Eisenhower on Eisenhower

Preparing the US army for the wrong war, educational and doctrinal failure 1865–91

“…Problems of Indian speed and mobility could be somewhat countered by using converging columns, but this technique ran the risk of defeat in detail. 64 Major General George Armstrong Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn River (25 June 1876) provides an example of what can happen when the converging columns fail to synchronize their movements.…”

“…In weaponry, the Army was often outgunned by Indians who could trade for modern repeating weapons while the troops continued to use 1872 model, single shot, breechloading rifles until 1892. 59 The Army's ponderous weapons procurement bureaucracy worked against the rapid acquisition of modern weapons. In addition, there is ample evidence that the Indians were not primitives when it came to weapons and, in fact, found it easier to adapt to the new weaponry than did the Army.…”