mac
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,790
|
Post by mac on Nov 19, 2015 21:05:16 GMT
You're all good with me Ian. The gap is north of Keogh. I have a photo and will try to do something with it. First educate myself again . Cheers
|
|
|
Post by yanmacca on Nov 20, 2015 13:40:46 GMT
Look forward to it Mac (oh we beat the Kiwis for you in a rugby league three match series)
Yan.
|
|
|
Post by Beth on Nov 20, 2015 22:14:13 GMT
I would love to see the pictures of your trip to LBH.
|
|
mac
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,790
|
Post by mac on Nov 21, 2015 20:59:27 GMT
One thing I found Beth is that my photos (I am no photographer) just look like all the others. It is one of those places that is not really "phographable", like many national parks. One thing is that the most important part is what you cannot see and I could find no satisfactory way to display that. I will try to post the gap photo but be patient. Cheers
|
|
|
Post by quincannon on Nov 21, 2015 22:59:56 GMT
Mac: Your post reminds me of a phrase often heard from the Madam, on the rare occasions we visit a battlefield together - "I can't see what your getting all excited about. One damn cannon looks just like all the others" ----- One damned patch of prairie looks like all the rest.
|
|
dave
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,679
|
Post by dave on Nov 22, 2015 1:56:48 GMT
QC I had not realized we had married sisters! Sue made the same comments when we visited the LBH in '04. Regards Dave
|
|
|
Post by quincannon on Nov 22, 2015 2:10:52 GMT
My first mistake of that type was at Vicksburg.
|
|
|
Post by Beth on Nov 22, 2015 3:00:44 GMT
(my)Steve pretty much makes the same comments. He's okay on small battlefields but after one or two markers on a large one he's pretty much over it. He's kind of like my dad. We went to New Salem IL, he took one look at one cabin and declared they were pretty much all alike so there was no need to see more and wanted to get on the road again. Only time I ever heard my mother basically tell my father to stuff it, she planned to visit every part of the place. It was the end of a planned week vacation that we took in 3 days because my dad always wanted to get back on the road and ahead of traffic. The family photos are hysterical--just angry kids glaring at the father as we arrived at yet another place either before hours, after hours or it was deemed a waste of time to see much more.
|
|
|
Post by yanmacca on Nov 22, 2015 13:46:11 GMT
The LBH battlefield has far more interesting places to see then you average battlefield, it’s like trying to unravel a mystery story with many twists and turns, it also has many prominent features that take you on a journey from one end to the other, the landmark names too have their own special appeal. Many battlefields are just that “a field” and many battles were fought by two opposing forces lining up against each other letting rip, true you may have ridge line or a river plus a village or two and a bridge, but on the whole we have field and that’s it. Let’s face it you can read a pamphlet on most battles and scan the area and the game is finished, the same however cannot be said of the BLBH, here we have three engagements and even sideshows like Benteen’s scout and the pack train, and what is most appealing we don’t know what actually happened during the last hour of Custer’s life. And why am I writing this? Because I am after a job as a park ranger
|
|
|
Post by quincannon on Nov 22, 2015 15:44:54 GMT
Most battlefields here are fairly well marked and involve a few days of fighting, and fighting that was divided into well defined phases. There is at least one that two different battles at two different times were fought over the same land, allowing the visitor to gauge how far the individual armies had progressed over a period of thirteen months.
There are more still that are not as well marked, but still largely in their same state, that actually give you more of a feel for the battle and more importantly the terrain it was fought on. I thus recommend Cedar Mountain.
Then there are those that are just there. I think LBH is one of those. It's a place that only requires one visit for most. Most visitors come away with a - ho hum, glad we did it let's move on. The story it tells is simple - They came. They screwed up. Many died because of the screw up.
I guess what I am saying is this. Between Gettysburg, Antietam, and Manassas I have probably more than 100 visits. Each time I visit one of those three, and there are others as well, there is something new to discover, some phase of battle that requires a more in depth study. I don't get that same feeling with LBH.
To a person whose interest lies only in the tactics employed, and does not extend down to the level of needing to determine the color of Dandy or Vic's poop on the morning of battle, there is no real mystery. The whole thing can be ground down to just one word - overreach.
|
|
|
Post by Beth on Nov 22, 2015 17:31:27 GMT
I find that LBH is a battlefield I would enjoy visiting several times. I know that my knowledge of the battle itself has increased so much more from my last visit that I would understand what I am seeing more. I also just love the land itself and would love to see it in a variety of seasons and conditions. I guess it's how some people love deserts and other the woods. I love wide open plains.
|
|
|
Post by yanmacca on Nov 22, 2015 18:52:48 GMT
There aren’t that many battlefields besides the LBH that I would like to visit, I don’t know if you would count the Alamo as a battlefield as such but I would like to visit the place, others that spring to mind are Rorke’s Drift, El Alamein and Waterloo.
But my main passion is Castles, I enjoy walking around them and just feeling the history of the place, as you know we have one about fifteen to twenty minutes’ drive away, Wales is full of them and Scotland too, Chester is only half an hour away and also has a Castle, the old city is ringed by a curtain wall which were started as far back as the Romans.
The last two Castles I visited were Kendal (Northern England) and Dunollie (West Coast of Scotland), what does upset me is the way they destroyed them and that was all down to Cromwell.
Beth I enjoy coast lines and one thing about England is that you are never that far from the coast, we can get to a few beach fairly easily (within 30 mins) but the sea would be mighty cold, especially this time of year.
Yan.
|
|
dave
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,679
|
Post by dave on Nov 22, 2015 18:56:46 GMT
Part of the allure of the Little Big Horn battlefield for me is the stark change of landscape. I live in the hills of North Mississippi amid fields and timber. The battle fields of Shiloh, Pea Ridge and Wilson's Creek are all similar in nature with fields and forest areas.
Southeastern Montana is foreign to me. Vast open prairies with little tree cover and vast herds of antelope. The arid landscape with few streams or ponds appears to me to be hard country. The openness of the battlefield allows one to see just about everywhere of importance from one spot. The placement of the tombstones across the park is unique and stirring.
The terrain is the most striking aspect to me since it is such rough country for horse and man. Dry dusty open countryside with little access to water makes for very poor defensive positions. I don't need the expertise that many of our posters possess to tell me this is crummy place to fight since there are so many places the enemy could mass unseen. Regards Dave
|
|
|
Post by Beth on Nov 22, 2015 19:00:54 GMT
Not just mass, but move unseen.
|
|
|
Post by quincannon on Nov 23, 2015 16:51:39 GMT
Not so sure I agree with this.
There are plenty of places that provide for assembly areas and attack positions for the Indians that are both covered and concealed. No issue there at all.
There are several avenues of approach to the Calhoun Hill (the entire Keogh area) that are also covered and concealed, facilitating dismounted infiltration. Again no issue.
Looking at the battle though, it was the Indians that were seen, mostly the mounted, who attracted the attention of each of those companies initially, freezing them in place (not fixing) that allowed the infiltrators the time to get into place, and all (both mounted and dismounted) mass in time and space at the point(s) of contact. This I important I think because the mounted alone could not completely force the issue.
|
|