Posted on 11/27/2017 6:04:04 AM PST by Bull Snipe
Lt Col. George Custer's 7th Cavalry attacked the Southern Cheyenne village of Chief Black Kettle on the Washita River in Oklahoma. Casualties, among the 250 or so Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota in the village, range from 13 to 103, depending on the source. The 7th Cav. reported no casualties in the attack.
War criminal!!! Evil white man!!! Vain glorious fool!!! Indian hater!!!!!!!!!
I’ve heard it all. I’ve even heard it said on his Facebook fan page, lol. At least, lately, there has been a historical movement to look at his amazing Civil War career.
And what a civil war career he had! Simply amazing.
Tear down all Custer statues!!! He abused his White Privilege!! Yahhhh!
Thanks, lol!!!
Since I’m on the Custer fan page, I can tell you there is a movement like that. People in Monroe, Michigan worry about this. There’s also a movement to take down a statue honoring him at West Point, where he is buried.
The war in the Shenandoah between Custer and Mosby was unusually brutal. Numerous excesses on both sides.
Custer was a vainglorious monster and a fascinating character. That said, he is part of our history and the statues are part of it all, too. They should stay where they are. With the long muzzling of History in the schools the statues are becoming the only attachment we have to our history, which is why the fanatacism for tearing them down. With no history we have no connection to the past and do not know what sort of things worked and did not work in the past and the people can be convinced of the efficacy of any fantasy at all.
I just knew one of you would show up, lol!
I had not realized that Custer's father was active in Democrat party politics, Custer himself was philosophically in sympathy with slavery and the Confederacy, and that if he had won a victory over the Plains Indians at the Little Big Horn plans were in place for him to return to the east by train, attend the 1876 Democrat convention, and likely be nominated for president by acclamation. Sort of the Democrats' answer to the Republicans' Grant and other Civil War hero politicians.
Washita was a massacre of mostly women, children, and the old. He repeated the same tactics at the Little Big Horn expecting to sweep up and hold the non-combatants hostage to the good behavior of the warriors. Then head back east to run for president. As a commander who was audacious in the extreme, he got a lot of his men killed and the Little Big Horn was just the last example. Sorry, but he's not someone I admire.
Whether it was a massacre of mostly women, children, and the old is subject to discussion. See the table at the bottom of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Washita_River
As I stated, casualty figures are all over the place.
It was his 1876 battle at the greasy grass where he overstepped his abilities and forgot to check over that next hill. There was a somber centennial celebration due to the massacre.
Perhaps if the war profiteers hadn’t sold the army 45-70 brass (actually copper) that didn’t rip off in the chamber. If only he had taken along those Gatling Guns (which Custer felt slowed down a cavalry).
So many ifs. Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull et al had their Troops supplied with repeaters (Spencers and Henrys) while Custers men had single shot trap door Springfield’s.
You had to go where the braves were and that was generally right there on the doorstep of the villages.
As I recall, Custer didn't report any casualties after Little Big Horn either.
Custer always favored attacking undefended or vastly weaker forces.
I don’t think the Lakota play any major role in this battle. Oklahoma is awfully far south for the Lakota. I believe the three main tribes in the main winter camp were the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa with a Comanche winter camp a few miles away. IIRC, Custer and his command decided it was time to move out then they noticed a large number of Comanche warriors beginning to show up.
Or perhaps it’s because he didn’t even file a casualty report after the battle, because he had other things in his mind.
You mean when he took on Jeb Stuart at Gettysburg? Or was old Jeb weak too?
No major roll, there were two Lakota tepees at the Southern Cheyenne camp on the Washita.
More like when he slaughtred the Black teamsters whenever he got the chance.
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