I know I'd get along with you. My dad drove truck. WW2 in Burma. India

His name was Thomas Murray

Thank you for your service 🙏 ❤️

I thank you and your family for your service and for your great grandfather bringing water to save the troops. My great grandfather also fought on that hill and was wounded, part of company D. Our family kept one of his letters describing how they scratched out those shallow fighting positions on the hill with cups and spoons and held out for two days. My great grand father wrote he proudly served under Custer for two years until his untimely death. When I visited the battlefield, I recall thinking of all those families that never were and how other’s sacrifice and fate allowed my family’s history to flourish to this day.

Bloody great......I also have a long family history within the military. I'm Gibraltarian and my family all fought for King and Country. My great grandfather Alexander fought in WWI, lucky to survive the carnage that was the Somme and the 3rd battle of Ypres (also known as Passchiandaele). My Grandfather Joseph, like many others, joined up to fight in WWII, fought in North Africa,Italy and Northern Europe,went through hell and survived whiles my Uncles Tommy and Alex did not. My Father Eliott also joined up and fought the IRA during the troubles and i joined up and was part of the British Army during the 1st Iraq War. Ironically, serving in the same unit as my Grandfather, the 8th Army.

If

Wow your relative was Dr Dewolf ? Simply astonishing!! I can't imagine what he seen that day.. Absolutely fascinating my dear..

Have any stories you'd share?

That’s amazing, thank you for your service. If you feel comfortable with it you should most definitely give an interview on your experiences. Too many war stories are lost to time.

Waterloo Battlefield always surprised me with how small the area involved actually was.

Graeme, visited Sidney back in 1968 while I was serving IN Vietnam, never had to buy a drink... My first wife's Dad was in WW2 and was in your GREAT country and loved it. MY Dad was all over Asia in the early 1930's. If I had to moved there are 2 countries I would go to first, yours and Canada (have family history there).

Same with Isandlwana, I was always informed the whole column was lost, I didn't know for years that it was only a part of the column involved and that even than, there were a fair number of survivors of the actual battle.

Only because you know what happened there…we’ve likely all walked over ground who’s story didn’t come down to us. Time is big

I've read a lot of books on this battle, but your videos really bring it to life. Thanks for doing this fine work

Thank you!

Would you be willing to also talk about Cpt Miles Keogh's failed breakaway relief column effort?

If you mean Capt Weir’s attempt, I have something in the works

@@TheStoryOutWest Mea culpa! Yes, good catch, that's exactly what I meant. Loving the content and delivery style. Keep up the tempo!

Im not sure if Reno was actually drunk or not. If he had been during the defense he would have had to get the liquor probably from Dr. Porter. I would think that was used for the injured soldiers instead. I don't know it for certain. Just my humble opinion.

At the later Reno hearings concerning the battle, evidence was submitted regarding his fitness to command. Some soldiers claim to have smelled alcohol on him and heard liquor bottles clanking in his saddlebag. I think his lack of visibility during the 26th, when it was Benteen who effectively assumed command, that speaks to his incapacitated state.

Mark, 'A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Last Great Battle of the American West' by James Donovan is, IMHO, the best book on the subject I have read. Donovan also wrote the best book I have read on the Battle of the Alamo, "The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo - and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation". The quest for knowledge is a lot of fun, enjoy!

Take tobacco & fresh cartridges to place with the rest at the monument.

I don’t know about Benteen. He had a pathological jealousy of Custer which clouded his judgement, disobeying orders, verbal and written, to ‘come on quick‘ and delays and drags his feet all the way on the back trail. Benteen probably knew he and Reno would be court marshalled anyway, for leaving Custer and his men to their fate - so had nothing to loose, accounting for his bravado, plus of course now he’s fighting for his own life. That’s my opinion.

@@drstrangelove4998 Benteen and Reno were smart enough to not be wiped out which is more than can be said about your custer

@@williamallencrowder361 I don't think it was a case of "smart enough" not to be wiped out. It was just more of a case of being lucky enough not to have to fight the larger number of indians that were wiping out Custer.

There may be a follow-up video that touches on this in the works, so stay tuned

There was a breakout by Captain Weir to attempt to ride to aid Custer. It was repulsed. But they saw the Indians shooting dead soldiers in the distance. They knew Custer was in trouble. Read "The Godfrey Diary."

@@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244 Reno and Benteen could hear firing and volley-fire, a signal for help, for quite a while whilst doing nothing. At the enquiry they claimed not to have heard anything but other witnesses including scouts said the could clearly.

@@drstrangelove4998 Why are you telling me things I obviously already know? If I read Godfrey's diary, you have to know I have read the other materials as well. But the only reported "signals for help" was the note sent by courier to Benteen requesting haste in bringing up the supply wagons quickly, and one volley repeated three times. The courier quipped, "We've got 'em, boys" which was interpreted as a statement of victory. There was a pervasive psychological state of disbelief and denial among many, including Benteen, that Custer could actually be killed let alone his entire command wiped out. But some, like Weir, were less certain and tried to do something about it. A lot of things and lies were spoken at the inquiry, including that Reno was drinking that day and even as he was facing the village in the battle line. Others defended Reno. But Custer was "thrown under the bus" by many as he was unable to defend himself. In his diary, Godfrey points out in his conclusions that Custer was expected to attack and if he had not and for example avoided the village, he would have been accused of dereliction of duty because his orders were to contact the hostile and attack to drive them toward Crook and Terry's forces. Neither Custer nor Terry had any idea that Crook had suffered a near defeat a week before by the same Indians was had withdrawn twenty miles to resupply. (BTW, the only thing that stopped Crook's men from attacking the village at that time was their location and the narrow canyon approach that guaranteed an ambush). Crook did not even attempt to send a message to warn either men.

@@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244 Sadly Strangelove worships custer