Post by azranger on Aug 21, 2020 13:49:11 GMT
I was asked by Steve Alexander to join the group. I told him as a Marine I could not do something that I was always going to lose. I was only half kidding. My belief is that whatever Custer and the 5 companies did the results are always the same. As Billy would say Custer is still dead.
So looking at this it is a given the results suck for Custer. So looking at where they went how they would have done it doesn't change the results. I think Chuck mentioned it before and it's why I started to go north in 2009. How did it happen.
The how it happened is what the Indians did or did not do.
My basic issue with what Custer did is that it didn't work, So whatever we know from experts on US cavalry movements it doesn't change the results. So after years of looking and reading on the boards there is clearly a group of persons who blame Reno and Benteen. We had the famous Benteen Dawdling thread that went hundreds of pages. So my first year up there with ICE (Gordie named it the independent company of explorers) we rode the Benteen Scout to Left using all known accounts which were conveniently collected in Roger Darling Benteen's Scout to the Left. Others had done it before but to my knowledge I was the first to take GPS unit and record from horseback. We found what Benteen's describes including two defiles. So from my analysis of the terrain and the data collected I formed an opinion that Benteen did not dawdle. The flat line distance on a map is 7 miles but the GPS has it over 10 miles for the horse mounted GPS. The difference is that you can't always ride a straight line. (That is my point about Godfrey's arch)
So in my first year I took only one small piece of something that I could analyze and concluded that Benteen did what he said and did not dawdle. Others can form their own opinion and if they have substantial facts then I am more than willing to change mine.
So what I am looking for is the extent of the battle ground and what the Indians did to win. I don't need to know the exact commands and positions but it helps to have what military persons think about 5 companies of cavalry and their movement before being destroyed.
Each year I pick one thing to look at to help me form my opinion. This year I spent 3 hours on BRE between the current paved entrance road and the old entrance road.
I am interested in the decision making that resulted in such a terrible defeat. To do that I need to learn from the winners on what they did and where. In reality I am not sure I want it to end since I enjoy my time there with friends.
I believe I accomplished some of what I set out to do through my discussions with William. Some of things he taught me were put into our Law Enforcement Procedures Manual.
Regards
Steve
So looking at this it is a given the results suck for Custer. So looking at where they went how they would have done it doesn't change the results. I think Chuck mentioned it before and it's why I started to go north in 2009. How did it happen.
The how it happened is what the Indians did or did not do.
My basic issue with what Custer did is that it didn't work, So whatever we know from experts on US cavalry movements it doesn't change the results. So after years of looking and reading on the boards there is clearly a group of persons who blame Reno and Benteen. We had the famous Benteen Dawdling thread that went hundreds of pages. So my first year up there with ICE (Gordie named it the independent company of explorers) we rode the Benteen Scout to Left using all known accounts which were conveniently collected in Roger Darling Benteen's Scout to the Left. Others had done it before but to my knowledge I was the first to take GPS unit and record from horseback. We found what Benteen's describes including two defiles. So from my analysis of the terrain and the data collected I formed an opinion that Benteen did not dawdle. The flat line distance on a map is 7 miles but the GPS has it over 10 miles for the horse mounted GPS. The difference is that you can't always ride a straight line. (That is my point about Godfrey's arch)
So in my first year I took only one small piece of something that I could analyze and concluded that Benteen did what he said and did not dawdle. Others can form their own opinion and if they have substantial facts then I am more than willing to change mine.
So what I am looking for is the extent of the battle ground and what the Indians did to win. I don't need to know the exact commands and positions but it helps to have what military persons think about 5 companies of cavalry and their movement before being destroyed.
Each year I pick one thing to look at to help me form my opinion. This year I spent 3 hours on BRE between the current paved entrance road and the old entrance road.
I am interested in the decision making that resulted in such a terrible defeat. To do that I need to learn from the winners on what they did and where. In reality I am not sure I want it to end since I enjoy my time there with friends.
I believe I accomplished some of what I set out to do through my discussions with William. Some of things he taught me were put into our Law Enforcement Procedures Manual.
Regards
Steve