A Really Lonely Place To Die

OK, guys and gals, I'm so tired of being behind on this thing that I'm gonna go 'hyperdrive' on the next few posts. That means less talk, more action. By 'action' I mean 'pictures'; they are much less time-intensive to post and I sometimes run short of sagacious and philosophical things to say anyway.

The first trip we took after 'landing' in Billings was the [obligatory when in Montana?] Little Bighorn National Battlefield. Here are some photos, and I can't tell you (and the pics don't do it justice) the sadness and heartache you feel while surveying the windswept, deolate plateaus where so many young guys, many there against their will, had NO CHANCE.

I am fully cognizant that this is only one of the many instances in American military history where inadequate or poorly-interpreted intelligence, incompetent leadership, or plain old bad luck doomed the rank-and-file foot soldier to a lonely, painful death far from home. In Your Author's travels, he has seen many such... but this is the one I'm writing about now.

As you look at the photos, be aware that every white marble marker is a place where the body of a U.S. Cavalry soldier was found; still, after heavy rainstorms and as recently as last year, the Park Rangers here are finding the remains of men and horses from that unspeakably violent day...

If you wanna read the entire story of what many historians consider the worst defeat in American military history, I like this one:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/custer.htm

Allison In 'Deep Ravine' Looking Up to Last Stand Hill:


Allison In The National Cemetery:


Looking West From Last Stand Hill:


By the way, the battle is named for the river on whose banks the Sioux and Cheyenne were encamped when Custer's Crow scouts located them. If you haven't read the narrative linked above, the Native Americans under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were seasoned, brave and well-led, and were fighting quite literally for their (and their wives' and children's) lives. It was well-known among the Indians that the U.S. Cavalry had, in previous engagements, made no distinction between warriors and non-combatants; this may explain the utter and complete lack of mercy shown the 7th Cavalry even after the Cavalry's defeat became inevitable.

Last Stand Hill; The Beartooth Mountains Are In Background:


NEXT: We Ride The Little Blackfoot; The Biggest Flood In The History Of The World. Stay Tuned!