Unfortunately, the Little Bighorn is about 2500 miles from home. I’d love to visit it again, buy I don’t know if it’s in the cards.
Hastings, I doubt Sheridan would’ve had much praise for Reno or Benteen if he’d been honest. Custer was his fair haired boy who could do no wrong throughout the Civil War and the Indian Wars. Hell, without Sheridan’s influence, Custer may well have been given a dishonorable discharge over the AWOL and ordering deserters to be shot in 1867!
At the time he praised Reno and Benteen, everybody from Grant on down the chain of command was in full CYOA mode.
Congress was grumbling about the Army’s ineffectiveness against the Sioux. Army Budget cuts were a definite possibility, and that meant everybody would lose. No promotions, fewer commands, less pay and food were a real threat to the Army.
There was a full consensus among all the officers to let the dead Custer bear the blame.
General Nelson Miles was the only high ranking officer I’ve ever heard of to praise Custer’s actions at LBH.
7mm
