Would Boston see Reno retreating?

[desertlobster]

It seems like his trip to his brothers would be in that timeframe. I'm not sure of his route back, but heading up onto the bluffs, I would think he had a view of what was transpiring below. Somebody said that he took off from the pack train around the time of Kanipe's arrival? Is there anything written about the time of his departure? So wouldn't Custer likely have known what happened to Reno and possibly change any expectation that he might have had concerning the arrival of Benteen/packs? Boston made it back to Custer's group, so that tells me that Custer could have retreated back the way he came. He doesn't choose that option.

[BrokenSword]

Lobsterman - "...Somebody said that he took off from the pack train around the time of Kanipe's arrival?..."

I said that and I was corrected. Boston had gone to the packtrain and its ramuda to exchange his mount for a fresh one. His departure to catch up with GAC's battalion, had nothing to do with Kanipe's arrival.

M

[desertlobster]

Doing an internet search, I found it mentioned several times that Boston Custer was with the pack train and left because of the messenger(must be Kanipe) and passed Benteen. One even was specific in mentioning that he passed Benteen as Benteen was watering the horses.

Well, Boston makes it back early enough for the fight. So if the above is true, then time was never an issue in Benteen's failure to make it to Custer. In the RCOI testimony Reno/Benteen sure try to make it seem that the fight was over quick and early so that they are somehow less at fault for making a half-hearted, late attempt to see what all the firing was about.

So we have Kanipe, Boston, and Martin all seeing Benteen at the watering hole. The packs start arriving before Reno leaves. Lots of stuff in a short time period. Benteen doesn't proceed to Custer without the packs or even bring the packs(extra ammo) to Reno Hill.

How did Boston get into the fight? Either the fight started later than thought or somehow Boston found an avenue to join his brothers during the battle.

There's a lot of hogwash hiding the complete incompetence of Benteen and Reno. Benteen partially redeems himself with some bravery and leadership on Reno Hill.

[AZ Ranger]

Lobster why don't you just start the Crayfish thread and ask all your questions on one thread since you don't want to continue previous threads. The answer was all ready there and now will be harder to find because of you starting a new thread.

If you would search you would find things like:


Author Topic: 'Bring Packs' (Read 2,719 times)
biggordie
Expert

Re: 'Bring Packs'
« Result #5 on Feb 4, 2009, 10:01am »

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Boston left the pack train, where he had gone to get a fresh horse, and passed Benteen's battalion before Knipe met Benteen. Knipe's arrival or message had nothing whatsoever to do with Boston's departure - he got a fresh horse and went back.

Knipe went back from near where Custer first viewed the valley, and got his first glimpse of the opposition [and part of the camps]. He would have followed a slightly different trail going back than would Boston in coming ahead, and the two would not necessarily have encountered one another.

The timing might well be consistent with Martin's meeting Boston, but there is the testimony at the RCOI about the brotherS on the hill to be considered, as well as the late addition of the sighting to the tale, as dc has pointed out "several" times [about 3, 217, I think]. Personally, I think that the Boston business was Graham's creation; but the fact remains that the meeting doesn't matter, whether true or not, and it is simply another of those small, insignificant "mysteries" that some people will not let go of, because they don't want any of the "mysteries" solved.

Martin never met Boston and the pack train. Martin never went to the pack train, until possibly later on the hill [although there is still the question of where he got his replacement horse]. That latter is much more worthy of exploration than is the "Boston Affair."

One of the things you have to learn [but I don't care if you don't] about LBH, is that you have to concentrate on important issues, and not those which have no bearing on what happened - such as did Martin accidentally shoot his own horse? what kind of knots did Custer use to tie his jacket on his saddle? what did the NDNs do with the names they cut out of the shirts and socks? should a person get into the market now, or later, or forget the whole thing?

Gordie

[desertlobster]

You discount Martin's RCOI testimony that he went back to the pack train?

[Dark Cloud]

So, the Wiggs, Boston, desertlobster persona has vanished? Who'd have thought?

[crzhrs]

One man (Boston) can move much faster than an entire command (Benteen)

In addition Benteen had his ENTIRE command to worry about, not just one man and was experienced enough to know not to rush pell-mell into the unknown.

Plus blood (Boston/Custer bros) is thicker than water (Benteen)

[Diane Merkel]

Feb 24, 2009 12:08:37 GMT -6 Dark Cloud said:

So, the Wiggs, Boston, desertlobster persona has vanished? Who'd have thought?

I'm not sure that was the same guy/girl. (Wasn't the last hit-and-run supposedly the wife of Wiggs?) This one was from Borrego Springs, California, wherever that is (presumably in the desert).

[zekesgirl]

You get these "snipers" in here often?

[Diane Merkel]

Not really. Perhaps a couple of times a year someone tries to assume a new identity and stir things up a bit. DC usually smokes them out.

[tonypag7]

Boston's meeting with Martin would be important in that it shows that Boston met Martin well before Reno retreated. Therefore Boston could not have told George that Reno was in retreat.

[Dark Cloud]

Had Boston seen it, would he have recognized it for what it was? Was he aware of Reno's goals? Or was he somehow party to the command decision? A fight of some sort by the trees would be all he could reasonably deduce.

Further, unless Custer had a skull entirely of calcium, once he saw the village himself he'd know that Reno would not, because he could not, confront it without cover and hope to survive.

[tonypag7]

Darkcloud--Boston could never have seen Reno retreat from the timber. He met Martin after passing over Reno Hill and Reno hadn't retreated yet--if so Boston would have ridden right into the retreat. Now, after meeting and leaving Martin who was still not yet at Reno Hill, the retreat still did not take place or Martin would have ridden straight into it. Remember, Martin passed over Reno Hill on his way back prior to any retreat to that hill--NO Retreat was seen by either Boston or Martin!!!

[Dark Cloud]

Boston and Martin never met on the trail. It is not in Whitaker, and its such a melodramatic moment that he could not have resisted it, nor Martin 'forgotten' to tell people. That only appeared as a story decades after the fact when Martin was starting to embellish, and all of a sudden Indians were attacking Custer as he left. At the RCOI, he said Custer was with his "brotherS" on the hill - Boston arrived before he left - and that it was Benteen who told him his horse was wounded. Later, he said Boston told him that. Then Benteen was the informant again later yet.

He told this story on stage for money, so there's the motivation. And really, big deal. It's a nice story, doesn't hurt anyone. He never imagined the fevered fanatics of today.

[tonypag7]

I often wondered if that assertion (Custer with his brothers on the hill ) meant Custer Hill where they were all found dead and not Weir Hill