The Custer Conspiracy

“Much of the testimony taken at the Reno Court of Inquiry was not, as tradition demands, ‘The whole truth and nothing but the truth.’ Especially is this true of statements made under oath by Captain Frederick W. Benteen, Major Marcus Reno and a select group of subordinate officers who felt some inexplicable obligation either to actually change their testimony or to phrase it in such a manner as to cast a different implication on Reno’s various actions,” says Dubois.
DuBois goes on to take issue with the so called “Enlisted Men’s Petition” (which lauded the actions of Reno and Benteen and called for their immediate promotion), cited so tellingly by anti-Custer historians in vindication of Reno and Benteen.
Kick the Dead Lion by Charles H. DuBois: amzn.to/2G6WhMq
Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time
amzn.to/2BmN5T9
Paperback:
www.lulu.com/shop/charles-a-mi...
Since his death along the bluffs overlooking the Little Bighorn River, in Montana, on June 25, 1876, over five hundred books have been written about the life and career of George Armstrong Custer. Views of Custer have changed over succeeding generations. Custer has been portrayed as a callous egotist, a bungling egomaniac, a genocidal war criminal, and the puppet of faceless forces. For almost one hundred and fifty years, Custer has been a Rorschach test of American social and personal values. Whatever else George Armstrong Custer may or may not have been, even in the twenty-first century, he remains the great lightning rod of American history. This book presents portraits of Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn as they have appeared in print over successive decades and in the process demonstrates the evolution of American values and priorities.

[@lonnietoth5765]

Three years later and 10,000 miles away , the British Army at Isandlawana , S. Africa would do the same thing . Split their force with one of the commands wiped out. " Overconfidence has no flag " !

[@angebianco5528]

Custer let himself get flanked, then surrounded by a superior force. He underestimated the capabilities of the Indians.

[@johnzeszut3170]

The Native Americans did the exact opposite of what Custer expected them to do - instead of staying at the village they came out full of fight.

[@ronagoodwell2709]

Since Custer had divided and subdivided his command, no matter where the Indians went they ended up flanking one or another part of Custer's forces. And with all the ravines and coulees among the hills, the Indians could move out of sight and pop up at will all over the battlefield. The Indians were able to use the terrain to good advantage while Custer struggled against it to the end. (An amateur's 2-cents worth.)

[@normanbraslow7902]

Army intelligence thought most of the hostiles were on the reservations. The Indian Agents inflated the numbers on the reservations to get more supplies they could rip off. That's why so many hostiles were there to be able to wipe Custer out.

[@sussybaca7256]

Most of Custer's men didn't push when they were supposed to, video even says. One was called a coward after and one was an insubordinate. Also Custer sent for reinforcements and more ammo. That person (cant remember the name) but he never delivered the message. And Custer's strategy of splitting his troops worked before. the plan was to distract the warriors so Custer could capture the women and children for hostages to get the warriors to surrender

[@petersonlafollette3521]

@P Raulin A big one- have you any idea of the cowardice Custer employed in his Indian campaigns? He charged the non combatants- elderly, women and children and with malice and slaughered them mercilessly. Not only did Natives know this but it had them seeing RED that day- remembered as " Out hearts were bad that day, and we took no prisoners." Brush up on your history.

[@degrelleholt6314]

Are we sure these signatures are "forgeries" or is it just possible that McCurry signed some troopers' names because they couldn't write. Literacy rate of about 60%. It rather fits.

[@richstex4736]

My thought exactly. Remember, there were more than a few immigrants who could barely speak English.

[@deweywatts8456]

You are screaming my thoughts. My great grandparents were from a generation where especially men had illiteracy problems. As a child of the 1970's, there were many encounters with elderly persons who either did not read, or still signed with an X.

[@FirstorDirt]

Many could not even speak English

[@JJosephS1]

I have read and studied quite a bit about Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn. All of the Calvary commanders were afraid the Indians would slip away. No one knew what happened with Crook on the Rosebud nor a good estimate of the actual size of the village/camp/rendezvous. Custer’s scouts had gotten a good look at the pony herd and smoke from the village-Custer couldn’t even see this because of fog. The first one to get an idea of the numbers was Reno. So instead of pushing into the village where it would be hard to keep his unit together he formed a skirmish line. At this point he is engaging the enemy and obeying orders. Every account w/o fail mentions Bloody Knife’s head getting blown off as he is speaking to Reno and that Reno totally lost his composure at this point and ceased to lead his troops. In a chaotic retreat that he followed up a hill 1/3 of his men were lost. Benteen arrives to shore up the situation and sees that Reno is beside himself. Benteen organizes the defense and the fight off two successive assaults. It is also unanimous in all accounts that there is serious animosity between Benteen and Custer. Benteen chose to stay in a safer position and comfort his buddy Reno than fulfill his orders to press forward with the pack train to Custer’s position. Lt. Weir saw the error of Benteen’s ways but with such a small force feared he would not make it through to Custer. Benteen could have gained the status of a great hero if he would have releaved Reno of his Command. Put another officer temporarily in charge of Reno’s battalion -like McDougal, and then taken half the pack train with himself to Custer, leaving McDougal with the orders to hit the Southern end of the village again shortly after his departure. This would have thrown the Indians into chaos just like the arrival of Terry and Gibbons did the following day. They most likely would have captured a large number of the women and children and at least brought a cease fire until the arrival of the others. There are all different numbers listed as the strength of the Indians, but averaging my best estimate is about 2,500 warriors. That would be about a fair fight against about 750 Calvary men. I find that the Indian deaths and casualties must be way under reported. This warririor group (members from various tribes) were on a remarkable victory streak. They had defeated a small fort along the Bozeman trail, burned it to the ground and forced the Army to close the trail. They had won a tactical victory over Crook and forced his Regiment of 1200 men to retreat. Then they win what looks like a decisive victory over Custer and then disband never to fight a real battle again. This can only be explained by heavy losses at both the Rosebud and the Little Bighorn. Otherwise they would have formed an ambush and fought off Gibbons and Terry as well,. Especially if they were 9000 strong as some claim. Custer was not the foolhardy, irresponsible, tactical idiot contemporary wokesters like to make him out to be. I have never had anyone’s head blown off in mid conversation right in front of me- don’t know how I would react. I don’t belittle Reno too much. I believe Benteen didn’t want to risk his scalp for a very unliked boss. He gambled correctly and got away with his obvious disobedience of orders.

[@josephstabile9154]

Your posting fairly sums up my read of what happened. I might have allowed for a somewhat higher number of warriors; there were many CW vets in the 7th who had experience in estimating opponents' numbers, and claimed many wickiups were found, indicative of solitary warriors that swelled the already immense village. Was some of this opinion self-serving? Don't know, but it's possible. Graham, in his book, makes a good attempt to get at the numbers via 1st hand sources. I've been studying this battle for almost 60 yrs, with multiple trips to the site (both the valley fight, and free-range on the larger battlefield), have devoted a full size bookshelf to the topic, and have found this story fascinating. I have come to the opinion that Benteen disregarded/disobeyed clear, explicit written & verbal orders, and along with Reno's relief of pressure on the village, put Custer in a completely untenable position--at the least, quickly running out of ammo. Comments from officers there that day show that they understood this, and knew where their duty lay. I think Reno's & Benteen's post-battle behaviors can also be seen in this light. Will the controversy ever be settled? I think not. It seems that a lot of the writing over the last 70 yrs has leaned more toward the Van der Water interpretation, to the detriment of analysis of many 1st hand sources. Btw, this also applies to researching all the 1st sources regarding the Washita battle.

[@nigelsmith2457]

I disagree. The native Indians claim that they took plenty of ammunition from the dead soldiers, so Custers defeat cannot be put down to this. Secondly, Benteen did advance, once the pack train was up. They got as far as Weir point and could go no further. This was with the combined strength of Benteens, reno, and McDougalls commands. To suggest that Benteen could have got through with a smaller force is wishful thinking.

[@mangojack1487]

Had Custer won the battle do you think he would have given any credit to Reno and Benteen ? No - I thought not. As such he should bear the guilt of getting his glory seeking ass kicked.

[@printolive5512]

Of the 23 officers and men of the 7th Cavalry who testified at the Reno Inquiry, all but the civilian packers gave Reno high marks for his conduct in battle. The officers were first hand witness's and combatants and have much more credibility than an amateur historian who was not there. Reno was screwed by a mob of Custer apologists but in the end, Reno is the only one of that command who was re- buried at that battlefield and now lies with his troopers . He had a difficult life after the battle, but ultimately justice was served.

[@maxdavid84]

Except you leave out the fact that what the officers said at the court contradicted what they said privately to friends and in letters. Reno should have been court-martialed for drunkeness and cowardice. Benteen was most likely derelict in duty by stopping to join Reno which probably saved the rest of the command from destruction. Custer however was responsible for the disaster by dividing his command and underestimating his battalion's ability and the time required to get across the river and make an assault.

[@maxdavid84]

How was justice served for the wounded left in the timber not to mention the men shot down while leaving the timber late because he panicked or for the men shot down during the rout because he provided no rear guard or defense of any kind?

[@stephenburke5967]

Name one member of Company M that were invited to give testimonials in Chicago considering they covered (without orders)Reno's drunken cowardly retreat of the Field of battle and every member of Company M were NCO's.Churchill a civilian packer in later life said"i was ordered by Major Reno to guard two mules on the hill that had large caskets full of whiskey roped on and Reno approached me in a very excited manner and reeking of whiskey and told me he would shoot me if I let anyone near the mules.I tell this story now as it's the truth but back at the enquiry I told lies and said what was written for me to say or else I was warned I would never work again.The whole thing was a cover up and everyone there including myself helped ourselfs to copious amounts of whiskey and cigars provided by Major Marcus Reno at a hotel up State street from the Palmer House Hotel".Sargent Maguire the cartographer who was first on scene after the battle drew a comprehensive map of the Indians village later said"the Reno enquiry was a cover up from start to finish led by Grant as my map was changed three times to show a far greater Indian encampment than was actually there" Lt Jesse Lee (a prosecutor at enquiry)some years after the enquiry wrote to Libby Custer"I profoundly apologise for my actions in Chicago and your husband has been done a terrible wrong."The FBI got involved in 1955 on request from Major Edward Luce to investigate the hand written testimonials of soldiers that survived the Big Horn debacle.These testimonials were found to be forged beyond any doubt and a great number had glowing references for Reno and his courage on that day denouncing his drunken state upon greater inspection these were found to be laughabley false as the soldiers who wrote these letters could not write and had initially signed on with their mark X.Westpoint held their own enquiry back in the 80's and found both Reno/Benteen guilty of disobeying direct orders in the field from a commanding officer.Reno was found guilty of cowardice,dereliction of duty,drunkenness.

[@halibut1249]

The Indians had numerical superiority. Reno realized that immediately and beat a hasty, panicked retreat across the river and up the bluffs. When Benteen later came upon him, he prob made an assessment and thought it was more prudent to take cover than to advance. Once the battle started and the Indians' numerical strength unfolded, Custer's problem was he had no escape. He must have been thinking "I really f****ed up today." His troops' horses down, where were his men going to run?? Where could they run?? Across open prairie?? Rots of ruck, as they say. By the time Benteen could have reached Custer it would have been over. And I'm reminded of the Great Lakes ore carrier The Edmund Fitzgerald. After it sank the Coast Guard asked Bernie Cooper, skipper of The Arthur Anderson, to go back out into the storm to search for any Edmund Fitzgerald survivors. Cooper said (paraphrased), "well there's one ship on the bottom, if we go back out there might be two." Cooper did go back out, but found no survivors. The point is, in the Custer context, if Reno and Benteen had rushed north to assist Custer, over miles of open prairie, leaving the slower pack train behind, it's likely their six companies would have met the same fate as Custer's five. Ditto for the company guarding the pack train.

[@BurnedSpace]

everything you typed in this comment is wrong.

[@RemoteViewr1]

The assertion that Benteen and Reno only possible motive in circulating a petition praising their leadership was a deep sense of guilt is the purest example of fallacious reasoning. It is a malicious unfounded and curious assertion. Had the critic been placed by Custer in the precarious military position of fighting for the lives of themselves and the men under their command, might he not himself thought to do exactly the same? Methinks, damn sure he would. I suspect the critic replaces his grief over Custers death with anger at anyone who might have assisted him. If the signatures were true forgeries, for example could all the men write? Did they nod yes, write my name in for me? did they say duh, yes, write my name in, of course that's correct as they gave assent? Or does the critic merely suppose, without having witnessed any of it, that Benteen, Reno, and/or a sergeant simply sat down and fabricated evidence? It's just not holding water. So 70% of the signatures were authenticated? What percentage is the threshold for understanding what what those survivors believed to be true? It's all silliness and sheepish. Custer behaved stupidly. Reno got his command shot up by engaging numerically superior, better trained, better armed warriors defending hearth and home from extermination. His leadership skills were not at issue. He got fed into a meat grinder. Benteen fearlessly held it altogether. Yes. I believe Benteen heard Custers last stand. By what practical means could he have assisted, he was cut off, surrounded by superior forces and was fighting for his life. The critic doesn't seem to pay a sideways glance. Custer done got himself, his brothers, and a fair number of the Seventh Calvary shot up and killed that day. I cannot but help noting he was intent on murdering babies woman and children. His death bears no glory, no awwww there goes a great man, such a shame. Rather, good riddance.

[@richstex4736]

Thank you for such a well-written, factual comment.

[@petersonlafollette3521]

@@richstex4736 Yes it is that AND truthful. Without knowing very much of the fact finding and blame placing hearing, I can just FEEL the outrage shame and vindictiveness of Custer's loss from his apologists.. Western expansion was not use to this and was violently choking from the events of Little Big Horn.

[@paulgiarmo3628]

@ Remote Viewer 1. You say good riddance for the demise of one of America's great military leaders? What is wrong with you, snowflake? Custer was a brevet Major General at the age of 23, the youngest ever in U.S. Army history, his service record during the Civil War was unsurpassed, and he did not kill women and children, unlike his Indian counterparts, who then would mutilate the bodies of their victims. You need to stop your liberal revisionist propaganda and learn history. And stop attacking American heroes.

[@stephengreene1856]

Custer wasn't intent on murdering women and children,He was attempting to capture them as means to force the warriors to back down and end the fight. Custer wasn't going to start killing the advantage he would have had. His only chance to end the fight and still survive was to capture the most important thing to those warriors...their families...if Custer kills the families,Then he has nothing to bargain with,

[@ChordtoChord]

To me there is little doubt that everyone in the Seventh Calvary was a victim, in one way or the other, of Custer's poor judgement. And that Reno and Benteen were placed by Custer in a terrible situation. If the need was there, would the authorities in DC have let Reno and Benteen hang out to dry? Most of us know the answer to that. So I'm not really concerned whether or not they fudged the facts in their defense.

[@DavidSmith-ss1cg]

Reno and Benteen were NO match for Libby Custer. She conducted her campaign to save Custer's name in the court of public opinion, and the 2 former cavalrymen tried to get the army's "Old Boy" network to get a fair hearing for the Little Big Horn debacle. They were in serious trouble, because the more that was unearthed, the more evidence of Custer's mistakes and mis-management they found. The obvious judgment - that Custer screwed up, and lots of US troops died in a futile battle Custer should've tried to avoid - is widely ignored. And, like the great "60 Minutes" curmudgeonly correspondant Andy Rooney would say, "Why Is That?" Custer was well-known to the Indians, and he was known to be dishonorable. He was part of the treaty establishing the Black Hills as Indian land, and he was part of the party who found Gold there, and started large numbers of white gold-hunters(not the most desirable new neighbors to have moving in) show up, along with regular settlers and farmers, and people to run shops and businesses. Custer was told by the Indians that he wasn't welcome, and to NOT COME BACK. Many Indian stories about the aftermath of the battle say that the Indian woman poked Custer's ears with sewing awls, to remind him that he should have listened. Custer died for your sins. He asked for it. It's just too bad that a lot of good men died horribly because of his ambition overriding his good sense.

[@Doc.Holiday]

@@DavidSmith-ss1cg … that’s a long list of emotional opinionated nonsense based in no fact or history.

[@Houndini]

Custer just rush in 1 time too many & he way totally underestimate his opponent & his good luck ran out. Supplies out west was not near as good as was reported by govt. Estimates. In any major US disaster the cover-up starts soon as news hits & this still ongoing today. Any honest soldier will tell you that from personal experience.

[@johnday6392]

A man named James Pym who was born and bred in my village, Garsingron, Oxfordshire, England, was with Reno on Reno hill. He won the Medal of Honour for crossing open ground under heavy fire to get water fot his wounded and thirst maddened mates. He did this until he himself was wounded and unable to get back to Reno hill. He was rescued by an equally brave Irish trooper.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

This is stupid. Custer was the one to get there early - and not wait for Gibbon and Terry. Custer was the one to split his command - and then - not wait for it to coalesce again before attacking. Custer was the one to attack an enemy force that was way to large for his own. Custer's command then seems to have been split again into at least two groups. Reno and Benteen did well to survive. They did move towards Custer's position but - it was all over by then and they fell back. If Custer had kept his entire command together and taken up a defensive position - they could have survived but doing things the way he did - no. Custer was the one to get his command axed. Reno and Benteen didn't have the men to save him. .

[@stephenburke5967]

Your post is extremely inaccurate and lacks knowledge.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

@@stephenburke5967 Bull shit. .

[@Sshooter444]

Like most military disasters, seems like there was a perfect storm of incompetence

[@randomlyweirdjeff4638]

Gettysburg?

[@randomlyweirdjeff4638]

King's Mountain?

[@tballstaedt7807]

Defeat doesn't always imply incompetence.

[@smarterthanu6507]

Custer thought he was going into a village where the American Indians would be armless and just get up and run away from him. Custer never imagined the Americans would challenge him and fight.

[@philhewett1601]

Take away message: we can make anything we want up, pass it around, and see what sticks. It's a classic ploy to build the story we want to see and old as the hills.

[@howardwhite1507]

Reno carried out his attack as ordered. The attack failed and he retreated to a defensive position. At that point, sending his temaining effective solders to Custers position would have been death to the wounded and unmounted troops. That would have been a criminal act. Benteen arrived last due to the tasking he was given by Custer. He was obeying orders right up until he arrived at Renos position. At that point Reno was the senior officer in charge of the pisition. Nobody knew how badly Custer was doing at that time. Custer had a large portion of the total force and it was not known that he was cut off and un able to retreat. Custer ordered a movement that was not possible. Reno was FORCED into a defensive position and had lost the offensive initiative WHILE OBEYING Custer. The fact that Custer himself was unable to extract himself from his own battle plan relieves Reno from any blame for his defeat and in fact gives his creddit for salvaging a portion of his command. Reno was the first to engage and with a smaller force. Reno, with whatever faults he may have had, didnt let all his men die. Benteen was given impossible orders. His men were tasked with bringing up the supply train intact, supporting Custer and Reno, while exicuting the longest patrol prior to contact. His men rode the furthest before contact. When ordered to hurry, it was not clear if that was with Reno and the pack train or on his own. If he had rushed to Custer and the supply train had been captured or destroyed, all of Custers command may have been wiped out. It must be noted, nobody knew how far out Terry was. Reno could have been days from relief. Without the suply train, they would have been defensless once ammo ran out. Custer spread his force too thin, gave his subordinates impossible tasking, issued unclear orders, underestimated his opponent, refused to see reality, and tried to win a victory by himself when the plan was to have three units the size of his or greater do the job. There is no reason to believe Benteen would have survived a charge to Custers aid, or that he would have arrived in time, or that he would have even found Custer before being defeated or turned back. Horses are not modern tanks, you cant just dump fuel in them and keep going. There are issues of food and water as well as rest. Custer made bold attacks in the civil war. Never was he so deep in confederate territory that he could not return to the protection of the union lines. His bold tactics made sense when support was available. Out on their own, boldness becoms reckless... Custer was a fuckup that ran out of luck and got his men killed. In the civil war, he had experienced troops that we able to resupply and equip from a massive army. They could rest behind the guns od infantry inits. In the west, they could only bake in the sun, vulnerable to attack, no medical units for the wounded, no fresh horses.... Annother unit equal or better to Custers entire command had been defeated and forced to retreat just days before. The idea that Custer lost due to Reno or Benteen is absurd.

[@markwarnberg9504]

Would like to point out that the pack train consisted mainly of Mules that can balk when pressed too hard.

[@howardwhite1507]

@@markwarnberg9504 Yep....

[@maxdavid84]

No. Reno did not carry out the attack as ordered. He halted the command at least 1000 yards short of the target. No, Benteen did not obey orders and he was not under Reno's command when he reached Reno's position. He was still under Custer's orders to join him. This is the United States Army not a debating society. When ordered, you storm the wall at Fredericksburg.

[@vidarr57]

Custer was a victim of incompetent subordinates and cowardly officers.

[@johnbeal6758]

@@maxdavid84 you do understand that the order to storm the wall at Fredericksburg was considered the height of incompetance?

[@michaelmccotter4293]

As always is the case, the military needs a scapegoat. It's better to blame Reno and Benteen than the Celebrity War Hero Custer. Custer was a Bold, Brave warrior, of this, there is no doubt. But from the beginning he was in a hurry. He chose to leave his artillery because it would slow him down. Without knowing his enemies strength and position, he chose to divide his forces. Not just in two columns, but three no less. Then he made an attack on women and children. His orders to Benteen to"come" left a lot to understand. Very foolish man. Bottom line is the man was all LION no FOX !!!He got a lot of good men and women as well as children killed. There is no excuse for poor leadership at the Little Bighorn. Had Benteen left Reno it most likely would have meant more Marble markers strewn much further afield with nowhere to find a scapegoat.

[@dknowles60]

gen terry told custer not to do any thing untill he got there

[@johnzeszut3170]

I have read that in a 1952 book "Troopers With Custer" by E. A. Brininstool.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

As to those signatures alleged to be forgeries ... When I was in Recruit Training for the Marines in 1970, we had two guys - who were illiterate. One of them - could sign his name - but the other had to make a mark. How many of the men signing this petition - could sign their own names? We don't know but this could be a reason why some of these signatures were alleged to be forgeries. Of course - I have had a recent attempt to sign something for the Registrar of Voters rejected - because it didn't match the signature I'd given 50 years ago ... So I'd not place undo emphasis on that. This does not mean that the signatures were not forged - only that we cannot be sure they were. .

[@metoo5867]

Maybe some soldiers couldn’t write or write

[@KernowekTim]

Excellent shout.

[@jimgoulet3035]

One reaps what they sow.

[@Tuberuser187]

Seems to me, only just learning about this topic more in depth that Custer got a lot of his men killed, Reno saved a lot of his men and Benteen did his best to get back after his orders changed but couldn't quite make it.

[@markwarnberg9504]

Capten Benteen had an impossible command, that being the pack train which consisted mostly of mules which was constantly lagging behind, and extra troops had to be asighned to gaurd it from muarading indians. The summer heat and lack of water was hard on man and beast, a horse you can beat untill he drops, a mule will only go so far and then he Balks and no power on earth will make him move. Somehow Benteen managed to reach Reno and prevent his command from being wiped out, any hope of going to Custers aid was too far - too late.

[@todderiksen5975]

@@markwarnberg9504 But if Reno would have followed through with his orders from Custer instead of the retreat up the hill, after he had brains splattered all over him, would that possibly have given Custer the time he needed to get the women and children under control?

[@richstex4736]

@@todderiksen5975 Let's see, your skirmish line has just been pushed back because of the danger of being flanked on your left. You receive reports of Indians cutting you off from the river on your right; & you get splattered w/blood & brains. Yeah, you just might turn tail & run. He did follow orders. He came up against a similar scenario that was to befall Custer later in the afternoon. The difference was that Reno actually had a path & means of retreat. Finally, you are making assumptions re: Custer's capabilities. Custer wasn't in control of the battlefield. He did not dictate the course of battle. He dug his own grave. Reno couldn't have changed that, only added to the final death toll.

[@davidpallin772]

@@richstex4736 Thank you richstex, too many “ Know it Alls” try and fault Reno for this and that. Renowas fucked the moment he crossed the river to attack. In no way shape or form were the Indians going to run from any fight. Good reply, thanks.

[@chadherrin5181]

Custer fatally split his regiment all up and they were too far apart from him when the shit hit the fan. He saw that Reno was in trouble early on, but instead of coming to his aid right away, he turns north and then the rest happens.

[@PeterOkeefe54]

at 3:54 you see Karl Malden picture as Benteen..am I correct?

[@nowthenzen]

The combined Reno/Benteen/McDougall command had wounded men who would not have been able to keep up with an attack. Those wounded would either have to be abandoned to their death or the command split in such a way that would have meant defeat in detail to both sections. The Weir movement was easily turned back by the Sioux and Cheyenne. The best that could have been hoped for is some sort of mad dash toward Custer's battalion that might have resulted in a different kind of last stand or several last stands and maybe one would have held out until relived by Terry .. maybe. The outcome could not have been much different at best.

[@vidarr57]

He(Reno) did abandoned the wounded

[@thomasschiller5197]

If the picture is right ,was he related to Carl Malden?

[@claud1961]

This seems rather tame after some of the charges leveled against Reno and Benteen. Myself, I look to the reports and writings, particularly Benteen's to his wife, immediately after the event, when they were unaware of any controversy over their actions. Reno defends his decision to retreat from the woods to the bluffs, and Benteen seems to be more surprised over his survival than jubilant that his supposed arch-enemy is dead, even if it took several companies of troopers, some of them friends, to achieve this. His letters do gloss over some facts, most notably the condition of the bodies found on Last Stand Hill, but his wife knew these men, and he didn't want her memories of them tarnished by mutilations and the effects of laying in the hot sun for a few days. It is said he was quite shaken when he saw Custer's body and it is my belief his feud with Custer was over in his mind. He prided himself in fighting fairly, within the confines of regulations, almost a gentlemanly rivalry, and now a fellow warrior has fallen. He comes off as bemused, almost as if it happened to somebody else, and I take that as sort of survivor's guilt. He simply said, "Custer rode away from his reinforcements and lost himself." No recriminations, no judgments, he mentions some of the lost officers and men she knew in a matter-of-fact way. As for the petition, I think Evan S. Connell addressed that well enough in Son Of The Morning Star, saying that 1st Sgts. have been prone to this sort of thing, and neither Reno nor Benteen need have to know anything about it. The most telling is a statement by a trooper- I don't recall who- that said if they hadn't been led by a coward they would all be dead. I suppose this being alive and having to bury the bodies of decomposing friends might make you feel kindly to Reno- you certainly saw the alternative!

[@Montague1428]

This is a great video. One of the best shorts I've seen on the Little Bighorn. I've not read De Bois, but I read Brininstool- although I enjoyed the accounts therin, I felt that even based on that one text, the officer's remarks were an ass-covering exercise. Brininstool seems to have bought right into it and goes out of his way to defend both Reno and Benteen. Although Brininstool's book is 1952, I didn't much like the racist terms he used regarding the Native Americans- even going so far as to claim Sitting Bull was a coward who hid in the village. It's also interesting how most officer accounts say Reno was sober, but when you come across those from troopers they have nothing good to say about Reno. That said, I do have some sympathy with Reno; he was expected to hold his own against several times his own number and when that failed he was expected to rush to Custer and support him. Reno was clearly suffering PTSD by the time he reached Reno Hill and as the shooting from the Custer site was said to have died down by the time Benteen arrived at Reno Hill, it seems unlikely that rushing to Custer's aid would've done anything other than massively increase the 7th Cavalry's casualties.

[@DavidWhite-jx2qo]

1

[@bobporch]

After the Civil War was over Robert E. Lee was asked why the South lost. Lee replied to the effect that he thought the Yankees had something to do with it. So why was Custer and his command wiped out? Could it be the Indians had something to do with it?

[@larryrobinson6914]

Benteen saved the day.

[@randomlyweirdjeff4638]

Custer was a good general and leader. On this day he allowed this to happen to himself. Benteen reinforce Reno because there was no way they could reach Custer.

[@johnzajac9849]

Author Frederic Van de Water, whose book, 'Glory-Hunter: A Life of General Custer', appeared in the early 1930s, offers an interesting appraisal of the main characters and events in the life of Custer and the 'Custer Fight'.

[@marknace1736]

The overall campaign was terribly planned by Gen. Terry. 1). Gen. Crook's column was attacked on June 17th and he never informed anyone that he had stopped his column to replenish his ammunition. 2). Second the campaign was operating on faulty intelligence on how many native's they were after, the pre-campaign estimate was that there possibly 900 warriors with Sitting Bull, historical estimates are between 2500 and 3000. 3). On June 25th Custer was planning a reconnaissance of the Little Bighorn Valley but thought that his command had been spotted by the natives and not knowing their strength feared that they would run, so he attacked. 4). Using the same tactics that he used on the Washita River, he split his command into three pieces to surround the village. 5.) The Terry-Gibbon column did not arrive on the 26th as planned but arrived on the 27th it is doubtful if Custer's command could have spent two days close to the Little Bighorn Valley without being spotted by the natives.

[@printolive5512]

Actually, I would also add Gen Sheridan to the planning, since he was overall in charge. Sending three large forces out to deal with the Indians without making plans for the units to communicate and co-ordinate, was crazy and it seems nobody did any real, in-debth reconnaissance or intelligence gathering including Crook , Terry and Gibbons who all had distinguished records. I have never understood why the actual commander of the 7th Cavalry, Col. Sturgis was left behind to do recruiting when his unit , including his son, was headed into battle. Had Custer been 2d in command of the 7th with Sturgis in command, I feel certain this battle would have turned out a lot differently. Sturgis was an old Army hand, West Point, veteran of the Mexican War, and a distinguished Civil War record. Since his son ( was was killed at the battle and whose body was never found ) was in the Regiment, Sturgis would most likely handled the action on the 25 very differently. At least he would have had some concern about his troops.

[@douglasturner6153]

@@printolive5512 Colonel Sturgis was officially on "Recruitment Duty" in St Paul, Mn. That was an old Army trick that was used to sideline Officers who had senority but for various reasons senior leadership wanted someone else in direct Command. In this case it was Sheridan's pet Lt. Colonel Custer.

[@SeanRCope]

Served with the Seventh in Korea word in that NCO Club is Reno saved his command (ugly win) and Benteen saved the Seventh.

[@thehowlingmisogynist9871]

Is it me, or does Benteen look like the actor Karl Malden (without the hooter) ?

[@jeffmcdonald4225]

Custer was an idiot who underestimated the strength of the opposing force. When he saw the situation, he should have withdrawn at speed.

[@alandavis9644]

The experience with Custer at the Washita massacre was what both officers considered in their decision. He abandoned his men then. The political powers wanted Custer to get wiped out.

[@sergepetrov7973]

Grant administration one of the most corrupt - disparity of Native American combatants involved in 1879 were three times larger than eyewitness accounts in 1876 -also great disparity in the time of the battle by witnesses who were there - Reno had no experience except with a whiskey bottle and should have never been anywhere near a command - no way Grant was going to investigate this

[@mrdave777]

Before you comment on Little Big Horn. Remember. You weren’t there!

[@iainsanders4775]

Location labels under those pictures would be useful - to non-experts!

[@halibut1249]

When in June-July 1876, the nation's centenial, Americans saw the newspaper headlines come in of an Indian massacre in Dakota territory, their first reaction was probably to avenge the 7th Cavalry's deaths, but upon learning that Reno and his men scrambled away to safety, the public was probably also outraged at what seemed cowardice, abandonment of duty, and culpability for Custer's and his companies' massacre. So Reno became a marked man and the accusations stuck. In truth, though, had Reno and his troops not immediately scrambled up the bluffs to the relative safety of higher ground, they would have been encircled by Indians as Custer had, and suffered the same fate. So would it have been better for Reno and his three companies to die with honor, or escape with accusations of dishonor?? Of course, the latter. And Reno was cleared at the Inquest. But in the court of public opinion, and especially only a decade after the Civil War where casualties and deaths numbered in the hundreds of thousands, it was no excuse for Reno to say he saved his men from being slain that day. The fault lay with Custer, not Reno.

[@broadcasttttable]

What about Benteen? How has history judged his actions that day?

[@petersonlafollette3521]

Then, as in now, the first casualty of war always is the truth.

[@dontrotter1099]

I loved Custer's story for the longest time. When you look at how he led his troops, in the saddle, without rest for around 18 hours, before going immediately into the attack, you realize how dumbe he was at that point in his life. Massively outnumbered, rookie troops and bad information led Custer to kill his outfit. Benteen and reno were just available scapegoats for the failure. Custer needed a giant victory to be selected to run for president. He was under time restraints to get a victory, allowing the news to get to the east in time to be nominated. Yeah, how that work out? Whole lot of dead cavalry troops for nothing. If he didnt have a sleeping camp, at night or first light, he wasnt anything. Really sucked to have that bubble popped.

[@jeffsmith2022]

Seems like you have a bone to pick with Col. Custer...I believe that if Custer's officers had followed their orders promptly and to the tee, the outcome may have been quite a bit different...

[@vivians9392]

George Custer was a classic example of a Narcissist. Period. His thist for power and glory above the welfare of his men testifies to this fact. Being under the authority of a Narcissist is always deadly, as proven at Litle Big Horn.

[@jimclark6256]

@@jeffsmith2022 You have no clue as to the issue. Even with Reno and Benteen's support he would have still murdered his men. Thousands against a few hundred. Are you that stupid? If you had ever been in the military you would know that the officer in charge has the discretion to adapt to the situation. Custer is the one who disobeyed orders, he was trying to be hero. Stop believing what you see in the movies and grow up.

[@richstex4736]

@@jeffsmith2022 Yes, there would have been more dead troopers.

[@davidwright7193]

@@jeffsmith2022 it’s a classic case of no plan surviving contact with the enemy. Custer’s plan was based on an assumption that he was aiming to massacre a camp full of women, children and non combatants who were preparing to flee. He was actually facing a large force mainly of combatants preparing to defend themselves or take the offensive that day. Reno correctly evaluated the situation after contact and responded correctly. Custer, ever the dashing cavalry officer in manner, intellect and situational awareness, didn’t. There is nobody to blame for the total loss of Custer’s column other than George Armstrong Custer.

[@Tqsat44]

Pay back was a a bitch for custer eight years after washita…

[@bobclifton8021]

Who is truly responsible for the LBH debacle? George Armstrong Custer gets sole credit for that. He was an egotist who thought he could do no wrong. He Every battle he fought during the indian wars was a war crime.

[@petermcculloch4933]

What about the officers who freaked up the campaign in the first place?Why don't they wear any of the blame?

[@Mr.MikeBarksdale]

Those with a political agenda, or those timid spirits who have never done anything with their own lives simply dismiss Custer as a mindless idiot who got what he deserved. He was none of those things even though I started out thinking as such. He was called a mindless beast in his own day, by people who dispised him. But yet, they talked about him. That is the key. It's like Bogart in Casablanca: "You dont like me, do you Rick?" "Well, if I gave you much thought I probably wouldn't". Custer was a warrior and a savage--how better to explain the fact the tribes basically left his corpse alone. Warriors respect other warriors. By all accounts, Benteen fought his tail off that night and the command only survived complete annihilation because of him. He was a competent general. He was NOT a warrior the way Custer was. While Custer does ultimately deserve all the blame (because it is his command and the captain always goes down with the ship) one thing he was not was a coward. I've had the real privilege over the years with my gun business to be able to shoot with some real Tier One guys and some truly legendary soldiers. While I am not some military fanboy (quite the opposite, I'd love to see the entire military disbanded tomorrow), I love studying what makes motivated disciplined, leaders tick. Such men win wars and battles almost single-handedly, as about 90% of combat is fought by only about 10% of any given unit. The cavalry called these men "Allers", as in, someone who gives his all. Men like Custer, my father, and other men who lead other men from the front into war are different from men like myself. I look at a situation and immediately I think of what is the worst that can happen to me? They look at a situation and say, "I'm not worried about you. You better be worried about what I'm going to do to you." That was Custer in a nutshell. It is in the eyes. They have a look about them that says that they are going to do what they want and you are not as good as they are. We are simple predators, pack hunters. Pack hunters always have a leader and usually he doesn't fight because his eyes tell you that he's the boss. I have very little doubt that if there were three Custers in command that day the cavalry would have won a complete victory. For 150 years, historians have been trying to decipher why he had a mona lisa smile on his face when his body was found. I like to think he was in his element. He loved it. Men like Custer don't die old of colon cancer. That is why they get the pretty girls, all the money, and that is why we study them. They dont give a wet fart about you. He got a lot of brave men taken with him, and he is no hero. But neither was he a mindless idiot. He was absolutely magnetic. Every source I've found states that people were drawn to him. You dont become a general at 23 unless other men respect you and have confidence in you. You may laugh and say that you hate Custer, and that is fine. But I guarantee you that if you were in a foxhole you would absolutely pray to your god above that you were led and told what to do by a guy like him. You may hate him, but when you need him, you love him more than life itself. You would follow him into hell with a gasoline can.

[@jmitchell3661]

If you read custers total war history he was famous for killing his troopers. Read more about Stuart and the famous laurel brigade they caught him twice one battle they killed 900 under cu stars comand

[@wrestlehard226america8]

Way I see it, Bentsen and Reno were simply looking out for their men as they KNEW that Custer’s glory seeking would get them killed.

[@brownbear6819]

No, they very cowardly failed at their duties, and because of that, men died without any hope of survival.

[@vidarr57]

Their indifference towards Custer got him killed. In the military when it comes to orders you can't let personal opinions of your superior officer affect your own command. In this case they simply didn't fulfill Custer's orders completely. Was Custer fame seeking? Yes, but he never took any less risks than any other trooper under him. Incompetence and cowardice from his officers got him and his men killed.

[@charlieyerrell9146]

Custer was the idiot who made the mistakes. It was Custer who got his men killed. His wife played the distraught widow and wrote books to exonaonate her husband from his mistaks. He split his forces and made the mistakes.

[@angloaust1575]

Islawanda was a greater defeat Altho some managed to escape on horse but 800 copped it!

[@MrPh30]

Information gathered after the battle and based on Indian Agent records show the Indians had 1/3 of them had firearms of any kind. However 1/3 of them again had modern contemporary functioning weapons. 1/3 had older weapons. 1/3 of the total lot with firearms had either non working weapons or weapons witj no ammo for it.. Also Reno had 2 troopers, 1 Lt and the FirstSgt with long range .45-70 infantry rifle chambering, 500 grain ,70 blackpowder . The 1St Sgt had a scoped Sharps buffalo rifle, it cost him 100 dollars with all equipment for it . These 2 were holding back the attacking force from dug down position to get within range for their weapons. How many they took out was many with their heavy rifles. Battlefield archelogy show where they was st and bullets recovered from areas also.

[@KernowekTim]

Custer was in charge. The buck stops at the top. Custer was solely responsible for the annihilation of his command by the indigenous peoples of the area in which the rout of the 7th Cavalry took place. Custer; Guilty on all counts.

[@mikegrossberg8624]

Libby Custer was the one who did the most to turn Custer from an insubordinate glory-hunting egotist, who could have been court-marshalled if he'd survived, into a tragic hero. She spent the rest of her life feeding propaganda to the eastern press, and bullying the War Department with it. At Little Big Horn, Custer was NOT a general. He had been BREVETTED one during the war, but reverted to his regular rank of Lt Colonel when it was over BTW, Sitting Bull was, indeed, NOT at the battle. Sitting Bull was a medicine man. The medicine man did NOT take part in battles It was the WAR CHIEF, Crazy Horse, who led the attacks

[@johnsavage6628]

There werer two Custer camps. Those who liked him, and those who hated him. Benteen was in the hate camp. Custer during the Black Kettle massacre left 25 men and it's commander behind. They were tortured to death and their bodies were mutilated. This didn't win Custer any friends. Custer if he hadn't hotfooted it out of there he would have been massacred then. This was during the winter. The Army generally left the Indians alone during the winter. Besides Black Kettle's tribe there were some 6000 Indians camped out in this area. This was in 1868, November or December. Custer got out of there, but 25 of his men didn't. Not cool George. No! This would haunt his command. And one little thing about Indians they would run if they couldn't win a battle. During two other campaigns in the same area as the Little Big Horn the Indians avoided Custer. I can't believe that George thought that the'y'd run this time leaving a trail a quarter of a mile wide. Holy Shit George. Will you look at all these damn Indians!

[@badrivanov3931]

Benteen held Custer responsible for the death of his friend and 19 troopers Custer abandoned at washita. Reno s character disintegrated after little big horn

[@MichaelCasanovaMusic]

Where did that happen? I thought Benteen hated Custer because he thought he was a reckless glory hound who kept him on the outs in the regiment because he didn’t kiss his ass?

[@jehovahuponyou]

@@MichaelCasanovaMusic READ ABOUT ELLIOT, THE LOST BATALLION AT WASHITA - IVANOV IS EXACTLY RIGHT ABOUT THE REASON BENTEEN HATED CUSTER - DO YOUR RESEARCH!

[@Jay_Hall]

@@jehovahuponyou Benteen was a jealous and vindictive personality,,and today in any corporate or bizzness environment,,he would be quickly dismissed! Custer did what he had to do at Washita,,Elliot was reckless and foolish and paid the price,,sad but true.

[@markwarnberg9504]

@@Jay_Hall No man left behind? Try reading up on Benteens military service during the civil war, he earned his Eagles! www.wikipedia.org/wiki/FrederickBenteen

[@markwarnberg9504]

@@MichaelCasanovaMusic Custer was not a very popular among many of his officers, many who had fought bravely in the civil war and had earned their rank.

[@garypiont6114]

If custer retreated like the yellow cowards say, he would have been chased down like a coward. He died like a man.

[@josey4804]

Thought he died liked a man but was an idiot and too bad he only died once!

[@joe6796]

RIP General Custer

[@Jay_Hall]

Benteen was a disruption to the 7th, and every unit he was with after the LBH,,a very negative and corrosive person.

[@kakuto500]

Reno drank himself to death. That's why he is called a drunk.