This is a very sweeping statement and far from the facts of how the battle and subsequent defeat transpired. The fault for this defeat starts with General Terry, who was a paperwork general, but a poor field tactician. While Custer was a fool about many things, and his actions questionable in this instance, he was a brilliant battle tactician, whose record in the Civil War was above reproach. Reno was as much to blame for the failure at Little Bighorn as anybody, but redeemed his initial cowardice once it was fully underway. There was plenty of blame to be passed around, but Custer was a conveniently dead scapegoat for the survivors.
According to these folks, I’m known as “Great Canoe”, which if you’ve ever seen my attempts to actually propel myself in a canoe, would be quite laughable.
But not in public, however, until after his widow died. I know this affected historical fiction until well into the 20th Century but I don’t know what impact it had on serious scholarship.
Me too, though the alternate pronunciation is “tripod”.
-Joe
Wait until they hear that Crazy Horse made sergeant.
And immortalized in the song “A Boy Named Sioux”.
As sung by Johnny Wampum.
When I was working for a mental health agency in the 1990s there was a movement by some association (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill- NAMI- I believe) to change the name of Crazy Horse in reference to the monument and the way he’s referred to in history books. It was believed this was offensive to the mentally ill population. Suggestions were for Wild Horse (which in truth might be closer to the actual meaning) or Tasunka Witko (or some other variant of the English transliteration of his name). Obviously it went nowhere.
Personally I think they should have found out exactly what the horse’s condition was and then name it either after its symptoms (“Bipolar and boderline personality horse with recurrent episodes of hypermania”) or its DSM-IV 296.91 Horse.
For those very interested, the last (current?) issue of “Smithsonian” magazine had a well researched and detailed account of the battle of the Little Bighorn. It included accounts from several natives, and while there was some conflicting narrative, a fairly consistent picture of exactly what happened emerged.
- From The Simpson’s “Bart to the Future”
As for “Crazy as a Fox” Fox news:
They changed the title of their article to say now that:
“Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Defeated U.S. General"
So Custer was still a general and Sitting Bull is still a chief but they’ve changed it for accuracy by saying ‘defeated’ instead of ‘killed’. Okey dokey.
Hey, where are all the Foxapologists? (Apolofoxists? Pholxabologists? Foxallopolists?)
You’re telling me no one’s mentioned Dan Rather in earnest? My one, half-assed attempt at the crazy was it? WTF? Where’s the “Fair and Balanced!” crew? Where’s the but they’re just a counterbalance to equally biased reporting from the left and besides they’re Fare and Ballantzed gang? Where’s the creative defense?
Missed edit window:
:eek:
Holy shit, I’d never been to FoxNation before. Whoa, that’s a scarily distorted world they have. But my fav:
Fox Nation Salutes: November Marks Native American Heritage Month
This has been around awhile, but, doesn’t really get old in the scope of things. Different Tribe, same ol same ol bullshit.
Wow. This is the most insightful, nuanced political message I’ve ever seen.
Seriously though - is this for real? I mean, it’s not parody, right? I really can’t tell anymore.
It’s probably parody, but it’s so painfully close to actual attitudes that I had to switch it off with that “render unto Caesar” line.
Never looked at FoxNation before. I may start now, just for the yuks it provides!
It seems to me, though, that they don’t quite understand the notion of satire.
http://gawker.com/5699648/foxnationcom-doesnt-seem-to-get-the-onion
Custer was a jackass on a jackass mission. Decent people do not ethnic cleanse.
Not even a full bird Colonel, but a Lt. Col. http://www.nps.gov/archive/libi/custer.html