Custer recieves his orders?

[Beth]

I have to enable the ability to do a poll. Give me a few minutes and I will do it.

[Beth]

It appears that polls had already been enabled. PM me privately and we will get it worked out. I have created the PM for you. In the mean time I am going to try creating a poll and see if I can figure out what is going on. Boards are funny things, if you don't use it often, you forget how to do it.

[Deleted]

Cool.  I produced, in conjunction with  a friend, a game about the 1940 Battle of Arras.   You can read about it here:  www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/254384/death-ride-arras or at grognardsims.com/death-ride-arras.html

[miker]

I feel like I must return to this as I am now reading Auftragstaktik and it leads me back to Terry's order to Custer, shown below:

Headquarters of the Department of Dakota (In the Field)
Camp at Mouth of Rosebud River, Montana Territory June 22nd, 1876

Lieutenant-Colonel Custer,
7th Cavalry


Colonel: The Brigadier-General Commanding directs that, as soon as your regiment can be made ready for the march, you will proceed up the Rosebud in pursuit of the Indians whose trail was discovered by Major Reno a few days since. It is, impossible to give you any definite instructions in regard to this movement and were it not impossible to do so the Department Commander places too much confidence in your zeal, energy, and ability to wish to impose upon you precise orders which might hamper your action when nearly in contact with the enemy. He will, however, indicate to you his own views of what your action should be, and he desires that you should conform to them unless you shall see sufficient reason for departing from them. He thinks that you should proceed up the Rosebud until you ascertain definitely the direction in which the trail above spoken of leads. Should it be found (as it appears almost certain that it will be found) to turn towards the Little Bighorn, he thinks that you should still proceed southward, perhaps as far as the headwaters of the Tongue, and then turn toward the Little Horn, feeling constantly, however, to your left, so as to preclude the escape of the Indians passing around your left flank.

The column of Colonel Gibbon is now in motion for the mouth of the Big Horn. As soon as it reaches that point will cross the Yellowstone and move up at least as far as the forks of the Big and Little Horns. Of course its future movements must be controlled by circumstances as they arise, but it is hoped that the Indians, if upon the Little Horn, may be so nearly inclosed by the two columns that their escape will be impossible. The Department Commander desires that on your way up the Rosebud you should thoroughly examine the upper part of Tullock's Creek, and that you should endeavor to send a scout through to Colonel Gibbon's command

The supply-steamer will be pushed up the Big Horn as far as the forks of the river is found to be navigable for that distance, and the Department Commander, who will accompany the column of Colonel Gibbon, desires you to report to him there not later than the expiration of the time for which your troops are rationed, unless in the meantime you receive further orders.

Very respectfully, Your obedient servant,

E. W. Smith, Captain, 18th Infantry A. A. J. G.

In the book is this quote from Gneissenau discussing directive orders:

He was the first to develop command and control by directives, thus giving latitude to the subordinate commanders ... [who] were for the first time issued directives expressing the intent of the Royal headquarters in terms of clear objectives but giving only general indications of the methods of their achievement.

This enabled commanders and their General Staff officers to use initiative in taking advantage of unforeseen opportunities, provided that their actions were consistent with the main objective. Thus, Gneisenau laid the cornerstone of the German leadership philosophy: mission-oriented command and control.

CPT Smitn may have used the word "direct"  and some may say it allowed Custer wide discretion in how to approach his orders, but what is missing here in my view seems to be intent.   It appears to me Terry is merely giving Custer a route to follow with no real instructions as to what Custer is to do once he locates the Indians. 

Find the Indians and do what?  Drive them toward Gibbon? Drive the horses off?  Drive the Indians off and destroy the camp?

This is not an order or directive as to what Custer is to do but merely a laundry list of things to do.  This order  shows Terry was no field commander.  I have looked for Sheridan as orders to Terry and Crook but don't think I have found them, nor an order from Sherman to Sheridan.  Terry did indeed give Schafer wide latitude in what to do, but few if any officers were trained in the same way as the Prussians were.   Arguably there was little or no training of officers or men.   Upton and a few others may have approached the understanding of war the Prussians. 

Of course, no one in the US Army really understood Auftragstaktik then (or now) in which commanders give a clear order describing what they want done or their intent, subordinate commanders do they same all the ways to the squads or fours and subordinates can disobey the orders if circumstances change and find a different way of accomplishing the commanders intent. 

The Canadian armor colonel who wrote this book, Praise Tacticum, and Strartegica was trained in German Staff Schools and has given much thought to tactics, more so I think, than most officers in the US Army