A BATTLE, NOT A MASSACRE
J. R. Harmon Shows Some Critics the Difference in a Battle and a Massacre
The following communication was recently directed to a Bismark newspaper by County Auditor J R Harmon, showing them the difference between a battle and a massacre of which there has been some controversy of late, especially as to whether the Custer affair was a battle or massacre.
I cannot refrain from taking exception to your editorial entitled "Massacre, Not a Battle" which appeared in a recent issue of your paper. I need not come to the defense of Col. W. A. Graham, judge-advocate, U. S. Army because he needs no defense in giving voice to his opinion that it is time that the engagement which took place between the Sioux Indian warriors and the gallant 7th Calvary under General Geo. A. Custer should be called by just what it was, "The Battle of the Little Big Horn."
You assert that Col. Graham reveals a queer understanding of his subject which he states that the "red men had the victory because they exhibited that day greater proficiency in the art of war than the prepresentatives of the white men." To me that appears to be the logical conclusion for it is a fact that the red men won the battle which must lead to the conclusion that their victory was due to their proficiency in this battle being greater than the proficiency of their enemy. I am sure that all students of military tactics will agree that had Indians adopted the same tactics in battle as the white man that the Indian could never gain the victory. We might as well admit that the Indians on the Little Big Horn on June 25th, 1876 used the only tactics in their way of fighting that could have won them a victory. Reports of this victory show that the command under General Custer commenced the attack in a hurry evidently thinking the Indians were running away. After Custer and his men had advanced to a position that was exposed from all sides the Indians made a counter attack surrounding them by riding their horses around the white soldiers in a circle which completely cut them off from any way to retreat or escape and so the went down fighting to the last as only brave men face death.
Now the difference between a battle and a massacre is not the difference between 600 and 6000 or or between 60 and 6000. The engagement known as the Battle of the Alamo between a force of 4000 Mexicans against 150 Texans was not called a massacre although 149 Texans were killed including the sick soldiers in the hospital.
We have only to refer to any dictionary to find out what the difference between a battle and a massacre and that proves that the Battle of the Little Big Horn was not a massacre.
A battle means fighting between armed forces. Don't overlook the word "armed"." A massacre is defined as the killing of a considerable number of human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty, or contrary to the usage of civilized people; and again as murder, especially of a helpless person; again a massacre denotes promiscuous and wholesale slaughter, especially of those who can make little or no resistance.
Now I know you may be able to prove from the above definition of the word massacre that the killing of Custer and his troops by "uncivilized" people was a massacre but I am sure that you will not be able to convince a great many white people, any red people or any of us white people in whose veins flow the blood of the original Americans, that the Battle of the Little Big Horn should be changed back to the Little Big Horn Massacre.
We all know what General Sheridan said about war and it is just that. It may be that the old Indian fighter was uncivilized, cruel and tortured his enemy; we know he was but he was uncivilized and no doubt he believed that he was justified in treating his enemy accordingly. Had he been civilized he might have used some of the many forms of poison gas used so successfully in the late World War or administer the "water cure" as used by our soldiers in the Spanish-American War.
I will leave the argument, if so it can be called, to your readers and the public for I am sure that the great majority of Americans believe in fair play and that they will call a spade a spade regardless of what their feelings in the matter may be.
I will close this letter with reference to the so called Battle of Wounded Knee and will make the motion tht it is also time that this so called battle should be called by just what is was and that is the "Massacre of Wounded Knee." The records of this so called battle disclose the fact that the soldiers placed their Hotchkiss guns in position on the top of a hill over (undecipherable line) upon Indian women and children; also attacking the village, shooting into their tents and ruthlessly killing helpless unarmed women and little children.
Respectfully yours,
J. R. Harmon