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JasonBury
Private
Australia
Status: offline |
 Posted - June 20 2004 : 11:46:06 PM
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Greetings from Down Under,
I have been lurking on this board for a few months now and decided to maybe post a topic. I have found the discussion on this board wonderful. Very informative and whats better very passionate. I think what makes study of the Battle so inetresting is the polar views people have. Some on this board hold GAC up as a hero, and fully understandable that is, he was a flamboyant character. Some hold him to be the devil incarnate. Some like me sit firmly on the fence. Problem for me is that some of the pro Custer people ( and they are particular people) seem to be unable to accept any negative comments about GAC whatsoever. I havent seen as much from the anti Custer brigade but my time on these boards is only a little while and i am sure it is an occurence. My own thoughts are a little more of the middle ground. I started out as a Custer hater, i was pro Indian as a kid and so i devoured anything that was anti-GAC and dismissed any positives. As i grew to maturity and became wider read and began to understand bias and personal agendas my views softened. I now find much to admire about GAC as well as much to detest, he was human! Myself I blame no-one for LBH. This is purely my own opinion based on somewhat limited readings at this stage. Custer made some incorrect assumptions based on past experiences. He expected the Indians to turn tail and flee, because thats what always happened in his mind, and truly we cant blame him for that. Reno perhaps was a little too timid in his attack and afterwards was a shaken man, but the weight of blame cannot fall on him. Benteen to my mind allowed his personal enmity with GAC to cloud his reactions but still his actions in saving Reno's command are a topic fro controversy but if he didnt I beleieve( and it is only my belief not fact)the whole of 7th might have been derstoryed piecemeal by the Indians. Then again maybe not, we can only speculate. General Terry placed too much confidence in GAC's ability but given Custer's track record wouldnt you in his place have done the same thing? The Indians were unusually "pumped for a big game" to use a football analogy. Their aggressiveness by this time was reaching a crescendo which would be released upon Armstong(I have always loved that name! Great name for a military commander)and his command and then its energy spent would scatter. So just a little by way of introduction from me, of course it is all my own opinion and i am open to have it revised by further reading.
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cheers
Jason |
Edited by - JasonBury on June 20 2004 11:49:57 PM
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bhist
Lt. Colonel
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Brent
Lt. Colonel
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - June 21 2004 : 3:41:55 PM
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Welcome. I've noticed the "passion" too. But you've got to admit these fellows do know their Custer, in spite of the differing opinions.
I've always wondered how an attempt at the "one punch" knockout would have fared. Custer sends a few reliable scouts to scour those few miles and quickly learns there is nothing in the Benteen valley area. Then the entire command (led by Custer) charges the Village at more or less the same spot Reno did.
Wouldn't that have been interesting!!
But then there probably would have been no retreat to Reno Hill, nor any need for that "Come quick" order.
Wonder what we'd be talking about???? |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - June 21 2004 : 4:52:09 PM
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Welcome Jasonbury, really glad to have you join in. With the exception of religion and politics, no other discussion will stir up as much smoke and heated air as this battle. I don't believe it is possible to place the blame for the outcome of this fight on any one individual. Perhaps we may hold the government who sent the cavalry there in the first place accountable. Once the hostilities were initiated, fault can be placed on numerous participants.
So get ready for a lot of fun and excitement and post your thoughts! |
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JasonBury
Private
Australia
Status: offline |
Posted - June 21 2004 : 8:21:24 PM
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| Thanks for the welcome guys. You are right Brent these guys know there Custer and thats what is so great about this list......I hope to contribute a lot more.... |
cheers
Jason |
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wILD I
Brigadier General
Ireland
Status: offline |
Posted - June 22 2004 : 04:55:21 AM
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I've always wondered how an attempt at the "one punch" knockout would have fared.
Custer would have taken the village inflicting heavy losses but I feel he would have had to withstand a counter attack and how successful that would have been ,well your guess is as good as mine.
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movingrobewoman
Lt. Colonel
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - June 22 2004 : 2:39:55 PM
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Jason--
Like everybody else, I welcome you aboard. And I've followed a similar path to yours in the discovery of Custer and LBH. As a Native American, I was brought up with very, very strong anti-Custer feelings--but somehow, I felt a strong historical attraction to the guy; maybe it was his tragedy on LSH, when he had such a promising future in 1865. Don't really know--but the more research I have done on the fellow, there is a considerable about of good humanity about the guy, although at times his character can make one bang their head against the wall. I am on the fence with the person of GAC ... he wasn't all good, wasn't all bad--just a human. I think when it comes to Benteen, he gets a lot more bad feelings than he should--yeah, he hated Custer (heck, he didn't seem to like anyone), but IMHO, he was too good a soldier/officer to let his c.o. purposely hang, especially after he encounted Reno at the entrenchment site. Reno is a whole different character (mebbe he was psychologically challenged by the fate of Elliot at Wa****a), though ... now as for a "literary" treatment of GAC, my favourite book is "Glory Hunter," although it is not the first book I'd have someone read on Custer--but it is beautifully crafted, despite its venom. But welcome aboard and welcome to the passion.
Anyone going to LBH this weekend? |
movingrobe |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - June 22 2004 : 7:23:16 PM
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Movingrobewoman,
We have followed different routes in arriving at the same conclusion but, in the final analysis, you are right; he was only human. During the Civil War, he was a celebrity of great renown. Women idolized him and men envied him. After the war ended, he re-invented himself as an Indian fighter; not one without compassion. In a letter he wrote to an associate, he referred to the plight of the Native Americans and, understood their need to defend their lands. Naturally, Custer's involvement in Indian affairs will be discussed, reviled, approved of, and condemned for the next thousand years. His personality being as complex as the factors that brought about this tragic affair. |
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Custer-philes and Custer-phobes
