Post by fred on Oct 18, 2007 7:18:11 GMT -6
Things become more difficult right around this time and the difficulty centers around “timing” and the “time of day.” Despite some 130 years worth of conspiracy theories, it seems there is a much simpler explanation for the sometimes-vast deviation in timing for the various testimonies and interviews by battle participants. Until 1883, there were no time zones as we see them and are used to them today. “Eastern standard time, Pacific standard time,” “Mountain standard time,” did not exist. Times of day had been generally devised from the sun overhead at noon, and each area of the country had a different time, some areas using the time of the closest “civilized” city or state. For example, when Colonel John Gibbon left Fort Shaw in central Montana, his watch was set on San Francisco time. Today, that would not be the case, for San Francisco is on Pacific time, while Montana is on Mountain. There was apparently no deviation in Gibbon’s time.
Farther east, Chicago was working on one time, while St. Paul, Minnesota, the army’s department headquarters, worked on a time 18 minutes earlier. Any number of studies have been done. Based on the position of the sun, the area of the Little Big Horn was 1 hour, 28 minutes, before St. Paul time. Today, the Little Big Horn is in the Mountain time zone, while both St. Paul and Chicago are on Central time.
Any number of studies have been done on this “time” issue, the most comprehensive being that of John Gray in his book, Custer’s Last Campaign. The problem with Gray’s work, however, is that he opts for the Custer column being on Montana sun time, and there is no proof whatsoever that that was the case. In fact, the only commentary by the participants that has been discovered discussing this issue and two statements, one by Lieutenant George Wallace, the regiment’s official itinerist, at the Reno Court of Inquiry: “I am not sure about that [his answer to a question referring to his watch and the time of day]. It may have been fast or it may have been slow. I never have claimed that it was the local time of the place.” The other statement was by Lieutenant Edward Godfrey: “We did not have the local time, our watches were not changed.” This is the most definitive statement and in absence of anything to the contrary, Godfrey should be accepted at face value. This being the case, a considerable amount of confusion might be cleared up and we can look at a “noon” crossing of the divide more in terms of a 10:30 a.m. crossing. Considering the preponderance of Indian testimony attests to a battle beginning around noon, this makes more sense.
Please note that I am working on this particular page and will have more as the day progresses. In the meantime, if anyone wishes to contribute their thoughts on "timing," please do so on this thread. Please feel free to correct anything I have written, above. Eventually, the only post that will remain here will be this explanatory post and I would like it to be as definitive as we can make it. I shall then delete all other posts. This will give everyone, however, an opportunity to say something about their ideas on the timing issue.
Farther east, Chicago was working on one time, while St. Paul, Minnesota, the army’s department headquarters, worked on a time 18 minutes earlier. Any number of studies have been done. Based on the position of the sun, the area of the Little Big Horn was 1 hour, 28 minutes, before St. Paul time. Today, the Little Big Horn is in the Mountain time zone, while both St. Paul and Chicago are on Central time.
Any number of studies have been done on this “time” issue, the most comprehensive being that of John Gray in his book, Custer’s Last Campaign. The problem with Gray’s work, however, is that he opts for the Custer column being on Montana sun time, and there is no proof whatsoever that that was the case. In fact, the only commentary by the participants that has been discovered discussing this issue and two statements, one by Lieutenant George Wallace, the regiment’s official itinerist, at the Reno Court of Inquiry: “I am not sure about that [his answer to a question referring to his watch and the time of day]. It may have been fast or it may have been slow. I never have claimed that it was the local time of the place.” The other statement was by Lieutenant Edward Godfrey: “We did not have the local time, our watches were not changed.” This is the most definitive statement and in absence of anything to the contrary, Godfrey should be accepted at face value. This being the case, a considerable amount of confusion might be cleared up and we can look at a “noon” crossing of the divide more in terms of a 10:30 a.m. crossing. Considering the preponderance of Indian testimony attests to a battle beginning around noon, this makes more sense.
Please note that I am working on this particular page and will have more as the day progresses. In the meantime, if anyone wishes to contribute their thoughts on "timing," please do so on this thread. Please feel free to correct anything I have written, above. Eventually, the only post that will remain here will be this explanatory post and I would like it to be as definitive as we can make it. I shall then delete all other posts. This will give everyone, however, an opportunity to say something about their ideas on the timing issue.