Forwards and get the hell out of here

[azranger]

Jan 28, 2017 12:55:23 GMT yanmacca said:

Hi everyone, and I hope you are all looking forward to your weekend.

Now Beth has come up with a great idea to try and simulate the movement of the Custer column after it left the LNC ridge complex, now this will hopefully be visualized in a way which shows the column moving to ford D, then withdrawing to cemetery ridge and battle ridge extensions before breaking into individual companies in a hope to get back to LNC.

Now Beth is getting one of her daughters on board, because if the truth be known, this is an area that I know little about .

Right to get the ball rolling I am going to show you some maps, now these will try and picture the route taken by the column as it approached the eastern side of battle ridge and its route to find the fords up north, the second map will show what positions they took in the time between withdrawing from the ford to before they tried to get back to LNC, and the third will try and show the order they rode to reach LNC, finally the fourth will visualize the positions they ended on before being destroyed, so here goes with map one, the approach;

From about the middle of the map to the east is not Custer's approach in my opinion. He would not be that close to highway 212 at the beginning of the approach. All three movements toward MTC have approximately the same starting place + or - which is Cedar Coulee. From there it you almost go straight across and climb out.

If look at a current SAT view you can see a manmade dirt tank holding water.  Follow right across that dam and up the other side to get a general direction for the approach. You will see it comes close to the current road travel corridor. I don't think that is any better corridor for moving large numbers of horses in formation.

I would guess that when the moved N to S they close to same route they took going S to N. So the travel corridor should be through and adjacent the current markers.

Regards

Steve 

[azranger]

Jan 28, 2017 16:46:28 GMT yanmacca said:

Thank you Chuck, now these things will take time, probably because I have to find the places you refer too, but here we go, the advance map amended;

Again on this map you can see a triangle formed by the park road. It allows a bypass for vehicles. I think the red line should extend south along the drainage of the road rather than heading east toward 212.

Of the split red lines on the approach the bottom one is right on with the Kellogg marker. You can see the old road and with the old channel added it makes sense from the accounts.

I am not as sure of the upper red line which could be also along the cemetery ridge but that is just me. We should account for Benteen's map with his trail across the Cemetery area. Either coming or going from the Ford D area.

I think if we can accommodate  that all companies did not make it to the Ford D when the movement back  it would fit right into Fred's model.

Regards

Steve

[yanmacca]

God, I wish I was stood next to you guys with a map in hand, because finding some of the things you suggest is hard.

Steve there is a couple of triangular shaped roads around that point, please see below;

[azranger]

I put a black circle around it. I think Custer approached from the south from NC rather than from the east along 212

Regards

Steve

[azranger]

Here is a map with additions from Donahue

[azranger]

The big difference is that Donahue added his general impressions and we are putting the rubber on the road with placing the routes on the terrain.

Good job Ian

Steve

[yanmacca]

Steve, I have tried to emulate the Donahue map and have taken the column further down MTC and left onto the high ground, hopefully this will take us from the south and down through deep coulee and up behind battle ridge;

[yanmacca]

I think we need to work out a sequence in which to find the number of maps that we need so if we say;

The route from Ney-Cartwright ridge to any separation near the monument
The move by the two columns to the ford D area
The withdrawal to battle ridge extension
The separation in which E and F move to cemetery ridge
The move back by L, C and I
The final positions of E and F
The furthest position south reached by L, C and I
The line of retreat by C and L
The final positions of L, C and I

That's nine maps in total, so has anyone got any ideas for any more or is that enough.
It would be nice to round it off at ten.

[Beth]

Ian does this help?   I can understand why you might not be familiar with US highway symbols.  If you follow the old road you will see a track or dirt road that heads towards the housing for Park Rangers near the cemetery.   

Attachments:

[yanmacca]

Yes Beth it does, the old park road especially.
Thanks.

[yanmacca]

I was rapping with Beth via PM and suggested to her about editing out the new stuff on a master map.
I have had a go and I know I have made a pigs ear of it as it was a rush job, but it will give you a view of the area without new roads and buildings and of course place names and the old course of the river.
It takes a lot of time and patience as every section needs its own colour.
So what do you think should me block out these features or don't you mind if they are left it;

[Beth]

Dang that makes a big difference! We might need one map with the roads for modern reference but beyond that I like it without at least the Interstate.

[yanmacca]

Yes Beth, the two major highways just get in the way, but getting the right colour so that it merges will the landscape is really slow work, I really only thought of because you can tell it is a google map and I wanted us to have something more original for our slide show.

[Beth]

At least they only need to be removed once. I find it disorienting without the highways or the cemetery.

[yanmacca]

Not happy with the results but I have left in the a few landmarks and minor roads;