Added a couple of pics from Custer Battlefield - Crow Agency, Montana (Crow Reservation)
Definately hallowed ground for all peoples. Looking over the tactical situation from the topography ... Custer blundered when he even considered attacking 5000 Souix (composed of Uncpapas, Santee, Oglala, Brute, Minneconjou, and San Arcs nations) with Cheyenne, Blackfeet and some Arikara warriors encamped with their families along the banks of the Little Bighorn with 700 horse soldiers. He had initially split his unit into three separate forces (Custer's main command (battalion) comprised of C,E,F,I, and L companies, with Capt. Benteen (D,H, and K companies) and Major Reno (A,G, and M companies) having their separate battalions south, and Capt. McDougall (B company) guarding the pack train. As I walked around and read up on the plan of attack, it appears Custer was moving northernly from a concealed positon to pincer the natives in a two-pronged attack. Reno was to attack the village from the South, Benteen to explore and exploit targets of opportunity to the Southwest (blocking possible escape avenues). As Reno attacked word spread of the horse soldiers throughout the camp, the warriors immediately repulsed them, launching a furious counter attack which drove them back into the river (which was swollen from snowmelt). Several of the 7th were drowned when the horses faltered, Reno's men then took up defensive positions across the river but were still being overwhelmed by superior numbers withdrew a 2nd time to a better position overlooking the 1st. Word was sent to Benteen who returned with his force to reinforce Reno, meanwhile Custer had stopped a mile or so north of Reno's attack, to observe Reno's advance initially then continued northward to his own 'line of attack' area. It was the last time Reno saw his commander alive. Standing at "Last Stand Hill" looking down on the Little Bighorn I saw headstone markers of the fallen, and pictured that in their attack initially (Custer's Btn), they probably had advantage of surprise on the natives since they were mostly engaged to the south against Reno. Upon hearing about the new attack to the North of the village the warriors immediately left Reno's area and launched a new and most deadly attack on the horse soldiers to the north. Inscriptions at the site state such things as: "Indians just seemed to grow everywhere, every rock, sagebrush, and ravine had some" or "we were ordered to shoot our horses as brestworks, but the bullets and arrows came from all directions; there was no safe place". From the native side, "We circled them like water around a rock, firing all the time". As the battle progressed you could look out over the ravines and small gullies and see the headstones as they withdrew to the "Last Stand". It culminated with over 50 headstones (including Custer's) at the top of the hill.
This battle stretched out over five miles total, from the initial point to Last Stand Hill. The remaining men from Custers command were buried in a monumental cairn at the top of Last Stand Hill, where they remain to this day. Even the mounts (horses) of the 7th have a separate burial site close to the cairn. Trooper remains have been discovered as recently as 1953 and were interred at the National Cemetery located at the site. Most of the graves read "Unknown Trooper - 7th Cavalry" or Unknown Civilian."
http://www.us7thcavalry.com/roster_lbh.htm The officers were removed to be reinterred in their native states per the families request, the enlisted men remain at Custer Battlefield (a.k.a. "Battle of the Greasy Grass" - the native name for it)
Since I've always had interest in military history this little piece about a famous battle so close to home and in fairly recent memory touched me. Here in my native North Dakota, at White Sheild, the cemetery has interred within the scouts (Arikara & Crow both) of the 7th serving under Custer. Upon reading about other Arikaras encamped with the hostiles at Little Bighorn made me wonder if they could have known that they might have / or did kill their own brethren in the heat of battle. It truly (for me anyway) makes me want to return to investigate the battle further, I found it fascinating, imagining it unfolding before my eyes. A final note, the men of the 7th who perished here ranged in age from 17 to 53 years, mostly immigrants, and definately some were veterans of the U.S. "War of the Rebellion" - 1861 thru 1865.
Mori
