The History Channel Version

[lbhdan]

From Lost Worlds: Sin City of the West (about Deadwood, SD), on the History Channel, September 19, 2007:

"The number of prospectors increased; the Indians intensified their attacks; a showdown was inevitable. The battle of the Little Big Horn would go down in history. Here, on June 25th 1876, Custer's troops faced a larger force of better trained, better armed warriors. He died, along with all of his men."

Better trained?!?

dan

[crzhrs]

If we look at how Indian males are raised we find from the time they can walk they are "trained" in riding, hunting, tracking, fighting, hand-to-hand combat (wrestling more likely) survive in conditions that would make most Whites blanch, and a myriad of other skills necessary to survive their type of lifestyle.

In a way the HC was correct . . . they were better trained, not by West Point standards, but nevertheless man-for-man better than your average GI.

That is entirely different than military organization, chain-of-command, following orders, drilling, and so forth.

Two entirely different ways of fighting with both excelling when facing the same type of opponant. However the issue quickly changes when a Western-style army has to fight a non-Western foe. The Plains Indians were able to win a number of battle when conditions favored them, but in the end they were more worn down than militarily defeated per se. Diseases, starvation, lack of resources, constantly on the move to avoid attack by the military when they should be hunting, the stress and hardship on non-coms all took its toll.

In the end they were overwhelmed by the White Man, but considering the odds held their own pretty well.

[harpskiddie]

Some of the warrior society leaders had attended the Real West Point, in the Big Horn Mountains, and had drilled their followers for years.

Gordie,
hup hoop hareep hor, hup hoop hareep hor........................................................