In this episode we hear from Margaret Irvin Carrington, the wife of Colonel Henry B. Carrington, she documented her experiences during her time at Fort Phil Kearny In this work, she provides descriptions of the weapons used by Plains tribes, including bows and arrows, rifles, and hatchets.
During the period leading up to events like the Fetterman Fight in 1866, Plains tribes such as the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho primarily relied on traditional weapons like bows and arrows. These bows were typically short, stout, and designed for use on horseback, effective at short ranges but with less reach than the muskets used by U.S. soldiers. While some warriors had acquired firearms through trade or capture, their ammunition supplies were often limited.
By this point, all US troops had rifles.
ReplyDeleteThat was an excellent history/social anthropology lesson.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day, before Indian artifacts could only be viewed as art, the Plains Indian Museum had displays weapons. I remember, for example, a display of arrows where you could compare and contrast the styles of the different tribes. It could be 60 years since I saw that exhibit but I still remember. Now that have a similar display of moccasins. I doubt there's a kid that remembers the moccasins next week.
ReplyDeleteI've walked the Fetterman Battlefield more than once. It's just a couple of hours down the road. If it wasn't for Custer sucking all the "glory" out of the room, it'd likely be remembered as the big Indian win of the Plains Wars. The Wagon Box battle site is in the same neighborhood. BTW, John "Portugee" Phillips, needs to be better known.