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Post by custerstillstands on Apr 5, 2006 8:38:30 GMT -6
Agreed that Benteen would not willingly betray Custer, let alone all the men with him. Guess what ? He actually did it.
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Post by custerstillstands on Apr 5, 2006 8:41:20 GMT -6
When Benteen showed up, some of Custer's Bn was already engaged at the ford and beginning their retreat. They were still fighting in the ford and they were not retreating. They were finding higher ground to wait for Benteen - a better place to fight. According to Michno's excellent time-motion work, the NPS map of fleeing soldiers of the left wing is false. Soldiers didn't flee toward Deep Coulee with Indians behind them. In fact, they came toward the Right Wing and then, together, they came toward Calhoun Hill. Indian testimonies are not letting any doubt about it.
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Post by custerstillstands on Apr 5, 2006 8:48:25 GMT -6
Leyton-- Even though Benteen disliked Custer with a passion, I do not believe he would have ignored the rest of GAC's command. He was under the impression that Custer was attacking the village and the Indians were "Skedaddling." Benteen was probably, in my opinion, the best commander GAC had. If he knew the dire position GAC was in, he probably would have pressed his battalion to getting there earlier, but he wasn't under that impression. He didn't do anything. Martini actually told him that Custer had attacked the village but the "skedaddle" thing is very doubtful because Martini spoke a poor English. Benteen never pressed toward Custer, not at any time, and even when he heard the shots in the valley after being on Reno Hill (as he admitted in 1879), he didn't move and even was against Weir when Weir wanted to go toward Custer. Weir was also angry at Benteen hours before, when Benteen was watering horses and shots were heard (it was actually Indian scouts who were firing at... Gall's wives and girls). Weir got angry and left the column right away. Even before the battle, Benteen disobeyed orders by not checking his company and reporting at Custer that he did it (according to Godfrey, the whole thing was just an other Benteen's provocation). Benteen was insulting, always provoking Custer in the worst manner. Officers like that go directly in court-martial and are shot against a wall. Benteen, as Lieutenant Bell said in a letter before the Washita battle, was an arrogant martinet who was not taking care of his own company. He had, according to Lieutenant Bell (it's in Washita 1868, by Jerome Greene, on the chapter about the 7th cavalry officers), the poorest company of the regiment.
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Post by Tricia on Apr 5, 2006 9:13:47 GMT -6
CSS--
There you go with Martini ... again. Specifically on another thread you mention that Martini (I believe at the COI) testified he understood English enough to hear Custer's orders to Benteen--remembering that Custer, when under pressure, spoke in a cadence similar to a machine gun, stammering all the way, making him easily understandable to those with English as a second language challenges--yet here you note that "Martini spoke a bad English."
You can't have it both ways. Besides, we're talking about the value of sparing horses before engaging in battle, not "betrayal." Well, at least we were until you decided to hijack--this thread to spin it to your agenda ...
Regards, Leyton McLean
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