Battle of the Little Big Horn...................

[Bob - The Beagle Master]

This is a picture of my great great uncle, Trooper Benjamin Franklin Brown, F Troop, 7th US Cavalry. The uniform is certainly not his as frontier troopers were not issued dress uniforms. I'm sure that the uniform actually belonged to the photographer who took the picture. He probably kept two or three of the dress uniforms around and altered them with pins so they would fit.

[Bob - The Beagle Master]

I also have a letter that he wrote to his mother just before the battle. At the time of the battle he was detached from F Troop to guard the remount herd but when the battle started the guards left the herd and went up to where Custer and the rest of the command were. The letter is pretty fragile so I'll just type it out.

Ft. A. Lincoln DT May 13th, 1876

Dear Mother

I received your kind and welcome letter.
It found me well and I hope this may find you the same,
I was very sorry to hear that sister Alice was sick and I
Think Alice might send me a picture , and also, tell Tom to send his.
There will be no excuse for them. They will have 'til fall to get them
taken.Don't send them until fall. We are going to start next Monday
on our journey to the Big Horn Valley. You can write and if the mail
is sent out to us I will get it.

Your son,
Benjamin F. Brown
F Troop 7 US Cavalry

[JohnMOhio]

Thanks Bob for sharing the family history and a small note that was written prior to history being made.

[Bob - The Beagle Master]

The spelling, capitalization and punctuation in the original letter is atrocious.

[John Sukey]

Frontier troopers were not issued dress uniforms? WRONG. There is an inspection report from Ft. Bowie (Arizona Territory). A note was made that two soldiers were missing the regimental number from their full dress helmets. Guard mountings, unlike the movies, were in Full dress. At one time I did collect Indian war equipment. For that matter, garrison uniforms were five button blouses and kepi's, NOT field gear.
And at one time I had a photo of a parade in Arizona territory with cavalry, Infantry, and Artillery, and they were ALL in full dress!

[limazulu]

Thanks Bob for sharing the family history and a small note that was written prior to history being made.

+1 for sharing. It's certainly a reminder that no one can know their future.

[Bob - The Beagle Master]

I stand corrected John................

My information was from family lore. The following is from the US Cavalry Museum at Ft. Hood. Texas:

AMERICAN INDIAN WARS
The end of the Civil War results in a great western movement of displaced Confederate soldiers, Union soldiers looking for adventure, and African-Americans looking for a new life. This movement west will bring the Native American in direct contact with them. Fighting will begin and the Army is sent to keep the peace and control the Indian population.

Four additional cavalry regiments were organized during this era-the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Cavalry Regiments. The 9th and 10th became known as the "Buffalo Soldiers."

The Army is reduced in size, yet required to patrol a large area. Troops of the Indian War period became highly professional soldiers. Uniforms and equipment are developed to support their operations. This is the first time that soldiers have two separate uniforms-a dress uniform for guard mount and parades and a uniform to be worn in the field or on campaign.

The primary weapon of the Indian War period is the Model 1873 Springfield Carbine.

The Indian War period lasted from 1866 to 1900.

[John Kuhns]

It should also be noted that Custer turned down an offer to command the 9th, and that both the 9th and 10th had lower desertion rates than the pride of the Army 8th US Infantry.

[Bob - The Beagle Master]

30 minutes before the Battle of the Little Big Horn seems like an ideal time to desert to me.

[John Sukey]

Please Mr. Custer, I don't wanna go

Wonder what would have happened if Custer had not turned down those four gatling guns he was offered?

[John Kuhns]

True. Custer thought the guns would slow down his advance up the Little Big Horn and he did not want that burden.

[JBinIll]

True. Custer thought the guns would slow down his advance up the Little Big Horn and he did not want that burden.

When discussing Custer and the Gatlings at Little Big Horn you have to consider two things.One,the Gatlings were mounted on field carriages like artillery pieces pulled by a limber and horses.Two,the terrain.How usefull would they have been in the terrain around the Little Big Horn area with the broken ground encountered?Custer rightly determined that the ground was unsuitable for there deployment and trying to keep up with a mobile fast moving Cavalry operation would have been impossible.A horse and rider can move across ground that a carriage mounted piece cannot.

A lot of recent acheological evidence also points to the Native Americans being far better armed with cartridge and repeating firearms than has been speculated until recently as another contributing factor in Custer's defeat.

[John Kuhns]

There is a good book about Crook's fight in the Rosebud which was the prelude to the Battle of the Little Big Horn. I believe it is titled "Into the Rosebud" loaned by a friend of mine a couple years ago. Another book, written in the 20s, which he also loaned but I cannot remember the title was based in part on historical accounts obtained from interviews with Sioux warriors who participated in the battle. It too is a good read and very thorough in its analysis.

Yes, the even the books I reference also mention the Indians were far better armed than the Army expected. Crook discovered this much to his dismay 8 days prior to Custer.

[John Sukey]

Funny, the army had no trouble hauling mountain howitzers around on broken ground. Even ONE gatling gun could have made the difference.
But then, Custer had a high opinion of himself. For that matter, he should not even have been there as he was still under sentence of Court martial for abandoning several men in his hurry to "get home to Libby"

[Festus39]

It should also be noted that Custer turned down an offer to command the 9th, and that both the 9th and 10th had lower desertion rates than the pride of the Army 8th US Infantry.

Not hard to figure out the lower desertion rate. A deserting white soldier could blend in with the other whites on the frontier and assume another life.
A deserting black soldier on the frontier would stand out from the others. He would also be giving up regular food, clothing,camaraderie,and very likely more status than he ever had in his life.
Festus