First Sergeant Henry Johnson

[joewiggs]

Sgt. Johnson received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his conduct at the Battle of Milk River. The 29 year old Afro-American was engaged in a fierce contest with the Utes in Colorado october 1, 2, and 3rd., 1879. He, "voluntarily left a sheltered position and under heavy fire at close range made the rounds of the pits to instruct the guards, and fought his way to the river and back to bring water to the wounded."

The courage of this man was an antithetical response of Reno's lack of intestinal fortitude and, shows what may be accopmlished if one has "true grit."

[stumblingbear]

Which two soldiers who, eventually, were assigned to the 7Th. Calvary requested that they not be assigned to the 9Th. Calvary after the end of the Civil war?

Which of these two, towards the end of his career, wound up assigned to that unit?

[Cutter]

Benteen was one.

[stumblingbear]

Yes, Benteen shied away from the ninth accepting a senior captain position with the 7th. instead. he later accepted a Major's position with a black unit in the twilight of his career.

Custer refused a full colonelcy with a black unit choosing the 7th. instead.

[joewiggs]

One can not help but wonder how the circumstances of the battle may have been altered if one or both of these gentleman had decided to take advantage of this opportunity for advancement.

[whitebull]

They would have been different I betcha!

[joewiggs]

Absolutely! When Reno initially charged, the Indians wisely fell back. they only rushed forward when Reno abruptly fell into skirmish. Benteen would have realized that once the game began, you had no recourse but to follow through, completely. It was common knowledge during that era that running away from Indians was tantamount to suicide.