irish ike, SASS #43615 Posted June 26 Posted June 26 11 minutes ago, Irish Pat said: Custer underestimated the Indians I'd offer he didn't listen to the Native scouts and let his ego think he could beat the "savages". 2 Quote
Texas Lizard Posted June 26 Posted June 26 I read sometime back...That a chief at the battle... Said, it lasted no longer than a hungry man finishes a meal...Sounds like about 10 to 15 minutes...If that long.... Texas Lizard Quote
Cholla Posted June 26 Posted June 26 Some claim the outcome would have been different if the Seventh still had their Spencer rifles that had to turn in in 1874. Right after the battle a letter circulated to newspapers that if they had the Schofield instead of the Colt, they could have fought their way back to the rest of the command. Quote
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted June 26 Posted June 26 3 minutes ago, Cholla said: Some claim the outcome would have been different if the Seventh still had their Spencer rifles that had to turn in in 1874. Right after the battle a letter circulated to newspapers that if they had the Schofield instead of the Colt, they could have fought their way back to the rest of the command. The what if question about having repeating rifles and faster reloading pistols IS a fascinanting one. One that I don't know if it can ever be resolved. Check out this video... Does the Spencer have a significant edge? I honestly don't know. Quote
Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L Posted June 26 Posted June 26 I spent a whole day there in 2023. There is a national cemetary next to the visitor center (new visitor center now under construction, nearing compleation) Last Stand Hill You can drive down to the site of Reno & Benteen defensive position Along the drive on both sides of the road are markers where Cavalry Troops (white marble) and Indian Warriors (red mable) were killed You can also walk down a path the the deep ravine Returning to the visitor center 2 3 Quote
Trailrider #896 Posted June 27 Posted June 27 (edited) It is one thing to shoot at a test range. It is another where the trooper was being shot at! Especially when the enemy was using high-trajectory weapons that could be fired quite rapidly, or point blank trajectory, especially when the troops were spread out with little cover. At Beecher Island, the scouts were able to dig in, and still sustained a number of KIA and WIA, but were able to hold off charging Indians using Spencers. There has always been a question in my mind of what model Spencers were Forsyth's Scouts packing? Lt. Fred Beecher was Acting Assistant QM of the 3rd Infantry, the only infantry unit west of the Mississippi armed with repeaters, and they were M1860 rifles, not carbines. But 7th Cav units were stationed at the same posts, armed with Spencer carbines. Since Beecher was 2nd in command, and responsible for issuing arms to the scouts, did he take some Spencer rifles from 3rd Infantry stores, and/or carbines from 7th Cav stores? Guess we'll never know for sure. Oh, and forget about blaming Custer for "dividing his command". That was standard cavalry tactic, left over from the war. Gen. Crook did the same thing at the Rosebud a week earlier, and only the fact that his Indian allies got him out of trouble, prevented the Rosebud Battle from making Custer look like a minor scrimmage! Another factor that resulted in the use of the Trapdoor Springfields by the 7th Cav was the Army' philosophy of wanting long range, rather than firepower. There was also the fear that repeaters would tend to make soldiers waste ammunition. (During the early days of the CW, Gen. Ripley didn't even like the idea of breachloaders for the same reason!) That concern carried over clear to the M1903, which had the magazine cutoff! Edited June 27 by Trailrider #896 2 1 Quote
watab kid Posted June 27 Posted June 27 ive been there more than once - back in the sixties it was well kept and respectable with a lot of info provided in many formats , by the 90s it was run down and rustic - but in many ways probably in keeping with that time period , ill refrain from further comment Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.