The Washita-Part of America's "Final Solution?"

[JOHN THURSTON]

Sensei Fred Is often asking to relate matters occurring on American soil.

So be it, although on a tremendously smaller scale the elements in the American Psyche leading to the Massacres at Sand Creek, Lodge Pole and Wounded Knee can be compared to those held by Japanese Commanders and soldiers after Bataan and/or to ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.

The Japanese did not consider one surrendering as human; Custer did not consider the Cheyenne human.

The Japanese Commanders in the Phillipines, arguably at least, "grossly underestimated the numbers of prisoners that would be taken at Bataan". (not my quote, but from the book on which "The Raid" was based.)

Perhaps they did not know that the Cheyenne Camp on the Washita in 1868 was mostly women and children, but they surely knew after the attack had begun.

The 7th seems to have truly hated the Indians and Custer is unreliably quoted as saying he wanted to eliminate the "breeding grounds' of the Plains Indians (Little Big Man).

In any event, it does not appear that the 7th would have willing to take too many prisoners, although the narrative to follow shows that they did.

This is a bit of a conundrum

Further research will tell, perhaps.

Custer was, after after all, in a wildernness 30 DAYS from his base.

Major Elliott was sent to the "Lodge Pole Massacre" site which was 12 miles from Custer on Nov. 27, 1868.

I am not clear on the location of the Camp as the Article in question merely refers to it as being in "The Indian Territory, Department of the Missouri".

Credit is given to "Loddge Pole (Washita ) Massacre" by John Sipes. The article on wihich this is based was published in the Watonga Republican Newspaper Jan. 15, 1997.

Regardless this action makes My Lai appear as an unpremediitated event by contrast.

Later "On November 27, 1868, Custer and the Seventh Cavalry charged into the Cheyenne village on the Washita River in Indian Territory. The result was a massacre of children, women and elders of the tribe and the total destruction of the Camp.

The horses owned by the Cheyenne were slaughtered.

George A. Custer chose to attack the village and murder women and children. Thus he also chose his manner of death, by Massacre in 1876 at the Little Big Horn River----(North Dakota Territory)-----"

"Previously in 1867, Major Elliot led an escort of advisors to the Medicine Lodge Creek in Kansas. here the infamous------"(in terms of it being one of many dishonored treaties)

The "-----Medicine Lodge Creek Treaty was signed.

The Cheyyenne did not receive promised supplies and Congress did not act on the treaty until July 1868------" the fact that a treaty unratified by Congress is not the law of the land or even effective was without doubt, lost upon the Cheyenne.

'Cheyenne' in their own tongue, apparently means "The Human Beings", and, for what it's worth, is a cultural thing and probably effected their view of the Whites.

"Custer-------followed an Indian trail discovered by his scouts and when 3 of the scouts --- "probably Pawnee 'i never had much use for the Pawnee, always suckin' up to whites an' all" the Character Jack Crabbe in "Little Big Man"-----" Located the Lodgepole Camp "------He surrounded the camp and at dawn on Nov. 27, 1868, he attacked the Sleeping camp. This camp was headed by Cheif Black Kettle, a Suhtia--(? some help here).

Black Kettle had no scouts out to guard the sleeping village----" and was unaware of "--the impending--"attack and the slaughter of the people that was about to happen"

This is in dispute as Black Kettle may have known Custer's force was in the area.

" Custer took about 52 captives----(news to me)-----and they were later transferred to Ft. hayes Kansas"

The attack effected an inspeakably brutal slaying of men women and children and included " the cutting open at the womb and babies being left dead on the ground with their Mothers"

This came four years after the "Sand Creek Massacre" and ended the bloodlines of many many Cheyenne Familes in toto.

The attack killed 11 warriors. 16 women and children were also killed.
I suppose that is small potatoes. (sic)

How ironic the "Human Beings", not being considered human

When the 7th. or parts thereof,. arrived at the Little Bighorn in 1876, the after battle examination of skeletons showed they were no longer an elite unit.

Most Spines were shown as damaged or degenerated.

The entire final Battle has been tracked by the locations of the very durable copper and brass shell casings of the time, much as traces of "musket ball spatter" have been used to traces the progress of battles of the English Civil War, such as "Edgehill".

Last Stand Hill's location and existence have been called into question. The single shot 45-70 carbine is billed as a "Standoff Weapon" and-------well no real satisfactory reason for making this point is clear to me. Certainly the 7th had their sabres or other sidearms.

But a discussion Of Little Big Horn is out of place here as is any justification for the smear on the eschutcheon of the 7th and the US Army left by the Massacre of Lodge Pole Creek.

The Massacre at Lodge Pole Creek, although small in scale, shows our own tendencies to "let the big Gorilla with the Club Out of the Closet" and a general desire held by many to find a "final solution".

I suppose that we can be thankful that, to some extent, we have kept the closet of the Gorilla locked.

JT