So the other day I was flipping through the channels and happened across an older western, maybe from the early 60’s or so. I’m not to sure what this western was called because I never got in on the beginning, but it had something to do with the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I came in just as Lt. Col. G.A. Custer was splitting his forces and from there I was laughing and cussing. The director had everything else wrong after that. The terrain, tactics, uniforms and guidon’s. For years Hollywood has always gotten stuff about the west wrong and everyone that had seen these movies has believed that’s how it was in the west. Well if any of you out there think that all the soldiers on the frontier wore light blue pants with a yellow stripe, yellow kerchief, black stetson hat, carried a saber and pistol, dark blue long sleeve shirt with suspenders showing, had their pants tucked inside their boots and lived in a fort with walls then you are wrong! Yes I said it, you are all wrong. If you think that every soldier was in the cavalry, fought Indians every day and fought Indians on horse back, you are wrong. Hollywood can be a very shitty history teacher. So lets just clear up these little myths about the frontier military.

Myth 1: Soldiers uniforms.

If you were in the military in the later 19th century you did not dress like that at all, since these movies focus mostly on the Indian Wars era so will we. The uniforms would have consisted of two pair light blue woolen trouser, suspenders, two grey woolen shirts, two dark blue woolen blouses with five buttons, brogans and if you were in the cavalry you would be issued a pair of boots and pair of brogans. You would also have been issued one dress uniform and the 1872 blue woolen kepi. The uniform was to be worn to the standards at all times, with each post commander being able to relax the standard as he seen fit. While in garrison you were to wear your brogans, pants, suspenders, grey shirt and blue top. At no time were your suspenders to show while on post. They were considered underwear and was inappropriate for the time. While off post it was up to the man in charge on the uniform. Those in the cavalry would wear their boots with pants tucked inside, grey woolen shirt, blue blouse, and wide brimmed hat, the infantry would do the same with the exception of the boots. Once they left the post the standard was relaxed and the blouse was removed especially on work details. The only ones that had any stripes were the nco’s and officers. And you didn’t see whole companies dressed the same while on campaign.

Myth 2: All soldiers were in the cavalry.

No. Plain and simple folks, no. In fact there were more infantry soldiers stationed in the west than the cavalry during the Indian wars. Its for the simple fact that the infantry can out distance the cavalry on a march, out shoot the cavalry because of the weapons used and they carried everything with them on their backs. Sorry to burst your bubble and hurt your feelings folks but that’s just how it was. Plus the infantry didn’t have to wake up early to catch a horse and feed it and get it ready. They got up, ate, packed their stuff and was ready to go.

Myth 3: All forts had a wall.
Sorry to break your hearts on this one too but major posts out west had now palisade for defense. They were just simply to large to build a wall around, and it would have cost way to much to build. The other reason was the Indians fighting style was more hit and run and they weren’t a siege warfare type of people. That’s not to say that some bands didn’t try it because some did.

Myth 4: Saber’s

A saber is not an effective weapon against the Indians. Indians fought on horse back out west and were damn good at it. The Indian ponies were bred for speed and maneuverability and the army horse was bred to carry a man and all his equipment and wasn’t meant to be fast. The saber was meant to be a hacking weapon used on men on the ground while you were mounted. The army fought dismounted in the west because they were not expert horseman. So you rode into battle on the horse dismounted and fought on foot. This also meant that the cavalryman lost 25% of the fighting force as every fourth man held the horses (which is why the infantry was better fighting the Indians in the west)

You guys want the truth about soldiers in the frontier army? They were rough men in a rough country, most were poor men from other countries that couldn’t find work anywhere else. Some were murders, rapists and thieves. Some were doctors and lawyers who had done someone wrong in the city so they changed their name and joined up. They were dirty, foul mouthed, dirty minded drinking men that wanted a thrill. Some were not those things but were good Christian men who wanted an adventure. That’s the truth people, John Wayne was not your frontier soldier.