As a kid I was fascinated by the movie "They Died With
Their Boots On" starring Errol Flynn as Lt. Colonel George Armstrong
Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I read as many books as I could get my hands on about the subject and
also saw other movies about the Battle of Little Bighorn. I must have seen Errol die at least six
or seven times.
The romanticism and excitement of it all really had me
enthralled. Fighting Indians was the
subject of many western movies as I was growing up and naturally I thought it
would be fun to have lived in that time. That was when I was young and very naive.
I never really thought I would set foot on the battlefield
until a few days ago. Walking up the
hill to the monument with all those names inscribed on it actually gave me a
few butterflies. To realize that two hundred sixty-two men
fought here, outnumbered and pretty much cut off from any possible help, really
sunk in.
The visit was both enjoyable and educational. I learned exactly where things were
in relation to each other. Walking
Calhoun hill, seeing the point where Captain Weir saw the final moments of Custer's
demise, viewing where Major Reno and his men crossed and re-crossed the
Little Big Horn river and the ravine that they had to climb to get into their last fighting position, was an eye opener.
All in all, I really came away with a different perspective
and more respect for these men who fought and died here. I will never forget looking down into the
valley where, one hundred forty years ago, 5,000 to 7,000 tee pees stood with 1,500 to 2,000
warriors attacked the invading army of the United States who wanted to take
their land and way of life away from them.
The experience was unforgettable. As one of the park rangers said in his talk, last stand battle is the second most painted in the world. It is a global phenomenon. If you get the chance it is well worth the trip if you are interested in the history or have a curiosity in what the battlefield looks like. I highly recommend going...Jack
We visited there a few years ago and also stayed at 7th Ranch RV Park and remember getting the ice cream when we arrived. Yes, the battlefield is really impressive and the Ranger talks informative.
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