Post by conz on Mar 12, 2008 15:02:04 GMT -6
elisabeth said:
Most of the pre-battle statements, including Custer's own, refer to this part of the expedition as "a scout". Naturally everyone thought he'd attack if he could -- Bradley and others said so, Terry (if the affidavit is true) said "hold on to your wounded", and Custer had roundly condemned Reno for not attacking on his scout -- but as I read it, possibly wrongly, the mission was primarily "search" rather than "search and destroy". I very definitely believe you should consider Custer's mission a "search and destroy" when you see them use the word "scout." This was not a reconnaissance...it was a meeting engagement, in military parlay. No place was the expectation I've seen that you should see what's out there, and if it seems too strong for you, pull back and seek reinforcements. That simply is not in the picture for any of these commanders, I believe, right from the start.
Reno was criticised by Terry only for disobedience, not for failing to attack; if Custer's judgement had led him to the same decision at LBH, Terry would probably have accepted it just as readily, don't you think?
You'll find that in one of Custer's letters he actually criticizes Reno for not attacking the village that was just hours away when he found it...instead he turned back to Terry.
Reno was certainly to destroy anything he came across...but nobody seriously thought he would find anything but stragglers. Custer was always readying his force for the decisive strike...much like a wing of aircraft carrier squadrons ready to leave the mother ship and find and destroy their target.
The bulk of Terry's force was that "carrier task force." It was never intended for battle with a village...nobody seriously contemplated that it could ever catch Indians with infantry, gatling guns, and wagons. It was merely a secure "base of operations" around which the cavalry would strike from, in about 15-day sweeps of the area, much like Vietnam or Iraqi "search and destroy" missions. Not much has changed.
Clair