Monday, September 22, 2025

Suggested by a friend

 

Metal detectors were an effective way to cover a lot of area.
Blurb

In August, 1983, a grassfire raged up Deep Ravine and across the dry, grass-covered battlefield where, in 1876, men of the Seventh U.S. Cavalry under George Armstrong Custer had fought and died at the hands of a Sioux and Cheyenne force led by Sitting Bull. The removal of the normally dense ground cover revealed enough evidence to suggest that an archaeological survey would be fruitful and perhaps could address some unanswered questions about the battle.

Describing archaeological investigations during the first year (1984) of a two-year survey, this book offers a detailed analysis of the physical evidence remaining after the battle. Precise information regarding the locations of artifacts and painstaking analyses of the artifacts themselves have uncovered much new information about the guns used in the battle by the victorious Indian warriors. Not only have the types of guns been identified, but through the use of archaeological and criminal-investigative techniques the actual numbers of firearms can now be estimated. This analysis of the battlefield, which represents a significant advance in methodology, shows that the two forces left artifacts in what can be defined as "combatant patterns."

What did happen after Custer’s trumpeter, John Martin-dispatched with an order for Captain Benteen to "be quick"-turned and saw the doomed battalion for the last time? Written to satisfy both professional and layman, this book is a vital complement to the historical record.

Per my friend's comments, the findings of the archeologists were probably biased as the highest value, most sought-after weapons were carried off by the winners. For instance, few if any 1873 Colt revolvers were found. 

4 comments:

  1. Around 50 years ago I visited the Fort Laramie National Historic Site. In the firearms portion of the tour, someone asked the guide what would have happened if Custer had taken the Gatling guns. He said something like, if Custer had taken the Gatlings he wouldn't have been massacred at Little Big Horn because they would have slowed him down so much the Native Americans would have been long gone before he got there.

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  2. Interesting bit of 'research'... And it does change 'some' of the historical record.

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  3. I have read other reports on that archeological project and it was quite interesting. There wqs true heroism on both sides. ---ken

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  4. The Little Bighorn Battlefield is well worth a visit. A very good visitor's center. Walking the battlefield gives one a unique perspective.

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