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James N.
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
October 24 2007
Status: offline
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 Posted - November 25 2010 : 9:16:03 PM
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I just returned from a week's jaunt "Out West" from Fort Worth, Tex. through Fort Richardson at Jacksboro, Tex.; Ft. Sill at Lawton, Okla.; the Quartz Mountains north of Altus, Okla.; and finally the Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center in Oklahoma City. But the highlight was finally getting to walk the riverbottoms of the Washita River near Cheyenne, Okla., scene of what might be called George Custer's First Stand against masses of Native Americans, Nov. 27, 1868, when he led the as-yet-untried Seventh Cavalry against what he thought was a villiage of hostile Cheyennes.
I'd been here once before, back in the 80's when this was all private ranchland visable only from a state park overlook a MILE from the scene of the action. Now it is a small National Historic Site, complete with a fairly recently constructed visitor center which has only this summer installed a very fine exhibit on the battle and its importance. From there, one drives to the exact same overlook, but now a trail leads down to the floodplain where the villiage of the hapless "Peace Chief" Black Kettle once stood.
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Continuing north one comes to the unimpressive Washita River, so narrow that according to the story, Custer was able to leap his mount across from the taller north bank. It was in this general area that Black Kettle and his wife were shot from the single horse they attempted escape on, dying on or near the riverbank. Though the area has seen changes from agricultural use and the river's course is somewhat altered, it is still possible to easily understand the battle's action.
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This knoll served as Custer's command post during the short engagement; from here he could see all the significant action and recieve reports. Contrary to popular impression, when he was informed one of his detachments led by Capt. Meyers was killing women and children he immediately issued orders to cease and take captives instead. It was at this battle Custer first divided his forces to surround and attack a unsuspecting villiage; the relative success here may have established a precedent which would have fatal consequences in the future!
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Other sites along the trail included the bluff against which over 600 horses of the Cheyenne pony herd were slaughtered, mainly by shooting. Two hundred others were used as trophies or mounts to carry off the captive women and children. Not included in the park but easily identified is the bend in Sergeant Major Creek where Maj. Joel Elliot and approximately 18 troopers were slaughtered ( literally! ) when they ventured too far from the general fighting. When he recieved word from Capt. Benteen, in position along the ridge where the Visitor's Center now stands, that as many as several thousand hostiles were gathering from unseen camps further east along the Washita, Custer prudently withdrew the way he'd come back to the safety of Camp Supply. Custer's failure to rescue Elliot's group was to have disasterous consequences, driving a wedge between him and the Benteen Faction which probably played no small part in the outcome at Little Big Horn eight years later.
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richfed
Sachem
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 13 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - November 26 2010 : 10:50:43 AM
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Been there, James ... Back in 1987. Enjoyed your Fort Sill photos that you e-mailed to me. Was there on that same trip. Also, camped at the nearby wildlife refuge ... awesome place ... my boys came running back from the bathroom/shower house screaming about a buffalo standing there.
Let me see if I can fix these photos for you. |
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James N.
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
October 24 2007
Status: offline
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Posted - November 26 2010 : 1:41:35 PM
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Rich,
You'd certainly still recognize the area, HOWEVER... In the southern part of Roger Mills County of which Cheyenne is the county seat, there is going up a HUGE "wind farm" featuring DOZENS of those impossibly large and UGLY wind turbines! Fortunately, none of that is visable from around Cheyenne or the battlefield.
If you care to use or post any of my other pictures I sent you here "onsite", please do so; I just didn't know exactly what to do with them, though these were pretty obvious. |
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James N.
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
October 24 2007
Status: offline
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Posted - December 05 2010 : 11:47:52 AM
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| I would like to add that there is currently on the newsstands an issue of the history/wargaming magazine Armchair General( I found it at a regional chain here called Hastings ) with a very good article on the Washita battle that makes a strong connection and comparison between Custer's successful tactics here and similar-but-failed tactics at the Little Big Horn. Insufficent recon, underestimating enemy strength, division of an already outnumbered command, too loose command control, etc. played a part in both engagements; he just "got away with it" here! |
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Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
