Military officers on Custer's plan

LITTLE BIGHORN CAMPAIGN

“A few years ago, while teaching at the Army’s Command and General Staff College, I was fortunate enough to be afforded a chance to revisit the site of the battle [of the Little Bighorn] along with a number of senior military officers for a more in-depth look at the campaign.

The colonels and generals of this Staff Ride, all veterans of the Vietnam or the Gulf War, were given only the information which was available to Custer and his officers on 25 June 1876 and asked to explain what they would have done in Custer’s place.

Much to my surprise, and theirs, all of these combat veterans made precisely the same tactical decisions as had the ill-fated commander of the Seventh Cavalry.

As we walked over the terrain and discussed the events that had transpired on that distant summer, I found myself looking at those events from a different perspective.”

Frederick Chiaventone, retired army officer and former professor International Security Affairs at the United States Army Command and General Staff College.

Extract of the author’s note, A Road We Do Not Know, Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press, page 13 (nominated for the Pulitzer prize)
 
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