custer's route to the little bighorn map
[178][188] Virtually every trooper in the 7th Cavalry fought with the single-shot, breech-loading Springfield carbine and the Colt revolver. Lawson speculates that though less powerful than the Springfield carbines, the Henry repeaters provided a barrage of fire at a critical point, driving Lieutenant James Calhoun's L Company from Calhoun Hill and Finley Ridge, forcing it to flee in disarray back to Captain Myles Keogh's I Company and leading to the disintegration of that wing of Custer's Battalion. Five companies (C, E, F, I, and L) remained under Custer's immediate command. Crow woman Pretty Shield told how they were "crying for Son-of-the-morning-star [Custer] and his blue soldiers". So, protected from moths and souvenir hunters by his humidity-controlled glass case, Comanche stands patiently, enduring generation after generation of undergraduate jokes. They were accompanied by teamsters and packers with 150 wagons and a large contingent of pack mules that reinforced Custer. Terrys plan was for Custer to attack the Lakota and Cheyenne from the south, forcing them toward a smaller force that he intended to deploy farther upstream on the Little Bighorn River. The village was 14 miles distant, to the West, in the valley of the Little Bighorn. In 1881, the current marble obelisk was erected in their honor. Find the travel option that best suits you. Minneconjou: Chief Hump, Black Moon, Red Horse, Makes Room, Looks Up, Sans Arc: Spotted Eagle, Red Bear, Long Road, Cloud Man, Lower Yanktonai: Thunder Bear, Medicine Cloud, Iron Bear, Long Tree, Arapahoes: Waterman, Sage, Left Hand, Yellow Eagle, Little Bird, In 1896, Anheuser-Busch commissioned from Otto Becker a lithographed, modified version of Cassilly Adams' painting, A fictionalized version of the battle is depicted in the 2006 video game. Instead, archaeologists suggest that in the end, Custer's troops were not surrounded but rather overwhelmed by a single charge. In the 1920s, battlefield investigators discovered hundreds of .45-70 shell cases along the ridge line known today as Nye-Cartwright Ridge, between South Medicine Tail Coulee and the next drainage at North Medicine Tail (also known as Deep Coulee). [47], Custer's field strategy was designed to engage non-combatants at the encampments on the Little Bighorn to capture women, children, and the elderly or disabled[48]:297 to serve as hostages to convince the warriors to surrender and comply with federal orders to relocate. [72]:136 In this account, Custer was allegedly killed by a Lakota called Big-nose. His rapid march en route to the Little Bighorn averaged nearly 30 miles (48km) a day, so his assessment appears to have been accurate. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custer's Last Stand, was an engagement between the combined forces of the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne tribes against the 7th Cavalry of the United States Army. ", Philbrick, 2010, p. 73: "The biggest problem with the [Gatling] gun was transporting it to where it might be of some use [in the week preceding the Battle of the Little Bighorn], the Gatling, not the mules, proved to be the biggest hindrance to the expedition. I am hoping that some day all of these damned fakirs will die and it will be safe for actual participants in the battle to admit and insist that they were there, without being branded and looked upon as a lot of damned liars. Lawson, 2007, pp. City: State: Go to Map! Jamming caused by black powder residue could lower that rate,[162][163] raising questions as to their reliability under combat conditions. Vol. United States. While such stories were gathered by Thomas Bailey Marquis in a book in the 1930s, it was not published until 1976 because of the unpopularity of such assertions. Brig. [75] Troopers had to dismount to help the wounded men back onto their horses. On Memorial Day 1999, in consultation with tribal representatives, the U.S. added two red granite markers to the battlefield to note where Native American warriors fell. According to Dr. Richard Fox in. It was not until over half a century later that historians took another look at the battle and Custer's decisions that led to his death and loss of half his command and found much to criticize. Some Lakota oral histories assert that Custer, having sustained a wound, committed suicide to avoid capture and subsequent torture. [134][note 9] She lived until 1933, hindering much serious research until most of the evidence was long gone. The cartridge cases were made of copper, which expands when hot. ", Gallear, 2001: "No bayonet or hand to hand weapon was issued apart from the saber, which under Custer's orders was left behind. Miles wrote in 1877, "The more I study the moves here [on the Little Big Horn], the more I have admiration for Custer. As the Battle of the Little Bighorn unfolded, Custer and the 7th Cavalry fell victim to a series of surprises, not the least of which was the number of warriors that they encountered. Its approach was seen by Indians at that end of the village. When he and his scouts first looked down on the village from the Crow's Nest across the Little Bighorn River, they could see only the herd of ponies. This formation reduced Reno's firepower by 25 percent. First, he went over the ground covered by the troops with the three Crow scouts White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, and Hairy Moccasin, and then again with Two Moons and a party of Cheyenne warriors. Custer's Last Stand: Little Big Horn - US Hwy 212, Crow Agency, Montana. "[88] One Hunkpapa Sioux warrior, Moving Robe, noted that "It was a hotly contested battle",[89] while another, Iron Hawk, stated: "The Indians pressed and crowded right in around Custer Hill. Libbie Custer, Custer's widow, soon worked to burnish her husband's memory, and during the following decades Custer and his troops came to be considered heroic figures in American history. (The gun would eventually upset and injure three men.)" Fort Worth: Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, 1969, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, C-SPAN Cities Tour Billings: Battle of the Little Bighorn, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Cultural depictions of George Armstrong Custer, List of battles won by Indigenous peoples of the Americas, "Characterization of Geographical Aspects of the Landscape and Environment in the Area of the Little Bighorn Battlefield, Montana", Washita Memories: Eyewitness Views of Custer's Attack on Black Kettle's Village (review), "A 7th Cavalry survivor's account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn", "Online version of Cullum's Register of Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1846 Samuel D. Sturgis", "The 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment Fought in Battle of the Little Bighorn", "The official record of a court of inquiry convened at Chicago, Illinois, January 13, 1879, by the President of the United States upon the request of Major Marcus A. Reno, 7th U.S. Cavalry, to investigate his conduct at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, June 2526, 1876", "George Armstrong Custer and The Battle of the Little of The Little Big Horn (A South African View)", "Confirmed by one of his surviving Arikara scouts, Little Sioux", "Little Sioux's Story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn", Martin J. Kidston, "Northern Cheyenne break vow of silence", "White Cow Bull's Story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn #1", "Indian War / Gen. Gibbons Letter Relating to Terrible Massacre", "Massacre of Our Troops / Five Companies Killed by Indians", "1876: The Eagle Screams. Custer's scouts warned him about the size of the village, with Mitch Bouyer reportedly saying, "General, I have been with these Indians for 30 years, and this is the largest village I have ever heard of. United States. Indian accounts describe warriors (including women) running up from the village to wave blankets in order to scare off the soldiers' horses. It may not be Gen. George Armstrong Custer, who died in 1876 along with his 267 soldiers at the hands of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians at the Little Bighorn in Montana. Gray. In 1967, Major Marcus Reno was re-interred in the cemetery with honors, including an eleven-gun salute. Miscellaneous. On June 22, Terry ordered the 7th Cavalry, composed of 31 officers and 566 enlisted men under Custer, to begin a reconnaissance in force and pursuit along the Rosebud, with the prerogative to "depart" from orders if Custer saw "sufficient reason". On Custer's decision to advance up the bluffs and descend on the village from the east, Lt. Edward Godfrey of Company K surmised: [Custer] expected to find the squaws and children fleeing to the bluffs on the north, for in no other way do I account for his wide detour. Free shipping for many products! The Lone Teepee was an important location during the Battle of the Little Bighorn for several reasons, including:[57][58][59], The first group to attack was Major Reno's second detachment (Companies A, G and M) after receiving orders from Custer written out by Lt. William W. Cooke, as Custer's Crow scouts reported Sioux tribe members were alerting the village. General Custer at the battle of the Little Big Horn, June 25, 1876. The Battle of the Little Bighorn is significant because it proved to be the height of Native American power during the 19th century. Capt. Some historians have suggested that what Weir witnessed was a fight on what is now called Calhoun Hill, some minutes earlier. The open circle of the structure is symbolic, as for many tribes, the circle is sacred. In defiance of the governments threats, bands of Lakota and Northern Cheyenne Indians (along with a smaller number of Arapaho) who had refused to be confined by reservation boundaries came together under the leadership of Sitting Bull, a charismatic Lakota who called for resistance to U.S. expansion. And p. 114: Custer told his officer staff days before the battle that he "opted against the Gatling gunsso as not to 'hamper our movements'", Sklenar, 2000, p. 92: Custer "on the evening of 22 June[informed his officer staff]why he had not accepted the offersof Gatling guns (he thought they might hamper his movements at a critical moment). Many of the survivors' accounts use the Lone Teepee as a point of reference for event times or distances. By dividing his forces, Custer could have caused the defeat of the entire column, had it not been for Benteen's and Reno's linking up to make a desperate yet successful stand on the bluff above the southern end of the camp.[129]. [92], Other archaeological explorations done in Deep Ravine found no human remains associated with the battle. As a result of the defeat in June 1876, Congress responded by attaching what the Sioux call the "sell or starve" rider (19Stat. There were about 50 known deaths among Sitting Bulls followers. The intent may have been to relieve pressure on Reno's detachment (according to the Crow scout Curley, possibly viewed by both Mitch Bouyer and Custer) by withdrawing the skirmish line into the timber near the Little Bighorn River. It was in fact a correct estimate until several weeks before the battle when the "reservation Indians" joined Sitting Bull's ranks for the summer buffalo hunt. Custer respectfully declined both offers, state that the Gatlings would impede his march. [67]:282. The troops found most of Custer's dead men stripped of their clothing, ritually mutilated, and in a state of decomposition, making identification of many impossible. [64] He then said, "All those who wish to make their escape follow me. ", Donovan, 2008, p. 191: "[Each] trooper carried 100 rounds of carbine ammunition and 24 pistol cartridges with himas many as 50 on a belt or in a pouch, and the remainder in his saddlebag (the pack train mules carried 26,000 more carbine rounds [approximately 50 extra per trooper]).". "[106]:194, The scattered Sioux and Cheyenne feasted and celebrated during July with no threat from soldiers. [109] With the defeat of Custer, it was still a real threat that the Lakotas would take over the eastern part of the Crow reservation and keep up the invasion. This battle and the skirmish at Sully's Water Hole, the the only battles known to have occurred in the area of the Auto Tour. He had died a couple of days after the Rosebud battle, and it was the custom of the Indians to move camp when a warrior died and leave the body with its possessions. Finding a good campsite was no easy task. My two younger brothers and I rode in a pony-drag, and my mother put some young pups in with us. Beginning in the early 1970s, there was concern within the National Park Service over the name Custer Battlefield National Monument failing to adequately reflect the larger history of the battle between two cultures. Gallear, 2001: "In 1872 the Army tested a number of foreign and domestic single-shot breechloaders". The other entrenched companies eventually left Reno Hill and followed Weir by assigned battalionsfirst Benteen, then Reno, and finally the pack train. [92]:314 Fighting dismounted, the soldiers' skirmish lines were overwhelmed. [118] Indian accounts also noted the bravery of soldiers who fought to the death. [65] Behind them he saw through the dust and smoke hills that were oddly red in color; he later learned that this was a massive assemblage of Indian ponies. [14]:82 Historian Douglas Scott theorized that the "Deep Gulch" or "Deep Ravine" might have included not only the steep-sided portion of the coulee, but the entire drainage including its tributaries, in which case the bodies of Bouyer and others were found where eyewitnesses had said they were seen. In Custer's book My Life on the Plains, published two years before the Battle of the Little Bighorn, he asserted: Indians contemplating a battle, either offensive or defensive, are always anxious to have their women and children removed from all danger For this reason I decided to locate our [military] camp as close as convenient to [Chief Black Kettle's Cheyenne] village, knowing that the close proximity of their women and children, and their necessary exposure in case of conflict, would operate as a powerful argument in favor of peace, when the question of peace or war came to be discussed.[52]. Vegetation varies widely from one area to the next. According to some accounts, a small contingent of Indian sharpshooters effectively opposed this crossing. Several contemporary accounts note that Korn's horse bolted in the early stages of the battle, whilst he was serving with Custer's 'I' company, and that he ended up joining Reno's companies making their stand on Reno Hill.[227]. These weapons were vastly more reliable than the muzzle-loading weapons of the Civil War, which would frequently misfire and cause the soldier to uselessly load multiple rounds on top of each other in the heat of battle.". pistol. Frederick W. Benteen to the south to cut off the flight of any Indians in that direction, and took five companies under his personal command to attack the village from the north. Photo by Stanley J. Morrow, spring 1877, Looking in the direction of the Indian village and the deep ravine. Connell, 1984, p. 101: "How many Gatling guns lurched across the prairie is uncertain. From the south and Fort Fetterman in Wyoming Territory came a column under the command of Gen. George Cook. 2KN 20KN. 8000 people, and stretched over two miles end-to-end. In a subsequent official 1879 Army investigation requested by Major Reno, the Reno Board of Inquiry (RCOI), Benteen and Reno's men testified that they heard distinct rifle volleys as late as 4:30pm during the battle. Trooper Billy Jackson reported that by then, the Indians had begun massing in the open area shielded by a small hill to the left of Reno's line and to the right of the Indian village. [63] Here the Native Americans pinned Reno and his men down and tried to set fire to the brush to try to drive the soldiers out of their position. To this day, their names remain in silent testimony to their passing. It was the beginning of the end of the "Indian Wars" and has even been referred to as "the Indians' last stand"[104] in the area. Other Indian leaders displayed equal courage and tactical skill. As of December 2006, a total of ten warrior markers have been added (three at the RenoBenteen Defense Site and seven on the Little Bighorn Battlefield). Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Custer's Last Stand The Battle Of The Little Bighorn 1876 Battlelines Unpunched at the best online prices at eBay! Under . NOTE: Do not walk beyond the parking area due to the possible presence of hydrogen sulfide gas from a nearby oil production facility. 2 (Sept. 1978), p. 342. If they dida thing I firmly believethey were tortured and killed the night of the 25th. This forced a hasty withdrawal into the timber along the bend in the river. They were reportedly stunned by the news. The Indians had left a single teepee standing (some reports mention a second that had been partially dismantled), and in it was the body of a Sans Arc warrior, Old She-Bear, who had been wounded in the battle. In 1876, Custer scanned the horizon in search of Square Butte and other landmarks that would identify the route he followed with Stanley and the 1873 survey expedition. Within days, Crazy Horse surrendered at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Who fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn? P.S. Calloway, Colin G.: "The Inter-tribal Balance of Power on the Great Plains, 17601850". The remainder of the battle took on the nature of a running fight. The improbability of getting that message to the hunters, coupled with its rejection by many of the Plains Indians, made confrontation inevitable. "[28] At the same time US military officials were conducting a summer campaign to force the Lakota and the Cheyenne back to their reservations, using infantry and cavalry in a so-called "three-pronged approach". 25K views 3 years ago North out of the Crow's Nest valley and then west across Davis Creek over to Reno Creek. These assumptions were based on inaccurate information provided by the Indian Agents that no more than 800 "hostiles" were in the area. He described the death of a Sioux sharpshooter killed after being seen too often by the enemy. [228], The only documented and verified survivor of Custer's command (having been actually involved in Custer's part of the battle) was Captain Keogh's horse, Comanche. Reconstructions of their actions have been formulated using both the accounts of Native American eyewitnesses and sophisticated analysis of archaeological evidence (cartridge cases, bullets, arrowheads, gun fragments, buttons, human bones, etc. ", Lawson, 2007 p. 50: "Custerrefused Major James Brisbin's offer to include his Second Cavalry Regiment [200 troopers], told Terry "the 7th can handle anything it meets. Exact. For a session, the Democratic Party-controlled House of Representatives abandoned its campaign to reduce the size of the Army. [181][182], Except for a number of officers and scouts who opted for personally owned and more expensive rifles and handguns, the 7th Cavalry was uniformly armed. Ownership of the Black Hills, which had been a focal point of the 1876 conflict, was determined by an ultimatum issued by the Manypenny Commission, according to which the Sioux were required to cede the land to the United States if they wanted the government to continue supplying rations to the reservations. Custer was on the verge of abolishing the wings led by Reno and Benteen, and the inclusion of Brisbin would have complicated the arrangement he had in mind. [229] Writer Evan S. Connell noted in Son of the Morning Star:[230]. Later accounts from surviving Indians are useful but are sometimes conflicting and unclear. [note 8], The widowed Elizabeth Bacon Custer, who never remarried, wrote three popular books in which she fiercely protected her husband's reputation. Graham, 146. The ratio of troops detached for other duty (approximately 22%) was not unusual for an expedition of this size,[35] and part of the officer shortage was chronic, due to the Army's rigid seniority system: three of the regiment's 12 captains were permanently detached, and two had never served a day with the 7th since their appointment in July 1866. NPS Photo You can follow the park's cell phone audio tour along the tour road. The Custer Trail - Fort Abraham Lincoln to the Little Bighorn Battlefield Dodger's Trips 414 subscribers Subscribe 113 12K views 2 years ago A fur traders rendezvous was in progress as. [77]:44 Based on all the information he gathered, Curtis concluded that Custer had indeed ridden down the Medicine Tail Coulee and then towards the river where he probably planned to ford it. On May 17 Brig. By the morning of June 25, Custers scouts had discovered the location of Sitting Bulls village. When the scouts began changing back into their native dress right before the battle, Custer released them from his command. Lt Edward Godfrey reported finding a dead 7th Cavalry horse (shot in the head), a grain sack, and a carbine at the mouth of the Rosebud River. As this was the likely location of Native encampments, all army elements had been instructed to converge there around June 26 or 27 in an attempt to engulf the Native Americans. They were later joined there by the steamboat Far West, which was loaded with 200 tons of supplies from Fort Abraham Lincoln. Fox, James Donovan, and others, Custer proceeded with a wing of his battalion (Yates' E and F companies) north and opposite the Cheyenne circle at that crossing,[48]:17677 which provided "access to the [women and children] fugitives. [64] Later, Reno reported that three officers and 29 troopers had been killed during the retreat and subsequent fording of the river. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. [66], Despite hearing heavy gunfire from the north, including distinct volleys at 4:20pm, Benteen concentrated on reinforcing Reno's badly wounded and hard-pressed detachment rather than continuing on toward Custer's position. The tepees in that area were occupied by the Hunkpapa Sioux. There were about 50 known deaths among Sitting Bulls followers. As individual troopers were wounded or killed, initial defensive positions would have been abandoned as untenable. [159][160][161], Historians have acknowledged the firepower inherent in the Gatling gun: they were capable of firing 350 .45-70 (11mm) caliber rounds per minute. Custer had been offered the use of Gatling guns but declined, believing they would slow his rate of march. The rapid fire power was intimidating, especially to inexperienced soldiers. ", Donovan, 2008, p. 175: "Reno had taken one [Gatling gun] along [on his June reconnaissance], and it had been nothing but trouble." Hatch, 1997, p. 124: "This defect was noted by the board of officers (which included Major Reno) that selected the weapon in 1872, but was not considered particularly serious at the time. Gallear, 2001: "The Army saw breech-loading rifles and carbines as the way forward. 8081: "The Gatlings had major drawbacks, such as frequent jamming due to residue from black powder", Philbrick, 2010, p. 73: "Military traditionalists like to claim the gun was unreliable, but in actuality the Gatling functioned surprisingly well. ", Gallear, 2001: "The established wisdom is that the U.S. Army did not adopt lever-action multiple shot weapons during the Civil War because of the problems they would create regarding the supply of ammunition. [18], In the latter half of the 19th century, tensions increased between the Native inhabitants of the Great Plains of the US and encroaching settlers. Former U.S. Army Crow Scouts visiting the Little Bighorn battlefield, circa 1913, Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer , commanding, Second Lieutenant Charles Varnum (wounded), Chief of Scouts, Estimates of Native American casualties have differed widely, from as few as 36 dead (from Native American listings of the dead by name) to as many as 300. When he died, he was stuffed and to this day remains in a glass case at the University of Kansas. Why did the Battle of the Little Bighorn happen? [53]:380, Cheyenne oral tradition credits Buffalo Calf Road Woman with striking the blow that knocked Custer off his horse before he died.[73]. The Sioux refused the money subsequently offered and continue to insist on their right to occupy the land. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to Lakota as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.The battle, which occurred June 25-26, 1876, near the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana . with portrait and map. ", Gallear, 2001: "by the time of the Little Bighorn the U.S. Army was standardizing on the Springfield rifle and carbine [and] saw breech-loading rifles and carbines as the way forward. Atop the bluffs, known today as Reno Hill, Reno's depleted and shaken troops were joined about a half-hour later by Captain Benteen's column[65] (Companies D, H and K), arriving from the south. et sortie analogique; Dynamomtre digital FL-M capteur exter. The regimental commander, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis, was on detached duty as the Superintendent of Mounted Recruiting Service and commander of the Cavalry Depot in St. Louis, Missouri,[34] which left Lieutenant Colonel Custer in command of the regiment. Travel in such rugged country with hundreds of troops on foot and on horseback, wagons filled with weapons, ammunition and supplies and herds of livestock was a logistical nightmare. I've read 6 or 7 other books on the subject, but have learned new information that I'd never read before. [37], Custer contemplated a surprise attack against the encampment the following morning of June 26, but he then received a report informing him several hostiles had discovered the trail left by his troops. The cavalry trooper would then have used his saber. [30], The 7th Cavalry had been created just after the American Civil War. As an evidence of this I recall the three charred and burned heads we picked up in the village near the scene of the big war dance, when we visited the village with Capt. The 1864 Battle of the Badlands, a running battle between Sully's troops and the Sioux took place at Square Butte. Six other troopers had died of drowning and 51 in cholera epidemics. ext. When some stray Indian warriors sighted a few 7th Cavalrymen, Custer assumed that they would rush to warn their village, causing the residents to scatter. Comanche alone survived. In 1946, it was re-designated as the Custer Battlefield National Monument, reflecting its association with Custer. They could fire a much more powerful round at longer ranges than lever-actions.". On the morning of June 25, Custer divided his 12 companies into three battalions in anticipation of the forthcoming engagement. Map of Battle of Little Bighorn, Part IV. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, [1] and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custer's Last Stand, (June 25, 1876), battle at the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory, U.S., between federal troops led by Lieut. The cheapest way to get from Custer State Park to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument costs only $67, and the quickest way takes just 5 hours. The Journal of American History. [164][165] Researchers have further questioned the effectiveness of the guns under the tactics that Custer was likely to face with the Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. Attractions Fit + Nearby Attractions. [71] As the scenario seemed compatible with Custer's aggressive style of warfare and with evidence found on the ground, it became the basis of many popular accounts of the battle. [166], Historian Robert M. Utley, in a section entitled "Would Gatling Guns Have Saved Custer?" Other historians have noted that if Custer did attempt to cross the river near Medicine Tail Coulee, he may have believed it was the north end of the Indian camp, only to discover that it was the middle. [2], Most battles in the Great Sioux War, including the Battle of the Little Bighorn (14 on the map to the right), "were on lands those Indians had taken from other tribes since 1851". Thus, Custer unknowingly faced thousands of Indians, including the 800 non-reservation "hostiles". Although the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), in effect, had guaranteed to the Lakota and Dakota (Yankton) Sioux as well as the Arapaho Indians exclusive possession of the Dakota territory west of the Missouri River, white miners in search of gold were settling in lands sacred especially to the Lakota. . Map of Battle of Little Bighorn, Part VI. 16263: Reno's wing "lefton June 10accompanied by a Gatling gun and its crew", Donovan, 2008, p. 163: "The [Gatling gun] and its ammunitionwas mostly pulled by two 'condemned' cavalry mounts [p. 176: "drawn by four condemned horses"] judged not fit to carry troopers, but it needed the occasional hauling by hand through some of the rougher ravines. [204][205], Gallear addresses the post-battle testimony concerning the copper .45-55 cartridges supplied to the troops in which an officer is said to have cleared the chambers of spent cartridges for a number of Springfield carbines.
custer's route to the little bighorn mapRecent Comments