Posted on 04/27/2007 9:23:05 AM PDT by drzz
I have never seen a website with so many intelligent and curious people. Totally amazing.
You know, a lot of people say here, in Switzerland, that US people don’t know anything about history etc...
Well, of course, Crook was essentially surprised by the Sioux on June 17, 1876, 8 days before the Little Big Horn battle. While it was the Indians who called off the battle, Crook was brought to a standstill. He then returned to his base camp at Goose Creek where he set up almost permanent residence in the field, and remained through the Little Big Horn battle and after. He only became active to assist what was later called the 'Stern Chase', where the combined commands of Crook and Terry chased the Indians through Montana and the Dakotas, until they either returned to the reservation or escaped to Canada.
There's little doubt in many minds that Crook was a better Indian fighter than Custer. Yet some blamed him for what happened to Custer. However his supplies were growing low at the time, and he may have had to return to Goose Creek shortly, in any event.
I don't hold with the idea that the Rosebud battle had any major affect on the Little Big Horn battle. Major Reno was making his reconnaissance on the Rosebud at the time of the Rosebud battle, only somewhat North, and never knew it was occurring. Of course, Crook himself had no knowledge of Reno's (or Custer's or Terry's) whereabouts. What was to have been a 3 pronged campaign suffered from major lack of communication. It's conceivable that the prongs of Terry, Gibbon and Crook may have found each other, but that's sheer speculation. Could it have had an affect on the outcome of the campaign? Sure. But this is strictly the realm of "what ifs", and frankly, a waste of time.
Was Crook ordered (months before the Little Big Horn ) to support Terry as the third prong ?
I understand that Crook had to re-supply after his losses and that communications were terrible then.
It has seemed that Crook was not very aggressive in re-supply and in restarting as the thrid prong.
Later, Crook seemed to do better against the Apaches, etc. but he was not the best this year ?
Seems as though shooting from moving horseback would have been an impediment as well.
In 1875 a series of events was moving forward that would culminate in the disaster on the banks of the Little Big Horn river one year later, and the final subjugation of the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians a couple decades later.
The Sioux Treaty of 1868
The Sioux Treaty of 1868 was an attempt on the part of the government of the United States to restore peace along the hotly contested Bozeman Trail in Wyoming and Montana, and to move the Indian tribes populating that area away from the main immigrant thoroughfares then in use. It established a "Great Sioux Reservation" that extended west from the Missouri River all the way through most of what is presently South Dakota - including the Black Hills. The land west of this reservation, which included the Powder River country up to the Big Horn Mountains, was considered 'unceded territory'. This was land on which, while not part of the great reservation, the tribes could continue to hunt for game instead of living a reservation life. The intention of the government was that, once the buffalo were gone, the Indians would be forced to move to the reservation. The treaty, as written, would then require all the tribes to relinquish any right to permanently occupy any lands outside their reservation. In addition, white travel routes could even intersect the reservation after the assessment of damages.
The treaty of 1868 also established the Crow Reservation in south-central Montana. The Sioux and Crow Indians were long-time foes and intertribal warfare between them frequently affected whites who increasingly populated the area as trappers and traders. The Gallatin Valley to the west was also affected by raiding Sioux as well as the town of Bozeman. These raids, as well as raids on the expansion of the Northern Pacific Railway and other roads leading through the area, were performed by bands of Indians who scorned the Sioux Treaty of 1868 and were determined to lead their normal nomadic life.
The "Great Sioux Reservation" itself came under encroachment, beginning in 1874, with the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. Gold seekers defied the government's ban on white occupation of the reservation and not only mined the area but established villages and towns. The Grant Administration came under increasing pressure from both sides of the Indian issue. One side wanted the Administration to curb white incursion into the reservation ceded to the Indians by the treaty of 1868, and the other side wanted the Administration to open the land to expansion and development. As the rhetoric escalated, and 'depredations' continued to occur, the idea of a military campaign to bring the Indians populating the 'unceded territory' onto the reservation once and for all became the cornerstone of Administration policy.
The Army Goes to War
On December 6, 1875 the Indian Bureau issued orders to the effect that all Indians who had not returned to their reservation by January 31, 1876 were to be considered hostile and subject to military intervention. Although Indian Agencies sent out runners to those villages wintering in the 'unceded territory' to advise them of this condition, there was no way the requirement could be met in the time allowed, and, in fact, many of the 'winter roamers' were disinclined to obey. The intention of the government was to mount a winter campaign to punish those Indians in default of the order. General Philip Sheridan was to oversee the campaign from his headquarters in Chicago, and he delegated operational responsibility to two department commanders; General George Crook, Dept. of the Platte, in Omaha, and General Alfred Terry, Dept. of Dakota, in St. Paul. General Crook would move north from his base at Fort Fetterman, Wyoming Territory, and General Terry would mount a two-pronged attack on the 'winter roamers'. The eastern thrust would originate at Fort Lincoln, Dakota Territory with Lt. Col. George Custer in command, while from the west, Col. John Gibbon would move from Fort Ellis, Montana Territory. Although this three-pronged approach was to move in concert, weather and the frozen Missouri river precluded Terry from moving until the Spring thaw. In addition, Custer found himself in trouble with the Grant Administration, and General Terry was ordered directly by President Grant to lead the campaign with Custer as a subordinate.
As to Crook's aggressiveness after returning to Goose Creek, no he wasn't aggressive at all. I don't have my books with me, but as I recall, the only scout he performed was what came to be known as the Sibley Scout. And that turned out to be a failure. I may be wrong on this being the only scout, however.
Crook's dealings with the Apaches occurred both before and after his time with the Department of the Platte. Although I'm not sure when he arrived in Arizona, having placed in charge of that territory by President Grant, he left that territory in 1875, and was then reassigned there, I believe, in 1882.
Thank you for your response. I will not repost your copyrighted material .
There were many mistakes made during and just before this battle.
It also seems that many mistakes were made by others in the weeks before the battle. Maybe I am too harsh on Crook during these weeks, but he seems to be rather slow in re-supply and re-starting ?
It may not have mattered to the eventual outcome : Custer and all were killed.
Rock Island Arsenal has several repeating arms that were attributed to the Little Bighorn battle. Lots of leather and brass-tacks and other accouterments, but the fact remains the Injuns had repeater rifles, and the Cavalrymen had single shots with substandard ammo. Ouch. Not sure how the weapons ended up at RI, probably because of the Senate investigation soon after. They have a first-class collection of firearms and cannon, prototypes and such.
Yes, the Indians did have a larger number of repeating rifles than was first thought, but that number was nowhere near enough to be the major cause of the defeat. The same holds true for Cavalry weaponry. The 1873 Springfield trapdoor carbine had been well tested prior to introduction to service, and found to be the best weapon of those tested (including repeaters). Its use by well-trained1 cavalry should have given them plenty firepower. And while there were instances of cartridge jamming in the breeches, the excavations during the mid-80's showed it wasn't to a significant degree. It was also discovered that the cavalry did not run out of ammunition; another reason thrown at the outcome by early historians.
1Herein lies one of the prominent factors of the defeat. The troopers were neither well-trained nor experienced in Indian warfare. In fact, the 7th Cavalry itself had only one prior major encounter with Indians, and that was 9 years earlier at the Washita. Military training was not like it is today. Garrison duty consisted mostly of general detail duties, caring for the animals and occasional patrols. As I wrote on my website (copyrighted material): When the enlistees were given training in military arts, concentration was on military drill and various manuals such as those of the sabre, carbine and pistol, rather than on unit maneuvering and cohesion. A soldier's allegiance turned to his 'Bunkie' and little thought was given to unit integrity or pride. Desertions became a serious problem. Being dishonorably discharged and drummed out of the military was of little concern to the average enlistee. It simply meant he was done with the Army and free to pursue other interests. At times, infantry and cavalry alike may be limited to as little as 9 rounds of ammunition per month in target practice.
This was the cavalry that took on 1800 Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors on June 25, 1876.
BTW, I take it you’re from Rock Island, or thereabouts. I’m from Rochelle, IL. We have relation in the Quad Cities and get there several times a year.
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