Dust and Benteen and Pack location was known

[coverup]

If one reads the RCOI and every person that was there mentions the dust.  Even as far as saying they could tell the location of the packs and distance by dust, 

1. Lt. George Wallace RCOI page 26 says something that is real important as Lt. George D. Wallace says that after reaching top (Reno Hill) … soon after that it was reported that Capt. Benteen was coming up and were joined by him. What passed between him and major Reno I don’t know. We were out of ammunition, one company had several wounded and I could find but seven men of my company.

a. We waited there, I don’t know exactly how long, for the pack train to come up, the dust from which we could see.

b. Q. State if you can, from what you saw, when the hostile village first became aware of the approach o f Major Reno's command was discovered by the Indians, and give the facts upon which this opinion is based.



A. My opinion is they knew from the time we left the mouth of the Rosebud, on the 22nd of June, what we were doing and exactly which way we were moving. Our scouts saw their scouts that morning watching us an saw them riding back into their village. They knew our approach and were ready to receive us. After we crossed the stream and moved towards the village their running was only a sham. They ran in and as we moved up they came back to meet us. …

Every person testifying talked about dust, Girard at Crows Nest thought the ponies were being rounded up as it looked like worms as dust would make it look.   So the entire command approaching a village of over 5000 was surprised at two in the afternoon by Custer and his troops leaving dust trails by Custer, Benteen, Reno and the Pack trains.  The idea that Custer had no idea where Benteen was yet sent a second message directly  to Benteen who was supposed to be feeling to the left.  

[herosrest]

^Ducemus

cu,

There has never been, as far as I know, any denial or opposition to the existence of dust on, over and along the trails followed by 7th Cavalry in approaching the Hartung Oasis. There is every possibility that as Custer could spot Benteen, Mathey and McDugal's general location by dust towers above their lines of march, so terefore also, those commands should in theory have been able to see 7th Cavalry's right wing less Company B; climbing onto the bluffs above and east of Maj. Reno's crossing into the valley of Little Bighorn (Big Horn). I don't believe that Custer had employed and deployed cloaking devices although Curtis believed the movement over the bluffs beyond Weir's Peak into the middle and or western coulees, disguised the commands presence although Gall did see them up there and some of Reno's advance.

Yes, there was a lot of dust above the marching columns, Indian pony herds and above the village itself as the population reacted to attack and fled or rallied to the sound of the guns. The Indian assault upon the manuevering cavalry forces was an outstanding example of their abilities be caught in camp, in the middle of the day, and not really believe or care about what was going on until their tipi poles were violently assaulted followed by casualties amongst women and children fleeing in panic. I think that kinda PO'd the Sioux and Cheyenne men folk, a little if not slightly.

There was a lot of dust. Wallace stated that it was blue, a blue cloud..... I did wonder about that.

Anyway, if you know who Clement A. Lounsberry was, then this might interest you - Early History of North Dakota, which emanated from the documents carried by Capt. E.W. Smith, 18th Infantry AAJG; to Bismarck aboard Far West arriving late 5th July 1876. The comment on distance travelled and time of day firmly establish the correct outlines for any timeline and time and motion based study of things which have drifted upstream in parentheses for far longer than anyone should care to put up with. Here's to good old Clement, Custer's equal in infantry terms and worthy of some research. I do hope you manage to do it.

Regards.

I have long felt that Capt. Benteen was accutely aware of his status as junior, surving senior Officer of 7th Cavalry, at Lima Bravo Hotel; and having been under Reno he was as paranoid as only the vain glorious can practice their paranoia; once the hunt for a donkey evolved into and beyond the little cracker of a Christmas present delivered by Frederick Whittaker in December, 1876. He may have dreamt of roasted chestnuts - who knows?

20 miles from the Busby halt is Hartung Oasis. A watering hole.

Custer's Last Water

Pladeuskrueken

We see here link, the record of wells located in Reno Creek along the descent into Little Bighorn river. Well, I never.... Now you see it now you don't. Of course it is highly unlikely a well existed in 1876 but of course today is 2021.