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Man I hate when people caption things wrong... This has nothing to do with the Continental Army or the Sons of Liberty. And Brian Williams wasn't born yet. This is not related to the Revolutionary war because planes had not been invented yet.
Also remember the visitor center and “entrance” is at the end of the battle….. you have to start at the topWhen you visit...
Spend about 2 hours at the visitors center. Then put on a ruck. Get plenty of water. And spend the next day and a half not only walking the battlefield, but driving it. Remember, the 'battlefield' was encampments 15+ miles away. Cavalry actions were not infantry actions. Cavalry could cover 100 miles a day. Not easily. But they could do it. The battle 'space' that ended with the stand at Little Bighorn is immense. More the size one would expect in a WW2 armored action.
Also, it is the only national battlefield where the headstones are placed exactly where the troopers fell. You can see the 'pockets' where they were herded in and reduced. You can walk out hundreds of yards (in one case a couple of miles) and find graves where 1 or 2 or 3 men tried to escape as a group or solo from the perimeter and were run down and killed by the Indian horsemen. You can 'feel' the battle unfolding much better than on many battlefields where there may be some markers. But the graves are remote and all lined up.
Once you get a mile or so from the park.... even the grass fights you. You step into unseen ditches or chuck holes. It looks smooth and undulating. But under it all is some totally savage dirt and terrain.
Geographic determinism is a major force in history, especially military history. Terrain shapes the battle. Such a good example of it at Little Bighorn.
Cheers,
Sirhr
PS. Gatling Gun was a 4 - 6 man crew. Plus they travelled with 2 - 3 limbers each. So that meant horse teams for each gun and limber. And horsemen to manage those. Then an officer or NCO in charge. Then a loader, and an operator who worked in shifts. And extra men for the setup and digging in as well as security ( infantry and cavalry charging cannon positions was common). A Gatling battery was an artillery battery, for all intents and purposes. So... not one guy by any means. And a definite burden to a cavalry company.
Hiked that many times before the fire and gate. The view from the top is incredible. That trail is short but it's straight up with multiple switchbacks.View attachment 7903603View attachment 7903604View attachment 7903605
The last photo is from the Chimney Tops trail. The last stretch was closed off due to fires but people climbed around a gate to actually scamper up that trail to the top. I watched them actually crawl the last few hundred yards to reach that top peak. From what I could see, any misstep would be costly. Get there early to avoid all the crowds. A stunning park with beautiful views.
Yesterday’s pickin’ and picklin’ so far.
Any of y’all ever pickle zucchini or squash? Thinking about trying it.
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The last photo is from the Chimney Tops trail. The last stretch was closed off due to fires but people climbed around a gate to actually scamper up that trail to the top. I watched them actually crawl the last few hundred yards to reach that top peak. From what I could see, any misstep would be costly. Get there early to avoid all the crowds. A stunning park with beautiful views.
Here's the gate and fence they put up right after the fire.That's a beautiful place. Not sure these old bones could make it to the top of that peak. In my younger days, I'd be up for that climb. I can't imagine the view from up there.
I got my mom to take me to this movie when I was 12. She had to explain a coulplenof the jokes to me. But I loved it.
They didn't carry their sabres, either. Dunno how much that would've mattered, but if it came down to hand-to-hand I'd rather have a few feet of sharp steel than an empty carbine.
The Gatling would definitely have made a difference once “the last stand” perimeter was created and the column collapsed into a fire sack.
But if you have never walked the battlefield, you don’t understand that it is not just a park with a smooth hill on it. All around are gully’s and streambeds and washes and high grass…. Perfect country for horses and cavalry. But very very bad for wheeled Gatling guns and the numerous limbers needed to feed them.
Little Bighorn Was not a planned battle for the Cavalry. They were in a patrol and a show of force and Custer intended to attack an encampment— an offensive deployment. Gatling guns were not offensive weapons. They were rampart and perimeter weapons. Cavalry technique was to ride in and form a skirmish line attacking the encampment or enemy force. Not set up Gatlings.
But, Custer became the defender after Reno stirred up the hornets nest. And Custer didn’t listen to his scouts about size of opposition or comprehend it their strong organization and motivation.
He has always been criticized for not bringing his Gatling guns. But a. It was not that kind of mission. b. Not only would they have slowed them down, they could not have maneuvered at all in that terrain. c. Custer failed at such an epic level that Gatlings were the least of his compounded errors.
The argument could probably have been made that if he brought them, be never would have ended up at Little Bighorn. Maybe true. But that is the thing about complex battle analysis. You can always find a couldda, wouldda, shouldsa and then pin the outcome on that. Trace the Butterfky effect back far enough and there is always some thing that folks pin the outcome on.
Actually, Custer screwups were mainly in his pre-battle Intel (he ignored it) and his assumptions about the enemy (size and capability and intentions). Once the battle started, he ran a fairly masterful defense.
The again, so did de Castries at Dien Bien Phu. And Heinriki and Student at Berlin. They just had no way to win against the numbers and force moving in on them.
But, yes, in the pocket defense at little big horn the Gatlings probably could have saved some troopers if they had enough ammo. But that like saying “If we had all our air cover up over Pearl Harbor, the Arizona would have been afloat today.” Yup. Probably. But that’s not how history rolled the dice that day.
Cheers, Sirhr
Ps. Go visit Little Bighorn. It is an amazing place in the middle of a lot of other amazing places!
Well I did 5 jars. Sweet onion flavor. We’ll see in a few weeks how they are.No, haven't thought of that. I'm not sure those will do well over the long run. But who am I???
Well I did 5 jars. Sweet onion flavor. We’ll see in a few weeks how they are.
I did 18 jars total of various pickles today.
The sweet brown sugar red pepper pickles I cannot wait to try.
I use burpless for round pickles and short fat pickling cukes for spears.What cucumbers do you use to make your pickles and do you make dill pickles or something else?
I thought I read somewhere that the quartermaster had repeaters ready to be issued to Custer seventh cavalry although he would’ve had to delay marching a day or two so he decided to go with the rifles his Calvary already had although I thought he sent his aid de camp to the quartermaster to draw his rifle for the March………..Custer almost got the chop at the Battle of Washita under the same circumstances a few years before. He attacked an isolated camp while following a raiding party. If not for the cold weather and snow on the ground the 4000 Indians camped a few miles away might have decided to attack him. He used a ruse to scare them off but it barely worked.
The repeating rifles in the hands of the Sioux va the single shots of the US at Bighorn were decisive in that engagement. The Indians only had a few hundred of those rifles but they were shockingly effective in the initial exchanges.
You really have to walk the battlefield. Custer had no idea what he was doing and neither did the Indians.
Was from a butcher nearby.…but yeah I’m aightHow'd you get that canned tuna to look like that? WOW. You're a great cook.
WWII vet, late stage communist.
I’ve been using a fat boy for about 3 years now.Just bought another Fat Boy…
I can stop anytime I want to…
1959 E1. Gonna put this one away for my grandson.
From the ad
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Yup like a meaty peperccini if you spice it upYesterday’s pickin’ and picklin’ so far.
Any of y’all ever pickle zucchini or squash? Thinking about trying it.
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