Custer and the Bighorn

[connecticut yankee]

Just when I thought I had seen about every clip ever produced on the Battle of the Little Bighorn, this one comes along. The terrain seems quite accurate although the fighting action is largely questionable. Entertaining nonetheless. What do you think?!?

 

[BillO]

I've always thought it a pity that some fine young Virginian didn't kill that fool. I enjoyed the clip.

 

[bayonet]

I've always thought it a pity that some fine young Virginian didn't kill that fool. I enjoyed the clip.

Wasn't the "Fool" during his CW days but yes later he became the victim of arrogance, overconfidence, and power hungry. Guess your "fine young Virginians" couldn't even do him in when there was 5 of them against him. So the story goes when his Color Bearer was wounded he went to his aid and protecting the Colors from capture held off 5 with his sword until support arrived. Guess 1 fine Indian did what 5 of you couldn't!

 

[jackt62]

Wasn't the "Fool" during his CW days but yes later he became the victim of arrogance, overconfidence, and power hungry

Custer probably exhibited the same amount of arrogance, overconfidence, and hunger for power during his CW career. He ran into tight situations when he got himself surrounded or otherwise in tight situations (such as at Trevillian Station, and I believe during some of the skirmishing with JEB Stuart's cavalry before and after the battle of Gettysburg). Fortunately for Custer, he was always able to successfully disengage from those situations. But his luck ran out at the Little Big Horn.

 

[Lincoln56]

I've always thought it a pity that some fine young Virginian didn't kill that fool. I enjoyed the clip.

If so, he would've just been replaced by a like minded zealot and the end result would've probably been the same.

GAC was just an instrument of government policy.

Thought the video was interesting!

 

[MikeyB]

is this even close to how it happened? I didn't realize the last stand was mounted and in the open. I always thought they were in wooded terrain, fighting behind breastworks of their dead horses?

 

[ErnieMac]

The first movie I remember depicting the Battle of Little Big Horn showed the Indians riding around in a circle shooting at a dwindling group of cavalrymen. I suspect this clip is a good bit more accurate. It was interesting.

 

[jackt62]

is this even close to how it happened? I didn't realize the last stand was mounted and in the open. I always thought they were in wooded terrain, fighting behind breastworks of their dead horses?

Having visited Last Stand Hill at the battle site, it is very clear that the final assault took place in open terrain. I would doubt any claim that the 7th Cavalry fought behind breastworks of dead horses; of the final defensive stand, accounts speak of the troopers assembling in a chaotic manner at the hill, and fighting dismounted with their horses having let go.

 

[Rebforever]

I was there a couple of times and figured straight off there were too many Indians.

 

[bankerpapaw]

I agree with what a historian (I forget his name) once said. "At what point did Custer say, "Oh cheddar!!"

 

[TNBandit]

I always get a chuckle out of the nonsense that nobody really knows what happened because there were no survivors. There most certainly were. They were Indians though and the stories are out there handed down among their generations..

 

[bankerpapaw]

I agree with what a historian (I forget his name) once said. "At what point did Custer say, "Oh cheddar!!"

Thanks for changing the "word." I was afraid I'd get in trouble because of that.

 

[Rebforever]

There was one soldier that got away and was found 2 mile's away in a gully. He was found at a much latter date.

 

[NFB22]

is this even close to how it happened? I didn't realize the last stand was mounted and in the open. I always thought they were in wooded terrain, fighting behind breastworks of their dead horses?

The portion of fighting in which Custer was killed was on a hill over open ground. Other portions of the battle did take place in some wooded areas such as Reno's attack where there were wooded areas along the banks of the Little Bighorn.

 

[redbob]

Studies have shown that the Native Americans were better armed than the soldiers and used tactics to approach the soldiers that any professional soldier would have been proud of. Possibly the best book on the subject is Archaeology, History and Custer's Last Battle by Richard Allan Fox Jr.

 

[John Winn]

Studies have shown that the Native Americans were better armed than the soldiers and used tactics to approach the soldiers that any professional soldier would have been proud of.

Yep. There have been at least two archeological studies (that I know of) that have mapped out all the positions and analyzed the firearms used by the Indians (from retrieved bullets). Custer met his match.

 

[MikeyB]

Studies have shown that the Native Americans were better armed than the soldiers and used tactics to approach the soldiers that any professional soldier would have been proud of. Possibly the best book on the subject is Archaeology, History and Custer's Last Battle by Richard Allan Fox Jr.

That's interesting. Any specifics of what types of weapons? Or does "better" mean more powerful rifles versus carbines?

 

[John Winn]

That's interesting. Any specifics of what types of weapons? Or does "better" mean more powerful rifles versus carbines?

Lever-action rifles with large magazines and Colt revolvers (vs the single-shot rifles of the cavalry).

 

[Rebforever]

That's interesting. Any specifics of what types of weapons? Or does "better" mean more powerful rifles versus carbines?

The soldiers had the trapdoor rifle and the Indians had the Winchester yellow boy lever action repeater.

The soldiers had problems with their trapdoor rifles and the copper shells.

 

[Lincoln56]

is this even close to how it happened? I didn't realize the last stand was mounted and in the open. I always thought they were in wooded terrain, fighting behind breastworks of their dead horses?

Reno's charge / attack on the Native American villages was across open plain; they ended up falling back into the timber along the river. From there they made a retreat across the same open plain, went back across the river, and went up the bluffs to the area now known as Reno-Benteen Defense Site.

The statement regarding using horses as breastworks has been debated from June 25, 1876 to the present day with many advocates on each side of the debate.