Post by hreinn on May 10, 2010 17:59:49 GMT -5
In my opinion, the success of the Rosebud Battle in 1876 is partly based on the experience of Crazy Horse from the Sumner Fight in 1857.
Like other participants in the Sumner Fight in 1857, Crazy Horse had noted that the horses of the U.S. Army cavalry were tired after a long expedition.
So tired, that the Lakota's and Cheyenne's horses quickly outdistanced the cavalry horses if necessary.
Crazy Horse used his experience from 1857 to plan for daring attacks on the cavalry at Rosebud in June 1876.
Crazy Horse planed and used the hit and run tactic to extract small groups of eager soldiers out from their main column.
Having extracted small groups from the main force, they could return and fight isolated and small groups of soldiers.
I had always thought it a strange and heavily risky way to fight.
Attacking the enemy and then almost immediately turn your back to your enemy, rendering yourself vulnerable !
But taking everything into account, the risk was acceptable.
That is taking into account:
1. the tiredness of the cavalry horses
2. not so good marksmanship of the cavalry
3. fast running Lakota's and Cheyenne's horses
4. excellence horsemanship of Lakota and Cheyenne, where they were able to use the body of their horses to partly take cover on their retreat.
As history tells us, it was effective.
The use of this tactic was not a guess work.
It was based on an experience.
An experience earned in the Sumner Fight 1857.
Hreinn
Like other participants in the Sumner Fight in 1857, Crazy Horse had noted that the horses of the U.S. Army cavalry were tired after a long expedition.
So tired, that the Lakota's and Cheyenne's horses quickly outdistanced the cavalry horses if necessary.
Crazy Horse used his experience from 1857 to plan for daring attacks on the cavalry at Rosebud in June 1876.
Crazy Horse planed and used the hit and run tactic to extract small groups of eager soldiers out from their main column.
Having extracted small groups from the main force, they could return and fight isolated and small groups of soldiers.
I had always thought it a strange and heavily risky way to fight.
Attacking the enemy and then almost immediately turn your back to your enemy, rendering yourself vulnerable !
But taking everything into account, the risk was acceptable.
That is taking into account:
1. the tiredness of the cavalry horses
2. not so good marksmanship of the cavalry
3. fast running Lakota's and Cheyenne's horses
4. excellence horsemanship of Lakota and Cheyenne, where they were able to use the body of their horses to partly take cover on their retreat.
As history tells us, it was effective.
The use of this tactic was not a guess work.
It was based on an experience.
An experience earned in the Sumner Fight 1857.
Hreinn
