Owner of Lifelike Reenactment Company Talks Of The Battle Of Little Bighorn That Took Place In 1876 & Recreating Its Texture
Camped on the banks of the Little Bighorn River in canvas wall tents, the soldiers have their orders. The horses are tied up in the Cottonwood Trees, prepared to carry their riders into the conflict. In the pre-dawn hours, there is an eerie feeling that all is not right. Large numbers of Lakota Sioux have been spotted. [And] the hour of the battle has arrived.
The year is not 1876. And this military exchange between European and Native belligerents will result in no casualties. This is the annual reenactment of the Battle of Little Bighorn -- also known as Custer's Last Stand. It is just pretend, but it is “pretend” done well.
Riders wear 19th century military garb. The horses are decked out in historic black military bridles and saddles. The men carry pistols from the period. Most important to the realism though, the horsemen in this battle “redux” operate as the historic cavalry unit would, following rank and answering to officers, and using real military tactics from the era – skills they learned at the U.S. Cavalry School of Fort Harrison, Montana.
Keith Herrin, owner of the U.S. Cavalry School and the cavalry coordinator of the Little Bighorn reenactment, calls the conditions of the men "very similar" to those experienced by the original members of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army, which fought and badly lost the defining battle of the Sioux Wars.
“This [school and training] is a step back in time for those of us that have grown up with Westerns, or [have] wondered what happened out [in this area],” Herrin said. “Coming out here and living [live they did], with your horse, with your weapons and gear -- it is a bucket list item for many people.”
Herrin relates that the battle of Little Bighorn holds many valuable lessons for modern soldiers in faraway conflicts. And he would know…he’s been there. Herrin was once just a student of the U.S. Cavalry School, which he attended at the age of 32. He took a course in horsemanship there in 2004 before he deployed to Iraq for 11 months as a service member of The National Guard. After returning from the war zone, Herrin returned to the school as an instructor in 2007. In 2013, he took over the operation.
"The obstacles and challenges of the military now are very similar to the obstacles and challenges back then. You are fighting in a war zone where you are unfamiliar with the territory. You are far from home base, working with interpreters and guides," Herrin explains. "[The battle] is similar to situations that we have found ourselves in for the past 15 years [in the Middle East]: a non-linear battle - fighting hit and run tactics."
The school offers a number of classes [for visitors]. Individuals can come for an hour or a week, depending on the depth of cavalry training desired. Some of the recent students have been deployed to far off lands, and have used the pack animal skills learned at the school to navigate the treacherous mountain terrain of Afghanistan. A daily lesson might run $300, while the 8-day boot camp preparation for the reenactment costs more than $1,800.
The school was originally founded by the last crew of horsemen who worked on the Kevin Costner directed movie, “The Postman” back in 1996. That film explored the challenges and travails of the Pony Express – the historic Western mail service that carried post on horseback, albeit in an apocalyptic setting. After the crew wrapped up and needed something else to do, they realized that there was a need for military horsemanship training in the Northwest. [That] idea became the U.S. Cavalry School. The founder retired from the school but went on to work on other movies, like “Iron Ridge,” and TV specials for The History Channel and Discovery.
Today, 9 of the 10 instructors at the school are former or active military members, so there is a certain fraternal bond familiar within the ranks. Indeed, those who pay for the 8-day cavalry course have to learn to fall into those ranks, just like their military ancestors who might have actually fought in the Battle of Little Bighorn. The school teaches historic tactics like “Cooke’s 1862” and “Upton’s 1874” Army cavalry tactics. Modern military techniques for pack animals are also taught at the school. Students are tested and given ratings as riders, in the same way the National Cavalry Competition rates riders: Beginner, intermediate, and expert. All riders can participate in the battle reenactment, up to their skill level.
Besides the military lessons, the school also offers a lesson in humanity, relates Herrin.
“You look at the history of The American West – the cowboys and Indians and all that [became] romanticized. [When you come] out here and looking at [the real] history, but not through today’s standards, it gives [you] insight into the future,” Herrin explains. “You see the clashes of two cultures that don’t understand each other[and what that leads to].”
The skills taught at the U.S. Cavalry school are for history buffs, casual riders, and the general public alike. To many, older military tactics may seem to run their course with the introduction of new technology. But the cavalry has been a weapon of war far longer than the tank or the machine gun or the drone. It is a force to be reckoned when all else is gone. That is the history that Herrin and his instructors want to preserve.
David Irvin
A graduate with a Masters Of Science from the University Of North Texas, David has written on many beats including crime and business for such outlets as the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Montgomery Advertiser & USA. He enjoys RVing and surfing the Internet.
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