The beauty of the place is what struck me. The stark divide the river makes between the lumpy hills to the north and the flat plain to the south where the tribes were camped. The genocidal intent of the soldiers and their arrogance is hard to imagine. They paid dearly for it as the scattered tombstones tell so vividly. It must have been a horrible surprise.
It is tough country and terrain would seem to make it difficult to recon and maneuver long distance. Not a military tactician so I may be off base. I do know a heck of a deer herd could be 50 yards away and you'd never see them.
Someone posted the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapahoe chose their camp location well and it is true. I seem to remember from somewhere that some had camped there before.
As for arrogance of the troops...
I never served but know some who did and some paid dearly mentally and physically.
I suspect that it was the same then and there. No arrogance... just some men doing a job they were told to do. Asking why you were doing it brought nothing but trouble. A good percentage of the army, 7th cavalry included, were recent immigrants -many probably had a hard time with English.
The tombstones in groups of two, three, or alone show how they fought and died up and down the hills. Three to fight and one to hold horses (memory is weak- Might have been 2 and 2).
I suppose when the SHTF there was no arrogance, just some poor souls fighting for their lives and the life of the fellow next to them. I doubt whether most of the officers had little or no respect for the aborigine's abilities, either.
