Archaeological Insights Into the Custer Battle: An Assessment of the 1984 Field SeasonUniversity of Oklahoma Press, 1987 - 138 oldal In August, 1983, a grassfire raged up Deep Ravine and across the dry, grass-covered battlefield where, in 1876, men of the Seventh U.S. Cavalry under George Armstrong Custer had fought and died at the hands of a Sioux and Cheyenne force led by Sitting Bull. The removal of the normally dense ground cover revealed enough evidence to suggest that an archaeological survey would be fruitful and perhaps could address some unanswered questions about the battle. Describing archaeological investigations during the first year (1984) of a two-year survey, this book offers a detailed analysis of the physical evidence remaining after the battle. Precise information regarding the locations of artifacts and painstaking analyses of the artifacts themselves have uncovered much new information about the guns used in the battle by the victorious Indian warriors. Not only have the types of guns been identified, but through the use of archaeological and criminal-investigative techniques the actual numbers of firearms can now be estimated. This analysis of the battlefield, which represents a significant advance in methodology, shows that the two forces left artifacts in what can be defined as "combatant patterns." What did happen after Custer’s trumpeter, John Martin-dispatched with an order for Captain Benteen to "be quick"-turned and saw the doomed battalion for the last time? Written to satisfy both professional and layman, this book is a vital complement to the historical record. |
Tartalomjegyzék
Introduction | 3 |
Summary of Excavation and PiecePlotting Inventory | 32 |
Artifact Description and Analysis | 49 |
Largecaliber Indian cartridge cases | 59 |
Largecaliber Indian bullets | 60 |
3 | 61 |
Model 1873 Winchester 4440 carbine | 64 |
5070 cartridge cases | 65 |
Personal items | 87 |
Army equipment | 89 |
Buttons | 91 |
FS302 as it was excavated | 94 |
Horseshoes and Horserelated Artifacts | 95 |
Horserelated items | 96 |
Red Horses depiction of the mutilation of Custers dead | 103 |
Aboriginal and Postbattle Artifacts | 104 |
The 44 Henry and the Model 1866 Winchester | 69 |
Photomicrograph of FS82 showing firingpin strikes | 71 |
Army pistol and carbine ammunition | 78 |
Army carbine cartridges and bullets | 79 |
The backstrap and ejectorrod button from a Model 1873 | 82 |
The loading lever for a Model 1858 Remington revolver | 83 |
Personal Items | 85 |
The marble markers in place on Last Stand Hill | 105 |
Reported amateur finds of battlerelated items | 114 |
The early phase of the fight along Custer Ridge | 116 |
The second and most intense phase of the fight along Custer Ridge | 118 |
The final phase of the fight along Custer Ridge | 121 |