This is so very nice of you to have put this together. To me this is nice to hear this all over again. I was so young when we were there last. It's nice to know all of the information. I appreciate it. Thank you, very much.
from what i remember correctly there was 3 "armies" Crooke Custer and 1 other one , custer decided to ride ahead ... I think in the event that Custer didnt split (wich was his main mistake) the whole 7th cavalry as good as they were would have been annihilated HAD custer waited he mighta had a victory ...The Biggest thing was loosing his mobility
@jeremyorr Yes there were 3 armies, Crook, Terry, and Gibbon. However, Custer was expected to locate the Indians and engage when he found them. Coordinating the two armies was a bonus, but it was not expected to happen at the outset. Each army was really independent. Custer made decisions based on what he knew at the time, and he was permitted to make changes to the original written orders from Terry. Had he waited the Indians would have moved away from him and possibly escaped.
@commandersheperd1 Well the warriors were all around the hill. In some low lying areas, and in some high spots as well. Most of the soldiers were positioned on the western side of the hill.
@commandersheperd1 Yes, at first. Warrior testimony speaks of this action. It was only at the end of the episeode that the warriors charged the position to finish off what little was left.
@commandersheperd1 I am not sure if anyone was taken back to the camp alive and tortured, but I do know several individuals were decapitated and the survivors found their heads in the village tied together with wire and burned. Two members from Reno's command were killed in or near the village, and two from Custer's comand were also found on the west bank of the LBH river. The two from Reno were decapitated while the two from Custer were not.
@commandersheperd1 As far as I know everyone was accounted for in the Custer battalion, with the possible exception of Private Nathan Short. And even his story lacks real evidence that he escaped the battle.
Well Custer had a brilliant plan but it was compromised thanks to the soldiers poor accuracy against 2 Indian scouts and then he had another brilliant idea which Benteen messed up he could have at least sent a message saying he wasn't coming
@commandersheperd1 Based on Indian accounts the episode was over in minutes. The entire Custer fight started at about 4:00 PM and went on until around 6 PM. The Custer Hill episode itself was not long at all.
I blame Benteen for not taking action. Upon recieving the note he should have either gone back for the pack train or went to Custer immediately instead of just standing around waiting for the pack train. However it's hard to say what would have happened if Benteen had gone to Custer right away. Would the Indians have run at the site of another calvery collumn? Perhaps Custer and Benteen would have been wiped out leaving Reno to be overrun as well.
@illusiveman09 The problem I have with Benteen is his slow movement after his scout. It took him 2 hours and 10 minutes to go 6 and 1/2 miles. And the terrain was fairly flat. Once Martini arrived with the message for Benteen it was too late. The chance for Benteen to come to Custer's aid had past by that time. But I am of the opinion that had Benteen come to Custer close to the same time that Boston Custer did, then there would have been no battle on the ridges above the LBH.
@CusterApollo Can you buy a pass to leave the trail or is that restricted to only historians and such? I live in Detroit and the LBH is a long drive to only be able to stand on a sidewalk viewing from afar. I thought it would be more like Gettysburg where people can walk freely around.
@illusiveman09 No, you must write up a report or request and then submit it to the Park Service. Both the Super and the Chief Law Enforcement Officer must ok the request and then you will be given a special vest to wear. In your request you must state the exact places you intend to go, and the length of time you may need to be off trail. You can not just wander off trail all over the place.
I wonder if Custer's Remington Rolling Block Sporting Rifle was ever turned in by captured Sioux or Cheyenne? It was a popular buffalo gun at the time, so who knows where it went or if whomever ended up with it knew who it originally belonged to? Maybe it's still hidden among the Sioux or Cheyenne, passed down from generation to generation. Survivor Native American ancestors still have some of the captured 7th Calvary 1873 Trapdoor Springfields that were passed onto succeeding generations.
@TheMichaelJB As far as I know, Custer's weapons were never recovered. The weapons could have been passed down. Hundreds of Springfield Carbines were captured and later a small number were recaptured by the military or discovered on the reservations years after the battle.
@Penguin0fDoom6z Yes that is true. Custer and 9 other men actually died on top of the hill, and not where the markers are located today. This hill was different at the time of the battle. The hill has been graded several times to put in the monument and the park road in. Back in 1876 the hill was a conical knoll with a small flat top. Just big enough for the 10 men to hold.
So, if you had the three extra companies with Benteen where would you have placed them? I think all three with Keogh, so that if they managed to hold Custer could have retired back to fairly large (6 company) battalion. Could 6 companies have held the Keogh sector? Anybody think the three companies would have helped. Would the native americans really attacked 6 companies with 2 not far away?
@apples3796 Well here is the main point. If Benteen arrived before the real fighting had started then there would not have been a battle up on the ridges in the first place. The terrain was unsuitable for the cavalry and they were only there to facilitate contact with the recalled units Once Benteen arrives, Custer takes all 8 companies down to the river via Ford D, crosses, and captures women and children. Game, set, match.
@CusterApollo I wonder if Benteen's troops alone would have been enough to augment those of Custers to cross Ford D and capture the non-combatants? We are only taking about another 120 or so troops. Would Custer have taken all 8 companies down there? His previous actions on the afternoon of the 25th would indicate that he wouldn't take all 8 accross. And he wouldn't have Reno either, as Reno and his depleated command and wounded would have probably have had to stay back with the pack train.
@TheMichaelJB I think having 330 troops would have been better than the 210 Custer actually had. I do believe Custer would have taken all 8 companies into the valley. There was no need to leave troops on the ridges since the terrain was not suited for the cavalry. Also it must be noted that the Ford B and D treks were recon missions. Once Benteen arrived the actual crossing would probably have occurred in force. Meaning all 8 companies would have gone into the valley.
@CusterApollo So much depends on a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rain water, beside the white chickens. In other words, it depends on when Benteen would have "put the spurs to her" and showed up coming over the Nye-Cartwright Ridge, and how many men Custer would have had left by then. He was never going to leave Reno anyway. Reno would have had to stay in the timber, and even then Benteen would have choosen to come to Reno's rescue and not Custers. The rot in the command goes back to the Washita.
@TheMichaelJB The point here is Benteen's movement and arrival time. Had he moved at a pace anywhere close to Boston Custer then he would have reached the Custer battalion before the real fighting had begun. Also if he moves quickly, as ordered, he would have passed Reno Hill before Reno is even on the bluffs. No need to stop and render assistance then. It is all about Benteen following orders rather than ignoring them.
@CusterApollo After traversing up and down over multiple bluffs on his scout to the left, Benteen's troops were not in the condition to travel as fast at Boston, maybe half as fast at best.. They certainly could have moved faster than they did though, as even the pack train was gaining on them. It's all moot though, as Custer's defeat was set after he left Major Elliott to his doom at the Washita. As I said, the rot in the command structure goes back to then. Benteen should have transfered out.
@TheMichaelJB While I agree that Benteen's troops might have been a little more tired, the slow pace is still inexcusable. They went up a series of rolling hills to a plateau then had to cross one ridge. The troops and horses rested in Valley #3 while Gibson and the advance detail rode up to a second ridge. The rest of the way was flat down Valley #3 and Reno Creek. I expect the scout to go slower, but after the scout Bentten was moving at glacier pace and this slow movement caused the defeat.
@TheMichaelJB The true loss of the battle happened after the scout. Benteen was on flat even terrain with orders to quickly rejoin the command and send work of the findings of the scout. Benteen did neither. He moved slow traveling 6 and 1/2 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes. That is an average speed of 2.8 MPH in combat conditions. Horrible and inexcusable. The standard military walk of 3 MPH was faster. And a standard trot was 6 MPH. Benteen failed his mission is every aspect.
@CusterApollo Agreed. Benteen had no love for Custer and little respect for him as well after the Washita. Benteen's action at the Little Big Horn were terrible, save for the defense of Reno Hill. And even in that he again had a case of the slows.Maybe he had a further grudge with Custer micromanaging him on the scout to the left, as Custer sent multiple couriers to Benteen which no doubt ruffled his feathers even more. I still think the command was doomed though, too many better armed warriors.
@TheMichaelJB Benteen hated Custer after the Washita. And I think you are correct about Benteen feeling micromanaged during his scout. This probably more than anything caused his slow movement. Once Martini arrived and suggested the cavalry was winning the fight, Benteen was even more angry. He had lost a chance to participate in the victory. He must have thought Custer had sent him off on a fools mission just to get him out of the way. Upon arriving on Reno Hill he must have been surprised.
I don't know why they put Lt. Henry Harrington's marker on Last Stand Hill. From the books I read, his body was never identified and no trace of him was ever found. I think he was more likely killed where most of C company fell and I doubt he would have made it to Last Stand Hill because not very men from the right wing made it there. But overall I did like this documentary.
@jbcowdery I agree. I think Harrington was most likely killed in the Keogh Sector. The chances of him making it to Last Stand Hill is remote to say the least. I think it is safe to say the Harrington marker is spurious.
@jbcowdery My feeling is most of the officers while crossing Medicine tail Coulee which could only hold soldiers 4 abreast making them easy targets for the Cheyenne and Sioux guard (8 to a dozen) to shoot until Crazy Horse showed up. Anyone trying to pick up the officers' bodies in the river here would likely get shot at too . I feel at this point the soldiers dismounted on the east side of the river until Crazy horse forced them to retreat further.
@norseleague MTC is larger than you give it credit for. It could easily sustain more than just 4 abreast. However it is clear that nobody was killed early in the fighting and there is no way Crazy Horse knew anything of the cavalry MTC maneuver until after the battle was over. He had no idea that soldiers had come down to the river and was not aware that the left wing had moved off to the north and was close to the women and children at Ford D. Had he, his actions would have been different.
@norseleague There were only two officers that crossed MTC. Both Smith and Sturgis of Company E were in position to do so. But Company F and the HQ staff (containing the other 6 officers) did not go down to Ford B and were not in a position to get hit or killed. The right wing containing the other five officers were to the east on Luce Ridge and out of range of the Indian weapons. Also there is no evidence in the form of bodies or archaeology that suggests a forced retreat by the soldiers.
Question please?? I have read that "thousands of arrors" were launched in arcs upon the soldiers on last stand hill. Does the archaeological record support this ??
@rickietube1 From what I know through the archaeology only a dozen or so arrowheads have been found at the LBH. I believe the arrowheads themselves do not last very long in the ground and that is why so few have been found over the years.
@CusterApollo Ah, we are talking iron projectile points....... i see. I was thinking of flint/chert/obsidian type points which would basically last forever. So we would be correct in assuming that the Lakota and Cheyene , by the summer of 1876 were mainly using iron points?
@rickietube1 You know, I am not sure about that one. Never really thought of it before. I am sure most arrows were picked up by the warriors so that could explain the lack of arrow evidence at the battlefield. As for the type of point, I do know very few iron arrowheads have been found. Not sure about other types. I will have to do some searching on this.
@CusterApollo thank you for your quick response. Undoubtedly you are right, that most arrows were picked up after the battle for re-use. Stone arrowheads would not be detected by metal detectors either. I don't know how much of Last Stand Hill has been actually excavated, but stone points would have to be found visually, as far as I know.
@CusterApollo I also get the feeling that many cartridge casings were carried away since the battle, but long range firing by soldiers at ellusive targets probably would not result in a huge amount of firing. Also, when Indian charges were made the soldiers probably had no time to reload at all. I appreciate your vids and your thoughts on this fascinating battle.
@rickietube1 I agree that many cases were picked up over the years, especially at celebrated areas like Last Stand Hill. Unknown areas like Henryville and Greasy Grass Ridge were not looted and many cases were found in those areas. I think the vast majority of the battle had light firing. The warriors claimed the begining of the fight was low key. And when the fighting became furious the collapse happened soon after. I believe there was not a lot of time to fire at the end of the fight.
Are you following the recent news about Sotheby's auction of the guidon found beneath the body of a soldier on Last Stand Hill? Many of us here in MI think it should be donated to the Smithsonian or Little Bighorn museum. Would love to know your feelings on this matter. Thanks!
@CusterApollo.......I'm enjoying all your vids, thanks very much. Do you think Custer himself was wounded while at ford D?
I have read that Roe placed the large obelisk "within 6 feet of where Custer's remains were found" . This would mean that the existing individual Custer stone is somewhat out of place? Also read that Custer and Tom were buried in a single grave and this is not idicated by the existing stones. Your thoughts please?
@rickietube1 I don't think Custer was wounded until Last Stand Hill. I believe he was in good shape up until that point. Yes, it is true that Custer and 9 others were found on top of the knoll and not on the western slope. The men were all buried on the slope as it was easier to dig there. The marble markers were placed in 1890. But then they were moved agin in the early 1900's when the fence was erected. In short, Custer's current marker is 54 feet from where he actually was found.
@rickietube1 Yes the info I have has Tom and Goerge buried together as well. The stones on last stand hill do not correspond to the original pattern that the men were found in when it comes to Last Stand Hill. The stones have been set once, fairly accurately, and then moved once, so the pattern you see today in no way reflects where actual men fell. In some cases sterile portions of the field have yielded bones, while areas said to have bones have been sterile.
This is so very nice of you to have put this together. To me this is nice to hear this all over again. I was so young when we were there last. It's nice to know all of the information. I appreciate it. Thank you, very much.
nemeckathleen1 1 month ago
@nemeckathleen1 You are welcome! I am glad that you liked the documentary.
CusterApollo 1 month ago in playlist Little Bighorn Documentary 2010
from what i remember correctly there was 3 "armies" Crooke Custer and 1 other one , custer decided to ride ahead ... I think in the event that Custer didnt split (wich was his main mistake) the whole 7th cavalry as good as they were would have been annihilated HAD custer waited he mighta had a victory ...The Biggest thing was loosing his mobility
jeremyorr 1 month ago
@jeremyorr Yes there were 3 armies, Crook, Terry, and Gibbon. However, Custer was expected to locate the Indians and engage when he found them. Coordinating the two armies was a bonus, but it was not expected to happen at the outset. Each army was really independent. Custer made decisions based on what he knew at the time, and he was permitted to make changes to the original written orders from Terry. Had he waited the Indians would have moved away from him and possibly escaped.
CusterApollo 1 month ago in playlist Little Bighorn Documentary 2010
@CusterApollo do you think the 7th had any chance of victory that day?
jeremyorr 1 month ago
@jeremyorr Yes. I think they had a good chance to win the battle. However, too many people made too many mistakes that day to allow for victory.
CusterApollo 1 month ago
So I see here that the warriors were actually on the high cause by the looks of it they are on the side of hill not on top
commandersheperd1 5 months ago
@commandersheperd1 Well the warriors were all around the hill. In some low lying areas, and in some high spots as well. Most of the soldiers were positioned on the western side of the hill.
CusterApollo 5 months ago
Do you think Indians just circled around last stand hill shooting Arrow volleys?
commandersheperd1 5 months ago
@commandersheperd1 Yes, at first. Warrior testimony speaks of this action. It was only at the end of the episeode that the warriors charged the position to finish off what little was left.
CusterApollo 5 months ago
Another thing Custerapollo do you think some soldiers that survived the chaos was brought back to the Indian camp and tortured in some kind of dance
commandersheperd1 6 months ago
@commandersheperd1 I am not sure if anyone was taken back to the camp alive and tortured, but I do know several individuals were decapitated and the survivors found their heads in the village tied together with wire and burned. Two members from Reno's command were killed in or near the village, and two from Custer's comand were also found on the west bank of the LBH river. The two from Reno were decapitated while the two from Custer were not.
CusterApollo 6 months ago
A commercial had been popping up that their maybe proof that some one may have survived the battle at Custer hill
commandersheperd1 6 months ago
@commandersheperd1 As far as I know everyone was accounted for in the Custer battalion, with the possible exception of Private Nathan Short. And even his story lacks real evidence that he escaped the battle.
CusterApollo 6 months ago
Well Custer had a brilliant plan but it was compromised thanks to the soldiers poor accuracy against 2 Indian scouts and then he had another brilliant idea which Benteen messed up he could have at least sent a message saying he wasn't coming
commandersheperd1 6 months ago
The battle for Custer hill lasted 2 in a half hours I think
commandersheperd1 6 months ago
@commandersheperd1 Based on Indian accounts the episode was over in minutes. The entire Custer fight started at about 4:00 PM and went on until around 6 PM. The Custer Hill episode itself was not long at all.
CusterApollo 6 months ago
I blame Benteen for not taking action. Upon recieving the note he should have either gone back for the pack train or went to Custer immediately instead of just standing around waiting for the pack train. However it's hard to say what would have happened if Benteen had gone to Custer right away. Would the Indians have run at the site of another calvery collumn? Perhaps Custer and Benteen would have been wiped out leaving Reno to be overrun as well.
illusiveman09 6 months ago
@illusiveman09 The problem I have with Benteen is his slow movement after his scout. It took him 2 hours and 10 minutes to go 6 and 1/2 miles. And the terrain was fairly flat. Once Martini arrived with the message for Benteen it was too late. The chance for Benteen to come to Custer's aid had past by that time. But I am of the opinion that had Benteen come to Custer close to the same time that Boston Custer did, then there would have been no battle on the ridges above the LBH.
CusterApollo 6 months ago in playlist Little Bighorn Documentary 2010
@CusterApollo Can you buy a pass to leave the trail or is that restricted to only historians and such? I live in Detroit and the LBH is a long drive to only be able to stand on a sidewalk viewing from afar. I thought it would be more like Gettysburg where people can walk freely around.
illusiveman09 6 months ago
@illusiveman09 No, you must write up a report or request and then submit it to the Park Service. Both the Super and the Chief Law Enforcement Officer must ok the request and then you will be given a special vest to wear. In your request you must state the exact places you intend to go, and the length of time you may need to be off trail. You can not just wander off trail all over the place.
CusterApollo 6 months ago in playlist Little Bighorn Documentary 2010
I wonder if Custer's Remington Rolling Block Sporting Rifle was ever turned in by captured Sioux or Cheyenne? It was a popular buffalo gun at the time, so who knows where it went or if whomever ended up with it knew who it originally belonged to? Maybe it's still hidden among the Sioux or Cheyenne, passed down from generation to generation. Survivor Native American ancestors still have some of the captured 7th Calvary 1873 Trapdoor Springfields that were passed onto succeeding generations.
TheMichaelJB 7 months ago
@TheMichaelJB As far as I know, Custer's weapons were never recovered. The weapons could have been passed down. Hundreds of Springfield Carbines were captured and later a small number were recaptured by the military or discovered on the reservations years after the battle.
CusterApollo 6 months ago in playlist Little Bighorn Documentary 2010
when i went there they said custer really fell about six feet from the mass grave is that true?
Penguin0fDoom6z 7 months ago
@Penguin0fDoom6z Yes that is true. Custer and 9 other men actually died on top of the hill, and not where the markers are located today. This hill was different at the time of the battle. The hill has been graded several times to put in the monument and the park road in. Back in 1876 the hill was a conical knoll with a small flat top. Just big enough for the 10 men to hold.
CusterApollo 7 months ago
So, if you had the three extra companies with Benteen where would you have placed them? I think all three with Keogh, so that if they managed to hold Custer could have retired back to fairly large (6 company) battalion. Could 6 companies have held the Keogh sector? Anybody think the three companies would have helped. Would the native americans really attacked 6 companies with 2 not far away?
apples3796 7 months ago
@apples3796 Well here is the main point. If Benteen arrived before the real fighting had started then there would not have been a battle up on the ridges in the first place. The terrain was unsuitable for the cavalry and they were only there to facilitate contact with the recalled units Once Benteen arrives, Custer takes all 8 companies down to the river via Ford D, crosses, and captures women and children. Game, set, match.
CusterApollo 7 months ago
@CusterApollo I wonder if Benteen's troops alone would have been enough to augment those of Custers to cross Ford D and capture the non-combatants? We are only taking about another 120 or so troops. Would Custer have taken all 8 companies down there? His previous actions on the afternoon of the 25th would indicate that he wouldn't take all 8 accross. And he wouldn't have Reno either, as Reno and his depleated command and wounded would have probably have had to stay back with the pack train.
TheMichaelJB 6 months ago
@TheMichaelJB I think having 330 troops would have been better than the 210 Custer actually had. I do believe Custer would have taken all 8 companies into the valley. There was no need to leave troops on the ridges since the terrain was not suited for the cavalry. Also it must be noted that the Ford B and D treks were recon missions. Once Benteen arrived the actual crossing would probably have occurred in force. Meaning all 8 companies would have gone into the valley.
CusterApollo 6 months ago in playlist Little Bighorn Documentary 2010
@CusterApollo So much depends on a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rain water, beside the white chickens. In other words, it depends on when Benteen would have "put the spurs to her" and showed up coming over the Nye-Cartwright Ridge, and how many men Custer would have had left by then. He was never going to leave Reno anyway. Reno would have had to stay in the timber, and even then Benteen would have choosen to come to Reno's rescue and not Custers. The rot in the command goes back to the Washita.
TheMichaelJB 6 months ago
@TheMichaelJB The point here is Benteen's movement and arrival time. Had he moved at a pace anywhere close to Boston Custer then he would have reached the Custer battalion before the real fighting had begun. Also if he moves quickly, as ordered, he would have passed Reno Hill before Reno is even on the bluffs. No need to stop and render assistance then. It is all about Benteen following orders rather than ignoring them.
CusterApollo 6 months ago
@CusterApollo After traversing up and down over multiple bluffs on his scout to the left, Benteen's troops were not in the condition to travel as fast at Boston, maybe half as fast at best.. They certainly could have moved faster than they did though, as even the pack train was gaining on them. It's all moot though, as Custer's defeat was set after he left Major Elliott to his doom at the Washita. As I said, the rot in the command structure goes back to then. Benteen should have transfered out.
TheMichaelJB 6 months ago
@TheMichaelJB While I agree that Benteen's troops might have been a little more tired, the slow pace is still inexcusable. They went up a series of rolling hills to a plateau then had to cross one ridge. The troops and horses rested in Valley #3 while Gibson and the advance detail rode up to a second ridge. The rest of the way was flat down Valley #3 and Reno Creek. I expect the scout to go slower, but after the scout Bentten was moving at glacier pace and this slow movement caused the defeat.
CusterApollo 6 months ago in playlist Little Bighorn Documentary 2010
@TheMichaelJB The true loss of the battle happened after the scout. Benteen was on flat even terrain with orders to quickly rejoin the command and send work of the findings of the scout. Benteen did neither. He moved slow traveling 6 and 1/2 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes. That is an average speed of 2.8 MPH in combat conditions. Horrible and inexcusable. The standard military walk of 3 MPH was faster. And a standard trot was 6 MPH. Benteen failed his mission is every aspect.
CusterApollo 6 months ago
@CusterApollo Agreed. Benteen had no love for Custer and little respect for him as well after the Washita. Benteen's action at the Little Big Horn were terrible, save for the defense of Reno Hill. And even in that he again had a case of the slows.Maybe he had a further grudge with Custer micromanaging him on the scout to the left, as Custer sent multiple couriers to Benteen which no doubt ruffled his feathers even more. I still think the command was doomed though, too many better armed warriors.
TheMichaelJB 6 months ago
@TheMichaelJB Benteen hated Custer after the Washita. And I think you are correct about Benteen feeling micromanaged during his scout. This probably more than anything caused his slow movement. Once Martini arrived and suggested the cavalry was winning the fight, Benteen was even more angry. He had lost a chance to participate in the victory. He must have thought Custer had sent him off on a fools mission just to get him out of the way. Upon arriving on Reno Hill he must have been surprised.
CusterApollo 6 months ago in playlist Little Bighorn Documentary 2010
I don't know why they put Lt. Henry Harrington's marker on Last Stand Hill. From the books I read, his body was never identified and no trace of him was ever found. I think he was more likely killed where most of C company fell and I doubt he would have made it to Last Stand Hill because not very men from the right wing made it there. But overall I did like this documentary.
jbcowdery 9 months ago
@jbcowdery I agree. I think Harrington was most likely killed in the Keogh Sector. The chances of him making it to Last Stand Hill is remote to say the least. I think it is safe to say the Harrington marker is spurious.
CusterApollo 9 months ago
@jbcowdery My feeling is most of the officers while crossing Medicine tail Coulee which could only hold soldiers 4 abreast making them easy targets for the Cheyenne and Sioux guard (8 to a dozen) to shoot until Crazy Horse showed up. Anyone trying to pick up the officers' bodies in the river here would likely get shot at too . I feel at this point the soldiers dismounted on the east side of the river until Crazy horse forced them to retreat further.
norseleague 7 months ago
@norseleague MTC is larger than you give it credit for. It could easily sustain more than just 4 abreast. However it is clear that nobody was killed early in the fighting and there is no way Crazy Horse knew anything of the cavalry MTC maneuver until after the battle was over. He had no idea that soldiers had come down to the river and was not aware that the left wing had moved off to the north and was close to the women and children at Ford D. Had he, his actions would have been different.
CusterApollo 7 months ago
@norseleague There were only two officers that crossed MTC. Both Smith and Sturgis of Company E were in position to do so. But Company F and the HQ staff (containing the other 6 officers) did not go down to Ford B and were not in a position to get hit or killed. The right wing containing the other five officers were to the east on Luce Ridge and out of range of the Indian weapons. Also there is no evidence in the form of bodies or archaeology that suggests a forced retreat by the soldiers.
CusterApollo 7 months ago
Question please?? I have read that "thousands of arrors" were launched in arcs upon the soldiers on last stand hill. Does the archaeological record support this ??
rickietube1 1 year ago
@rickietube1 From what I know through the archaeology only a dozen or so arrowheads have been found at the LBH. I believe the arrowheads themselves do not last very long in the ground and that is why so few have been found over the years.
CusterApollo 1 year ago
@CusterApollo Ah, we are talking iron projectile points....... i see. I was thinking of flint/chert/obsidian type points which would basically last forever. So we would be correct in assuming that the Lakota and Cheyene , by the summer of 1876 were mainly using iron points?
rickietube1 1 year ago
@rickietube1 You know, I am not sure about that one. Never really thought of it before. I am sure most arrows were picked up by the warriors so that could explain the lack of arrow evidence at the battlefield. As for the type of point, I do know very few iron arrowheads have been found. Not sure about other types. I will have to do some searching on this.
CusterApollo 1 year ago
@CusterApollo thank you for your quick response. Undoubtedly you are right, that most arrows were picked up after the battle for re-use. Stone arrowheads would not be detected by metal detectors either. I don't know how much of Last Stand Hill has been actually excavated, but stone points would have to be found visually, as far as I know.
rickietube1 1 year ago
@CusterApollo I also get the feeling that many cartridge casings were carried away since the battle, but long range firing by soldiers at ellusive targets probably would not result in a huge amount of firing. Also, when Indian charges were made the soldiers probably had no time to reload at all. I appreciate your vids and your thoughts on this fascinating battle.
rickietube1 1 year ago
@rickietube1 I agree that many cases were picked up over the years, especially at celebrated areas like Last Stand Hill. Unknown areas like Henryville and Greasy Grass Ridge were not looted and many cases were found in those areas. I think the vast majority of the battle had light firing. The warriors claimed the begining of the fight was low key. And when the fighting became furious the collapse happened soon after. I believe there was not a lot of time to fire at the end of the fight.
CusterApollo 1 year ago
Excellent! Thank you so much for posting.
Are you following the recent news about Sotheby's auction of the guidon found beneath the body of a soldier on Last Stand Hill? Many of us here in MI think it should be donated to the Smithsonian or Little Bighorn museum. Would love to know your feelings on this matter. Thanks!
MyPicklepie 1 year ago
@MyPicklepie Yes I have been following that story. If I had my way I would donate the guidon to the LBH.
CusterApollo 1 year ago
@CusterApollo.......I'm enjoying all your vids, thanks very much. Do you think Custer himself was wounded while at ford D?
I have read that Roe placed the large obelisk "within 6 feet of where Custer's remains were found" . This would mean that the existing individual Custer stone is somewhat out of place? Also read that Custer and Tom were buried in a single grave and this is not idicated by the existing stones. Your thoughts please?
rickietube1 1 year ago
@rickietube1 I don't think Custer was wounded until Last Stand Hill. I believe he was in good shape up until that point. Yes, it is true that Custer and 9 others were found on top of the knoll and not on the western slope. The men were all buried on the slope as it was easier to dig there. The marble markers were placed in 1890. But then they were moved agin in the early 1900's when the fence was erected. In short, Custer's current marker is 54 feet from where he actually was found.
CusterApollo 1 year ago
@rickietube1 Yes the info I have has Tom and Goerge buried together as well. The stones on last stand hill do not correspond to the original pattern that the men were found in when it comes to Last Stand Hill. The stones have been set once, fairly accurately, and then moved once, so the pattern you see today in no way reflects where actual men fell. In some cases sterile portions of the field have yielded bones, while areas said to have bones have been sterile.
CusterApollo 1 year ago
very very well done watch all your parts from start to finish like last stand hill the best again well done .
gb95v14197 2 years ago
Thanks for the kind words. After 22 years, I have picked up a thing or two.
CusterApollo 2 years ago