poorly equipped. Good men in their own way, but not an elite force.
Roman_War_Criminal,
*He believed the Indians would “run”. They didn’t.
*He thought they numbered less than 1,000. Wrong.
*He woefully believed that officers who loathed him would be supportive and obedient to his orders.
*Reconnaissance. Reconnaissance. Foreign words apparently.
*Single-shot rifles and limited ammo
*Horses scattered when dismounted for a skirmish line
*The terrain favored the attackers (Indians)
I agree with your bullet points, but would add that the first two regarding the Indians running and numbers were shared by everyone on the expedition from General Terry on down. The only one that knew the answer to both of these was Crook and after the Battle of the Rosebud, a week earlier, he exited the country for camping and fishing by Sheridan, Wyoming and never tried to get word to Gen. Terry about his findings.
It was a perfect storm of things that got Custer and the 5 companies with him destroyed. The fact that Reno ran for the hills and Benteen failed to follow his orders to “Come Quick” probably saved the remainder of the 7th from destruction.