Re: Lynn’s six star list (or top ten list) in Sep tember 2023

On 11/27/2023 10:59 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> On 11/27/2023 3:22 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> On 11/27/2023 3:54 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>>> On 11/27/2023 11:24 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>>>>
>>>> You can never have too many guns.  Just ask General Custer who left 
>>>> his Gatling guns behind for his last march.
>>>>
>>> They wouldn't have made a difference at Little Big Horn.
>>
>> Why not ?
>>
> Custer's command was split into multiple sub-units, allowing them to be 
> defeated in detail.  (Except one which had the good sense to bug-out 
> ASAP after their first contact.)  Also much of the battle was a running 
> battle, the "fixed position" bit didn't occur until the very end by 
> which point the US Army units were surrounded and massively 
> out-numbered.  Gatling guns can't fire on the move and even when set up 
> (which takes time) they didn't have a rate of fire comparable to current 
> automatic weapons and didn't have enough munitions to have tipped the 
> balance.
> 
> About the only way I can see Gatling Guns saving Custer and his command 
> was by slowing them down enough that the Native Americans had simply 
> left by the time the 7th Cavalry reached Little Big Horn.  That was why 
> Custer left them behind in the first place.

Wikipedia says that the Indians had at least 20 Henry lever action 
rifles spread among their best shooters.  Custer's army had old breech 
loaders and single action revolvers.  Not good.  Outmanned and outgunned.

Lynn