vaturkey
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Imagine your the 7th Calvary and your headed out to Fort Carson (it can be anywhere out west, but Carson popped up on my mind this morning). You've got a old colonel leading the pack, whose glory days are well behind him. Lets call the colonel "Jerry". Jerry was a helluva leader back during the Civil War when he was leading his troops against the out-manned Southern troops. He had better cannons, nice new rifles, unlimited ammunition, great horses, wonderful grub and nice shining Union Blue clothing and a wonderful supply chain of experienced hardened veterans who had been kicking Rebel butt for two or three years. After the war between the North and out-manned South Jerry was treated as a hero by all. They had parades for him and life was good.
Now, the war between the south is long over. Your battle hardened troops are retired for the most part, living on their respective farms and raising cattle and goats, growing fat and living the good life. They gather around the fireplaces in the company of their former colleagues and pass the jug. Life is good for them.
Jerry however is restless. He still wants to fight a war somewhere, some place to keep his name on the front page of the Frontier Gazette (now called the Dallas Morning News). Now Jerry has made a lot of money over the years because in addition to being a pretty good colonel when he's got better troops and better equipment then the other side he's also got a bit of "Snake Oil" salesman to him. Man has been peddling that snake oil for a long time and he's good at it. Heck, Jerry has been selling it for so long to so many rubes, he actually thinks it works. You see Jerry at this point has suckered himself. He truly thinks he is the reason his troops beat up the south.
Back to where we are. Jerry is back on the horse headed out to fight the indian's. What Jerry doesn't realize is this new version of the 7th Calvary is nothing like his old one. He never looks behind him as he heads out the front gate of Fort Carson and does an assessment of his situation. He doesn't realize the few seasoned troops with him are old. Their horses are old, Their equipment is exactly what they had during the Civil War and its 10 years later. Even his old Master Sargent (lets call him Monty) thinks things are bad, but Monty is a soldier and soldiers follow the chain of command. Monty looks behind him as he follows Jerry out the gate and see's a few broken down (but game) good soldiers and a pile of fresh 90 day wonders who have never fought a war or even been in battle. Their game, but naive. The young troops think Jerry is a bit strange and they don't even remember Jerry's exploits during the Civil War because they were in diapers then. They do however trust their comrades who have been in other battles and fought well.
5 days later, when the supplies are already running out and the green troops are getting a sick feeling in the their stomachs. Jerry has sent out a couple of advance scouts and the finally make contact with the quarry at the end of a box canyon that the Indian's have named "Bourbon Street". Jerry immediately assembled the troops. Gives his best snake oil speech that they are going to kick some tail and to mount the old horse and get ready for a charge into the canyon. Bugler bugles charge and off they go into the canyon. What Jerry doesn't know is the Indians have new repeating rifles and that a former scout who worked for the 7th Calvary was actually a double agent (lets call him Rob) and he was now leading the Indians.
Rob is a smart guy, and he knows Jerry's battle plan because Jerry's battle plan never changes. Rob knows Jerry will do exactly what he always does. Jerry thinks the Indians will see the uniforms and colors of the 7th Calvary and turn in run. Rob knows these aren't the 7th Calvary of old and just pretenders for the most part. Rob also knows if you can take care of the few good experienced men the 7th has that Jerry will blow retreat and the battle will be won. The first indian volley wounds Jerry's best soldiers (lets call them Lee and Ware). Lee can't fight any more and is taken to the Red Cross tent. Ware is nicked in the leg. He can fight, but not effectively, but gives it his all.
In short order Jerry has figured out he needs to have the bugler blow retreat and get the troops out of Bourbon Street and set up a press conference with the beat writers of the Frontier Gazette to explain that it wasn't that the Indians had better equipment or better chiefs or braves. It was just that his troops had a bad day and that sun will come up tomorrow and lastly if you don't believe him just take a swig of this well aged "snake oil" he keeps in his coat pocket.
And that ladies and gentleman is why things will never change as long as Jerry stills peddles snake oil and people keep drinking it like it was Koolaid.
Now, the war between the south is long over. Your battle hardened troops are retired for the most part, living on their respective farms and raising cattle and goats, growing fat and living the good life. They gather around the fireplaces in the company of their former colleagues and pass the jug. Life is good for them.
Jerry however is restless. He still wants to fight a war somewhere, some place to keep his name on the front page of the Frontier Gazette (now called the Dallas Morning News). Now Jerry has made a lot of money over the years because in addition to being a pretty good colonel when he's got better troops and better equipment then the other side he's also got a bit of "Snake Oil" salesman to him. Man has been peddling that snake oil for a long time and he's good at it. Heck, Jerry has been selling it for so long to so many rubes, he actually thinks it works. You see Jerry at this point has suckered himself. He truly thinks he is the reason his troops beat up the south.
Back to where we are. Jerry is back on the horse headed out to fight the indian's. What Jerry doesn't realize is this new version of the 7th Calvary is nothing like his old one. He never looks behind him as he heads out the front gate of Fort Carson and does an assessment of his situation. He doesn't realize the few seasoned troops with him are old. Their horses are old, Their equipment is exactly what they had during the Civil War and its 10 years later. Even his old Master Sargent (lets call him Monty) thinks things are bad, but Monty is a soldier and soldiers follow the chain of command. Monty looks behind him as he follows Jerry out the gate and see's a few broken down (but game) good soldiers and a pile of fresh 90 day wonders who have never fought a war or even been in battle. Their game, but naive. The young troops think Jerry is a bit strange and they don't even remember Jerry's exploits during the Civil War because they were in diapers then. They do however trust their comrades who have been in other battles and fought well.
5 days later, when the supplies are already running out and the green troops are getting a sick feeling in the their stomachs. Jerry has sent out a couple of advance scouts and the finally make contact with the quarry at the end of a box canyon that the Indian's have named "Bourbon Street". Jerry immediately assembled the troops. Gives his best snake oil speech that they are going to kick some tail and to mount the old horse and get ready for a charge into the canyon. Bugler bugles charge and off they go into the canyon. What Jerry doesn't know is the Indians have new repeating rifles and that a former scout who worked for the 7th Calvary was actually a double agent (lets call him Rob) and he was now leading the Indians.
Rob is a smart guy, and he knows Jerry's battle plan because Jerry's battle plan never changes. Rob knows Jerry will do exactly what he always does. Jerry thinks the Indians will see the uniforms and colors of the 7th Calvary and turn in run. Rob knows these aren't the 7th Calvary of old and just pretenders for the most part. Rob also knows if you can take care of the few good experienced men the 7th has that Jerry will blow retreat and the battle will be won. The first indian volley wounds Jerry's best soldiers (lets call them Lee and Ware). Lee can't fight any more and is taken to the Red Cross tent. Ware is nicked in the leg. He can fight, but not effectively, but gives it his all.
In short order Jerry has figured out he needs to have the bugler blow retreat and get the troops out of Bourbon Street and set up a press conference with the beat writers of the Frontier Gazette to explain that it wasn't that the Indians had better equipment or better chiefs or braves. It was just that his troops had a bad day and that sun will come up tomorrow and lastly if you don't believe him just take a swig of this well aged "snake oil" he keeps in his coat pocket.
And that ladies and gentleman is why things will never change as long as Jerry stills peddles snake oil and people keep drinking it like it was Koolaid.
