That was the title of a paper written by an Ordnance officer for the Seventh Calvary who marched on Custer's 1876 expedition to the Little Big Horn.
On May 17, 1876, Brigadier General Alfred H. Terry headed west from Fort Abraham Lincoln in charge of the Dakota Column, the bulk of which was made up of Custer’s 7th Cavalry.
On June 22nd General Terry sent Custer and the 7th Cavalry in pursuit of Sitting Bull’s trail, which led into the Little Bighorn Valley.
Terry’s plan was for Custer to attack the Lakota and Cheyenne from the south, forcing them toward a smaller force that he intended to deploy farther upstream on the Little Bighorn River.
By the morning of June 25th, Custer’s scouts had discovered the location of Sitting Bull’s village. Custer intended to move his troops to a position that would allow his force to attack the village at dawn the next day. When some stray Indian warriors sighted a few 7th Cavalrymen, Custer assumed that they would rush to warn their village, causing the residents to scatter.
Therefore, Custer chose to attack immediately and at noon on June 25th, in an attempt to prevent Sitting Bull’s followers from escaping, he split his regiment into three battalions.
He sent three companies under the command of Major Marcus Reno to charge straight into the village, dispatched three companies under Captain Frederick Benteen to the south to cut off the flight of any Indians in that direction and took five companies under his personal command to attack the village from the north. That tactic proved to be disastrous and those five companies under Custer's command were wiped out.
I have visited the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument and read the biography of Custer as well as books on the battle and it is my opinion that Custer was a real dirtbag and the Indians (aka Native Americans as the like to be called these days) were fully justified in taking revenge on him. It's unfortunate that all the men in the five companies that Custer lead were killed because they were following an egotistical idiot. He only became a "hero" after the battle because of the efforts of his wife.
The Ordnance officer who authored the above mentioned paper had remained with General Terry's column and was one of the first to arrive at the site of Custer's Last Stand at the Little Big Horn the day following the battle and assisted in identifying bodies on the field. Read Ten Myths of the Little Bighorn on Historynet HERE
The officer was German-born Captain Otho Ernest Michaelis (August 3, 1843 - May 1, 1890). Details of his German birth are unknown and nothing is known of his parents or when they arrived in the United States.
What is known is that Michaelis was valedictorian of the Free Academy of New York, class of 1862. Following his graduation, be joined the Army and in the Summer of 1863, he was part of the Gettysburg campaign.
He served as General Georhe Thomas' chief of ordnance. Michaelis was the first non-West Point graduate to enter the Ordnance Corps.
After the Little Big Horn he served in several Federal arsenals across the US.
Michaelis had many interests. Among many other things, he was interested in ordnance, electricity, meteorology and...chess. In fact, he was one of the most prominent amateur players in the country.
In 1868, he got married and they had nine children, three of whom died while he was serving at Kennebec Arsenal in Maine. One son died of tuberculosis at the age of 18, an infant daughter died the day she was born. Two months later and another daughter, age 12, died after she fell through the ice on a pond. Michaelis tried to save her but after becoming unconscious, he had to be rescued himself and he spent over two weeks in hospital.
He died of a spinal infection (spinal meningitis?) the following year and is buried at Forest Grove Cemetery in Augusta. He was only 46 years old.
Michaelis won a Rook-odds game against Paul Morphy in New York in 1860. won the Michigan State Chess Association title in 1869 and in Philadelphia, in 1882 and 1884, he won the Philadelphia Chess Club’s championship. He also won off-hand games against Steinitz.
In the following game he defeats Judge Harsen D. Smith (March 17, 1845 - August 8, 1910,65 years old). Born in Albion, New York, he was admitted to the bar in 1862 and practiced for a time in Rochester, New York.
In 1870 he moved to Cassopolis, Michigan where he was appointed prosecuting attorney in 1876. He held that position for four years. In 1898, he was appointed to the position of circuit judge, a position he held for only a year.
Smith served as president of the Western Chess Association in 1910. He passed away at his home at 6 o'clock the morning of August 8, 1910 after having suffered a stroke the previous day.
Harsen D. Smith - Otho Michaelis
Result: 0-1
Site: State Championship, Jackson, Michigan
Date: 1869.01.22
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defence
[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗b5 ♘f6 4.O-O d6 In this, the Old Steinitz Defense, black omits playing ...a6 first. The possibility of breaking the pin with ...b5 and maintaining a hold on the center gives black more options than in the Old Steinitz in which white can practically force black to give up the stronghold at e5. 5.♘c3 ♗g4 While frequently seen in the games of lower rated players this move is of doubtful value. Better is 8...Be7 6.h3 ♗h5
6...♗xf3 would leave black with a bad B. 7.♕xf3 a6 8.♗xc6 bxc6 9.♘e2 c5 10.c3 ♗e7 11.d4 with an excellent position.
7.d3
7.♘d5 ♘xe4 8.♗e2 ♘e7 9.d3 ♘xd5 10.dxe4 ♘f6 11.♗g5 ♗e7 and all white has managed to do is lose a P. Ngo,T (2541)-Luu,H (2569)/Hanoi 2012.
7...h6 8.♕e2 It was also possible to play 8.g4 anf then maneuver the N to f5. 8...a6 9.♗xc6 bxc6 10.♕e3 Not really bad, but why block the B? (10.g4 ♗g6 11.d4 is a plausible line.) 10...♗xf3 Better was 10...Be7 but Michaelis has an idea in mind which turns out to be faulty. 11.♕xf3 Black could still play 11...Be7 and then castle and not be too badly off. 11...d5 After this black should be in serious trouble. 12.♖e1 Not bad, but nowhere near as good as 12.Qg3!
12.♕g3 Attacking the e-Pawn and if the B moves, the g-Pawn. 12...♕d6 is a natural defense of the e-Pawn but after 13.exd5 cxd5 14.♖e1 O-O-O 15.♖xe5 black is left with a miserable position.
(12.♕g3 ♕e7 is no better. 13.exd5 cxd5 14.♖e1 O-O-O 15.♖xe5) 12...d4 13.♘e2 Here white has only a nominal advantage. Black's best defense would now be 13... Nd7 making room for ...Qf6 which aids in the development of his K-side. 13...♗e7 Tactically faulty. 14.♘g3 Missing his best move.
14.♕g3 Attacking two Ps is obviously much better. 14...♕d6 This is is best chance. 15.♕xg7 ♖g8 16.♕xh6 ♔d7 17.♘g3 ♖g6 18.♕d2 ♖ag8 with the faint hope of a K-side attack.
14...♘h7 This allows white to seize the initiative.
14...♘d7 Once again this offers the best defense. 15.♘f5 ♗f8 16.♕g3 g6 and black has a solid position.
15.♘f5 ♗f6 16.c3 c5
16...dxc3 is no better. 17.d4 gives white a winning attack. For example 17...exd4 18.e5 O-O (18...♗g5 19.♘xg7 ♔f8 20.♘e6) 19.exf6 ♕xf6 20.bxc3 and white is winning.
17.♗d2 a5 18.a4 White's passive play is ruining his position. (18.cxd4 cxd4 19.♖ac1 keeps up the pressure on black's position.) 18...♘g5 19.♕e2 Another passive move. Better was 19.Qg3 19...♘e6 20.cxd4 cxd4 Black has manages to equalize. 21.b4 Eliminating his backward P and hoping to use the passed a-Pawn. 21...♗g5 (21...axb4 22.♗xb4 c5 with equal chances.) 22.♖eb1 There was no reason not to take on a5. 22...g6 23.♘g3 h5 It was more advisable to trade down to an ending. (23...♗xd2 24.♕xd2 ♕g5 25.♕xg5 hxg5 26.b5 ♔d7 with equal chances.) 24.♖b2 White's motivation for avoiding b4xa5 is not clear. 24...h4 25.♘f1 ♗xd2 26.♕xd2 ♘f4 27.f3 To repeat...there is absolutely no reason to avoid taking on a5. 27...♖h5 Now instead of playing, you guessed it, 28.bxd5 white continues to dawdle and soon lands in a mess. 28.♖d1 This loses quickly.
28.bxa5 ♕d6 29.♘h2 ♖g5 30.♘g4 f5 31.exf5 gxf5 32.♖e1 e4 with complications where both sides have chances.
28...♖g5 Black pounces on white's K. 29.♔h1
29.♕e1 is only slightly better. 29...♕d7 and the threats against h3 are going to be more than white can handle.
29...♖xg2 30.♕c1
30.♕xf4 As miserable as this move is, it's his best hope. After 30...exf4 31.♔xg2 ♕e7 32.bxa5 ♖xa5 33.♖a2 at least he can hold out a bit.
30...♕g5 31.♘h2
31.♕c6 ♔f8 32.♕xa8 ♔g7 33.♕c8 (33.♘d2 ♖h2 mates next move.) 33...♖xb2 34.♕g4 ♕xg4 35.fxg4 axb4 is hopelessly lost for white.
31...♕g3 32.♕c6 ♔f8 Facing mate in 4, white resigned. (32...♔f8 33.♕xa8 ♔g7 34.♕g8 ♔xg8 35.♘g4 ♕xh3 36.♘h2 ♕xh2#) Powered by Aquarium
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