Sitting Bull’s War by Paul L Hedren- A Book Review

 

Sitting Bull’s plan was simple. Don’t go anywhere near the Whites. If they aren’t where you are, they can do you no harm.  

Problematically, the Whites kept coming. Amazingly, in the vastness of the West, Sitting Bull’s people ran out of room. Then they had to stand and fight. Spectacularly they did so, at the Rosebud and the Little Big Horn.

Sitting Bull’s War is my latest acquisition from Paul L Hedren. Hedren gives us 423 pages of text, notes for each of the 16 chapters and a copious biography.   The are 14 pages of photographs.  This is highly readable quality scholarship throughout. I can only give you snapshots of a work of such size.

Hedren says “I consciously intend that the work in hand defy the standard tradition. This is a unique history of the Great Sioux War, carefully and deliberately told through the eyes of its victims, the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne of the northern plains…”

He wants to give us an insiders perspective and largely succeeds in doing so. Indian accounts are personal, selective, and detached. No one wanted to implicate himself for condign punishment. 

Also, the Indian tradition was to proclaim one’s own valour and skill in war.  After the defeat this became personally problematic. They had been crushed and their world was literally gone with the Buffalo. All that courage and killing and only ruination resulted and, what of the dead? Indian losses per capita were huge. 

All the same, Hedren has gathered the accounts and reconstructed the sequences. The result is clear eyed and we see the individuals and share their experiences of victory and defeat.

There is detail galore of the kind that delights the enquiring reader. A key source of arms and ammunition were the Metis of Canada. At first the Sioux fought them. That proved very unprofitable. The Metis could have a fight. They followed the old trading routes their forebears had traversed before New France fell.

As an alternative to fighting friendship developed between Lakota and Metis. We might recall that it was in Canada that Sitting Bull sought refuge. 

A Hudson’s Bay Company Trader recalled “Sitting Bull did not care to arouse the Metis against him”. The two peoples did brisk trade. Metis prices were high but the quality was good. American officials became concerned.  Well armed Indians were a constant fear.

It is often said that the Victors captured significant arms and ammunition at the Little Big Horn. They did indeed. Hedren reminds us that the ammunition didn’t fit the Indian rifles. Also, the Indians thought the single-shot breech-loading Springfield carbine inferior to their own Henry or Winchesters. Not because the Springfields jammed, they didn't.

Additionally huge amounts of ammunition were expended at the Rosebud Fight and then more in the killing of Custer and Companies. Post Little Big Horn the Lakota and allies were much worse off for ammo than pre Rosebud.

Red Cloud's earlier successful resistance is considered in detail. He won and everyone knew it. He was not to know the strategic situation had changed. What Red Cloud defended was no longer key to USA expansion.

The dynamic of the Tribes and Indian Agency is dealt with in detail. It was often a complex interaction. Many Indians liked to summer on the Plains and didn't see why they shouldn't. When was an Indian a Hostile? No one could be sure. Yet many Indians never were. It made no difference in the long run.

Betimes, the population of the reservation was a political barometer. Indian Agents were a key USA intelligence resource. How many and where?

The Blue Coats never stopped coming. Infantry with their longer ranged weapons were particularly hard to deal with. US infantry could and did chase the Indians across the Plains. Hedren tells us about it.

When it came to horsemen the Indians thought the Crow and Shoshone more dangerous than the Cavalry.

All of the famous are found herein, sometimes with visual detail. For instance, Crazy Horse rides a white spotted pony. You might want to replicate that.

The Indians never had enough modern weapons. 

When Crazy Horse, Little Big Man and He Dog’s people surrendered they had 117 firearms for 217 men and 186 boys.  Mind you they had a total of 2,200 ponies, US Mules and cavalry horses. Mobility was good but eating was essential. Hunger broke the Plains People.

Combat detail abounds  as you might expect in a work on this subject. The Army does what it does, by the book. The Indians display tactical brilliance or defiant idiocy depending on who, where and when.

It is not possible to do this book justice in a one page review. There is so much useful information in it.  Buy a copy if you are interested in the Pony Wars, Plains Peoples or Old West. You will not regret it. 

Let me take the opportunity to commend Rosebud and Powder River by the same author. I have them both. Books to revisit.  

As I conclude Hedren's Great Sioux War-Order of Battles wends its way here. Each engagement is detailed with deployments and tactics used. I think it will see much use.

A Russian Civil War update and China WW2

 

I noticed that tchanka teams are often shown as a 4 like above, or even a 3. Most of mine are in two 2s. I may be doing it wrong. I'd have thought 2s handier. 

I have four tchanka in all. Also a staff tchanka too. Peter Pig as usual.  Now, to China.

Two Chinese Maxim Heavy Machine Guns and Crews from Minifigs. Uniforms varied  quite a lot.

A couple of Putilov Armoured Cars. Useful for lots of games.

Early in my China Project I found myself using substitutes. Mostly from Peter Pig.

Also I bought some of Eureka's Chinese WW2 15mm. 

 I'm pleased to tell you Irregular Miniatures15mm are back. Sort of, as we will soon see. I have lots of Irregular WW2 Chinese and Chinese War Lord troops on the way. 

All being well they will be in my eager hands at the end of next week. I will review what I get, hopefully for your delectation.

Comparison pic' above Minifig, Eureka, Eureka, Peter Pig. Not to bad at all. Back to Russia again.

 I made some Officer Cards for TMWWBK. 

I scrupled to use actual photos having no wish to malign the dead. Instead I turned to paintings of the period. Here is a selection Traits and all. 

I can add to the cards as I roll them up. Good for period flavour.  This probably the last Time we have a joint RCW/China post. Both projects having achieved a critical mass. As a consequence I can manage a plausible Back of Beyond game too.

 

Four Covenanter Infantry Regiments

 

With these little chaps my Covenanter Regiments of Foot are done. Three Brigades, 2 of three regiments and one of 2 regiments.

Above an unknown Regiment's colours captured Dunbar, 1650. It is unusual as it bears the devices of 4 families; Wemyss, Forbes, Douglas and Sinclair. A composite regiment made of transferred Companies? I don’t know.

The figures are from Peter Pig. The central Ensign has an expensive buff coat. Either lucky or gentry then. Note also the expensive dyed clothes. I considered giving him a sash but thought to let the paint do the work.

Argyle's Lowland Regiment. "Sallow faced" as Iain Lom said surveying their corpses at Inverlochy.  Highlanders having a more ruddy look, presumably. 

Pike and shot equipped of course. We will have reason to speak of them again in a future post. Black and Yellow were Campbell colours. That said I don't know how this regiment's colours appeared in reality. Figures from Essex, QRF and Peter Pig.

Another unknown regiment. The central colour with it's five dot device is a puzzle. Significant to a family? Or, just denoting the fifth company of a Regiment? I hope not the latter. The figures are from Essex and Peter Pig. The central Ensign has a cuirass and a nice blue suit of clothes.

McKenzie of Seaforth's Regiment.  Highlanders and equipped with pike and shot.  The pike men are conversions. 

Sometimes Covenanter and sometimes not. Accordingly the flags proclaim no loyalty beyond that of Clan McKenzie. Flags from Ray at Don't Throw a 1 with stars added by me to denote Company.  I'm learning new stuff.

Figures from Essex, Lurkio and , Peter Pig.

Soon I want to complete the Covenanter Cavalry. Three regiments, that's  12 figures a piece, 2 squadrons. One will be Lancers the other two, pistol armed troopers.

Did I mention the Guns? Frames and a Field Piece to come. Next week we will either have Highlanders or more Russian Civil War.

The Russian Civil War and Foch

 

How pleasing it is to find a shared interest with a fellow enthusiast. In my search for info’ on the Russian Civil War I find myself on Neil’s blog. Scotty's Wargaming: RCW.  Time well spent.

I have had a few units of Peter Pig figures for the RCW lying about for a few years. Other projects shoved them aside until now.

I came across an excellent extension to Dan Mersey’s TMWWBK. It was written by Pierre AYMERIC and covers WW1. Infantry, cavalry, grenades, rifle grenades, armoured cars/tanks and everything else. Artillery you would expect, flamethrowers were unexpected. 

Pierre calls his game “Foch” after the famous French General.  It is very good.

I set to thinking. I could see Foch lends itself very well to RCW and, indeed, Back of Beyond. Minifigs below, note the Staff officer.

I'm making a few adjustments to accommodate Tchanka use and RCW tactics. Also to mostly reduce the lethality of rifle fire. "Poor Shots" as the original says. I was interested to see that "chains" were still about from, at least, Napoleonic times. Basically two infantry regiments dynamically supporting each other. 

A couple of new formations are needed too. The basic infantry tactic can be accommodated by the existing Skirmish rule. Advance half speed and fire at reduced effect. Whites below as they have shoulder boards.

Tchanka teams could just park up and offer fire support. They could also dash up to HMG range and deal out death, quick sharp. Then they would head for a flank to repeat the exercise. 

An early and a later Peter Pig Tchanka below.  The early one is ever so slightly smaller. Check out those horses-it's not just perspective. I have 4 of these. I thought that too many but seemingly not.

Meantime cavalry rode in to exploit the confusion. Deadly, unless everyone got shot on the way in. All the same dramatic gaming. You can see it in the minds eye. Red cavalry above.

I'm pleased to tell you almost all the figures and vehicles, artillery etc needed were sitting in a box. Expenditure has happily been minimal.

Elsewhere on the battlefield were Armoured Cars and sometimes Tanks. Foch deems both to be impervious to gunfire. Iron Ivan thinks Armoured Cars were not safe from Heavy Machine Gun fire. Setting the World Ablaze concurs. I’m going with the not safe option for Armoured Cars I think.

A learning curve for me then, as it is pretty much a new period. In reserve I have Iron Ivan’s Price of Glory. Tried and tested.  

I thought to do an Event Table as I did for my Spanish Civil War Game. Then thought not. Further research changed my mind again. There will be an Event Table, of 6 possibilities so far. The Spanish one began as 6 but rose to 12. It works a treat.

For Activation I often like Cards. Not in this case we will dice as in TMWWBK. Where next on this? Units and stat's I think.

All the forgoing brought to mind my maternal Grandfather's experiences of the Western Front 1914-18. He was around for some interesting stuff, historically speaking and told me about it. For him as a personal experience it was Hell on Earth, he told me about that too.  Stories I might tell here. He had a colourful turn of phrase and excellent recall. "We are fighting for a monkey on a horse." He remembered saying.  Was that at a parade at Amiens ? Anyhow it stuck.

On this page you see what I have done so far.  More as it comes. Next week we are back in England or more probably Scotland. Yes, War of Three Kingdoms.