Staff reports
Paul W. Hutton, scholar and professor of history at the University of New Mexico, will speak at 7 p.m. Saturday in the National Park Service Visitor Center gallery at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, a mile west of Cheyenne. After the presentation, there will be a question and answer period. A reception and book signing will follow the program.
Hutton will speak on “Custer and the Washita,” with an emphasis on how the attack reflected the emerging military policy for the west.
“We are looking forward to Dr. Hutton’s visit,” said park superintendent, Lisa Conard Frost, “he is an unparalleled historical commentator, dynamic speaker and long-time friend of Washita Battlefield National Historic Site.”
Hutton has written or edited many articles and books, including “Phil Sheridan and His Army,” and was one of the historians interviewed for “Destiny at Dawn: Loss and Victory on the Washita,” a film produced for the park visitor center.
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, near Cheyenne, interprets the setting along the Washita River where Lt. Col. George A. Custer led the 7th Cavalry on a surprise dawn attack against the Southern Cheyenne village of Chief Black Kettle Nov. 27, 1868. For information, call (580) 497-2742 or go to www.nps.gov/waba.
