Quote:
WHAT IF.....
Benteen had not been ordered by GAC to scout the left flank, instead stay with Reno, and the pack train to form a more compact unit.
Could the 7 Companies do more than the 5 with Custer?
Hard to tell. Reno and Benteen fought for 2 days once reunited until reinforced by Terry. Probably would have made no difference on "Last Stand Hill"...But one of those little "what if's" of history
|
A more intresting "what if" is if Major Reno had not been present. In this case Benteen would have had the command of the valley fight. While everyone notes that Benteen hated Custer, nobody disputes Benteen's willigness to fight. Would he have paused halfway down the valley and go on the defensive? Or would he have driven his charge home and completed the scatter of the Indians?
__________________
The reason that the American Army does so well in wartime, is that war is chaos, and the American Army practices chaos on a daily basis.
|