custers last stand

[EDDE]

http://www.guba.com/watch/2001012150

 

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[Crazy Greek]

Fantastic video! I love the way they scientifically plotted the actual battle lines. Custer had to have been crazy to go into that area once he saw what he was up against. In men alone (not taking into account that he unknowingly was outgunned by about 4 to 1), the 7th Cav never had a chance in this battle!

 

[DaChief]

I was there less than one year ago. Really a moving place to visit. Very nice museum on site too with some great folks working there. Lots that I learned while there. May be mentioned in the video but here is what I learned that shocked me after all the stories I had heard before.

1. Custer was not a General there. He was a Lt. Colonel. He had been battlefield promoted to Brevet (Acting) General in the Civil War and returned to his original rank after the Civil War.

2. Custer was not scalped at Little Big Horn. In fact his body was bathed and layed out by the Indian Warriors. This was because he was not in Blue Uniform at the time. All soldiers in uniform were mutilated to keep their souls from going to heaven.

3. There were survivors of the battle. Many elements of Custer's unit were sent to flank the Indians in the area and actually survived the battle. Custer's element was the one that took the brunt of the casualties.

4. Custer chose a fighting position below the precipice of the hilltop. I always thought that he chose the exact top of a hill but he and his soldiers were well below that point.

5. I always had heard that the Lakota Sioux were involved in the battle but the Cheyenne Indians were also there.

There are probably other things that are just as interesting but again, it is an amazing place to visit.

DaChief

 

[EDDE]

 

[X-Terra70_TreasureHunter]

Battle of the Little Big Horn Pt. 1:


Battle of the Little Big Horn Pt. 2:


Battle of the Little Big Horn Pt. 3:


Battle of the Little Big Horn Pt. 4:


Battle of the Little Big Horn Pt. 5:

 

[sharpshooter]

2. Custer was not scalped at Little Big Horn. In fact his body was bathed and layed out by the Indian Warriors. This was because he was not in Blue Uniform at the time. All soldiers in uniform were mutilated to keep their souls from going to heaven.

I respectfully disagree with the above statement.

Custer's body was NOT treated with dignity by the Sioux.

When General Alfred Terry arrived in the valley of the Little Big Horn River 2 days after the battle, he gave a detailed description of Custer's body as he found it. He did say that mutilation of the body was mild compared to most of the soldiers who had been horribly disfigured.

A brief description of the body from General Terry's report:

Custer's body was stripped except for his woolen socks, and the instep of one of his boots. There were two bullet wounds on the body: one in his left temple halfway between the ear and the eye, the second punched through the ribcage just below the heart. An arrow shaft had been pushed up his peni$ and the left thigh had been slashed with a knife exposing the bone. His right little finger had been cut off, probably to obtain his West Point class ring.

Was he scalped? No.
Was he horribly mutilated like most of the other soldiers? No.
But to imply that his body was treated with respect is inaccurate.

 

[lgadbois]

After the battle, the soldiers possessions were taken. The rifles, sabers, pistols, and other items of war were collected. They were taken to a place known only to the Indians and buried or cached. According to some experts, none of the weapons have turned up in collections. The 500 model 1873 Springfield carbines assigned to the 7th Cavalry were of a new design. The rifles not assigned to the troups apparently were cached by Reno and Custer prior to the battle. The Springfield 45-70s were issued in 1874, so the soldiers had about two years of experience with them before the battle. Custer had complained to the armory about the new Springfield's length. With a 24" barrel, it was a little too long for a saddle carbine. The subsequent carbines manufactured after the first 500 had the barrels shortened to 20", and also had some other minor changes.

When I visited the battlefield museum in 1997, I asked the curator if any of Custer's carbines were on display. I was informed that none had turned up.

There is a story about a trapper that married an Apache woman. He homesteaded some land near the battlefield. He paid to have a monument erected to commemorate the battle. The monument was constructed with stone and concrete and had a bronze sign on the side. In the late 1940's the National Park Service decided to clean up the monument. The removed the sign to have it cleaned. Under the sign was a glass window. The inside of the monument was hollow, and was construced as a time capsule. The Park Service decided not to disturb the contents, some of which appeared to be small items collected off the bodies of the soldiers. They reinstalled the sign with the intention of waiting till the 100th Anniversary of the battle. The word must have leaked out because the monument was vandalized and the contents were removed by person/persons unknown. It has been suggested that the monument contained information on the location of the burial site of the weapons collected from the dead soldiers by the Indians.

The average soldier carried from 15 to 24 rounds on his person. The troops were using a more powerful and accurate weapon, but they were grossly outnumbered by Indians with repeating Winchesters. It is most likely that the men ran out of ammunition.

Gil Proctor, who passed away in the early 1970s, purchased and was living at the historic Pete Kitchen Ranch just North of Nogales, AZ. Gil had a building built out on the highway and started a small museum. Among the items on display was a rifle given to Pete Kitchen by a U.S. Army soldier that was in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Gil tells this tale in his book, "The Trails of Pete Kitchen." The soldier was in bad shape when he arrived at the ranch, and Pete gave him hospitality. The soldier was greatfull and gave Pete his rifle. The soldier had deserted and was on his way to Mexico. Pete Kitchen made good use of that rifle during his battles with the Apaches. On one battle, according to the story, he clubbed an Apache over the head with the rifle, and cracked the stock. One day at the museum, a visitor told Gil that Pete Kitchen's rifle was one that was issued to Custer's men, according to serial number.

After Gil passed away, his son came from California to handle the estate. Mrs Proctor was wheelchair bound at the time and required full time care. The museum items were put in storage and the building was leased out to a Mexican restaurant. I do not know if the family ever reopened the museum, or what happened to the items that were in the collection.

 

[YankeeDownSouthAdv.]

thanks for the videos guys...great history...gregg

 

[Jimmy(PA)]

I do love the old Twilight Zone Episode with the 1950's tank crew training around the battle site when they keep comming across artifacts and hearing noises of the battle. The best part is the end when the 3 guys run to the battle carrying there m1 carbines to try to help out the troopers and when the rest of their units finds nothing but a tank the one Lt. comments "too bad they couldnt take the tank with them". If I had a time machine i'd grab a mini gun and help those boys out. Why did we sell and trade Indians firearms anyway? Kind of a dumb move on our part and the treatment of our soldiers bodies was a disgrace.

 

[Tank69]

I've been to Custer 4 times now threw my life an everytime you go you'll notice the sounds the feelings of spirits around you an that every so often you swear you'll hear a whisper on the winds ,I know right now I'm probly sounding a little bit crazy but if you ask somebody that has been there an walked around the battle field they will tell you the very same thing,If you ever get a chance to visit there dont pass it up 1 visit will leave a very lasting impression on ones very soul that never leaves.



great vids guys

 

[pegleglooker]

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