Custer Victorious..... or not

[tbw]

Martin's note has been thought about, twisted and turned every which way in order to understand it. No matter what people think it means, the packs were an important element in the note. The dropped letter in the word packs (pacs) could have had more meaning than our understanding could acquire. Was it some kind of hidden clue as to what Custer wanted without getting wordy about it? Such cyphers, today more idioms of initialization and cobbled meaning are used in such a way. Subcompac, BAR and others that are to many to go into great detail here. Would the word Bar written hurriedly mean anything to someone 150 years from now if they read, George gave Harry the bar? Would the word Subcompac possibly mean a sub compact vehicle of some sort 140 years from now? Of course we know BAR stands for the Browning Automatic Rifle, and Subcompac stood for Submarine Command Pacific during WWII. One letter can and does make a difference doesn't it? The difference between interpreting the message correctly and getting it right or mistaking it for an unknown military vehicle in the last example.

Could the pacs mean just what they seem to imply? I don't want ALL the PACKS, just my pacs (less than a full compliment) for my companies? A perhaps long lost jargon of the age that no one thought to make note of for future posterity? Perhaps so, as Kanipe's message surely conveyed the same message in greater detail (less a note), and this supposedly coming from Custer through his brother Tom. I am unaware of any attempt to send forward those pacs at the time those messages arrived there. However what is interesting is if it was a cypher of mutual understanding among the commanders, it would explain why Benteen sent Martin back to the pack train after his arrival at Benteen's position. Benteen rejected this notion, and later Martin also said he didn't go back, but it was testified to at the COI and makes perfect sense in light of this cypher and in light of Kanipe's same message as well. Still, even if Martin message didn't convey this message to Benteen, why wasn't those pacs sent forward as Custer requested after Kanipe delivered his message? The only time that I am aware of when it did occur was long after these messages had been recieved and only after their junction with Reno's troops after their withdrawal from the valley fight. Too little, to late. Custer's actions do seem a little more clear, if would be assumed Benteen and/or the pac train commanders knew what the message(s) meant.
What each of the three commanders knew at crucial times during the lead-up to the battle is important to know. And I don't think it ever should be assumed that they knew something just because we do today. For instance what did both Reno and Benteen know as to why Benteen wasn't allowed to do what the orders sent to him through Martin, said he should have been doing? That question has never been adequately addressed. There were no Indians following Reno or his men, in fact ll of them came waddling out and up to their positions on the hill hours after Reno's retreat. Had it been swarming with Indians those 11 would have been toast, it wasn't, and it wasn't on the hill where Reno met Benteen either. So why the urgent plea for Benteen to help Reno? What exactly was that all about? Way too many assumptions about Benteen's direction and speed have been addressed elsewhere, and need not be regurgitated here although that has to be a prime consideration. The other thing that needs to be explored and hasn't been is where on those bluffs did Reno and Benteen meet? No, it wasn't Reno Hill, and the proof of that is in what all the men said about it, commonly referred to as their 1st position on the bluffs. This position is where they first met and fell back to after the Weir Advance. Some state this position was within several hundred yards of Reno Hill. Could have been depending upon just how many hundreds of yards a couple was back then. But never mind that position, Reno Hill is what mattered most, no metal detectors trying to ever find it, no one seeing for themselves just how far a couple of hundred really was. Indeed, what did Reno and Benteen know of what was going on downstream and why wasn't Benteen in a hurry to complete his assignment, he had no obligation to Reno, none, that is, if Custer was still alive. And I'm not saying that to necessarily place blame, just saying...

What did Custer know? Did Custer know what was around the bend over the river and through the bluffs where he had sent Reno to? Was the scouts sent out to places where they could see behind the bluffs, what was there, and did those scouts ever tell Custer what was there? Was it understood by Reno where Custer was going and why? Was Custer ever concerned about Benteen's position in relation to where the percieved threat would or could come from after Benteen was sent on his mission? The failure's here could indicate what we lack in understanding, and is the difference between our biased perceptions and in total, reality.

[joewiggs]

This is just an educated guess on my part and I certainly do not wish to infer that I'm even remotely correct. However, I must confess that I find a simplistic approach to this dilemma is the best road.

I think it possible that at the point the written order was sent that Benton's location was discovered by Custer. Previous to that discovery, Benton's location was unknown. It is it very possible that the pack train had been located and, subsequently, received the original oral report.

When Tom Custer sent Kanipe with an oral message, he advised the Sergeant to find the pack train and deliver instructions to McDowell to hurry the mules cross country and leave any fallen packs unless they were ammunition packs.

He also told Kanipe that if he saw Benteen to tell him to hurry up - a big village. At this point, common sense dictates that Custer now knew the location and disposition of the village. This observation may have been made from Sharpshooter's ridge where he may have observed the dust trail of the troops that must have stood out like a red flag!.

What was needed was all of the ammunition and as many support personnel as possible.

In a second recognizance, possibly from Weir's Point and just after entering MTC, a second cloud of dust slowing separating from the first one could only that of Benteen's command. All of the Indians were in front of Custer and only military personnel were to the rear.

Thus, a written, second message was sent specifically to Benteen!

Unfortunately, both Kanipe and Benteen assumed that all was well and passed on this mis-information to all others.

I have seen detailed arguments on other forums where a thesaurus would be needed to find enough written, descriptive verbiage to determine what Custer was trying to say. It is so simple, "Come on - we got 'em Boys".