FTJ, Entry 115: Not So Little Bighorn

Okay, I am back in the saddle. Beau did a great job, but that poem put him in detention.

Anyway...

The Little Bighorn Memorial was on my bucket list, so we traveled north from Cody, WY, to Garryowen, MT, to view it. We stayed at the 7th Ranch RV Park, complete with horses and ranching equipment. Had to take Harvey the Marvey RV down a horrid gravel road to get there, but once there, the site was adequate, with wonderful scenery -- again. One could get sick of all these breathtaking views.

I had originally wanted to stay at the 7th Ranch because they offer horseback tours of the Little Bighorn. Then I found out that the tours are 6 hours long. Ouch. This gal, who hasn't been on a horse in many many moons, would be bandy legged and walking funny for days. Decided against that. It was never a question for Beau, since he hates horses.

The trip from Cody to Garryowen was, naturally, full of amazing views.Ho hum.

On the way to Garryowen. Below, another lovely vista.

Checking in at the 7th Ranch. I fed the horses while Beau did the finances.

Not much TV here, but who cares when you have this kind of view (below)?

 

Custer's Last Stand: Bloody Triumph, Bloody Tragedy

The Little Bighorn Battlefield is immense, with seemingly miles of undulating hills and grasslands. It is Indian land, so there are rules about how you visit the battle sites (you should not go off the paved areas, for instance -- but that's also due to the rattlesnakes all over the place).  Painted ponies graze peacefully on this once bloodied landscape. It is all rather eerie. I suppose it was appropriate that on the day we visited, the sky clouded over, darkening the landscape.

As most of you know, the battle took place over two June days in 1876, and ended when more than 260 U.S. Army soldiers and personnel under General Custer's command were killed by several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. (The Indians lost less than 100 men.) We had a CD to guide us during the trip through the battle sites, and the narration helped us visualize the dramatic clashes that occurred. 

You might think of the Little Bighorn as a horrible slaughter, but as we know, in general, the Indians were fighting a losing battle. This was just the latest encounter in a long conflict, inflamed by a series of treaties broken by the whites. Afterward, the Indian tribes scattered, but eventually they returned to reservations, surrendering within just a few years. A culture destroyed.

Not to get preachy, but I think most would agree that this was, overall, a shameful period in our history, for many reasons. (More on that when we get to our experience in Deadwood, SD, and the story of the bison, memorialized by Kevin Costner's Tatanka (Lakota for "bison/buffalo") nonprofit interpretive center.)

Back to the Last Stand, the narration really explains how the battle progressed. Beau seems to feel Custer made some strategic blunders by splitting up his command on several occasions. Another problem might have been that the other battalions didn't seem to know where Custer's command was much of the time. At least that was how it seemed to me. I should probably read up on it to get the full detail.

But, of course, the major problem was they were outnumbered 10 to one. Doomed. The final battle against Custer's men took just minutes.

Beau at the Visitor Center. Sitting Bull and President Grant are pictured on the wall behind him.

Last Stand Hill and the Memorial to the fallen men.

One of the fields of battle, with white tombstones marking where soldiers died.

The site of one of the fierce fights by Major Marcus Reno, Custer's second in command. He retreated from the valley eventually and survived, only to be severely criticized later.

Site of Custer's advance.

Two headstones marking where Native Americans died. Didn't see many of these markers, since the Indians lost so few warriors.

There is a separate memorial for the Indians who were part of the Little Bighorn battle.

The Indian memorial is a stone circle, shaped almost as an open wheel with entrance "spokes." There are plaques and tributes within the center.

Horses were buried here too. Soldiers in their own right.

"We did not ask you white men to come here.
The Great Spirit gave us this country as a home.
You had yours....We did not interfere with you....
We do not want your civilization." -- Crazy Horse

"They attacked our village and we killed them all.
What would you do if your home was attacked?
You would stand up like a brave man and defend it." -- Sitting Bull

Not much else to say, is there?

 Tanks, Panky