Post by keogh on Jun 22, 2013 12:03:25 GMT -5
We begin our analysis of the Reno valley skirmish line fight with a look at the skirmish line itself. There has been much confusion and misunderstanding among battle students regarding this issue. The length of the skirmish line itself has become a matter of some debate, ranging from 250 yards to 8/10 of a mile (or 1400 yards!) The latter measurement is not even close to being correct, and comes from a misunderstanding of Lt. Maguire's intent in drawing a dotted line across the valley floor to represent Reno's skirmish line. The line was drawn too long and even its direction and placement were not deemed accurate. Maguire himself, at the RCOI, told the court that the length of this dotted line did not represent the true length of the valley skirmish line. Perhaps the best description we have of Reno's valley skirmish line comes from Lt. Wallace's RCOI testimony. The following are the questions put to him by the court along with his very revealing answers, with my interpretive comments in brackets:
Question: Does this dotted line [on the official Maguire map used by the court] represent the position and angle [of the valley skirmish line] correctly?
Lt. Wallace: No, sir . . . . The map is not correct; it does not represent the ground.
Question: How would you represent the skirmish line?
Lt. Wallace: By cutting off about 3/4th of it.
Question: Was the angle [of the skirmish line] such as is represented there [on the map]?
Lt. Wallace: The left [end of the skirmish] line was farther to the front; more towards the village.
Question: Estimating the number of men and the distance, what was the length of the skirmish line?
Lt. Wallace: He probably had 70 or 75 men on the skirmish line [after G Troop had been taken off the line and redeployed in the timber position].
Question: What distance would that cover?
Lt. Wallace: If he had 75 men, there would be 74 intervals of 5 yards each.
ANALYSIS
Lt. Wallace tells us that the dotted line representing Reno's valley skirmish line drawn on Lt. Maguire's map is inaccurate as to its position, angle and length. He tells us that the line should be reoriented with the left end of the line facing more northerly towards the location of the village. This, apparently, was how the line looked before Capt. French refused part of the line to face westward towards the benchlands. Wallace indicates about 75 troopers on the line, suggesting only two of the three Troops deployed on the skirmish line at the time he made this estimate -- either after G Troop was withdrawn into the timber or before M Troop came out to deploy on the left flank of the line. Lt. Wallace then goes on to indicate 74 intervals of 5 yards each for these 75 troopers, giving us a total distance of a skirmish line 370 yards long if the line was straight across the valley and not bent at a right angle, as it very likely was, as soon as the warriors began to ride around the left flank of the line. In that case, the line would likely reflect a distance of 250 yards facing north and 120 yards facing west. This distance is supported by the archaeological finds of battle researcher Jesse Vaughn, who reached the same conclusion in his book Indian Fights.
CONCLUSION
Major Reno's valley skirmish line was originally 370 yards long for a brief period of time, then shortened to 250 yards facing north towards the village, and 120 yards long facing west towards the benchlands after Capt. French refused part of his line -- likely a platoon -- to face west after warriors were seen riding around the left flank of Reno's valley skirmish line.
Question: Does this dotted line [on the official Maguire map used by the court] represent the position and angle [of the valley skirmish line] correctly?
Lt. Wallace: No, sir . . . . The map is not correct; it does not represent the ground.
Question: How would you represent the skirmish line?
Lt. Wallace: By cutting off about 3/4th of it.
Question: Was the angle [of the skirmish line] such as is represented there [on the map]?
Lt. Wallace: The left [end of the skirmish] line was farther to the front; more towards the village.
Question: Estimating the number of men and the distance, what was the length of the skirmish line?
Lt. Wallace: He probably had 70 or 75 men on the skirmish line [after G Troop had been taken off the line and redeployed in the timber position].
Question: What distance would that cover?
Lt. Wallace: If he had 75 men, there would be 74 intervals of 5 yards each.
ANALYSIS
Lt. Wallace tells us that the dotted line representing Reno's valley skirmish line drawn on Lt. Maguire's map is inaccurate as to its position, angle and length. He tells us that the line should be reoriented with the left end of the line facing more northerly towards the location of the village. This, apparently, was how the line looked before Capt. French refused part of the line to face westward towards the benchlands. Wallace indicates about 75 troopers on the line, suggesting only two of the three Troops deployed on the skirmish line at the time he made this estimate -- either after G Troop was withdrawn into the timber or before M Troop came out to deploy on the left flank of the line. Lt. Wallace then goes on to indicate 74 intervals of 5 yards each for these 75 troopers, giving us a total distance of a skirmish line 370 yards long if the line was straight across the valley and not bent at a right angle, as it very likely was, as soon as the warriors began to ride around the left flank of the line. In that case, the line would likely reflect a distance of 250 yards facing north and 120 yards facing west. This distance is supported by the archaeological finds of battle researcher Jesse Vaughn, who reached the same conclusion in his book Indian Fights.
CONCLUSION
Major Reno's valley skirmish line was originally 370 yards long for a brief period of time, then shortened to 250 yards facing north towards the village, and 120 yards long facing west towards the benchlands after Capt. French refused part of his line -- likely a platoon -- to face west after warriors were seen riding around the left flank of Reno's valley skirmish line.