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Post by royalwelsh on Jul 19, 2015 22:43:04 GMT
The US 7th Cavalry, led by Lt Col George Armstrong Custer, suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on 25/26 June 1876. The regiment was part of General Alfred Terry's Department of Dakota within General Philip Sheridan's Division of the Missouri. What mistakes, if any, could be alleged to have been made at the Departmental level from the campaign opening to the defeat of the 7th Cavalry on 25/26 June 1876...? |
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Post by Beth on Jul 19, 2015 23:20:37 GMT
The US 7th Cavalry, led by Lt Col George Armstrong Custer, suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on 25/26 June 1876. The regiment was part of General Alfred Terry's Department of Dakota within General Philip Sheridan's Division of the Missouri. What mistakes, if any, could be alleged to have been made at the Departmental level from the campaign opening to the defeat of the 7th Cavalry on 25/26 June 1876...? Interesting question. I am not exactly sure what comes under Departmental. Where there other Cavalry regiments that were idle at the time of the campaign? Could or should Sheridan have lead 4th column out? |
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Post by royalwelsh on Jul 19, 2015 23:37:14 GMT
Beth,
Basically pre-battle operational mistakes made by either Crook (Platte Dept of Army's Missouri Division) or by Terry (Dakota Dept of Army's Missouri Division).
RW
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dave
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,679 
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Post by dave on Jul 20, 2015 0:24:02 GMT
Would the lack of coordination and/or cooperation have been factors? I have always been confused that the US made separate and uncoordinated attacks ie Crook at Rosebud and GAC at LBH. Not to mention Reynold's botched campaign.
Sheridan, Crook and Grant met and discussed the so called "indian problem" and needed an excuse to campaign against the indians so they ordered the tribes to back on reservations by January 31, 1876. The government knew this would be impossible since the harsh winters in the great plains would impair any travel by the indians.
So the US got the war they wanted but were not prepared or coordinated for.
Regards
Dave
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Post by Beth on Jul 20, 2015 0:55:04 GMT
Beth, Basically pre-battle operational mistakes made by either Crook (Platte Dept of Army's Missouri Division) or by Terry (Dakota Dept of Army's Missouri Division). RW So the fact they didn't have enough horses to mount the 7th would be an operational mistake? But did it belong to Terry or Washington? Also that Terry and Crook didn't set up a clear way to message each other would be a mistake--perhaps dispatches sent every couple of days. It's often pointed out that Crook didn't contact Terry after Rosebud, but did Terry try to find out why? If they had expected a routine dispatch, Terry might have wondered if Crook had come up against each other. I do recognize that it would have been a monumental task to stay in touch though since Crook would not have known that he could have sent a dispatch rider along the Rosebud Creek. |
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Post by royalwelsh on Jul 20, 2015 1:08:21 GMT
Beth,
Shortage of mounts for the 7th was an operational level mistake. Logistics/supplies.
Where that mistake belonged might be a thread in itself. Regimental? Department? Division? Higher?
Ironically wasn't the 7th's Colonel, Sturgiss, heavily involved in this army task on detached duty?
RW
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Post by Beth on Jul 20, 2015 1:15:23 GMT
Beth, Shortage of mounts for the 7th was an operational level mistake. Logistics/supplies. Where that belonged might be a thread in itself. Regimental? Department? Division? Higher? Ironically wasn't the 7th's Colonel, Sturgiss, heavily involved in this army task on detached duty? RW I don't know but it is something to look into. Dave a side note, I read recently that the place the College World Series Tournament is held in Omaha used to be where the government would pen Cavalry horses before they were sent on to individual regiments. |
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Post by royalwelsh on Jul 20, 2015 1:37:31 GMT
Beth,
It's an interesting point.
Did the 7th timely fail to make its equine requirements clear?
Was there a blunder or restriction at Department or Divisional level?
Did it go higher up?
RW
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Post by Beth on Jul 20, 2015 1:46:03 GMT
The other thing to consider about horses is you can't just call into a factory and order more. Could it be that the Army was short of horses, just because there were no horses to be had?
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Post by royalwelsh on Jul 20, 2015 2:12:56 GMT
Beth,
There were certainly too many of the 7th's cavalrymen left behind at the Powder River depot.
RW
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Post by yanmacca on Jul 20, 2015 13:14:54 GMT
Justin, the US army could have with a version of the RASC, that would prevent the draining off of soldiers from their companies to do mundane tasks.
Yan.
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Post by royalwelsh on Jul 21, 2015 19:42:41 GMT
Justin, the US army could have with a version of the RASC, that would prevent the draining off of soldiers from their companies to do mundane tasks. Yan. Yan,
Or just copy Gen Crook and have enough civilians to "man", as opposed to "guard", the pack train.
Logistically, just think of the number of troopers left at the Powder River depot or detailed to Lt Mathey...?
RW
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Post by Beth on Jul 21, 2015 21:07:12 GMT
Justin, the US army could have with a version of the RASC, that would prevent the draining off of soldiers from their companies to do mundane tasks. Yan. RASC? |
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Post by royalwelsh on Jul 21, 2015 21:15:46 GMT
Beth,
The (Royal, from end of WW1) Army Service Corps, the Corps of the British Army that would have uniform manned a British Army pack train in 1876.
RW
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Post by Beth on Jul 21, 2015 21:41:30 GMT
Thanks. Its a nice segway to what I was going to ask. Why, if mules were so important to the operation, why didn't they have people who knew how to handle mules plus mules which had been trained, with the Dakota Column. I know that Crook's column was use to working with pack mules and made them work. The Dakota column seems to have struggled with them.
Beth
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