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There were TWO catagories of Frontier fighting during the westward movement days of America's westward expansion. The East and the West. The Eastern wars fought during the 1600's and 1700's and early 1800's against the Blackhawks, Seminoles, Mohawks, Mohicans were FAR BLOODIER than the war's fought in the west, especially after the US Civil War (1861-1865). The western frontier wars against the Sioux, Cheyanne, Blackfoot, Commanche, and Apache, began in the 1800's and steadily picked up steam as the movement west accelerated. But fighting in the open regions of the plains resulted in a war of manuever, and smaller casualties for both combatants; when compared to fighting in the thick forests of the east. Thick forests forced combatants to group up into massed targets, and allowed massed firings of weapons at extremely CLOSE RANGE, and close hand to hand fighting in the shaded darkness of the forests. LTC Custer's (US Army) command suffered the highest casualties during the war in the West, and his whole "Command" with him in it, was destroyed in 1876. His regiment was NOT destroyed, only his COMMAND GROUP (all of the officers of the 7th Regiment, minus his XO's command (Major Reno), CPT Benteen's command re-united with MAJ Reno's-establishing ONE command under MAJ Reno). Dime novels, the Wild West Shows under Buffalo Bill, and later Hollywood would be responsible for raising "Custer's Last Stand" or, for the term used today, "The Battle of the Little Big Horn" to popular status.

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17y ago

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