I can't imagine what those fellas went through. Those that lived the longest had to know they were going to be slaughtered. No help coming, it was over for them.
I read a book about this. They interviewed the Indians. Said the battle lasted about as long as it takes a man to eat dinner. Wa over pretty quick Backwoods Okie
After my father retired in the mid ‘80s he and my mother moved to Alexandria, Minnesota. One day he took me over to his neighbor’s house to see Bud’s gun collection. Mostly a non-descript accumulation until Bud brought out an 1858 Remington revolver. He said it was “General” Custer personal pistol and that his father had found it on the Little Bighorn battlefield in the 1930’s. What he had was a very rusted pistol with 3 balls in the cylinder. One side was deeply corroded, probably from lying on the ground for 50 years. The brass backstop had geometric designs incised. Almost certainly an Indian weapon. When Bud died a few years later I offered to buy it but the family decided to keep it. Little Bighorn relic? Who knows....
Custer used those little Belgian revolvers. A Cheyenne woman sold one of the same vintage to a private museum in the area, that had been in her family for generations. Who knows? I used to know one of the landowners below the ridgeline, on the river. He showed me a spot where he found a bunch of .45-70 brass, in a long skirmish line. About 50 meters away, you could find .44-40, .44 rim fire, etc. Actually, we found a spur on that trip too
I've been there a couple of times, the last after they did extensive searching and correcting the story using what they found, along with the Indian stories. The Trooper were more scattered about than depicted in the paintings and the flora was totally different back then. Among the artifacts were many unspent cartridges from the Troopers panicking and forgetting they had a live round in the chamber and/or simply dropping cartridges.
I visited the Battlefield in 1972. The lecturer was speaking to the small crowd dressed much as a 7th Cav would have dressed. All of a sudden arrows started landing next to him (?). Sitting Bull’s grandson fired those arrows and he dodged from clumps of Sage. I guess the boy would be close to sixty years of age now.
I can't imagine what those fellas went through. Those that lived the longest had to know they were going to be slaughtered. No help coming, it was over for them.
ReplyDeleteI read a book about this. They interviewed the Indians. Said the battle lasted about as long as it takes a man to eat dinner. Wa over pretty quick
ReplyDeleteBackwoods Okie
After my father retired in the mid ‘80s he and my mother moved to Alexandria, Minnesota. One day he took me over to his neighbor’s house to see Bud’s gun collection. Mostly a non-descript accumulation until Bud brought out an 1858 Remington revolver. He said it was “General” Custer personal pistol and that his father had found it on the Little Bighorn battlefield in the 1930’s. What he had was a very rusted pistol with 3 balls in the cylinder. One side was deeply corroded, probably from lying on the ground for 50 years. The brass backstop had geometric designs incised. Almost certainly an Indian weapon. When Bud died a few years later I offered to buy it but the family decided to keep it. Little Bighorn relic? Who knows....
ReplyDeleteCuster used those little Belgian revolvers. A Cheyenne woman sold one of the same vintage to a private museum in the area, that had been in her family for generations.
DeleteWho knows?
I used to know one of the landowners below the ridgeline, on the river. He showed me a spot where he found a bunch of .45-70 brass, in a long skirmish line. About 50 meters away, you could find .44-40, .44 rim fire, etc. Actually, we found a spur on that trip too
Decent video, if only the graphics were readable.......
ReplyDeleteI've been there a couple of times, the last after they did extensive searching and correcting the story using what they found, along with the Indian stories.
ReplyDeleteThe Trooper were more scattered about than depicted in the paintings and the flora was totally different back then.
Among the artifacts were many unspent cartridges from the Troopers panicking and forgetting they had a live round in the chamber and/or simply dropping cartridges.
I visited the Battlefield in 1972. The lecturer was speaking to the small crowd dressed much as a 7th Cav would have dressed. All of a sudden arrows started landing next to him (?). Sitting Bull’s grandson fired those arrows and he dodged from clumps of Sage. I guess the boy would be close to sixty years of age now.
ReplyDelete