Tommygunn
Member
Dont you know after the third or fourth horse all of Custers other horses were nervous as heck?!!!
Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Ha-ha.
But it does prompt another G. A. Custer story -- involving a horse, of course.
Custer's first Plains Indians mission was in winter, 1866-7 and was called the "Hancock Expedition," after the leader, General Hancock (Custer was really only a Lt. Col. in the U.S. Cavalry).
This was in "Indian Territory" Northeats of the Red River which forms the N.E. border of Texas, and there was maybe 1-1.5 feet of snow on the ground. It was believed htting the Indians in winter camp would increase the cavalry's odds a lot, but it was still rather experimental.
Custer had brought along two of his hounds and was riding his favorite Civil War horse, Custis Lee. Spotting a deer off the path Custer sent his hounds after it and followed, plowing easily through the winter snow. Eventually, the hounds lost the deer, but at about this time they came across a maverick lone buffalo, and Custer, always one for some fun, gave chase.
Riding alongside the buffalo, Custer pressed the chase to the point the buffalo became exhausted, its tongue rolling out of its mouth and breathing hard. Custer cocked his Colt revolver, and placed it against the beast's head (he was that close) but then relented, wishing to continue his ... "fun." He would repeat this several times.
Eventually the poor buffalo, now spent, stumbled -- and unfortunatly, it stumbled into our great hero's horse. Regrettably, at this point, Custer's revolver was pointing directly at Custis Lee's skull. Regrettable, because a startled Custer accidently fired off the round, blowing his horse's brains out all over the winter wonderland.
Down they went, Custer propelling himself away from the collapsing mount.
His revolver goes spinning off into the snow somewhere .... and there a really really p'o'd buffalo stomping around..... The buffalo -- probably possessing more sense than the two-legged critter sitting a few feet away -- relents and wanders off.
Thankfully, awhile later a detachment of his Cavalry arrive and rescues the luckless "Autie" Custer and, as a young cavalryman brings up a replacement horse for their fallen leader, Custer asks him how they managed to locate him.
This is why I made that point about the 1 to 1.5 feet of snow on the ground ....
If you wish to read more Custer Antics, the above and more can be found in the tome, "My Life on the Plains," by George Armstrong Custer.
Yeah ... he actually wrote about that adventure ... boasting about how nimble he was......
Hey ... atleast he was honest.