Custer Battlefield Museum And The Origin Of Garryowen, Montana

George Armstrong Custer and "Garryowen" 

Countless books have been published about George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. At the time the battle that took place along the Little Bighorn River in Montana represented the largest single Indian War military loss. An interesting side story about Custer's 7th Cavalry was their unofficial regimental marching song "Garryowen". Marching tunes have been used in the military for centuries. They are used today.

All branches of the military are known to have cadence calls. The cadence call requires no musical instruments and sometimes the lyrics are composed of call outs and answers. When you look back to the time before mechanized transportation, a marching song during a protracted hike helps build cohesion, keeps the troops in step and makes a long march a bit less weary. Essentially these tunes add rhythm to a march. A march is work and you could say these are "work songs". In the U.S. these cadences are sometimes referred to as "jody calls". The name Jody appears in many traditional military cadences thus the term "jody calls".

 The Story Behind Garryowen



The story is that George Custer first heard the tune being sung among his Irish troopers. Some historians believe it was introduced to Colonel Custer by Captain Myles W. Keogh, one of his officers. Keogh's father reportedly had been with the Fifth Royal Irish Lancers who had used this song.

 It originated just outside Limerick, Ireland and translates into "Owens Garden". Custer liked it and started humming it himself. He also thought the tune matched up pretty well to a regiment of Cavalry horse soldiers on the march. The tune actually was used by Irish regiments as a drinking song and some say it's quick stepped  rhythm can be traced as far back as the early 1800's. It's first introduction among U.S. soldiers was in the early 1860's during the Civil War.


There were revisions to it's lyrics over time. The sites below offers you the words that went along with the tune:

www.first-team.us

Here is another site that tells you all about the history of the 7th Cavalry Regiment:

www.lewis184.home.mchsi.com

In 1981 the Army's First Cavalry Division made "Garryowen" it's official song.

The Custer Battlefield Museum is located in Garryowen, MT. The site is right along Interstate-90 a few miles south of the Custer Battlefield and about 55 miles northwest of Sheridan, Wyoming. This museum offers a vast display of photos, weaponry, paintings, manuscripts and many many more interesting artifacts. Several events are scheduled including reenactments of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The museum also offers internships for interested students. If you are in the general area I think this would make an excellent stop. Another story I believe you'll find interesting is George Armstrong Custer's Washita River Battle in 1868.

The museum web site tells you much more of what to see and do there:

www.custermuseum.org

LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD RIDE VIDEO

Columbus New Mexico And The Only Land Invasion Of The U.S. Since 1812

March 9th, 1916 was an historic day in the little town of Columbus, New Mexico. Located three miles north of the Mexican border it was also home to Camp Furlong, home of the 13th U.S. Calvary. The unit was on outpost duty along the border.


On this date in 1916, about 500 Pancho Villa irregulars attacked the town and camp. The raid took place in the middle of the night and resulted in an intense firefight. Guns were blazing and the U.S. military responded with heavy machine gun fire. The result was about one-half of Villa's forces were killed along with 18 Americans. The attackers eventually retreated back into Mexico. The question arises as to why the town was raided. Why this town and why then? The answer most given is that the raiders were after any plunder and riches they could find. Another answer is that the U.S. Government had just thrown it's support to Venustiano Carranza, another revolutionary and some say the father of the Mexican Revolution. The Villistas were in a struggle with the Nationalist Mexican forces and other revolutionaries. Some therefore would say the raid on Columbus was in retaliation for the U.S. taking sides. This was a time during the Mexican Revolution where several factions were fighting against each other. Whichever answer is true, and it could be a combination of both, the fact remained that Villa's forces needed all the money they could get.

Francisco "Pancho" Villa (shown on left) was regarded in many different ways depending on who you asked. To some he was a robber and murderer. To others he was a sort of Robin Hood figure who appropriated land and handed it over to peasants and soldiers. He actually made a transition from being a simple bandit to a violent revolutionary. Many were portraying him as a folk hero. A fighter for the people. His theater of operation was northern Mexico which of course put him on the American border. During 1913-14 Hollywood even got into the act by filming some of his battles in Mexico which many believe were staged.

After a deadly attack like this from foreign invaders on U.S. soil, a cry for revenge went out. Whatever popularity Villa had in the U.S. at that time, plummeted. Two days after the attack President Woodrow Wilson ordered General John J. Pershing into Mexico on a punitive expedition with about 500 troops.

 There were several "firsts" during Pershing's pursuit of Villa. It was the first time an airplane was used during combat. The Curtiss "Jenny" shown was used for aerial reconnaissance. An airfield was established at Camp Furlong for the express purpose of launching the Curtiss aircraft into Mexico.

Pershing's forces also tested the first armored vehicle in combat. The punitive expedition lasted over eleven months with a total of 11,000 U.S. troops committed to the pursuit of Villa. The expedition penetrated into Mexico some 350 miles and at various times came into conflict with Carranza's forces. This is where politics entered and Pershing was ordered to head north. The end result was that Villa himself was injured but never captured. Some Villistas were killed including two of Villa's generals. Events leading to World War I were heating up in Europe and Pershing and his men were needed elsewhere.


Villa met his end in July 1923 when he was assassinated while making an unescorted visit to Parral, Mexico where he had been living on his nearby ranch. There were some arrests and  trials resulting in pardons but ultimately nobody was punished for Villa's killing although the prevailing theory was that there was a conspiracy on the orders of then Mexican President Obregon.


Columbus, New Mexico is located about 35 miles south of Deming which is on Interstate-10. If you find yourself traveling through southern New Mexico, a stop at the Columbus Historical Society And Railroad Depot Museum offers a chance to step back in time. Actually, the Railroad Depot itself was the scene of some of the most intense fighting. Lots of photographs of the conflict, weapons and other artifacts can be found there. It's located at the junction of Hwy 9 and 11.


Here are good sites for further exploration:

 www.southernnewmexico.com/articles/

www.mexconnect.com 

www.hsgng.org