I am from East Los Angeles CA, an ex-gang-member who learned about General Custer when I was grounded for one of the many bad things I did in Junior High. Time Life Books came out with a series about the "West". It was there in my room as a teenager that I learned a little bit about Gen.Custer. I remember having this feeling come over me that I had to learn more about this man. I am 50 years old now, and I just want to thank you for sharing this video. I read a lot about Gen. Custer throughout the years and speaking as someone who grow up in the streets, I always had a nagging feeling that that there was more to Custers death and of his men than what was told and being taught. Thank you so much for this wonderful video. I have been waiting for 37 years to get all these facts. Thank you so much!!! Long live the 7th!!!!
I hope you do come out with more videos. i don't know if I can wait another 30 years! Hahaha hahaha. What am I saying of course I will, the TRUTH" has no expiration date.
Great presentation Ms. Fallon ! I have visited and walked the Battle of Little Bighorn battlefield and read numerous accounts of the battle. In defense of Major Reno: 1. Eight days prior to the Battle of Little Bighorn, General Crook led 993 calvary, 197 civilian packers, 65 miners and 175 Crow Warriors and 86 Shoshoni Warriors northward from Fort Fetterman in the direction of the Bighorn River. The Crow and Shoshoni's were long-time enemies of the Sioux and Cheyenne and thus joined forces with the U.S. Army. 2. General Crook led the 993 Calvary soldiers and 250 Crow / Shoshoni warriors to Rosebud Creek where his force was attacked by 1,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors on horses. Thus, General Crook had a fighting man advantage of 1.25 to 1.0 against the Sioux / Cheyenne. Six days later at the Little Bighorn, Major Reno's 140 men faced a ratio of 10.0 or more Sioux / Cheyenne per 1.0 soldier. 3. A detachment of General Crook's unit of 240 Calvary soldiers led by Lieutenant Royall were surrounded by the Sioux and faced annihilation similar to Custer only six days later. 4. Lieutenant Royall's men were saved when the 250 Crow and Shoshoni warriors valiantly charged the Sioux / Cheyenne which allowed Royall's troops to retreat back to General Crook's position on higher ground. 5. After a six hour fight, the Sioux / Cheyenne broke off the attack. General Crook incurred so many casualties that he retreated back to Wyoming. Without the brave charge and fighting of the Crow / Shoshoni, General Crook's command may have suffered a bigger defeat than Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn. 6. The point of 1 - 5 is to show that with a force of 1,250 which was much larger than Major Reno's force of 140; General Crook's much larger army was nearly defeated by the Sioux / Cheyenne at the Battle of Rosebud Creek which was only six days earlier than the Battle of Little Bighorn. 7. General Custer was undoubtedly a brave man leading charges during both the Civil War and Indian Wars of the West. However, he grossly underestimated his foe at the Battle of Little Big Horn, did not wait for General Terry's and Gibbons forces, and split the 7th Calvary regiment three ways which was the cause for his massacre (Custer, Reno and Benteen). 8. In fact, similar to Major Reno, when Custer's charge ran into a bee hive of Sioux / Cheyenne; Custer's companies retreated to higher ground and formed a skirmish line. 9. Major Reno evaluated and was quicker in his decision making than Custer whereby he was able to lead his men to higher ground and save 50% or more of his troops versus Custer's command of 250 troops were totally massacred. 10. Finally, Mrs. Custer, who was understandably heartbroken, accused Major Reno of abandoning General Custer. However, Custer abandoned Reno to annihilation when he ordered Reno with only 140 troops to charge the Sioux / Cheyenne village containing thousands of warriors. 11. Custer did not come to Reno's aid when Reno's troops were fighting for their lives in the timber or on Reno Hill. 12.. Reno fought heroically in the Civil War and was awarded for bravery in combat. He was not a coward. Just like Custer he was a brave man but was given an impossible order by Custer. Custer and the five companies of troops (250 men) were massacred due to a superior force of Sioux / Cheyenne led by superior (General's) Chiefs in Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Give credit to the Sioux / Cheyenne for their tactics, skill and bravery. 💪 🙏✌
You obviously do not comprehend how the Indians fought. There were no Indian Generals. No Indian can tell another Indian what to do. A leader like Crazy Horse will by his own actions demonstrate his bravery and then the others will or will not follow his lead. Each tribe or family unit had men whose actions were respected by those who knew and trusted him. The LBH, the Rosebud and Fetterman fight were probably the only times during the Plains Indian wars enough warriors were present for that kind of haphazard, disorganized fighting technique to succeed against an organized column of soldiers. LBH was the perfect storm for the Indian method of fighting. Custer stumbled into far more Indians than he believed was even possible. He also encountered Indians who were willing to stand and fight which was another extremely rare occurrence. Without doubt the Indians deserve credit for their bravery and skill but tactics were not practiced by the Indians at the LBH. Each warrior fought as he saw fit to do.
I suggest you read James Donovan's book A TERRIBLE GLORY. He dissects every one of the excuses offered for Reno's conduct. Reno told a number of egregious lies at his court of inquiry, such as that he had no idea where Custer was, that he was unaware that Custer was in a serious fight, that the pack train did not arrive until 90 minutes after Benteen reached Reno Hill (a claim contradicted by Reno's own battle report), that he believed Custer would support him from the rear, and that he had no idea what had happened to Custer until two days after the battle.
Thanks. This is a very good video. I was in the US Army for 37 years. It's amazing how some things NEVER change with the Army. Even today, when there is a military fiasco, the people in charge tend to whitewash it (e.g., "everything went according to plan", "no one screwed up", "it was a successful operation", etc.). The Afghanistan pullout is an example of this.
Yes, some things just don't change. And it's hard to know what was deliberately done versus how the human mind started to edit memory to defend and justify certain actions.
I have personally witnessed a case of the Army's policy of "blame the dead guy." I was a civilian emergency desk dispatcher for the Army's Military Police, in garrison in Virginia. One of our desk sergeants, newly returned from Iraq, was seriously emotionally messed up, and strung out on psychiatric meds --- a cocktail of them. We had some good talks while on shift all night. He had a good relationship with his ex-wife, and essentially LIVED for his young son. He was NOT suicidal. But one afternoon when he couldn't be reached, a welfare check at his off-post apartment revealed a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, with liquor bottles nearby. I am convinced it was a spontaneous but permanent bad decision. But the Provost Marshal Office pinned a discrepancy in ammo count on him. I am sure someone accidentally left a magazine in their pocket when they left shift on day, and made sure no one ever found out they did such a careless thing.
the withdrawl from Afghanistan was a wise move, let those people govern and protect their own country, 20 years and they still have corruption in their police and army ranks, no-shows, etc, President Biden moved us out of there and we're better for it. Afganistan hasn't fallen into disarray
Hi, Siobhan! As an Irishman (a Dubliner) who has an in-depth knowledge of Captain Myles Walter Keogh (from Leighlinbridge in County Carlow) and a distant relative to Private Thomas O'Neill I have to say you've done a fab job with this presentation. Myles Keogh would be proud of ya! Your dad hails from County Leitrim? Thankfully it's not Mayo!!
Thank you! Wow, that's quite a lineage! And very kind words. My dad's from Drommahaire but it's been too long since he ( or I) have been back. So good of you to watch and reach out, Niall!
@@SiobhanFallon7 Anytime, Siobhan! The next time you do get here the drinks are on me! I've been to the Little Big Horn once, but gettting from Dublin to Montana's sorta tough! I get to Gettysburg though (been there three times). Myles Keogh was General Bufords ADC, fought with him on thr first day of the Battle of Gettysburg and he was with him when he passed due to contracting typhoid.
I live just outside of Gettysburg now, in Carlisle, PA. Would love to meet up sometime. I ought to put you in touch with a friend of mine who often plays Keogh in movies and documentaries and is a respected LBH scholar.
@@SiobhanFallon7 OMG! I drove close to Carlisle. Talk about a small world! We'll definitely have to stay in touch coz I may be in Gettysburg next September.
Captain Keogh, Capt. French and Capt. Benteen are the three best commanders in the regiment. Captain Keogh is having issues going into the campaign, he is one of the three heavy drinkers in the 7th Cavalry (likely due to his best friend General Buford's death in the Civil War). It is Keogh that stays by Buford when he passes away. Tom and Weir are the other two hard core drinkers, Libbie was working on both to give it up time and again. Reno is called a moderator drinker before the Little Big Horn operation, he like many becomes a heavy drinker after the battle.
As an example of the falsehoods that Reno and Benteen told later on, Reno claimed at the RCOI that the pack train did not arrive until some 90 minutes after Benteen reached Reno Hill. However, B. F. Churchill, one of the members of the pack train, reported that it arrived "a few minutes" after Benteen arrived. Lt. Edgerly and John Martin said the pack train arrived 10-15 minutes after Benteen arrived. Indeed, in Reno's battle report, Reno himself said the pack train arrived "a short time" after Benteen arrived. But, at the RCOI, Reno markedly changed his story. He did so because he was trying to justify his excessive delay in moving toward Custer after Benteen reached Reno Hill--and Reno only finally headed toward Custer because Captain Weir shamed him into doing so.
An example of how the very officers who had been critical of Reno's conduct closed ranks and supported Reno at the court of inquiry is Captain Thomas McDougall. He testified that Reno was cool, brave, and in command on the bluffs. Later, in the early 1900s, he described Reno to Walter Camp as utterly incompetent to handle the situation and in a near catatonic state leading Benteen to take charge of defending their position.
Custer made some very serious mistakes. Splitting his forces was the most serious, second was not listening to his crow scouts, as to the size of the force against him.. As far as ordering his supply wagons to come quick, I'm not sure how fast they could have come and if it would have made any difference since he moved out ahead and actually increased to distance between himself and his potential support.
All good points. But Custer did listen to his Indian scouts, the ones who told him he had to attack and attack fast, rather than wait til the following morning as Custer had intended (a dawn attack with his columns in place like at the Washita). Some scouts recommended they attack before their enemy could flee, some said there were too many enemy and they couldn't win. Custer unfortunately listened to the advice that any aggressive military commander would follow, but it led to his death and many others.
He was trying to win! That meant capturing a significant number of the non combatants. Not splitting his force meant mission failure. I believe that he was going for a win right up to the point he had to stand on the defensive. At that point he could have had Benteen and Reno right at hand and still been wiped out.
Makes me wonder, about the type of rounds in the pack train. Because they talked about the rounds he army gave them would stick in the breech of a single shot rifle.
I have been binge-watching several of your videos. This one is a good example of boiling down a huge amount of information into an hour presentation. Siobhan, you continue to do an excellent job! On one video recently viewed, I think you said Custer brought a 14 piece band on a campaign. No doubt it had fife and drum, but I wonder if a bagpipe was in the mix. Given the exchanges between them, I am amazed the restraint Custer showed in not beating Benteen into sawdust.
Ha ha, yes! Other officers would remark about the strained relations between Benteen and Custer; that Benteen clearly hated Custer, but the Custer tried to mollify Benteen. Thank you for watching and continuing to tell me what you think! It's always great to hear from you.
I've been reading up on LBH, Custer and the Native Americans lately. Enjoyed this part of the story much. The inquiry seems to forget probably the number one reason Custer/Reno etal failed that day. They met a superior force protecting their homeland, families and way of life. You have to wonder if Custer might not have faired any better even if Crook or Terry had arrived prior to attacking.
It would be interesting to know when and why there were reports about running out of ammunition. Most of the trooper’s ammunition was carried on their horses, which were taken away when the troopers were in a scrimmage line. It is possible that they were running out of ammo on their person, but were able re-supply once reunited with their ride. If Custer had ordered Benteen to attack on Reno’s left he would not have expected him to help bring up the packs. His orders seemed to indicate that he considered Benteen to be in “reserve”. Which of course would have been in accordance with US military doctrine. As has often been pointed out many times, Custer’s order to Benteen had two conflicting parts: to hurry and to bring the packs. That would seem to imply that Custer expected Benteen to meet up with the pack trains and then escort them up to Custer. Custer knew that he was becoming disconnected from the rest of his command. Ordering the slow moving and relatively weak pack trains through an area potentially filled with hostile forces would not have made sense. Reinforced by Benteen, and re-supplied by the pack trains, Custer would have been better prepared to complete his offensive movements against the Native Americans. Custer didn’t die from being overly aggressive. He died because he sat still for too long waiting for reinforcements, allowing the Native Americans to isolate him and then bring up overwhelming forces.
This was a story that was invented after the battle to justify Reno's retreat. The prosecutor (aka the recorder) at the RCOI, Lt. Jesse Lee, rejected the claim, noting that when the pack train arrived at Reno Hill, very little ammo was distributed. "So it appears," said Lt. Lee, "that Maj. Reno's command was not so badly in need of ammunition after all" (RCOI transcript, vol. 2, p. 239, p. 635 in 1951 compilation).
@@michaelgriffith5566every personal narrative that I have read of the event records that they were running short of ammunition. In light of the limited amount of ammunition carried by each trooper, including that on their horse, and given the length of the battle, it would be remarkable if the didn’t require replenishment . The amount of ammunition carried by each trooper would only have lasted 10-15 minutes of sustained slow firing.
@@clydeosterhout1221 Then why was so little ammo distributed among Reno's soldiers after the ammo packs began to arrive to Reno Hill? Harper and Roberts, among others, refute the claim that Reno's command was running low on ammo. Most of the soldiers fired only sporadically during the 15-20-minute skirmish line, and they fired even less ammo during the brief time (5 minutes) they were in the timber. As Harper notes, given the duration and rate of fire up to that point, it is hard to imagine how Reno's soldiers could have used most of their ammo by the time they reached Reno Hill. Way back at the RCOI, the prosecutor, Lt. Jesse Lee, did not buy Reno's tale of low ammo. He recognized this was another one of the lies Reno told to try to excuse his refusal to quickly go to Custer's aid. Another Reno lie was that the pack train did not reach Reno Hill until 90 minutes after Benteen arrived, yet several witnesses said it arrived much earlier, and even Reno's battle report said the pack train came "shortly after" Benteen did. Why do you suppose Reno markedly changed his story about the pack's arrival time at the RCOI and claimed that it didn't come until 90 minutes after Benteen showed up? People lie for a reason.
@@michaelgriffith5566 the personal accounts differ from what was said at the hearing. First person accounts are generally considered to be most accurate. Those left in the brush after the Reno retreat reported that they were almost out of ammunition even though they did very little or no fighting after the collapse of the skirmish line. I t I’d very hard to reconcile the personal accounts given immediately after the battle with the accounts given at the trial. By the time the official hearings took place all of the parties involved had an agenda, and plenty of reasons for presenting their own version of the battle.
His most trusted scout, Bloody Knife beseeched Custer not to take up a foolhardy fight. So Custer knew he was taking on a very large camp. The only way to support Reno was to follow him into the vallley. If Custers orders were vague, it was perhaps because, he didn't want to spell it out. "Major Reno, attack on that open plain to invite the warriors to come at you, like angry hornets, while I sneek around to the back door, to capture the noncombatants." Custer created a gigantic problem. Reno was right. It was wrong to criticize him for how he dealt with it. P.S. Why didn't Custer's note to Benteen say, "Split the pack train to re-supply me and Reno"?
Bloody knife did his job. Custer knew what he was up against. Reno stirred up the hornets perfectly. Custer got wiped out anyways. Win some, lose some. Carpenters get splinters, Firemen get burns, Soldiers get shot. Occupational hazard.
If Custers plan was to get non combatants, why did he not make everyone aware of that and why split your forces? Together if they stayed behind the ridges and scouted it out then made clear and concise plans maybe it would've ended differently but maybe not.
Or so some say. It's really impossible to know what happened thie day. We still don't have any idea what happened on January 6th, so how can we truly know about something that happened nearly 200 years ago? Too bad Custer didn't live to give his accounting. Benteen and Reno were clearly going to try to exonerate their culpability while Custer would surely have done the same. Ultimately it was a total waste as the Sioux went back to their reservations. Red Cloud was brilliant as he went to New York and saw what the enemy was. He realized that progress was imminent and that tho they could put it off, it would only cause the loss of many lives and simply piss off the infinitely superior enemy more which would hurt his people. The smartest thing a leader can do is do what is what is best for his people, even if it means bending the knee and letting go of ego.
Livvie Custer wanted her husband to be seen as a hero but he wasn't, his mistakes got his troops wiped out!😢 Custer,Reno ,Benteen the troops were poorly led and paid with their lives.😢
Wow! Thank you! That was unexpectedly kind praise. I always steel myself a bit before reading these comments because I never know what some one will say (like "This woman's voice is so irritating I can't stand her"-- ha ha ha which I have gotten more than once!!). I very much appreciate you reaching out. I am working on a new video now-- stay tuned!
I knew there was a court of inquiry but never heard the individual testimony of the participants. Based on all the different information I wouldn't want to have been a member of a jury had there been one. Very interesting. Thank you.
Great presentation Siobhan! Two obvious things jump out, followed by a third: 1. Custer’s shock and surprise at the size of the village and imminent return of the warriors. 2. The US Army needed a scapegoat and Custer was it. 3. Reno and Benteen failed Custer but my God the horror of death, scalping, and likely ongoing PTSD. I have day terrors of sorts reading how Custer and his men looked desperately toward Reno and reinforcements, and seeing that they weren’t coming, in total despair, fought to the last man. My God such heroism. Spielberg ought to make a film that fully honours and exonerates Custer and portrays a sympathetic balance for Reno, Benteen, and Weir.
Andy, let me know if you have any suggestions for future videos, or which of my other videos you like. I'm working on one now about Reno's other court martials/ problems with the ladies... Thank you for watching, commenting, and offering your insights!
Fascinating! Who were the decision makers at the court of inquiry? how was that body organized? Best quote from the inquiry; "if we hadn't been under command of a coward, we would all be dead" The 7th was seriously out numbered as well as out gunned. The urgency to quickly attack seems to have over-shadowed gaining a full understanding of the enemy before them.
Great questions. Col King of the 9th Infantry was the head judge, with Lt Jesse Lee, also of the 9th INF, served as the psuedo-prosecutor or judge advocate. I am not familiar with all the procedures behind court of inquiries or how different officers are chosen to sit as judges or counsel. I will look into it! Thanks for the suggestion!
It seems to me that the inquiry was not to investigate what happened, rather it was to create the narrative of what the Army wanted the nation to believe happened. All were brave, it might have worked, but for those nasty hostiles.
@Coll Maxwell A further thought: It was a flawed battle plan. It failed to conform to superior orders, though not directly in violation of those orders. It was high risk, but lacked military necessity. Each flaw in the plan bore fruit by way of disadvantages which culminated in disaster. In the end, the U.S. Army was left with a question: what is the duty of a subordinate commander when unexpectedly faced with a mission of forlorn hope, under circumstances in which military necessity had not existed, and the concept of operations had likely become untenable? Maj. Marcus Reno was faced with such a problem on June 25th 1876 at the Little Bighorn River, facing thousands of Native American warriors. He had been ordered to “charge” a large Indian village with the assurance that his mission would be supported by the remainder of the 7th Cavalry. What became all too apparent to Marcus Reno was that the larger than foreseen size of the enemy encampment rendered his mission suicidal; with little hope tactical achievement in any form. The annihilation of his battalion appeared an almost certainty, with little chance of effecting the planned diversion sufficient for his commander to position the remainder of the regiment for an attack upon the village. Reno chose to defend, rather than to complete his attack. In this way he could hope to preserve his command while simultaneously diverting the enemy, in some conformity to his commander’s plan. Was he correct in doing so? This was the question faced by the U.S. Army in 1879 at a court of inquiry over Maj. Reno’s conduct at the Battle of the Little Bighorn River. The Army answered that Reno was correct in doing what he did. The strength of the verdict lay in the fact that Reno was acquitted despite the fact that subsequent to going on the defensive, he lost his composure when a bullet exploded Custer’s best scout’s head and brains in the major’s face. Thereupon, Reno ordered a questionable and costly retreat; but, thereafter conducted the defense competently. The army’s inquiry into Maj. Reno’s conduct became entangled in questions over Captain Benteen’s failure to come to Custer’s aid, despite Benteen having received oral and written messages from Custer to “come quick, bring packs.” Benteen chose to join Reno and subordinate his battalion to Reno’s command, rather than to go to Custer’s aid. Reno’s reputation has endured an abiding rebuke for not then bringing the united command to Custer’s aid, himself. But, it is clear that Reno had no duty to move his command to Custer’s position; and, moreover, to have done so would have been in direct contravention of his orders to divert the enemy south of Custer’s position. At most, Reno might be criticized for not re-assembling what was left of his battalion and charging the southern perimeter of the village a second time, but that would be expecting a lot of any soldier. The Board of Inquiry correctly assessed that the culminating point had been reached, and while Maj. Reno might not have conducted himself with exceptional heroism nor aggressiveness, his conduct was acceptable. Benteen was lucky that the official inquiry was not directed towards his conduct. His defense that he had complied with his orders by reaching the regiment, and was bound to subordinate himself to Maj. Reno was thin. But, his retreat from Weir Pont in the face of Custer’s bugle call in the distance was as indefensible as the bugle call, itself. Since the inquiry was of Reno and not Benteen, the army escaped having to face that conundrum.
This is the first I've heard of 'Custer's bugle call' being heard from Weir Point, did that really happen? I doubt it would have mattered since overwhelming indian forces chased them back to Reno-but it would have been an interesting challenge to 'We believed Custer's command was already annihilated.'
@@pimpompoom93726 I regret I cannot find my source for the bugle call. I recall it came from an account given by a soldier located at Weir point. However, if it happened, then the issue is not any difference a charge by Weir and Benteen would have made in rescuing Custer, but the implication of defiance of a direct order. As for the timing of Custer's annihilation, I think Weir being at the point thirty minutes before Custer's end can be established with a credible degree of probability. Sitting Bull said that the flag planted on Weir Point (by Benteen) was observed by Indians prior to the final moment. I think Weir saw the whole battle; from C Company charge upon Greasy Grass ridge to the end.... and made no move to advance.
@@pimpompoom93726 I found one source: Two Moon: "At last about a hundred men and five horsemen stood on the hill all bunched together. All along the bugler kept blowing his commands. He was very brave too. Then a chief was killed. I hear it was Long Hair (Custer), I don't know; and then five horsemen and the bunch of men, may be so forty, started toward the river. The man on the sorrel horse led them, shouting all the time. He wore a buckskin shirt, and had long black hair and mustache. He fought hard with a big knife. His men were all covered with white dust. I couldn't tell whether they were officers or not. One man all alone ran far down toward the river, then round up over the hill. I thought he was going to escape, but a Sioux fired and hit him in the head. He was the last man. He wore braid on his arms ".
As an Irishman I have always been fascinated by that battle, and there is a strong Irish connection, many Irish who fought their and Myles Keogh. I can't help notice you're very Irish name too!
Thank you! Here is another, but this one is actually about a gorgeous and intelligent woman (and that's definitely not me ;) ). I appreciate the kind words though. :) ua-cam.com/video/ilQDyHx1txI/v-deo.html
Just as soon as Custer divided the command , several witnesses heard Benteen address Custer " General, hadn't we better keep the command together because if there are as many Indians as the scout have indicated, we will need every man"...Custer abruptly admonished Benteen saying " You have your orders" and thus the command split up without keeping any supporting help nearby.
And Benteen did his best to ensure Custer’s command remained separated by scandalously dragging his feet on the back trail and at the morass despite written and verbal orders from Custer to come on quickly. His glib and evasive testimony marks him up as a smart arse, and should never have been allowed to stand.
@@donarchambeault4547 I think "coward" is one of the last words I would use to describe Benteen. He was angry, jealous, and resentful of Custer. Those emotions definately affected his actions.
@Dr Strangelove true. But that was rhinos fault. He was superior and Custer wasn't clear about where he was going. So they didn't known where to meet up with him.
Not true... Benteen walked around the the rifle pits exposing himself to sniper fire trying to encourage the men to hold steady and not waste ammunition... also led a charge down a Coulee for the water carriers to get water as the wounded suffered the most and were dehydrated brutally from blood loss....several troopers later commented on Benteens bravery and think they would have been wiped out also if not for his common sense of practical duty....by the time Benteen arrived to assist Reno, Georgie boy was playing a harp in the regimental heavenly orchestra.
I don't think Reno was a coward but he definitely lost his head when Bloody Knife's brains were blasted all over him in the timber. What Reno is guilty of is that he did not order a rear guard for his command as they retreated across the river.
@@SiobhanFallon7 As far as Custer and his decisions. It's known that he wanted to rest the 7th on the 25th but Custer was afraid that the command had been spotted because the Indians had found a dropped box of supplies and were going through this box when the detail sent to retrieve this item came upon the Indians. I don't think he had a choice but too attack.
@@SiobhanFallon7 thanks for the great presentation. Also for your prompt replies. Maybe someday do a comparison of the LBH and Isandlhwana January 22nd, 1879.
@@michaelewert8310 that's a little outside my lane at the moment but darn, that is definitely quite a fight!! I'd like to learn more about it someday. Right now I'm brushing up on the Washita fight of Nov 1868 and almost done with two presentations about it, and also working on one about the Powder River Fight on March 17, 1876. I think both play into the Little Bighorn... please stay tuned! And thanks for the kind words! You clearly know the Little Bighorn fight yourself!
Why thank you!! If you are willing to give it another try and see it on sale, I recommend Utley's Chicago Tribune RCOI. It's all the articles put together and therefore there are descriptions of the officers and crowd's laughter/ gasping at testimony and backstories etc. It's a much more fun read than the dry court transcripts. 💕📚
Nobody mentions Crooks column being defeated a week prior to the LBH fight on the Rosebud as the fourth branch of a four prong attack from the south. His was the largest command. At the time general knowledge was the indians would flee instead of fight. IMO.
I'm pretty certain that this campaign was a 3 prong attack with Crook, Gibbon and Terry in command of each division. If you're suggesting that Custer was the 4th prong I don't think that is accurate. He was not in command of anything except the 7th cavalry and after much begging, Terry had given him written and verbal orders to scout but to avoid engaging these Indians. Custer he ignored those orders and attacked so he split his command of roughly 700 men into 3 groups and later, he divided the companies under his immediate command so that he could attempt to cross the river through Medicine Tail Coulee, which was a nearly irreversible move. The other members of his command took positions upon the high ground above the river. When his immediate command reached the place where MTC emptied into the river they were swarmed by the Sioux and Cheyenne and it was there, many believe, that Custer was shot in the chest and badly wounded. After being shot he was dragged or carried up the hill adjacent to MTC and he eventually wound up at the top of the hills upon which so many of his troops died. Some historians speculate that it might have been his brother Tom who shot him in the temple as an act of mercy against Indian rage. At the moment or point of that attempted crossing, as much testimony indicates, most of the Indians who were shooting at Reno raced to that crossing spot to fight troopers trying to enter their village and Gall along with Crazy Horse, watching where Custer and company were headed after their aborted attempt to cross the river, rode North and crossed the river to attack him from that position. Reno's nerve apparently did fail right after crossing the river in his attack on the Southern end of that village but who knows what he saw when he finally got a look. Over 1,000 furious Indians raging down upon a small command would terrify anyone but I'd be willing to bet that if the truth was known Reno's nerve may not have slipped until he wisely realized that Custer was nowhere to be seen and was not going to support him as he stated he would. Pure fear is a terrible thing to experience and I think that Reno got a great taste of it. Benteen had been sent on a ridiculous scout with no support and his discovery of the disarray on Reno Hill, by the time he made it there with Indians finally attacking in force, would pause any reasonable commander so that he could assess the circumstances, the situation and the odds. Reno was not in command mentally and Benteen realized that so he assumed control of the situation on that hill and saved the lives of most of those men. I don't have any bones to pick with any of these men but after all of my reading and study of that fight, I feel that Custer and his entire command should have been willing to wait for Terry and Gibbon like they had been ordered and for that matter I think that Crook failed miserably after being hit at the Rosebud. His losses were minor and he did not prosecute his orders either. I guess he found out that fighting the Sioux and Cheyenne in war was a little different than rounding up small bands of hostiles in the deep Southwest. From a battle strategy point of view, it's my opinion that Custer should have sent a detail immediately to Terry advising him of his situation and his need for immediate support with dispatch from Terry to Gibbon. Then Custer and his entire command should have crossed Reno Creek South of the village and presented their position in a show of force to those Indians on more of a flat plain on the Southwestern flank of that village. And then, regardless of whom was Hell bent to fight, he would have had his entire command on flat ground with no rivers or deep creeks as a hinderance. The Indians would have been pinned against the LBH River and those bluffs and regardless of where they attempted to go, would have faced large combat forces.
@@58landman Correct. Custer was to command the troops out of Fort Lincoln until he had testified before Congress about corruption in Grant's administration towards the handling of the Indian agencies and the command was given to Terry. Grant wasn't going to allow Custer to be involved the LBH maneuvers and stripped him of the command. Terry and Sheridan got him reinstated to lead the 7th. My issue is everyone fails to mention the Rosebud fight and their involvement, Thanks.
@@michaelvaristo5238 You're right but my opinion is Crook's well intentioned involvement did not occur. I have a feeling that Crook was very surprised at the welcome he received on the Rosebud and may not have quite known what to do. I believe that he should have pushed the remainder of his column toward the LBH and escorted his dead and wounded to some area of safety with reasonably good water and forage for their stock.
Excellent presentation and video. You point out and highlight many examples of untruthful and evasive testimony by Reno and Benteen. And how the other surviving officers of the 7th had to save Reno’s and Benteen’s assess for the good of the Regiment’s honor. These officers must have felt tormented because they had to save Reno even though they knew he was guilty of cowardice, drunkenness on duty and abandoning the wounded. And I believe many of them felt Benteen intentionally disobeyed Custer’s written order and this contributed to the loss of the Custer Battalion. And if you read the letters of Weir and French you will definitely see that they felt this too.
"What made Major Reno run away when he did I cannot positively know, and he didn't tell me...To turn one's back on Indians without being better mounted than they is throwing away life. When he started to that hill he had told me, not one minute before, that he was going to fight - it was in reply to a question of mine." - Captain Thomas French, Company M, 7th Cavalry (after the Little Bighorn).
It could be the Indian warriors were superior in their strategy. You think whites would admit this? Crazy horses testimony on the battle sounds most credible.
@@vincecallagher7636 I think out numbering the 7th Cavalry by about 15-1 was the reason. And the Indians had no strategy on 25 Jun1876 as they were completely caught by surprise by Reno’s attack on the village. All they did was react and use their overwhelming numerical and firepower superiority to win the day.
@@Redwhiteblue-gr5em Superior courage, superior markmanship, superior riding skills, superior knowledge of the terrain, superior military prowess, superior motivation, superior competence. They just straight up beat them. 15:1 is ludicrous. The Army put 2500 soldiers in the field. That's more combatants than the Indians had.
Very good job on this! This is why more books have been written on this one battle then any other in American history save perhaps Gettysburg. It is absolutely fascinating both the battle as well as the controversy that followed. I have studied this fight my entire life but still do not feel qualified to judge any of the men who fought there including Reno. I will say this however: What a better for a warrior like Custer to go down! Slinging lead at mobs of howling and enraged nomads! A fitting end that will insure his name in history. I would bet he would have preferred this to dying a old man in his bed.
Siobhan vs Am@zon ,,,Wow my plan was to listen to the Little Bighorn series on my laptop as i did a little shopping on Am@zon but it was so interesting plus the pictures i had to keep switching back to this page ..You beat Am@zon by second round knockout
I would like to say, Mam you did an outstanding job, i now understand the battle much more than all the other reading i have done,Thank you , from PFC 25th div vietnam era
Thank you so much for another well done video. Very enjoyable. It is alot of information and you present it all so well and the informational slides are extremely thorough. My 15year old daughter and I are looking forward to viewing more of your work. She has become very interested in this period of history. We even have an old trapdoor Springfield she wants to shoot (at least once) just for the experience. We have talked alot about western history and viewed many things on the internet, but nothing is as thorough and easy to listen to as your videos are. You really are VERY talented. Thank You! :-) Jeff from NC
WOW. Such a lovely message to read first thing in the morning (I'm in Cyprus and 7 hours ahead of NC)! I am honored you are sharing these with your daughter and that she is interested! I have a 15 year old too, and I am always pushing her to study/ read things outside the school curriculum. This RCOI was my first PowerPoint and video talk EVER, so it is especially amateur 🤣🤦🏼♀️ but so happy you enjoyed it. THANK YOU!
Trying to get another mini one up in the next few days-- about Godfrey. Please let me know if you or your daughter have any suggestions on what/ who I could do in the future 🙏
So wonderful to hear!! This was the first power point I ever put together and it was quite a learning curve. But I have come to love using it. Thanks so much for your kind words!
Their arguments seem to centre around what *might* have happened *if* they did x or y or z. Also, they seem to assume Custer's annihilation as part of their argument for not going to his aid, when really they all said on other occasions they had no idea that Custer was dead and they actually thought he had been repulsed and moved off to the north, leaving Reno, Benteen, the pack train and everyone behind. It all smells very much like the officers closed ranks, got their stories straight and all agreed to blame Custer for his own death. If they heard the firing which they did, and there was a moment where no Indians were attacking them, then its simply their duty to march to the sound of the firing whether they think they might die or not. Fear of death seems like a poor excuse for a group of soldiers in the middle of a battle with their CO missing and presumed under assault.
Not only did Reno disagree with his report, Not only did Benteen change his letter from all of Custer's troops to none of his troops got in the vailley or village, only those two could not hear firing or see the fighting, they forget that Reno had a sgt get in the advance and put a guidon in the village before being killed, they forget that Korn made it back to Reno as did Thompson who Knipe told Walter Camp to find as he could tell the story. Bloody Knife was made a liar although he got to the far west with a red blanket, a sioux blanket, his tribe used a lighter color and made them more into ponchos with hoods and sleeves. Camp Notes say all this. Distances greatly distorted by Benteen, IN his RCOI testimony benteen says they travelled from sunlight four hours, and not sure if he is including this with the eight miles before the splitting of the command... -many goofs get the command being broken into divisions as at one point Benteen is giving the advance after getting his troops ready and moving this 8 miles or four hours... which at a slow walk for a horse would be close... but not really as four miles per hour times four hours would put the entire company in the Big Horn valley. 12.4 miles down an easily followed Lodge Pole Trail... What did happen was time, distance, maps and testimony was white washed
And the problem with that is........? Custer had been repulsed, he did move off to the north, he did leave everyone behind and he was responsible for his own death. That all checks out.
Im not sure you understand the nature of the Cavalry Trooper of the Indian Wars. They were not blindly obedient robots and combat isn't as cut and dry as we like to think it is.
Lots of problems in your statement, first it is the older men who could not hear the shooting to the north. 2nd the pack train (so many problems having the pack train. 3rd Wier leaves near right away and getting to Weir point the fighting is over, 4th The other troop moving up to Weir first moved forward to enter Medicine Tail Coulee, Weir had to signal them to hurry back, as over 900 Indians were coming his way. By the time Benteen and Reno get to Weir point they knew they had to go on the defensive, it is Reno that orders everyone back to Reno hill. This took time as the pack train was on the trail north to Weir point by then. The skirmish line had to slow down the advancing Indians in large numbers. Also remember this the heavy drinkers in the 7th Cavalry are Keogh, Weir and Tom, Reno is called a moderate drinker at the time of the Little Big Horn Battle. Reno is shocked when Capt. French drinks what is left in his flask (it sounds like there is a lot left when he handed French the flask), when the command moved up to bury the bodies of Custer's command. Reno until the time of his being court marshalled out of the Army was known for not being a coward, this is when the Custer Myth goes into full gear to dishonor them that failed to save a fool. Custer already had two messages in hand the Indians were coming out in force to fight and met Reno. Yet Custer runs fall to the north out of support range of Reno and Benteen. Custer was told by his scouts and Benteen to keep the troops together, this being twice in under 12 hours before the battle. Only dividing his force does Reno, Benteen and the mule train have so many live. Had the command stated together the mule train is a sitting duck and would have been overruned with ease. It is after the battle many become very hard drinkers in the command ranks, the battle played on many souls.
@sunnyjacksmack that's a loaded question. A Sioux at the fight said as he was cutting off Custer's finger, Cheyenne women came up to him and asked him to leave the body alone, as he was their relative. It's hard to pinpoint the accuracy of this, but I'm not ruling it out. White Cow Bull's story, I believe. And if you look up Antelope Woman/ Kate Bighead's story of the LBH fight given to Dr. Thomas Marquis, you will find a connection there. I think I cover some of this in my Custer and the Captives Washita series... It is something I have been researching for awhile and I intend on doing an independent video at some point. You can Google Kate Bighead's story . White Cow Bull too. The Astonisher website has them all.
@@SiobhanFallon7 You are very kind indeed to respond in such a thorough manner. You gave me a better answer than I have been able to find on my own. I will follow your advise and research the paths you suggest. As always i will be looking towards your further reports; you have a way of making the past come human and very real. Thank you kindly for you immediate response. God bless you.
I thought this was very well done, Siobhan. Recently, the Harrisburg Civil War Roundtable sponsored a presentation by Jim Hessler, a Park Ranger(perhaps retired?) about Reno and his connections to Harrisburg. Very interesting as it fills in more of the picture about the man. Should be on UA-cam also.
I think I was in the audience at Harrisburg that day! Great conference! Thanks for the kind words, Patrick. Since you seem to be interested in LBH, here's my recent video. I'm still learning the ropes. Takes time to become a Jim Hessler but I'll keep at it ;) ua-cam.com/video/ilQDyHx1txI/v-deo.html
Thanks for the presentation. So many opinions in the comments here. 😆 One opinion I have on Benteen is that he was a capable war fighter and was the difference that saved both his own and Reno's battalion and the pack train from being annihilated. Did he "drag his feet" getting into the fight? I think so. I believe he felt Custer was biting off more than he could chew and didn't want to take a tomahawk to the forehead. 🙂
The arguments about this segment of our history will never come to an end and will still be going on for as long as our history will last which is of course is unknown!!! ButI will say one thing about Cusrer, he certainly knew how to stir up a hornets nest!!! And that my friends I think we can all agree upon!!!
I enjoyed this immensely. Visited LBH in April 1993 and fascinated by the battle. There is NO doubt that Benteen disobeyed a direct order from his CO. If he HAD obeyed the outcome might have been the massacre of the entire 7th Cav on June 25th., caught strung out over miles and defeated in detail .
Yes, it is the one of the many conundrums that I think contributed to a lot of participant guilt. Many of them later said they ought to have gone to the sound of the guns, though they acknowledged they would probably have died if they did.
Respectfully disagree. Over 2 days they could not even defeat the last remaining remnants of cowardly drunken Reno and his men combined with the evil cowardly hateful jealous Benteen's intact battalion on an open hill! Had Benteen obeyed orders in a timely fashion, and Custer, having caught the natives off guard to a large degree by the latter letting women and children go relatively unprotected, Custer at least would have made it down into the valley's far end to hold them hostage with a large reinforced Benteen there. That was his original plan and m.o. according to military historians. Custer's near last thoughts must have been bitter; thinking and perhaps outwardly cursing Benteen for the blatant betrayal.
@@timothyernest6429 sounds like your condoning the potential massacre or the holding hostage of women and children Custer had in mind and blaming others, calling them cowards for its failure. Bit of a shakey position to take. These men barely survived as it was ( many winning medals in the process) they would have all died if not.
@@SiobhanFallon7 Time and distance crossing that landscape would have doomed any attempt to salvage the situation. From that vantage point (Reno Bluff) - understanding the situation would have been impossible until it was mostly over. A defensive stand was all that could be sustained.
Complete conjecture on your part. Had all the orders been followed the Indians could never had massed against any group t once. A three pronged attack against a surprised village would have probably been successful.
The way of the military propaganda at a base level. Blame the dead because they can’t defend themselves, prop up the survivors no matter how culpable they may be.
Overall, this is a good video on the whitewash of the Reno court of inquiry. The Indians themselves were surprised that Reno left the timber. General Nathan Miles noted that the timber formed a natural rifle pit. The Indians were not about to attack the soldiers in the timber because they would have suffered huge casualties in doing so, and this was something they did not do. Reno did not suffer a single casualty in the timber until he began to gather his men in the clearing inside the timber. Even Edgar Stewart admitted that Reno probably could have held the timber "for several hours without difficulty."
From a strictly military point of view, Custer sent Benteen to cover and check his left flank. He then sent Reno up the middle in a frontal engagement. Custer tried to make a pincer on the right flank, he bit off far more than he could chew. The first crossing ford was a sink hole, he floundered. He couldn't get to the next ford before he was enveloped and driven up to the high ground. There was no love lost between Custer, Benteen and Reno. Would you go save a guy you hate??
I don't know what I would do. But I like to think that the United States military demands her officers and soldiers follow orders regardless of feelings of personal hatred etc, human emotions aside. Which is why we still debate Benteen and Reno's actions today-- that undercurrent of animosity makes us doubt the military soundness of their decisions that day 🤷🏼♀️
THANK YOU!! 🙏 I think I've come a long way since posting this first one 🤦🏼♀️😉 Very good of you to comment. 🙏 Let me know if you like any of ny other videos if you get a chance, GAR! I'm working on one about Myles Keogh now... ☘️
Few people place any blame on the Bureau of Indian Affairs for massively underreporting the numbers of Sioux that had left the reservation. The total number of hostiles they had reported to the Army was less than 25% of the actual total. General Crook believed he had engaged the main body of hostiles at the Battle of Rosebud Creek, but he'd fought less than half their total fighting strength.
Custer had long believed all the press articles that cast him in a positive light. It probably had something to do with the outcome of the battle to come. He was a gallant soldier, his actions in the civil war reflect that. At Little Bighorn he was in command of his column. They were miles away when told by his scouts not to go down into the valley due to sheer numbers they would be up against. Then he splits his command into 3 elements before realizing how big the village actually was. Who else is to blame? With that said there were a lot of factors and unknowns that determine the outcome, but the bottom line is the commending officer sent them in and they got annihilated. Actually they're lucky every single man was not killed.
Anytime i read about the battle of little big horn, im so disgusted about Reno and Benteen and their cowardice and disobeying of direct orders it makes me sick.
I had two coworkers in a production plant they're immediately underneath me that they would always roll their eyes or Snicker between each other a little wicked smile and it just threw a wrench and operation they were cowards
Really enjoyed this presentation. Very well done and listen to it frequently. During the Benteen section, it's obvious the presenter '"really gets it." Although not sure the work 'ire' even begins to describe ole Fred. Book entitled "Harvest of Barron Regrets: The Army Career of Fredrick Benteen" is an interesting read. Although unable to determine the veracity of it's content, a very long but entertaining movie titled "Son of the Morning Start" starring Gary Cole as George Custer, Rosanna Arquette as Elizabeth Custer and David Strathairn as Benteen is worth viewing. Movie humorously accentuates the animosity between Custer and Benteen. Never served in the military, but don't understand how Benteen was able to frequently confront Custer the way he did without consequences.
Yes, Benteen certainly does confront Custer a lot-- in Benteen's telling of the events! Which is often the only account we have of such things and maybe we ought to take it with a grain of salt. According to Benteen he was willing to fight with just about every one. Maybe he was-- he did have a problem with authority and was in troube once in the CW for contradicting a superior. He is quite a character, and so fascinating because of it. But man, I would not want to be responsible for or in charge of him in any way or form!
Reno's first condemnemt as a coward seems me the truth. Young, unexpeced, vain and ambitious he commands the first attack of his troopers. Many of them where fresh enrolled and unable to ride reasonable orderly. And all those men was driven to poke in the hornets net, and die for this. And as he realised, then he's crying to Benteen for help.
LOL.. I agree Totally and Completely are useless modifiers.. still we often use them. I wonder if some English Grammar Genius has studied that class of words. ?
You are wonderful. I love history and you have a way of talking about it in a way that makes every part of the story fascinating. Thank you for the hard work that I know goes into making these videos. Your you so much, Martin
I recognize one of the officer's name...Moylan. I knew one of his descendants with the same name. He had some cool research material on Lt. Moylan. Never mentioned THAT about his ancestor!
I personally celebrate June 25, 1876, for Custer finally getting what he deserved. He constantly made rash and dangerous charges without any recon or strategy. His charge into Gen. JEB Stuart at the Battle of Gettysburg possibly, very possibly, saved the Union Army. I do feel sorry for his men but Custer never cared about his men. This devastating defeat was actually long overdue for Custer.
I agree , Custer was very rash , at the Battle of Trevilian station in 64 he rushed into Gen Thomas Munfords rear area ended up surrounded an facing anillation , Gen Gregg came saved him there , there was no General Gregg on the big horn...
I suggest you read historian T. J. Stiles' Pulitzer Prize-winning book CUSTER'S TRIALS. All of your negative comments about Custer are either invalid or exaggerated.
I forget was Reno at the time of the hearing discharged from the military, if so how could he be court marshalled. Since French was unable to attend and most likely to be truthful, he was at Fort Lincoln attending his own court Marshall. Interesting fact that men of Crook were court marshalled at the time of the LBH for not killing all the ponies, some officers were reported drunk at the time of that battle and for the most part drinking and being drunk I think was a way of making men do unthinkable things. Schnapps was giving to the men killing jews and others that followed the troops of germany through the campaigns, one town after another. schnapps then was used to keep men drunk at the concentration camps as far as those in charge of killing. Benteen for what he was I often wonder not about his bravery as that is unquestionable, but two things, did he not want to charge a camp where all people were warriors, or did he not want to kill, he acted the man on the hill and even Chief Joeseph on his surrender wanted to see the man that rode on a scout acting as if on holiday while Chief Joeseph said his best shooters were at the game of clearing the saddle. The man had a pipe and a fishing pole. Camp Notes... so Benteen may have distorted the testimony because he saw the ridiculousness of having to defend Reno who he also hated. Custer he hated but Reno he hated and being asked to lie, he lied better and more obvious than anyone. Was it almost honorable to lie as he did, Maguire and others knew the fix was in. Benteen made it a show.
Watching this draws my attention to the tactics of the natives.. did they evolve their tactics to meet the threat on this day or was it just weight of numbers that won the day? Was there any truth in the story that white trappers assisted the tribes in attacking the troopers? And did the Army research the battle other than looking at what the command failed to do.
All really great questions! Not sure about white trappers fighting with the Natives at Little Bighorn-- I don't think there has ever been verified cases rather than tall tales. I do know that there were whites in the villages at Sand Creek (as well as George Bent, who was half white, half Cheyenne, and spoke fluently in both tongues), and there was a Mexican man at the Washita village who was married to a Cheyenne woman. And surely plenty of Native Americans spoke English to some degree. So who knows? About the Army looking into LBH-- I think that was one of the complaints amongst those who supported Custer. There had been an indepth court case after the Fetterman Fight/ Massacre-- so why not after LBH? About the NA fighting tactics... frankly I am not that strong on the military side of this fight. Still learning so very much and working out in my head how I think the battle played out. What do you think?
Thanks for your reply..learning so much about this darker side of America / Native history. Very well presented piece by the way! I am hooked on learning more. Just sent off for a few books on the subject..
Nice over view. I retired from the Army... There is no wrong way to interpret Custer's orders to Benteen. Benteen was so pissed at Custer he "killed " the messenger ( the trumpeter) by understanding his orders wrong... later ( realizing he screwed up) saying he was not on Pack detail. as his defense. Any soldier worth his salt could understand Custer wanted Benteen to get to him quickly and bring Ammo. Lee sees Reno and especially Benteen's Captain Quig defense for what it is... a way to blame Custer for both of them not following orders. ( Lee gets it . He was a soldier I could respect). If Benteen had followed his first orders he would have been on Reno's left and could have supported Reno. ( like Devern said ... interestingly a SGT can understand orders but not a Captain .) But Custer saw Benteen move to Reno .. that is why the message was meant for Benteen. Custer knew he was with Reno because He didn't follow his orders and stay on Reno's left. By then Custer knew he needed more men to capture or possibly corral the Families. ( He wasn't trying to kill off the warriors and he did expect Terry and Crook before too long. So he probably was thinking at first that He could eventually get control of the women and children. ) Reno's attack was meant to suck the warriors out of the Village. That's why Custer cheered them on from the hill. Custer sent E and F companies to the ford...probably to draw off pressure from Reno. ( as Weir noted) They withdrew shortly later ....probably to unify the commands of the Custer wing. The Custer Wing actions show they moved and fought until I think Calhoun's company collapsed causing Custer to eventually go to Last Stand Hill to again unify the Command. ALL The Time their movements show they are looking for Benteen to come to support.. ( Standing where he will see them when he comes.) . but of course he doesn't. Custer had asked the officers to put aside their problems and work together at one of the officer's calls. This was a movement to contact .. so the plan had to adapt to the changes on the Battlefield. ( Some because of Reno and Benteen not following orders.) EM have said Reno's officers sipped enough whisky to make any man drunk and Reno late in life admitted he was drunk. Surely that didn't help. Reno's Command was hopefully re-organizing when Benteen got there... so Reno probably couldn't have supported Custer anyway.....Custer has seen what happened from the Bluffs..... But he knows Benteen was not engaged so he could support. ( And it no longer mattered that he was in the wrong place that opportunity passed. ) We don't know... but I don't necessarily think all soldiers would have died if they had come to Custer's aid. The Battle would have been different. The Families were fleeing and the braves were protecting them. Maybe they could have disengaged .... Custer didn't know Crook was stopped and expected help before long. the Indians knew of the Rosebud battle and may have thought there were many more soldiers .. I think Lt. Lee was spot on in his evaluation.. but should have been harder on Benteen. Thanks for an interesting video.
Well thought out, and quite plausible. Makes much more sense to me than many others thoughts that Custer was just a plain idiot. He was anything but that. He held faith in his fellow officers to complete their orders and they didn’t. I’m a 67 year old lady from the Volunteer state of Tennessee and I’m so interested in history’s verdict. Thank you for this. 🤗
A standard analysis of the battle that does not consider human psych or the testimony of those, the Native Americans, who were the survivors and victors of the battle. Outing aside theories and concentrating on facts the last man to see Custer and his command was Trumpeter Martini the courier who was to carry the last fateful message to Benteen. His recollection, to paraphrase, was Custer ‘ let’s get back to our station’ leading a charge down Medicine Tail Coulee towards the village. The Native Americans then report how, at the village ford, the charge is stopped mid stream when the leading rider is shot from his horse.. From this point the command appears to fracture into two separate battalions and the battle becomes a mele. Now, nearly 150 years later, it is becoming more apparent that the narcissistic Custer, believing in ‘Custer’s Luck’ and his own invincibility never trained his subordinates to perform, as we do today, without his input. A simple tactical exercise. We can speculate, though it’s fairly obvious, that it was George Custer who was the rider leading and unhorsed at that crossing. With his demise the entire command falters, flounders and is lost. It divides into two battalions… (Three companies with Captain Yates and two under the command of Captain Keogh ). The separation proves deadly in the terrain and the commands are annihilated. Mostly in the order described above and by Archaeological research. As to the Reno Courts Martial it was a very obvious PR stunt designed to exonerate Reno and paint Custer as the villain. Disobeyed orders etc. The false map of size of the village. The number of ‘hostiles’ greatly exaggerated by both Benteen and Reno. There was no way the administration was going to find Reno or Benteen at fault. It closed ranks and only called ‘friendly’ witnesses to the stand. (As a postscript Martini always denied telling Benteen ‘ the Indians they are ‘skedaggling’..just an example of how the truth was twisted).. Would the battle have been won if the charge hadn’t been stopped at the ford. Very possibly. The village was panicking and if Custer had joined with Reno it’s more than likely the warriors and their families would have run. It’s a pity that both adjutants died with their notes at the bighorn. Just think that’s where the real secrets..the truth..lay. But it’s still all speculation..we will never really know.👵🇦🇺🇺🇸
@@madlenellul3430 I don't believe I have the Battle nailed down. I do pay attention to the Warriors memories . ...Particularly after the Custer wing splits off. They are key in order to attempt to understand what happened. Cultural differences are also a consideration. Human memory being imperfect means Native peoples are not perfect either. I think it will always be a mystery, and I suspect that is part of the reason many find it intriguing . Thanks for your insight .
No matter how you cut it Reno was a coward, clearly unfit to lead, and creepy to boot. At the first sign of resistance he essentially abandoned most of his command to go hide in the trees. When those left behind slowly broke and joined him he completely panicked and semi-ordered a completely unorganized flight. Fortunately for him the Indians decided Custer was a bigger threat or his whole command would have been wiped out on Reno Hill since he was mentally AWOL. So within a space of an hour he abandoned men in the field twice and completely abdicated his leadership responsibilities three times. I doubt it would have changed Custer's fate, but it certainly got men under his command killed.
Don't think so. Reno and his men would have been overcome in short order by the Sioux from the southern end of the village. Their only hope was to reach the high ground and hold it. Which they did!
I need to save this to my phone. Couldnt have said it better myself. Now lets not even start to get into Benteen’s blatant disregard of a direct order.
That’s the nature of war, right? Two soldiers sharing a foxhole will tell two entirely different stories. But each story is like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. If you can put them together you get the whole picture. It’s why after action reports don’t always tell the whole story.
Very true. That's why the Indians' accounts of the LBH often vary wildly but all have truth. Some of the Indians rode out to meet Reno; some went to fight Custer -- those were essentially 2 different battles. Some fought from the start; others, like Crazy Horse, joined the fight late. The battlefield is spread out over 4 miles by about a half mile and there were people all over that space. It's like the classic fable of the blind men describing the nature of the elephant depending on the location of their contact with it.
One thing I find ironic about the battle, and forgive me as a newbie if you've heard it a thousand times, is that Custer was nicknamed Son of the Morning Star - because supposedly he attacked the enemy at dawn - but Reno didn't attack till 12:30pm (I think). The battle might have been completely different had Custer actually attacked at daybreak, that was his decision. He split the army up and didn't seem to scout out the vicinity properly; he was on the wrong side of the river. When the battle started he moved further and further away from his supplies, reinforcements and salvation. His leadership was an utter fiasco. Benteen and Reno just about stayed alive. The luckiest troops that day were the guys in the supply train. What a fascinating tale.
Custer had intented to attack on June 26 at dawn, but his scouts and some officers were certain that the Lakota/Cheyenne had spotted Custer's column, and while it was not unanimous, many of Custer's Native scouts urged he attack at once while there was some small element of surprise. So Custer, following Army understanding of "Indian fighting" at the time, chose to immediately attack before the Lakota and Cheyenne could scatter and disappear. Custer was not aware that General Crook had been handily beaten (or at least fought to a close draw) less than a week earlier at the Rosebud. And while hindsight shows us that Custer ought to have scouted the area better, this was a difficult task with such a tremendous swath of land, and the Natives being remarkably fast at packing up and village and vanishing, and Custer's attack was not so different from other successful Army attacks that were fast and often a surprise for both sides. In comparison, summer of 1876, Colonel Gibbon's column had been chasing the Lakota for months and never managed to bring anyone to battle for all the fine scouting he managed to do (and outright taunting the Lakota/Cheyenne had done to Gibbon's troops). However, I WHOLLY agree with your comment about the luckiest folk by far being those with the supply train!!!! ;)
Custer used sound tactics and demonstrated a keen perspicacity at the Little Bighorn. A man of his martial prowess doesn't just suddenly screw-up during a battle. Custer had his faults, but when it came to fighting and warfare, the man was in his element. He was not careless and rash, he was prudent and methodical. Custer lost at the Little Bighorn because of peculiar circumstances, not because he used poor judgement . Given the unusual conditions he faced that day, he did everything he could have done.
Son of the Morning Star reputation was based on the Washita massacre where Custer attacked a Cheyenne Village with the village flying an American Flag... but he did attack at very early morning
@@tbcoachniblick1208 Black Kettle's village on the Washita was not flying an American flag. Four years earlier, when that diabolic and degenerate officer, Colonel John Chivington brutally massacred Black Kettle's, and the Arapaho chief, White Antelope's, camp along Sand Creek, their village was flying an American flag with a white flag underneath it.
Ps, in noticing the tally sheets between Wallace abd Girad, can we say that Girard is most definitely closer to the truth on the Indian numbers and the timing of the Custer battle immediately afterwards? Also, can we or can we not agree as to whether Reno charged through Indians to get out?
Most lawyers will tell you transcripts of testimony don’t tell the whole story, can be misleading or twisted. Nothing substitutes for observing and listening to live testimony. The transcript doesn’t indicate voice inflections and the timing of the examination…for eg., hesitation in answers, and “body language “. But in any event, this disaster gave, in a Machiavellian way, some sort of life after death for the participants.
Great points!! This is why I read the transcripts alongside the Utley Chicago Times Account, which is a collection of the Chicago Times newspaper reporting that happened each day. Here the journalists do sometimes mention when the lawyers are being agrressive or the witnesses are being testy or flustered, and when the audience laughs. It allows me to see the moment better than just reading the sparse words on a page.
Just think if Reno held his ground preventing Indians warriors from going after Custer. When the warriors discovered Custer, they moved towards him and that would have taken pressure off Reno and he could have gone on the attack again! Instead he fled and then let the majority of the Indian warriors free to go after Custer! And imagine if Benteen followed his orders and moved quickly to join Custer. He could have come in on the rear of the Indians attacking Custer's right wing and routed the Indians!!! Both Reno and Benteen failed to follow their orders and contributed significantly to the disaster!
Still near 1000 Indians' fighting Reno until after crossing the Little Big Horn, it is far too late to save Custer at this point and the draw backs of the Springfield in combat have been clearly seen by Reno. Reno's command has to wait out the back train. Custer's orders to hurry up and bring packs is like saying fly to Washington DC but bring the elephants with you. Reno and Benten's command need ammo and Benteen's command split ammo with Reno's command.
@@kevinpollard4238 No Custer had a way of grouping officers to his command, close friends and family and had little to do with the rest. Custer becomes he saint because Libbie outlives them all, Custer is a Christian, does not drink and has no problem killing people.
It doesn't take a military genius to figure out what went wrong at Little Big Horn.Custer rode into battle with a regiment of 600 calvary, divided into three collumns which were to rendezvous at the Indian village to engage the enemy.Reno and Benteen were not to be engaged in a fight with the hostiles, but were to re-inforce Custer with the full force, not to abandon their commanding officer who had only 200 men to confront anywhere from 2 thousand to 9 thousand Indians.Benteen even had a note from Custer asking him to send the pack animals for more ammunition, since he was running low while engaged in a firefight.Reno and Benteen were cowards, and should have been court martialed.If you are in the cavalry, you should not be engaged in a fight on foot, but on your horse so you can disengage with the enemy quickly, and rejoin your commanding officer in time of need.George Armstrong Custer was victorious in every battle he fought in the Civil War,had horses shot out from under him in battle, yet was never wounded in battle.Furthermore,unlike most generals, he always rode at the head of his troops.
Benteen was not in charge of pack train. He did send messengers back to the train. Reno and Benteen were surrounded. Reno thought custer was going to support him, he didn't or couldn't. Benteen was given no orders other than left oblique, custer was probably dead by the time Benteen got message about pack train.
@@dinogirl7466 A little after the message (that is the Custer command), Custer dead early in the fight and it is Tom on Custer's horse on Last Stand Hill.
Very interesting. According to Nathaniel Philbrick, "General Sheridan made it clear he wanted no disclosures during the proceedings [of the RCI] that might reflect poorly on the U.S. Army." p. 301 "The Last Stand". The notes on p. 414 "The Last Stand" note the source as Hardorff's "On the Little Bighorn" p. 241. Philbrick also cites a 1904 story in "The Northwestern Christian Advocate" claiming Reno had admitted to a former editor that his strange actions during and after LBH were "due to drink". p. 414. The Appendix and Notes section of Philbrick's book is probably the best part of the book.
I’m impressed with this account. I’m from England and I believe it’s and accurate account. I’ve been reading about the LBH since I bought my first book, and I’m now retired.
I appreciate the kind words! I think I'll be reading about LBH for a very long time ;) I spent my junior year of college in England and loved it. I just posted a new video about General Custer's wife, Libbie. If you want to take a look, here it is... ua-cam.com/video/ilQDyHx1txI/v-deo.html
it's my understanding but the Army had the old rifle where you had to open it up and put a bullet in each time you shot it where the Indians had the new guns they didn't have to load him fire away I could be wrong so no not only where they outnumbered but they were outgunned that whole speech nobody mentions that and it does make a big difference
Only around 25% of the Native Americans were armed with repeating rifles. Most only had a bow and arrows, which were actually quite effective, as they allowed indirect fire to be placed on the semi-entrenched troopers. The trapdoor carbines used by the troopers were more accurate and longer ranged than the repeating rifles used by the Native Americans, which is one of the reasons that Reno was able to hold out. The troopers with Custer were attacked at a much closer range, thus nullifying the troopers advantage. The Trapdoor Springfield was an effective firearm, and remained the primary service weapon during the Spanish American war in 1898.
Good report. Do you happen to have info about the East Rosebud Valley, between Red Lodge, to Roscoe, and then north to Absarokee, and to Columbus, where the river dumps it the Yellowstone River. I have info about the Tuttle Ranch area, more specifically.
Worth the listen, thanks for the summary. Did Recorder Lee really have the last word? In a trial, the Defense has the last summation to the Jury. Since Reno was largely 'on trial' I'm surprised Lee had the last summation.
I came back and listened to this for a second time. The fiesty statement made by Luther Hare was quote: I’m a fighting sonofabitch from Texas! Mother effer was a term that originated during WW2.
Excellent .My interest in History started as a teenager reading a book on Little Big Horn.I have been fascinated ever since with this battle,also the battle of Isandlwana 1879 where the British force was annihilated by a Zulu Impi.If Custer had the genius of Alexander the Great (who never lost a battle and is generally regarded as the greatest military strategist in History) he may have achieved a different result!Custer was obviously very brave but foolish 'Custer luck' having failed him on that fateful day! Thankyou for such a full and informative account.
@@drstrangelove4998It would appear that Benteen,although very competent,hated Custer and appeared not to rally to the call;When Custer's book came out called" My life on the plains" Benteen chose to refer to it as "My lies on the plains!" He never forgave Custer for how he dealt with the Washita incident.
The three damaging witnesses to Reno at the court are the same three Reno had fired and Custer hired back for this operation. It is very easy to prove the 2 mule packers are lying out right. The scout is at best questionable on his testimony, which does not hold up the light of the others testimony. Remember Reno is not the first back over the Little Big Horn, as he had turned around and gave some orders to a few troops passing by him. Capt. French and Reno are two that did try to lead and help in the retreat. There are three columns of fours formed up, it is Reno that ordered all in hearing range to draw pistols. It is because of the mass fire power from the front of the charge back to cross the Little Big Horn that forced the Indians to turn back to the west and circle back around, many in one company did not get the order to mount or to draw pistols. Which is why the end of the columns have the most casualties. The 45/70 was near to junk in 1876, the best relic to get from the battlefield is a knife that has been snapped trying to get the 45/70 case out. DeRudio hate's Reno, DeRudio was an outcast a long time before the Little Big Horn, because of his tall tells (which if about his life in Europe and South America they are true).
Reno was a trash person. I don’t know what he was going through but there was a reason no one could stomach being around him for any time. He had proven to not be above using his rank to bully and belittle others including hitting on subordinate’s wives. He stayed on the sauce and likely was an alcoholic who needed the bottle to survive. That being said he could’ve been hell on wheels when it comes to fighting. But seeing the guy he depended on more than anyone personally heads blow up beside you could rattle the best of men.
Wow! Thorough, insightful, and extremely well presented! I personally believe some of the blame lies with General Terry. He knew the impetetuos and occasionally irrational decision making nature of George Armstrong Custer and probably should have issued orders not to engage until the full weight of his own (Terry's) infantry columns might be brought into a fight. Custer, for his part, acted on tactics that had served him in the past: isolate and threaten the noncombatants, and the warriors will submit. In this case, however, there were simply too many warriors! Reno and Benteen realized this quickly and took the only actions they could to preserve their commands. Outnumbered 10-1 on both fronts, I don't see that Reno or Benteen had any choice but a defensive redoubt. "Esprit de corps is a strong incentive." True, but panic, fear and survival proved even stronger in this case. They knew they were not dealing with an enemy who took any prisoners. Benteen performed admirably here, exposing himself constantly to enemy fire and walking from position to position to encourage the troopers. Major Reno, in contrast, hunkered down to avoid the melee. Both, I believe, had generously imbibed in their alcohol rations. But alcohol affects people differently. Thanks for bringing some much needed insight to this episode of history. In a nutshell, I believe the Army acted to protect it's reputation here and not to focus any blame for the disaster.
Well covered and without noticeable judgement. Also, some recommendations for people to read up on. It's such a historical battle and filled with so many if/then statements. Essentially Custer was ill prepared for what he had intended to do and less than 48 hours later the main forces would have been there to support. Now you have me wanting to know more about Marcus Reno and Frederick Benteen. I believe that everyone was heroic on that day.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting! Very good of you to reach out. One of my go-to books is Colonel Graham's Custer Myth. And Grahams wisely writes: “…A retired Major General remarked to me that we of the present generation are too prone to judge by present day standards, and, in consequence, to misjudge… If therefore we must judge at all, let us appraise the worth of Custer, of Reno and Benteen, and all the others of that “Old Army” which had so great a part in winning the West, by their achievements, which were godlike, rather than their failures, which were human.” Colonel W.A. Graham
Thru your history factuals . I've come to bring a bit of sympathy to Marcus Reno . He was wearing Custers favorite scout Bloody Knife over half his body . It rolled him as it would most . They all carried Whows after LBH .
I'll explain my comment further. You covered, what could have been, a very 'heavy' subject with an easy to follow, methodical approach. The balance you achieved through the written testimony of the witnesses and the history of the relationships between them was fascinating. This video has brought me to realize that this battle is much more than 200+ men riding bravely to their deaths. I'm subscribing. 🙂 @@SiobhanFallon7
Whenever I read discussions regarding where the blame lies for this catastrophe I am reminded of a homely Turkish proverb applied on such occasions: they say "the fish stinks first at the head".
But which head? President Grant who suddenly made an ultimatum to the Tribes in January, knowing it would be difficult for them to adhere to these new rules so quickly? And Grant who also removed Custer from the lead role of the Montana Column because Custer testified to the administration corruption? Generals Sheridan and Sherman, who only allowed Custer to unite all 12 companies of the 7th CAV at the last minute after Custer repeatedly petitioned for a stronger force? And Sheridan and Sherman who allowed a understaffed skeleton force lacking officers to go on this kind of mission? General Terry, with the Nontana Column leadership thrust upon him and having absolutely no Indian fighting experience, who was out of his depth here and indecisive about what steps to take, and ended up arriving a day late to the Little Bighorn? General Crook who retreated after the Rosebud fight, and was only 100 miles away when the 7th was fighting? Nor did he get word to Sheridan or Terry about the strength of the tribes? LT COL Custer for multiple reasons, of course. But also Benteen and Reno, who were heads of their own columns that day, and arguably neither of them followed Custer's final order to them? Maybe there were too many Hydra heads to this fiasco! The only heads we don't need to blame are the Lakota and Cheyenne chiefs, who soundly triumphed.
I'm referring to Custer, Custer's impetuousness and arrogance, stemming from his desire for more fame and glory, is what got him and his immediate command killed that day. Custer is responsible, no one else. It wasn't Grant, or Sheridan, or Sherman that caused Custer's officers to despise him. It was Custer's arrogance that created his rotten, dysfunctional command structure. Custer, and his irresponsibility on that day , is what got his command slaughtered. If he had acted properly on the day of the battle, with proper reconnaissance and disposition of his forces, instead of rushing in like a maniac, he wouldn't have been wiped out. Ironically his stupidity in splitting his forces in the face of superior numbers is the only thing that saved the rest of his men. There is nothing Reno or Benteen could have done that day to save Custer from himself. He was the type of officer who, in later days, would have been fragged. Thank you for your thoughtful reply and this informative podcast, Happy holidays
@@georgeworthmore Hmmm. You are not the only one who says this sort of thing. But I'm going to have to agree with the contemporary Army officer who, like Custer, had experience in the Civil War, attended West Point, served on frontier, knew the capabilities of the 7th CAV, retired as a General, and who was fighting and leading men at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, who said: “It is a rare occurrence in Indian warfare that gives a commander the opportunity to reconnoiter the enemy’s position in daylight. This is particularly true if the Indians have knowledge of the presence of troops in the country... When the “signs” indicate a “hot trail” i.e. near approach, the commander judges his distance and by a forced march, usually in the night time, tries to reach the Indian village at night and make his disposition for a surprise attack at daylight. At all events his attack must be made with celerity, and generally without other knowledge of the numbers of the opposing force …” (p136) "The division of the command was not in itself faulty. The same tactics were pursued at the battle of the Washita and were successful. That was a surprise attack and there was full cooperations of the seperate commands, each commander carried out his instructions... had Reno made his charge as ordered, or made a bold front even, the Hostiles would have been so engaged in teh bottom that Custer's approach from the Northeast would have been such a surprise as to cause astampede of the village and would have broken the morale of the warriors." (p147) General Godfrey’s Narrative, The Custer Myth, edited by Col Graham Thanks for being a part of the discussion here, and the happiest of holidays to you and yours :)
Too bad Weir, could not have spoken at this . I belive he would have made the mud clear waters. But he most have seen more then he talked about. Any thing in his records about drinking to much . Before 1876. Its hard not to change after seeing a friend die . I have lived this , its not fun
Is there anywhere to watch the rest of this? It cuts off right when the rest of the panel is about to chime in :( Good presentation and I learned a few things I didn't know so thanks for that!
One must defer to the known previous characters as well acknowledge the men’s reluctance to talk because of Libby and she outlived most all. Custer was warned “Don’t be Greedy” his scouts “Saw many in the Camp , many warriors. He does not wait for reinforcements . His men and horses are exhausted from no rest. Reno having crossed the river has his face splatted by a scout being shot in the head. He was well shook. He tells his men to mount then to dismount and when they do cross the river they are faced with a formidable bank to climb and slaughtered. Custer send Martin who cannot speak clear English with a note. Shots ringing out ma have been the grey horse group , Custer I believe was quickly overtaken. Beenteens disdained for Custer went way back many years . If I remember correctly Beenteen was passed over and Custer got the position as well due to Custer arrogant show off follies and past events. But Beenteen was steadfast . He directed his men.
Custer was the commanding officer. It is automatically his fault unless overwhelming evidence indicates otherwise. Custer made all the major decisions prior to engagement. Anybody that tries to blame Reno or Benteen is a dam fool. This does not mean Reno and Benteen are without fault. Custer placed Benteen out of position. Custer left two additional companies behind. Reno would have held his line longer with an additional company on his left flank. Calhoun would have held his position longer with an additional company. Custer could have brought the extra men and assigned them to guard the pack train, freeing those troops to join the fight. Attacking the pony herd would have deprived the Indians mobility. Put two extra companies into the battle, send Benteen after the pony herd, one of the extra companies on Renos left flank, as Benteen attacked the herd. Custer would then have one more company in his force, the valley fight takes longer and the Indians are slower in shifting the figh to Custer. We don't know if Custer would have used the extra troops wisely, but it is on him that they were not there.
Several sources say that the command was split into 3 attacking wings at the lone tepee. In Terry's report immediately after the battle, he stated that Benteen was 2 miles to the LEFT of Reno. The entire camp had moved from the lone tepee location to the Southwest and crossed the LBH South of where Reno forded ( Wooden Leg and Marquis maps) Food for thought.
The plan laid out by Custer on dividing his command was for Benteen to scout for possibly more indians upstream to Reno's rear and, not finding any, then support Reno on his left in the valley. Read the book "Custer Vindicated." Executed correctly, the hammer and anvil tactic is militarily sound. Custer was well known for his sound tactics as well as his bravery prior to this battle.
Reno came unglued in the timber. His scout Bloody Knife was right beside him. Reno turned to ask him something and at that moment the scout took a rifle slug to the head which blew his brains out and into Reno's face. Reno kinda lost his shit after that and hauled ass back across the river. He was severely traumatized by that.
Yes. It must have been traumatizing. I think the whole valley and timber fight must have been awful to make seasoned vets act the way they did and forget their military training a discipline. Great points, Donald.
@@SiobhanFallon7 but were they really seasonsed vets ? if you go to Datameister channel, he has a video detailing the experience of most of the 7th cavalry men, and it isnt that impressive, in term of days served. Also, they had like a 15 rounds per month practice allowance, which is NOTHING in term of marksmanship.
@dunbar555 they had a higher caliber of experience than other units. I'm away from my books-- home leave in the states visiting family-- but I'll get some numbers to you when I get back. Doug Scott's book They Died with Custer is great. The newest recruits were left at the Powder River depot.
@@SiobhanFallon7 thank you for your answer. Did you ever see the datameister video I am referring to ? He also has excellent series on LBH and the Indian wars. I am a Swiss guy and I was at LBH only 2 weeks ago for the 2nd time. What a place
I am from East Los Angeles CA, an ex-gang-member who learned about General Custer when I was grounded for one of the many bad things I did in Junior High. Time Life Books came out with a series about the "West". It was there in my room as a teenager that I learned a little bit about Gen.Custer. I remember having this feeling come over me that I had to learn more about this man. I am 50 years old now, and I just want to thank you for sharing this video. I read a lot about Gen. Custer throughout the years and speaking as someone who grow up in the streets, I always had a nagging feeling that that there was more to Custers death and of his men than what was told and being taught. Thank you so much for this wonderful video. I have been waiting for 37 years to get all these facts. Thank you so much!!! Long live the 7th!!!!
Thanks so much for watching, Hugo, and for your kind words! There is so much to this story-- I'm glad it has held your interest all these years.
@@SiobhanFallon7 I look forward to more of your videos. Truly,, good work. Thank you once again.
@@hugonarvaez2944 Thank you! That makes me want to do another one soon. Much appreciated!
I hope you do come out with more videos. i don't know if I can wait another 30 years! Hahaha hahaha. What am I saying of course I will, the TRUTH" has no expiration date.
@@hugonarvaez2944 Ha! Indeed!
Great presentation Ms. Fallon !
I have visited and walked the Battle of Little Bighorn battlefield and read numerous accounts of the battle. In defense of Major Reno:
1. Eight days prior to the Battle of Little Bighorn, General Crook led 993 calvary, 197 civilian packers, 65 miners and 175 Crow Warriors and 86 Shoshoni Warriors northward from Fort Fetterman in the direction of the Bighorn River. The Crow and Shoshoni's were long-time enemies of the Sioux and Cheyenne and thus joined forces with the U.S. Army.
2. General Crook led the 993 Calvary soldiers and 250 Crow / Shoshoni warriors to Rosebud Creek where his force was attacked by 1,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors on horses. Thus, General Crook had a fighting man advantage of 1.25 to 1.0 against the Sioux / Cheyenne. Six days later at the Little Bighorn, Major Reno's 140 men faced a ratio of 10.0 or more Sioux / Cheyenne per 1.0 soldier.
3. A detachment of General Crook's unit of 240 Calvary soldiers led by Lieutenant Royall were surrounded by the Sioux and faced annihilation similar to Custer only six days later.
4. Lieutenant Royall's men were saved when the 250 Crow and Shoshoni warriors valiantly charged the Sioux / Cheyenne which allowed Royall's troops to retreat back to General Crook's position on higher ground.
5. After a six hour fight, the Sioux / Cheyenne broke off the attack. General Crook incurred so many casualties that he retreated back to Wyoming. Without the brave charge and fighting of the Crow / Shoshoni, General Crook's command may have suffered a bigger defeat than Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
6. The point of 1 - 5 is to show that with a force of 1,250 which was much larger than Major Reno's force of 140; General Crook's much larger army was nearly defeated by the Sioux / Cheyenne at the Battle of Rosebud Creek which was only six days earlier than the Battle of Little Bighorn.
7. General Custer was undoubtedly a brave man leading charges during both the Civil War and Indian Wars of the West. However, he grossly underestimated his foe at the Battle of Little Big Horn, did not wait for General Terry's and Gibbons forces, and split the 7th Calvary regiment three ways which was the cause for his massacre (Custer, Reno and Benteen).
8. In fact, similar to Major Reno, when Custer's charge ran into a bee hive of Sioux / Cheyenne; Custer's companies retreated to higher ground and formed a skirmish line.
9. Major Reno evaluated and was quicker in his decision making than Custer whereby he was able to lead his men to higher ground and save 50% or more of his troops versus Custer's command of 250 troops were totally massacred.
10. Finally, Mrs. Custer, who was understandably heartbroken, accused Major Reno of abandoning General Custer. However, Custer abandoned Reno to annihilation when he ordered Reno with only 140 troops to charge the Sioux / Cheyenne village containing thousands of warriors.
11. Custer did not come to Reno's aid when Reno's troops were fighting for their lives in the timber or on Reno Hill.
12.. Reno fought heroically in the Civil War and was awarded for bravery in combat. He was not a coward. Just like Custer he was a brave man but was given an impossible order by Custer. Custer and the five companies of troops (250 men) were massacred due to a superior force of Sioux / Cheyenne led by superior (General's) Chiefs in Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Give credit to the Sioux / Cheyenne for their tactics, skill and bravery. 💪 🙏✌
Many great points that should definitely be considered, Johnny. Thank you!
You obviously do not comprehend how the Indians fought. There were no Indian Generals. No Indian can tell another Indian what to do. A leader like Crazy Horse will by his own actions demonstrate his bravery and then the others will or will not follow his lead. Each tribe or family unit had men whose actions were respected by those who knew and trusted him. The LBH, the Rosebud and Fetterman fight were probably the only times during the Plains Indian wars enough warriors were present for that kind of haphazard, disorganized fighting technique to succeed against an organized column of soldiers. LBH was the perfect storm for the Indian method of fighting. Custer stumbled into far more Indians than he believed was even possible. He also encountered Indians who were willing to stand and fight which was another extremely rare occurrence. Without doubt the Indians deserve credit for their bravery and skill but tactics were not practiced by the Indians at the LBH. Each warrior fought as he saw fit to do.
Very good points..
I suggest you read James Donovan's book A TERRIBLE GLORY. He dissects every one of the excuses offered for Reno's conduct. Reno told a number of egregious lies at his court of inquiry, such as that he had no idea where Custer was, that he was unaware that Custer was in a serious fight, that the pack train did not arrive until 90 minutes after Benteen reached Reno Hill (a claim contradicted by Reno's own battle report), that he believed Custer would support him from the rear, and that he had no idea what had happened to Custer until two days after the battle.
Thanks. This is a very good video. I was in the US Army for 37 years. It's amazing how some things NEVER change with the Army. Even today, when there is a military fiasco, the people in charge tend to whitewash it (e.g., "everything went according to plan", "no one screwed up", "it was a successful operation", etc.). The Afghanistan pullout is an example of this.
Yes, some things just don't change.
And it's hard to know what was deliberately done versus how the human mind started to edit memory to defend and justify certain actions.
I have personally witnessed a case of the Army's policy of "blame the dead guy." I was a civilian emergency desk dispatcher for the Army's Military Police, in garrison in Virginia. One of our desk sergeants, newly returned from Iraq, was seriously emotionally messed up, and strung out on psychiatric meds --- a cocktail of them. We had some good talks while on shift all night. He had a good relationship with his ex-wife, and essentially LIVED for his young son. He was NOT suicidal. But one afternoon when he couldn't be reached, a welfare check at his off-post apartment revealed a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, with liquor bottles nearby. I am convinced it was a spontaneous but permanent bad decision. But the Provost Marshal Office pinned a discrepancy in ammo count on him. I am sure someone accidentally left a magazine in their pocket when they left shift on day, and made sure no one ever found out they did such a careless thing.
@MarieHammond that is a tragic story, wow. Thank you for sharing. I hope he is at peace and I'm glad you share his story and remember him so kindly 🙏
the withdrawl from Afghanistan was a wise move, let those people govern and protect their own country, 20 years and they still have corruption in their police and army ranks, no-shows, etc, President Biden moved us out of there and we're better for it. Afganistan hasn't fallen into disarray
The departure from Vietnam was the same. I just hope we don't desert the Ukraine the same way!
Hi, Siobhan!
As an Irishman (a Dubliner) who has an in-depth knowledge of Captain Myles Walter Keogh (from Leighlinbridge in County Carlow) and a distant relative to Private Thomas O'Neill I have to say you've done a fab job with this presentation. Myles Keogh would be proud of ya!
Your dad hails from County Leitrim? Thankfully it's not Mayo!!
Thank you! Wow, that's quite a lineage! And very kind words. My dad's from Drommahaire but it's been too long since he ( or I) have been back. So good of you to watch and reach out, Niall!
@@SiobhanFallon7 Anytime, Siobhan! The next time you do get here the drinks are on me!
I've been to the Little Big Horn once, but gettting from Dublin to Montana's sorta tough! I get to Gettysburg though (been there three times). Myles Keogh was General Bufords ADC, fought with him on thr first day of the Battle of Gettysburg and he was with him when he passed due to contracting typhoid.
I live just outside of Gettysburg now, in Carlisle, PA. Would love to meet up sometime. I ought to put you in touch with a friend of mine who often plays Keogh in movies and documentaries and is a respected LBH scholar.
@@SiobhanFallon7 OMG! I drove close to Carlisle. Talk about a small world!
We'll definitely have to stay in touch coz I may be in Gettysburg next September.
Captain Keogh, Capt. French and Capt. Benteen are the three best commanders in the regiment. Captain Keogh is having issues going into the campaign, he is one of the three heavy drinkers in the 7th Cavalry (likely due to his best friend General Buford's death in the Civil War). It is Keogh that stays by Buford when he passes away. Tom and Weir are the other two hard core drinkers, Libbie was working on both to give it up time and again. Reno is called a moderator drinker before the Little Big Horn operation, he like many becomes a heavy drinker after the battle.
As an example of the falsehoods that Reno and Benteen told later on, Reno claimed at the RCOI that the pack train did not arrive until some 90 minutes after Benteen reached Reno Hill. However, B. F. Churchill, one of the members of the pack train, reported that it arrived "a few minutes" after Benteen arrived. Lt. Edgerly and John Martin said the pack train arrived 10-15 minutes after Benteen arrived. Indeed, in Reno's battle report, Reno himself said the pack train arrived "a short time" after Benteen arrived. But, at the RCOI, Reno markedly changed his story. He did so because he was trying to justify his excessive delay in moving toward Custer after Benteen reached Reno Hill--and Reno only finally headed toward Custer because Captain Weir shamed him into doing so.
100% agreed
An example of how the very officers who had been critical of Reno's conduct closed ranks and supported Reno at the court of inquiry is Captain Thomas McDougall. He testified that Reno was cool, brave, and in command on the bluffs. Later, in the early 1900s, he described Reno to Walter Camp as utterly incompetent to handle the situation and in a near catatonic state leading Benteen to take charge of defending their position.
Great point and example.
It's so hard to balance all the contradictory statements, sometimes made by the very same individuals 🤦♀️
Custer made some very serious mistakes. Splitting his forces was the most serious, second was not listening to his crow scouts, as to the size of the force against him.. As far as ordering his supply wagons to come quick, I'm not sure how fast they could have come and if it would have made any difference since he moved out ahead and actually increased to distance between himself and his potential support.
All good points.
But Custer did listen to his Indian scouts, the ones who told him he had to attack and attack fast, rather than wait til the following morning as Custer had intended (a dawn attack with his columns in place like at the Washita). Some scouts recommended they attack before their enemy could flee, some said there were too many enemy and they couldn't win. Custer unfortunately listened to the advice that any aggressive military commander would follow, but it led to his death and many others.
He was trying to win! That meant capturing a significant number of the non combatants. Not splitting his force meant mission failure. I believe that he was going for a win right up to the point he had to stand on the defensive. At that point he could have had Benteen and Reno right at hand and still been wiped out.
Custer's only mistake was trusting Reno
Makes me wonder, about the type of rounds in the pack train. Because they talked about the rounds he army gave them would stick in the breech of a single shot rifle.
Grant was angry with Custer for accusing his brother of being crooked with the monies as he was in charge of Indian affairs!!!
Grant’s administration is widely known for its corruption.
I have been binge-watching several of your videos. This one is a good example of boiling down a huge amount of information into an hour presentation. Siobhan, you continue to do an excellent job! On one video recently viewed, I think you said Custer brought a 14 piece band on a campaign. No doubt it had fife and drum, but I wonder if a bagpipe was in the mix. Given the exchanges between them, I am amazed the restraint Custer showed in not beating Benteen into sawdust.
Ha ha, yes! Other officers would remark about the strained relations between Benteen and Custer; that Benteen clearly hated Custer, but the Custer tried to mollify Benteen.
Thank you for watching and continuing to tell me what you think! It's always great to hear from you.
I've been reading up on LBH, Custer and the Native Americans lately. Enjoyed this part of the story much. The inquiry seems to forget probably the number one reason Custer/Reno etal failed that day. They met a superior force protecting their homeland, families and way of life. You have to wonder if Custer might not have faired any better even if Crook or Terry had arrived prior to attacking.
Lots of backseat drivers probably agree with you.
It would be interesting to know when and why there were reports about running out of ammunition. Most of the trooper’s ammunition was carried on their horses, which were taken away when the troopers were in a scrimmage line. It is possible that they were running out of ammo on their person, but were able re-supply once reunited with their ride.
If Custer had ordered Benteen to attack on Reno’s left he would not have expected him to help bring up the packs. His orders seemed to indicate that he considered Benteen to be in “reserve”. Which of course would have been in accordance with US military doctrine. As has often been pointed out many times, Custer’s order to Benteen had two conflicting parts: to hurry and to bring the packs. That would seem to imply that Custer expected Benteen to meet up with the pack trains and then escort them up to Custer. Custer knew that he was becoming disconnected from the rest of his command. Ordering the slow moving and relatively weak pack trains through an area potentially filled with hostile forces would not have made sense. Reinforced by Benteen, and re-supplied by the pack trains, Custer would have been better prepared to complete his offensive movements against the Native Americans.
Custer didn’t die from being overly aggressive. He died because he sat still for too long waiting for reinforcements, allowing the Native Americans to isolate him and then bring up overwhelming forces.
I agree. You make so many excellent and well-thought-out points here. Thank you for laying them all out for us 🙌🎉🙌
This was a story that was invented after the battle to justify Reno's retreat. The prosecutor (aka the recorder) at the RCOI, Lt. Jesse Lee, rejected the claim, noting that when the pack train arrived at Reno Hill, very little ammo was distributed. "So it appears," said Lt. Lee, "that Maj. Reno's command was not so badly in need of ammunition after all" (RCOI transcript, vol. 2, p. 239, p. 635 in 1951 compilation).
@@michaelgriffith5566every personal narrative that I have read of the event records that they were running short of ammunition. In light of the limited amount of ammunition carried by each trooper, including that on their horse, and given the length of the battle, it would be remarkable if the didn’t require replenishment . The amount of ammunition carried by each trooper would only have lasted 10-15 minutes of sustained slow firing.
@@clydeosterhout1221 Then why was so little ammo distributed among Reno's soldiers after the ammo packs began to arrive to Reno Hill?
Harper and Roberts, among others, refute the claim that Reno's command was running low on ammo. Most of the soldiers fired only sporadically during the 15-20-minute skirmish line, and they fired even less ammo during the brief time (5 minutes) they were in the timber. As Harper notes, given the duration and rate of fire up to that point, it is hard to imagine how Reno's soldiers could have used most of their ammo by the time they reached Reno Hill.
Way back at the RCOI, the prosecutor, Lt. Jesse Lee, did not buy Reno's tale of low ammo. He recognized this was another one of the lies Reno told to try to excuse his refusal to quickly go to Custer's aid. Another Reno lie was that the pack train did not reach Reno Hill until 90 minutes after Benteen arrived, yet several witnesses said it arrived much earlier, and even Reno's battle report said the pack train came "shortly after" Benteen did. Why do you suppose Reno markedly changed his story about the pack's arrival time at the RCOI and claimed that it didn't come until 90 minutes after Benteen showed up? People lie for a reason.
@@michaelgriffith5566 the personal accounts differ from what was said at the hearing. First person accounts are generally considered to be most accurate. Those left in the brush after the Reno retreat reported that they were almost out of ammunition even though they did very little or no fighting after the collapse of the skirmish line. I t I’d very hard to reconcile the personal accounts given immediately after the battle with the accounts given at the trial. By the time the official hearings took place all of the parties involved had an agenda, and plenty of reasons for presenting their own version of the battle.
His most trusted scout, Bloody Knife beseeched Custer not to take up a foolhardy fight. So Custer knew he was taking on a very large camp. The only way to support Reno was to follow him into the vallley. If Custers orders were vague, it was perhaps because, he didn't want to spell it out. "Major Reno, attack on that open plain to invite the warriors to come at you, like angry hornets, while I sneek around to the back door, to capture the noncombatants."
Custer created a gigantic problem. Reno was right. It was wrong to criticize him for how he dealt with it.
P.S. Why didn't Custer's note to Benteen say, "Split the pack train to re-supply me and Reno"?
Bloody knife did his job. Custer knew what he was up against. Reno stirred up the hornets perfectly. Custer got wiped out anyways. Win some, lose some. Carpenters get splinters, Firemen get burns, Soldiers get shot. Occupational hazard.
If Custers plan was to get non combatants, why did he not make everyone aware of that and why split your forces? Together if they stayed behind the ridges and scouted it out then made clear and concise plans maybe it would've ended differently but maybe not.
Or so some say. It's really impossible to know what happened thie day. We still don't have any idea what happened on January 6th, so how can we truly know about something that happened nearly 200 years ago? Too bad Custer didn't live to give his accounting. Benteen and Reno were clearly going to try to exonerate their culpability while Custer would surely have done the same.
Ultimately it was a total waste as the Sioux went back to their reservations. Red Cloud was brilliant as he went to New York and saw what the enemy was. He realized that progress was imminent and that tho they could put it off, it would only cause the loss of many lives and simply piss off the infinitely superior enemy more which would hurt his people. The smartest thing a leader can do is do what is what is best for his people, even if it means bending the knee and letting go of ego.
Livvie Custer wanted her husband to be seen as a hero but he wasn't, his mistakes got his troops wiped out!😢
Custer,Reno ,Benteen the troops were poorly led and paid with their lives.😢
An answer to my dreams...a concise presentation of the battle AND the court of inquiry. Thank you Ms. Fallon for this wonderful presentation!
Wow! Thank you! That was unexpectedly kind praise. I always steel myself a bit before reading these comments because I never know what some one will say (like "This woman's voice is so irritating I can't stand her"-- ha ha ha which I have gotten more than once!!). I very much appreciate you reaching out. I am working on a new video now-- stay tuned!
I knew there was a court of inquiry but never heard the individual testimony of the participants. Based on all the different information I wouldn't want to have been a member of a jury had there been one. Very interesting. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
Great presentation Siobhan! Two obvious things jump out, followed by a third:
1. Custer’s shock and surprise at the size of the village and imminent return of the warriors.
2. The US Army needed a scapegoat and Custer was it.
3. Reno and Benteen failed Custer but my God the horror of death, scalping, and likely ongoing PTSD.
I have day terrors of sorts reading how Custer and his men looked desperately toward Reno and reinforcements, and seeing that they weren’t coming, in total despair, fought to the last man. My God such heroism.
Spielberg ought to make a film that fully honours and exonerates Custer and portrays a sympathetic balance for Reno, Benteen, and Weir.
Yes I agree with all of the above!! Spielberg would get it right 🙌🙏
Andy, let me know if you have any suggestions for future videos, or which of my other videos you like.
I'm working on one now about Reno's other court martials/ problems with the ladies...
Thank you for watching, commenting, and offering your insights!
Fascinating!
Who were the decision makers at the court of inquiry? how was that body organized?
Best quote from the inquiry; "if we hadn't been under command of a coward, we would all be dead"
The 7th was seriously out numbered as well as out gunned. The urgency to quickly attack seems to have over-shadowed gaining a full understanding of the enemy before them.
Great questions. Col King of the 9th Infantry was the head judge, with Lt Jesse Lee, also of the 9th INF, served as the psuedo-prosecutor or judge advocate. I am not familiar with all the procedures behind court of inquiries or how different officers are chosen to sit as judges or counsel. I will look into it! Thanks for the suggestion!
@@SiobhanFallon7 Great video! I plan to watch it again after a few months.
@@williewonka6694 THANK YOU!!
Excellent presentation, thank you so much for your hard work.
It seems to me that the inquiry was not to investigate what happened, rather it was to create the narrative of what the Army wanted the nation to believe happened. All were brave, it might have worked, but for those nasty hostiles.
@Coll Maxwell A further thought:
It was a flawed battle plan. It failed to conform to superior orders, though not directly in violation of those orders. It was high risk, but lacked military necessity. Each flaw in the plan bore fruit by way of disadvantages which culminated in disaster. In the end, the U.S. Army was left with a question: what is the duty of a subordinate commander when unexpectedly faced with a mission of forlorn hope, under circumstances in which military necessity had not existed, and the concept of operations had likely become untenable?
Maj. Marcus Reno was faced with such a problem on June 25th 1876 at the Little Bighorn River, facing thousands of Native American warriors. He had been ordered to “charge” a large Indian village with the assurance that his mission would be supported by the remainder of the 7th Cavalry. What became all too apparent to Marcus Reno was that the larger than foreseen size of the enemy encampment rendered his mission suicidal; with little hope tactical achievement in any form. The annihilation of his battalion appeared an almost certainty, with little chance of effecting the planned diversion sufficient for his commander to position the remainder of the regiment for an attack upon the village.
Reno chose to defend, rather than to complete his attack. In this way he could hope to preserve his command while simultaneously diverting the enemy, in some conformity to his commander’s plan. Was he correct in doing so?
This was the question faced by the U.S. Army in 1879 at a court of inquiry over Maj. Reno’s conduct at the Battle of the Little Bighorn River. The Army answered that Reno was correct in doing what he did. The strength of the verdict lay in the fact that Reno was acquitted despite the fact that subsequent to going on the defensive, he lost his composure when a bullet exploded Custer’s best scout’s head and brains in the major’s face. Thereupon, Reno ordered a questionable and costly retreat; but, thereafter conducted the defense competently.
The army’s inquiry into Maj. Reno’s conduct became entangled in questions over Captain Benteen’s failure to come to Custer’s aid, despite Benteen having received oral and written messages from Custer to “come quick, bring packs.” Benteen chose to join Reno and subordinate his battalion to Reno’s command, rather than to go to Custer’s aid. Reno’s reputation has endured an abiding rebuke for not then bringing the united command to Custer’s aid, himself. But, it is clear that Reno had no duty to move his command to Custer’s position; and, moreover, to have done so would have been in direct contravention of his orders to divert the enemy south of Custer’s position.
At most, Reno might be criticized for not re-assembling what was left of his battalion and charging the southern perimeter of the village a second time, but that would be expecting a lot of any soldier. The Board of Inquiry correctly assessed that the culminating point had been reached, and while Maj. Reno might not have conducted himself with exceptional heroism nor aggressiveness, his conduct was acceptable.
Benteen was lucky that the official inquiry was not directed towards his conduct. His defense that he had complied with his orders by reaching the regiment, and was bound to subordinate himself to Maj. Reno was thin. But, his retreat from Weir Pont in the face of Custer’s bugle call in the distance was as indefensible as the bugle call, itself. Since the inquiry was of Reno and not Benteen, the army escaped having to face that conundrum.
This is the first I've heard of 'Custer's bugle call' being heard from Weir Point, did that really happen? I doubt it would have mattered since overwhelming indian forces chased them back to Reno-but it would have been an interesting challenge to 'We believed Custer's command was already annihilated.'
@@pimpompoom93726 I regret I cannot find my source for the bugle call. I recall it came from an account given by a soldier located at Weir point. However, if it happened, then the issue is not any difference a charge by Weir and Benteen would have made in rescuing Custer, but the implication of defiance of a direct order. As for the timing of Custer's annihilation, I think Weir being at the point thirty minutes before Custer's end can be established with a credible degree of probability. Sitting Bull said that the flag planted on Weir Point (by Benteen) was observed by Indians prior to the final moment. I think Weir saw the whole battle; from C Company charge upon Greasy Grass ridge to the end.... and made no move to advance.
@@pimpompoom93726 I found one source: Two Moon: "At last about a hundred men and five horsemen stood on the hill all bunched together. All along the bugler kept blowing his commands. He was very brave too. Then a chief was killed. I hear it was Long Hair (Custer), I don't know; and then five horsemen and the bunch of men, may be so forty, started toward the river. The man on the sorrel horse led them, shouting all the time. He wore a buckskin shirt, and had long black hair and mustache. He fought hard with a big knife. His men were all covered with white dust. I couldn't tell whether they were officers or not. One man all alone ran far down toward the river, then round up over the hill. I thought he was going to escape, but a Sioux fired and hit him in the head. He was the last man. He wore braid on his arms ".
@@brucebutler2746 wrong..
As an Irishman I have always been fascinated by that battle, and there is a strong Irish connection, many Irish who fought their and Myles Keogh. I can't help notice you're very Irish name too!
Yes! My dad is from Leitrim!
The narrator is so gorgeous and intelligent.
Thank you for making this...
Thank you! Here is another, but this one is actually about a gorgeous and intelligent woman (and that's definitely not me ;) ). I appreciate the kind words though. :) ua-cam.com/video/ilQDyHx1txI/v-deo.html
Just as soon as Custer divided the command , several witnesses heard Benteen address Custer " General, hadn't we better keep the command together because if there are as many Indians as the scout have indicated, we will need every man"...Custer abruptly admonished Benteen saying " You have your orders" and thus the command split up without keeping any supporting help nearby.
And Benteen did his best to ensure Custer’s command remained separated by scandalously dragging his feet on the back trail and at the morass despite written and verbal orders from Custer to come on quickly. His glib and evasive testimony marks him up as a smart arse, and should never have been allowed to stand.
Benteen was a coward.
@@donarchambeault4547 I think "coward" is one of the last words I would use to describe Benteen. He was angry, jealous, and resentful of Custer. Those emotions definately affected his actions.
@Dr Strangelove true. But that was rhinos fault. He was superior and Custer wasn't clear about where he was going. So they didn't known where to meet up with him.
Not true... Benteen walked around the the rifle pits exposing himself to sniper fire trying to encourage the men to hold steady and not waste ammunition... also led a charge down a Coulee for the water carriers to get water as the wounded suffered the most and were dehydrated brutally from blood loss....several troopers later commented on Benteens bravery and think they would have been wiped out also if not for his common sense of practical duty....by the time Benteen arrived to assist Reno, Georgie boy was playing a harp in the regimental heavenly orchestra.
I don't think Reno was a coward but he definitely lost his head when Bloody Knife's brains were blasted all over him in the timber. What Reno is guilty of is that he did not order a rear guard for his command as they retreated across the river.
Yes, I agree, Michael. Much of his Casualties occurred during that disorganized retreat.
@@SiobhanFallon7 As far as Custer and his decisions. It's known that he wanted to rest the 7th on the 25th but Custer was afraid that the command had been spotted because the Indians had found a dropped box of supplies and were going through this box when the detail sent to retrieve this item came upon the Indians. I don't think he had a choice but too attack.
@@michaelewert8310 I agree with that too, Michael. He has to seize surprise or the Narive Americans would slip away.
@@SiobhanFallon7 thanks for the great presentation. Also for your prompt replies. Maybe someday do a comparison of the LBH and Isandlhwana January 22nd, 1879.
@@michaelewert8310 that's a little outside my lane at the moment but darn, that is definitely quite a fight!! I'd like to learn more about it someday.
Right now I'm brushing up on the Washita fight of Nov 1868 and almost done with two presentations about it, and also working on one about the Powder River Fight on March 17, 1876. I think both play into the Little Bighorn... please stay tuned!
And thanks for the kind words! You clearly know the Little Bighorn fight yourself!
I’ve tried a few times to read the court of inquiry’s reports and didn’t make it through all the hundreds of pages. Great work putting this together!
Why thank you!! If you are willing to give it another try and see it on sale, I recommend Utley's Chicago Tribune RCOI. It's all the articles put together and therefore there are descriptions of the officers and crowd's laughter/ gasping at testimony and backstories etc. It's a much more fun read than the dry court transcripts. 💕📚
Complete show trial. Joke of a proceeding. Meant for Reno’s political allies to save his cowardly rear-end.
And they even bungled that.
Excellent presentation of a complex and divisive event ! Bravo …
Thank you!
Nobody mentions Crooks column being defeated a week prior to the LBH fight on the Rosebud as the fourth branch of a four prong attack from the south. His was the largest command. At the time general knowledge was the indians would flee instead of fight. IMO.
I'm pretty certain that this campaign was a 3 prong attack with Crook, Gibbon and Terry in command of each division. If you're suggesting that Custer was the 4th prong I don't think that is accurate. He was not in command of anything except the 7th cavalry and after much begging, Terry had given him written and verbal orders to scout but to avoid engaging these Indians. Custer he ignored those orders and attacked so he split his command of roughly 700 men into 3 groups and later, he divided the companies under his immediate command so that he could attempt to cross the river through Medicine Tail Coulee, which was a nearly irreversible move. The other members of his command took positions upon the high ground above the river.
When his immediate command reached the place where MTC emptied into the river they were swarmed by the Sioux and Cheyenne and it was there, many believe, that Custer was shot in the chest and badly wounded. After being shot he was dragged or carried up the hill adjacent to MTC and he eventually wound up at the top of the hills upon which so many of his troops died. Some historians speculate that it might have been his brother Tom who shot him in the temple as an act of mercy against Indian rage.
At the moment or point of that attempted crossing, as much testimony indicates, most of the Indians who were shooting at Reno raced to that crossing spot to fight troopers trying to enter their village and Gall along with Crazy Horse, watching where Custer and company were headed after their aborted attempt to cross the river, rode North and crossed the river to attack him from that position.
Reno's nerve apparently did fail right after crossing the river in his attack on the Southern end of that village but who knows what he saw when he finally got a look. Over 1,000 furious Indians raging down upon a small command would terrify anyone but I'd be willing to bet that if the truth was known Reno's nerve may not have slipped until he wisely realized that Custer was nowhere to be seen and was not going to support him as he stated he would. Pure fear is a terrible thing to experience and I think that Reno got a great taste of it.
Benteen had been sent on a ridiculous scout with no support and his discovery of the disarray on Reno Hill, by the time he made it there with Indians finally attacking in force, would pause any reasonable commander so that he could assess the circumstances, the situation and the odds. Reno was not in command mentally and Benteen realized that so he assumed control of the situation on that hill and saved the lives of most of those men.
I don't have any bones to pick with any of these men but after all of my reading and study of that fight, I feel that Custer and his entire command should have been willing to wait for Terry and Gibbon like they had been ordered and for that matter I think that Crook failed miserably after being hit at the Rosebud. His losses were minor and he did not prosecute his orders either. I guess he found out that fighting the Sioux and Cheyenne in war was a little different than rounding up small bands of hostiles in the deep Southwest.
From a battle strategy point of view, it's my opinion that Custer should have sent a detail immediately to Terry advising him of his situation and his need for immediate support with dispatch from Terry to Gibbon. Then Custer and his entire command should have crossed Reno Creek South of the village and presented their position in a show of force to those Indians on more of a flat plain on the Southwestern flank of that village. And then, regardless of whom was Hell bent to fight, he would have had his entire command on flat ground with no rivers or deep creeks as a hinderance. The Indians would have been pinned against the LBH River and those bluffs and regardless of where they attempted to go, would have faced large combat forces.
@@58landman Correct. Custer was to command the troops out of Fort Lincoln until he had testified before Congress about corruption in Grant's administration towards the handling of the Indian agencies and the command was given to Terry. Grant wasn't going to allow Custer to be involved the LBH maneuvers and stripped him of the command. Terry and Sheridan got him reinstated to lead the 7th. My issue is everyone fails to mention the Rosebud fight and their involvement, Thanks.
@@michaelvaristo5238 You're right but my opinion is Crook's well intentioned involvement did not occur. I have a feeling that Crook was very surprised at the welcome he received on the Rosebud and may not have quite known what to do. I believe that he should have pushed the remainder of his column toward the LBH and escorted his dead and wounded to some area of safety with reasonably good water and forage for their stock.
Crook was not defeated. He held the field at the end of the fight.
@@marka1142 That he did! Completely unable to move....
Excellent presentation and video. You point out and highlight many examples of untruthful and evasive testimony by Reno and Benteen. And how the other surviving officers of the 7th had to save Reno’s and Benteen’s assess for the good of the Regiment’s honor. These officers must have felt tormented because they had to save Reno even though they knew he was guilty of cowardice, drunkenness on duty and abandoning the wounded. And I believe many of them felt Benteen intentionally disobeyed Custer’s written order and this contributed to the loss of the Custer Battalion. And if you read the letters of Weir and French you will definitely see that they felt this too.
"What made Major Reno run away when he did I cannot positively know, and he didn't tell me...To turn one's back on Indians without being better mounted than they is throwing away life. When he started to that hill he had told me, not one minute before, that he was going to fight - it was in reply to a question of mine."
- Captain Thomas French, Company M, 7th Cavalry (after the Little Bighorn).
It could be the Indian warriors were superior in their strategy. You think whites would admit this? Crazy horses testimony on the battle sounds most credible.
@@vincecallagher7636 I think out numbering the 7th Cavalry by about 15-1 was the reason. And the Indians had no strategy on 25 Jun1876 as they were completely caught by surprise by Reno’s attack on the village. All they did was react and use their overwhelming numerical and firepower superiority to win the day.
@@Redwhiteblue-gr5em Superior courage, superior markmanship, superior riding skills, superior knowledge of the terrain, superior military prowess, superior motivation, superior competence. They just straight up beat them. 15:1 is ludicrous.
The Army put 2500 soldiers in the field. That's more combatants than the Indians had.
@@zipperpillow Custer’s battalion that was wiped out to the man had about 215 men. That is fact! You have zero understanding of the actual battle.
Very good job on this! This is why more books have been written on this one battle then any other in American history save perhaps Gettysburg. It is absolutely fascinating both the battle as well as the controversy that followed.
I have studied this fight my entire life but still do not feel qualified to judge any of the men who fought there including Reno. I will say this however: What a better for a warrior like Custer to go down!
Slinging lead at mobs of howling and enraged nomads! A fitting end that will insure his name in history. I would bet he would have preferred this to dying a old man in his bed.
Very true!
ensure
@@perniciouspete4986 and we have now “herd frum the werd pulese!
Siobhan vs Am@zon ,,,Wow my plan was to listen to the Little Bighorn series on my laptop as i did a little shopping on Am@zon but it was so interesting plus the pictures i had to keep switching back to this page ..You beat Am@zon by second round knockout
WOW! thank you so much, ha ha, that made my day!!!! More coming soon...
I would like to say, Mam you did an outstanding job, i now understand the battle much more than all the other reading i have done,Thank you , from PFC 25th div vietnam era
@user-yd3fq3jr2t thank you thank you thank you! I hope you find other videos of mine worth watching too 🙏 I appreciate your kind words so much.
Thank you so much for another well done video. Very enjoyable. It is alot of information and you present it all so well and the informational slides are extremely thorough. My 15year old daughter and I are looking forward to viewing more of your work. She has become very interested in this period of history. We even have an old trapdoor Springfield she wants to shoot (at least once) just for the experience. We have talked alot about western history and viewed many things on the internet, but nothing is as thorough and easy to listen to as your videos are. You really are VERY talented. Thank You! :-) Jeff from NC
WOW. Such a lovely message to read first thing in the morning (I'm in Cyprus and 7 hours ahead of NC)!
I am honored you are sharing these with your daughter and that she is interested! I have a 15 year old too, and I am always pushing her to study/ read things outside the school curriculum.
This RCOI was my first PowerPoint and video talk EVER, so it is especially amateur 🤣🤦🏼♀️ but so happy you enjoyed it.
THANK YOU!
Trying to get another mini one up in the next few days-- about Godfrey. Please let me know if you or your daughter have any suggestions on what/ who I could do in the future 🙏
Thank you for the high quality review.
An enjoyable and informative program. The PowerPoint and commentary meshed well together.
Thank you so much!!
Absolutely fascinating presentation. It was extremely interesting and kept my interest focused the entire time. It was great. Well done! Superb!
So wonderful to hear!! This was the first power point I ever put together and it was quite a learning curve.
But I have come to love using it.
Thanks so much for your kind words!
Their arguments seem to centre around what *might* have happened *if* they did x or y or z. Also, they seem to assume Custer's annihilation as part of their argument for not going to his aid, when really they all said on other occasions they had no idea that Custer was dead and they actually thought he had been repulsed and moved off to the north, leaving Reno, Benteen, the pack train and everyone behind. It all smells very much like the officers closed ranks, got their stories straight and all agreed to blame Custer for his own death.
If they heard the firing which they did, and there was a moment where no Indians were attacking them, then its simply their duty to march to the sound of the firing whether they think they might die or not. Fear of death seems like a poor excuse for a group of soldiers in the middle of a battle with their CO missing and presumed under assault.
Not only did Reno disagree with his report, Not only did Benteen change his letter from all of Custer's troops to none of his troops got in the vailley or village, only those two could not hear firing or see the fighting, they forget that Reno had a sgt get in the advance and put a guidon in the village before being killed, they forget that Korn made it back to Reno as did Thompson who Knipe told Walter Camp to find as he could tell the story. Bloody Knife was made a liar although he got to the far west with a red blanket, a sioux blanket, his tribe used a lighter color and made them more into ponchos with hoods and sleeves. Camp Notes say all this. Distances greatly distorted by Benteen, IN his RCOI testimony benteen says they travelled from sunlight four hours, and not sure if he is including this with the eight miles before the splitting of the command... -many goofs get the command being broken into divisions as at one point Benteen is giving the advance after getting his troops ready and moving this 8 miles or four hours... which at a slow walk for a horse would be close... but not really as four miles per hour times four hours would put the entire company in the Big Horn valley. 12.4 miles down an easily followed Lodge Pole Trail... What did happen was time, distance, maps and testimony was white washed
Couldnt have said it better
And the problem with that is........? Custer had been repulsed, he did move off to the north, he did leave everyone behind and he was responsible for his own death. That all checks out.
Im not sure you understand the nature of the Cavalry Trooper of the Indian Wars. They were not blindly obedient robots and combat isn't as cut and dry as we like to think it is.
Lots of problems in your statement, first it is the older men who could not hear the shooting to the north. 2nd the pack train (so many problems having the pack train. 3rd Wier leaves near right away and getting to Weir point the fighting is over, 4th The other troop moving up to Weir first moved forward to enter Medicine Tail Coulee, Weir had to signal them to hurry back, as over 900 Indians were coming his way. By the time Benteen and Reno get to Weir point they knew they had to go on the defensive, it is Reno that orders everyone back to Reno hill. This took time as the pack train was on the trail north to Weir point by then. The skirmish line had to slow down the advancing Indians in large numbers. Also remember this the heavy drinkers in the 7th Cavalry are Keogh, Weir and Tom, Reno is called a moderate drinker at the time of the Little Big Horn Battle. Reno is shocked when Capt. French drinks what is left in his flask (it sounds like there is a lot left when he handed French the flask), when the command moved up to bury the bodies of Custer's command. Reno until the time of his being court marshalled out of the Army was known for not being a coward, this is when the Custer Myth goes into full gear to dishonor them that failed to save a fool. Custer already had two messages in hand the Indians were coming out in force to fight and met Reno. Yet Custer runs fall to the north out of support range of Reno and Benteen. Custer was told by his scouts and Benteen to keep the troops together, this being twice in under 12 hours before the battle. Only dividing his force does Reno, Benteen and the mule train have so many live. Had the command stated together the mule train is a sitting duck and would have been overruned with ease. It is after the battle many become very hard drinkers in the command ranks, the battle played on many souls.
I don't know how I missed this segment. Wonderful background information. Many pieces to this puzzle but a picture is starting to emerge.
Thank you!!
This was my very first try!
@@SiobhanFallon7 impressive. I have a question. Why wasn't Custer scalped and mutilated like the others on the field? I find info on that.
@sunnyjacksmack that's a loaded question. A Sioux at the fight said as he was cutting off Custer's finger, Cheyenne women came up to him and asked him to leave the body alone, as he was their relative. It's hard to pinpoint the accuracy of this, but I'm not ruling it out. White Cow Bull's story, I believe.
And if you look up Antelope Woman/ Kate Bighead's story of the LBH fight given to Dr. Thomas Marquis, you will find a connection there.
I think I cover some of this in my Custer and the Captives Washita series...
It is something I have been researching for awhile and I intend on doing an independent video at some point.
You can Google Kate Bighead's story . White Cow Bull too. The Astonisher website has them all.
@@SiobhanFallon7 You are very kind indeed to respond in such a thorough manner. You gave me a better answer than I have been able to find on my own. I will follow your advise and research the paths you suggest.
As always i will be looking towards your further reports; you have a way of making the past come human and very real. Thank you kindly for you immediate response.
God bless you.
I thought this was very well done, Siobhan. Recently, the Harrisburg Civil War Roundtable sponsored a presentation by Jim Hessler, a Park Ranger(perhaps retired?) about Reno and his connections to Harrisburg. Very interesting as it fills in more of the picture about the man. Should be on UA-cam also.
I think I was in the audience at Harrisburg that day! Great conference! Thanks for the kind words, Patrick. Since you seem to be interested in LBH, here's my recent video. I'm still learning the ropes. Takes time to become a Jim Hessler but I'll keep at it ;) ua-cam.com/video/ilQDyHx1txI/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/iqYGE1TfG3o/v-deo.html
Thanks for the presentation. So many opinions in the comments here. 😆 One opinion I have on Benteen is that he was a capable war fighter and was the difference that saved both his own and Reno's battalion and the pack train from being annihilated. Did he "drag his feet" getting into the fight? I think so. I believe he felt Custer was biting off more than he could chew and didn't want to take a tomahawk to the forehead. 🙂
I tend to agree with you about Benteen's actions that day.
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment 🙏
The arguments about this segment of our history will never come to an end and will still be going on for as long as our history will last which is of course is unknown!!! ButI will say one thing about Cusrer, he certainly knew how to stir up a hornets nest!!! And that my friends I think we can all agree upon!!!
I enjoyed this immensely. Visited LBH in April 1993 and fascinated by the battle. There is NO doubt that Benteen disobeyed a direct order from his CO. If he HAD obeyed the outcome might have been the massacre of the entire 7th Cav on June 25th., caught strung out over miles and defeated in detail .
Yes, it is the one of the many conundrums that I think contributed to a lot of participant guilt. Many of them later said they ought to have gone to the sound of the guns, though they acknowledged they would probably have died if they did.
Respectfully disagree. Over 2 days they could not even defeat the last remaining remnants of cowardly drunken Reno and his men combined with the evil cowardly hateful jealous Benteen's intact battalion on an open hill!
Had Benteen obeyed orders in a timely fashion, and Custer, having caught the natives off guard to a large degree by the latter letting women and children go relatively unprotected, Custer at least would have made it down into the valley's far end to hold them hostage with a large reinforced Benteen there. That was his original plan and m.o. according to military historians. Custer's near last thoughts must have been bitter; thinking and perhaps outwardly cursing Benteen for the blatant betrayal.
@@timothyernest6429 sounds like your condoning the potential massacre or the holding hostage of women and children Custer had in mind and blaming others, calling them cowards for its failure. Bit of a shakey position to take. These men barely survived as it was ( many winning medals in the process) they would have all died if not.
@@SiobhanFallon7 Time and distance crossing that landscape would have doomed any attempt to salvage the situation. From that vantage point (Reno Bluff) - understanding the situation would have been impossible until it was mostly over. A defensive stand was all that could be sustained.
Complete conjecture on your part. Had all the orders been followed the Indians could never had massed against any group t once. A three pronged attack against a surprised village would have probably been successful.
I see that even in that time that CYA was alive and was well in the armed forces,
Always as been, always will be. It works best when many of the involved are no longer with us to challenge testimony.
The way of the military propaganda at a base level. Blame the dead because they can’t defend themselves, prop up the survivors no matter how culpable they may be.
Overall, this is a good video on the whitewash of the Reno court of inquiry. The Indians themselves were surprised that Reno left the timber. General Nathan Miles noted that the timber formed a natural rifle pit. The Indians were not about to attack the soldiers in the timber because they would have suffered huge casualties in doing so, and this was something they did not do. Reno did not suffer a single casualty in the timber until he began to gather his men in the clearing inside the timber. Even Edgar Stewart admitted that Reno probably could have held the timber "for several hours without difficulty."
@@michaelgriffith5566 thanks, Michael! I appreciate your insight.
Please take a look at my other videos and let me know what you think ! 🙏
From a strictly military point of view, Custer sent Benteen to cover and check his left flank. He then sent Reno up the middle in a frontal engagement. Custer tried to make a pincer on the right flank, he bit off far more than he could chew. The first crossing ford was a sink hole, he floundered. He couldn't get to the next ford before he was enveloped and driven up to the high ground. There was no love lost between Custer, Benteen and Reno. Would you go save a guy you hate??
I don't know what I would do. But I like to think that the United States military demands her officers and soldiers follow orders regardless of feelings of personal hatred etc, human emotions aside.
Which is why we still debate Benteen and Reno's actions today-- that undercurrent of animosity makes us doubt the military soundness of their decisions that day 🤷🏼♀️
Don't ever apology for your fine presentations!
THANK YOU!! 🙏
I think I've come a long way since posting this first one 🤦🏼♀️😉
Very good of you to comment. 🙏
Let me know if you like any of ny other videos if you get a chance, GAR!
I'm working on one about Myles Keogh now... ☘️
@@SiobhanFallon7 That's great I think he was a very interesting person.
Few people place any blame on the Bureau of Indian Affairs for massively underreporting the numbers of Sioux that had left the reservation. The total number of hostiles they had reported to the Army was less than 25% of the actual total. General Crook believed he had engaged the main body of hostiles at the Battle of Rosebud Creek, but he'd fought less than half their total fighting strength.
Great points! Few people also do not connect Crook's fight on the Rosebud with the Little Bighorn a week later, and how that impacted the battle.
Everyone but Custer is to blame? Where do the excuses end?
Custer had long believed all the press articles that cast him in a positive light. It probably had something to do with the outcome of the battle to come. He was a gallant soldier, his actions in the civil war reflect that.
At Little Bighorn he was in command of his column. They were miles away when told by his scouts not to go down into the valley due to sheer numbers they would be up against. Then he splits his command into 3 elements before realizing how big the village actually was. Who else is to blame? With that said there were a lot of factors and unknowns that determine the outcome, but the bottom line is the commending officer sent them in and they got annihilated. Actually they're lucky every single man was not killed.
Custer was known to be foolhardy and make rash decisions that endangered his men. He was known to be reckless and get soldiers killed
You never leave wounded behind, never
I like the opening joke, but maybe we could switch out the Lawyer with a Politician….?!
Ha, yes we could!
Anytime i read about the battle of little big horn, im so disgusted about Reno and Benteen and their cowardice and disobeying of direct orders it makes me sick.
Maybe stop reading about it?
I had two coworkers in a production plant they're immediately underneath me that they would always roll their eyes or Snicker between each other a little wicked smile and it just threw a wrench and operation they were cowards
Really enjoyed this presentation. Very well done and listen to it frequently. During the Benteen section, it's obvious the presenter '"really gets it." Although not sure the work 'ire' even begins to describe ole Fred. Book entitled "Harvest of Barron Regrets: The Army Career of Fredrick Benteen" is an interesting read. Although unable to determine the veracity of it's content, a very long but entertaining movie titled "Son of the Morning Start" starring Gary Cole as George Custer, Rosanna Arquette as Elizabeth Custer and David Strathairn as Benteen is worth viewing. Movie humorously accentuates the animosity between Custer and Benteen. Never served in the military, but don't understand how Benteen was able to frequently confront Custer the way he did without consequences.
Yes, Benteen certainly does confront Custer a lot-- in Benteen's telling of the events! Which is often the only account we have of such things and maybe we ought to take it with a grain of salt. According to Benteen he was willing to fight with just about every one. Maybe he was-- he did have a problem with authority and was in troube once in the CW for contradicting a superior. He is quite a character, and so fascinating because of it. But man, I would not want to be responsible for or in charge of him in any way or form!
@@SiobhanFallon7 You're not.
How difficult is it to find what is fact and what is fabricated
It truly is.
You are so good at this, ma'am.
So kind of you to say, Greg!
Please let me know if you like any of my other videos, too, when you get a chance!
Reno's first condemnemt as a coward seems me the truth.
Young, unexpeced, vain and ambitious he commands the first attack of his troopers. Many of them where fresh enrolled and unable to ride reasonable orderly.
And all those men was driven to poke in the hornets net, and die for this.
And as he realised, then he's crying to Benteen for help.
“Completely annihilated”. Is that different from annihilated?
@ completely annihilated is a tautology; redundant; annihilated is in the perfective sense and as such does not need “completely” as a qualifier.
LOL.. I agree Totally and Completely are useless modifiers.. still we often use them. I wonder if some English Grammar Genius has studied that class of words. ?
@@jeffclark7888 Same goes with the word "very". As in, "I'm very pleased."
@@Eadbhard true.
@@od1452 agree.
The court of inquiry is such a fascinating topic!
You are wonderful. I love history and you have a way of talking about it in a way that makes every part of the story fascinating. Thank you for the hard work that I know goes into making these videos. Your you so much, Martin
Oh Martin, what a message!! You made my day! Thank you!
I recognize one of the officer's name...Moylan. I knew one of his descendants with the same name. He had some cool research material on Lt. Moylan. Never mentioned THAT about his ancestor!
I personally celebrate June 25, 1876, for Custer finally getting what he deserved. He constantly made rash and dangerous charges without any recon or strategy. His charge into Gen. JEB Stuart at the Battle of Gettysburg possibly, very possibly, saved the Union Army. I do feel sorry for his men but Custer never cared about his men. This devastating defeat was actually long overdue for Custer.
Right! And whatabout the butcher Grant?
I agree , Custer was very rash , at the Battle of Trevilian station in 64 he rushed into Gen Thomas Munfords rear area ended up surrounded an facing anillation , Gen Gregg came saved him there , there was no General Gregg on the big horn...
I suggest you read historian T. J. Stiles' Pulitzer Prize-winning book CUSTER'S TRIALS. All of your negative comments about Custer are either invalid or exaggerated.
I forget was Reno at the time of the hearing discharged from the military, if so how could he be court marshalled. Since French was unable to attend and most likely to be truthful, he was at Fort Lincoln attending his own court Marshall. Interesting fact that men of Crook were court marshalled at the time of the LBH for not killing all the ponies, some officers were reported drunk at the time of that battle and for the most part drinking and being drunk I think was a way of making men do unthinkable things. Schnapps was giving to the men killing jews and others that followed the troops of germany through the campaigns, one town after another. schnapps then was used to keep men drunk at the concentration camps as far as those in charge of killing. Benteen for what he was I often wonder not about his bravery as that is unquestionable, but two things, did he not want to charge a camp where all people were warriors, or did he not want to kill, he acted the man on the hill and even Chief Joeseph on his surrender wanted to see the man that rode on a scout acting as if on holiday while Chief Joeseph said his best shooters were at the game of clearing the saddle. The man had a pipe and a fishing pole. Camp Notes... so Benteen may have distorted the testimony because he saw the ridiculousness of having to defend Reno who he also hated. Custer he hated but Reno he hated and being asked to lie, he lied better and more obvious than anyone. Was it almost honorable to lie as he did, Maguire and others knew the fix was in. Benteen made it a show.
Watching this draws my attention to the tactics of the natives.. did they evolve their tactics to meet the threat on this day or was it just weight of numbers that won the day? Was there any truth in the story that white trappers assisted the tribes in attacking the troopers? And did the Army research the battle other than looking at what the command failed to do.
All really great questions! Not sure about white trappers fighting with the Natives at Little Bighorn-- I don't think there has ever been verified cases rather than tall tales. I do know that there were whites in the villages at Sand Creek (as well as George Bent, who was half white, half Cheyenne, and spoke fluently in both tongues), and there was a Mexican man at the Washita village who was married to a Cheyenne woman. And surely plenty of Native Americans spoke English to some degree. So who knows?
About the Army looking into LBH-- I think that was one of the complaints amongst those who supported Custer. There had been an indepth court case after the Fetterman Fight/ Massacre-- so why not after LBH?
About the NA fighting tactics... frankly I am not that strong on the military side of this fight. Still learning so very much and working out in my head how I think the battle played out.
What do you think?
Thanks for your reply..learning so much about this darker side of America / Native history. Very well presented piece by the way! I am hooked on learning more. Just sent off for a few books on the subject..
@@cgdeery it's addictive! But fascinating. Keep me posted!
Nice over view. I retired from the Army... There is no wrong way to interpret Custer's orders to Benteen. Benteen was so pissed at Custer he "killed " the messenger ( the trumpeter) by understanding his orders wrong... later ( realizing he screwed up) saying he was not on Pack detail. as his defense. Any soldier worth his salt could understand Custer wanted Benteen to get to him quickly and bring Ammo. Lee sees Reno and especially Benteen's Captain Quig defense for what it is... a way to blame Custer for both of them not following orders. ( Lee gets it . He was a soldier I could respect). If Benteen had followed his first orders he would have been on Reno's left and could have supported Reno. ( like Devern said ... interestingly a SGT can understand orders but not a Captain .) But Custer saw Benteen move to Reno .. that is why the message was meant for Benteen. Custer knew he was with Reno because He didn't follow his orders and stay on Reno's left. By then Custer knew he needed more men to capture or possibly corral the Families. ( He wasn't trying to kill off the warriors and he did expect Terry and Crook before too long. So he probably was thinking at first that He could eventually get control of the women and children. ) Reno's attack was meant to suck the warriors out of the Village. That's why Custer cheered them on from the hill. Custer sent E and F companies to the ford...probably to draw off pressure from Reno. ( as Weir noted) They withdrew shortly later ....probably to unify the commands of the Custer wing. The Custer Wing actions show they moved and fought until I think Calhoun's company collapsed causing Custer to eventually go to Last Stand Hill to again unify the Command. ALL The Time their movements show they are looking for Benteen to come to support.. ( Standing where he will see them when he comes.) . but of course he doesn't.
Custer had asked the officers to put aside their problems and work together at one of the officer's calls. This was a movement to contact .. so the plan had to adapt to the changes on the Battlefield. ( Some because of Reno and Benteen not following orders.) EM have said Reno's officers sipped enough whisky to make any man drunk and Reno late in life admitted he was drunk. Surely that didn't help. Reno's Command was hopefully re-organizing when Benteen got there... so Reno probably couldn't have supported Custer anyway.....Custer has seen what happened from the Bluffs..... But he knows Benteen was not engaged so he could support. ( And it no longer mattered that he was in the wrong place that opportunity passed. )
We don't know... but I don't necessarily think all soldiers would have died if they had come to Custer's aid. The Battle would have been different. The Families were fleeing and the braves were protecting them. Maybe they could have disengaged .... Custer didn't know Crook was stopped and expected help before long. the Indians knew of the Rosebud battle and may have thought there were many more soldiers ..
I think Lt. Lee was spot on in his evaluation.. but should have been harder on Benteen.
Thanks for an interesting video.
WOW!!! Excellent synopsis of the battle, O D! YOU know this fight! Thank you for the kind words and for your insights.
Well thought out, and quite plausible. Makes much more sense to me than many others thoughts that Custer was just a plain idiot. He was anything but that. He held faith in his fellow officers to complete their orders and they didn’t. I’m a 67 year old lady from the Volunteer state of Tennessee and I’m so interested in history’s verdict. Thank you for this. 🤗
@@tngranny2b I agree. Thank you!
A standard analysis of the battle that does not consider human psych or the testimony of those, the Native Americans, who were the survivors and victors of the battle.
Outing aside theories and concentrating on facts the last man to see Custer and his command was Trumpeter Martini the courier who was to carry the last fateful message to Benteen.
His recollection, to paraphrase, was Custer ‘ let’s get back to our station’ leading a charge down Medicine Tail Coulee towards the village.
The Native Americans then report how, at the village ford, the charge is stopped mid stream when the leading rider is shot from his horse..
From this point the command appears to fracture into two separate battalions and the battle becomes a mele.
Now, nearly 150 years later, it is becoming more apparent that the narcissistic Custer, believing in ‘Custer’s Luck’ and his own invincibility never trained his subordinates to perform, as we do today, without his input.
A simple tactical exercise.
We can speculate, though it’s fairly obvious, that it was George Custer who was the rider leading and unhorsed at that crossing.
With his demise the entire command falters, flounders and is lost.
It divides into two battalions…
(Three companies with Captain Yates and two under the command of Captain Keogh ).
The separation proves deadly in the terrain and the commands are annihilated.
Mostly in the order described above and by Archaeological research.
As to the Reno Courts Martial it was a very obvious PR stunt designed to exonerate Reno and paint Custer as the villain.
Disobeyed orders etc. The false map of size of the village.
The number of ‘hostiles’ greatly exaggerated by both Benteen and Reno.
There was no way the administration was going to find Reno or Benteen at fault.
It closed ranks and only called ‘friendly’ witnesses to the stand.
(As a postscript Martini always denied telling Benteen ‘ the Indians they are ‘skedaggling’..just an example of how the truth was twisted)..
Would the battle have been won if the charge hadn’t been stopped at the ford.
Very possibly.
The village was panicking and if Custer had joined with Reno it’s more than likely the warriors and their families would have run.
It’s a pity that both adjutants died with their notes at the bighorn.
Just think that’s where the real secrets..the truth..lay.
But it’s still all speculation..we will never really know.👵🇦🇺🇺🇸
@@madlenellul3430 I don't believe I have the Battle nailed down. I do pay attention to the Warriors memories . ...Particularly after the Custer wing splits off. They are key in order to attempt to understand what happened. Cultural differences are also a consideration. Human memory being imperfect means Native peoples are not perfect either. I think it will always be a mystery, and I suspect that is part of the reason many find it intriguing . Thanks for your insight .
No matter how you cut it Reno was a coward, clearly unfit to lead, and creepy to boot. At the first sign of resistance he essentially abandoned most of his command to go hide in the trees. When those left behind slowly broke and joined him he completely panicked and semi-ordered a completely unorganized flight. Fortunately for him the Indians decided Custer was a bigger threat or his whole command would have been wiped out on Reno Hill since he was mentally AWOL. So within a space of an hour he abandoned men in the field twice and completely abdicated his leadership responsibilities three times. I doubt it would have changed Custer's fate, but it certainly got men under his command killed.
Don't think so. Reno and his men would have been overcome in short order by the Sioux from the southern end of the village. Their only hope was to reach the high ground and hold it.
Which they did!
I need to save this to my phone. Couldnt have said it better myself. Now lets not even start to get into Benteen’s blatant disregard of a direct order.
That’s the nature of war, right? Two soldiers sharing a foxhole will tell two entirely different stories. But each story is like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. If you can put them together you get the whole picture. It’s why after action reports don’t always tell the whole story.
That's a valid point
How does one seperate wheat from chafe
Very true. That's why the Indians' accounts of the LBH often vary wildly but all have truth. Some of the Indians rode out to meet Reno; some went to fight Custer -- those were essentially 2 different battles. Some fought from the start; others, like Crazy Horse, joined the fight late. The battlefield is spread out over 4 miles by about a half mile and there were people all over that space. It's like the classic fable of the blind men describing the nature of the elephant depending on the location of their contact with it.
One thing I find ironic about the battle, and forgive me as a newbie if you've heard it a thousand times, is that Custer was nicknamed Son of the Morning Star - because supposedly he attacked the enemy at dawn - but Reno didn't attack till 12:30pm (I think). The battle might have been completely different had Custer actually attacked at daybreak, that was his decision. He split the army up and didn't seem to scout out the vicinity properly; he was on the wrong side of the river. When the battle started he moved further and further away from his supplies, reinforcements and salvation. His leadership was an utter fiasco. Benteen and Reno just about stayed alive. The luckiest troops that day were the guys in the supply train. What a fascinating tale.
Custer had intented to attack on June 26 at dawn, but his scouts and some officers were certain that the Lakota/Cheyenne had spotted Custer's column, and while it was not unanimous, many of Custer's Native scouts urged he attack at once while there was some small element of surprise. So Custer, following Army understanding of "Indian fighting" at the time, chose to immediately attack before the Lakota and Cheyenne could scatter and disappear. Custer was not aware that General Crook had been handily beaten (or at least fought to a close draw) less than a week earlier at the Rosebud. And while hindsight shows us that Custer ought to have scouted the area better, this was a difficult task with such a tremendous swath of land, and the Natives being remarkably fast at packing up and village and vanishing, and Custer's attack was not so different from other successful Army attacks that were fast and often a surprise for both sides. In comparison, summer of 1876, Colonel Gibbon's column had been chasing the Lakota for months and never managed to bring anyone to battle for all the fine scouting he managed to do (and outright taunting the Lakota/Cheyenne had done to Gibbon's troops).
However, I WHOLLY agree with your comment about the luckiest folk by far being those with the supply train!!!! ;)
Custer used sound tactics and demonstrated a keen perspicacity at the Little Bighorn. A man of his martial prowess doesn't just suddenly screw-up during a battle. Custer had his faults, but when it came to fighting and warfare, the man was in his element. He was not careless and rash, he was prudent and methodical. Custer lost at the Little Bighorn because of peculiar circumstances, not because he used poor judgement . Given the unusual conditions he faced that day, he did everything he could have done.
Son of the Morning Star reputation was based on the Washita massacre where Custer attacked a Cheyenne Village with the village flying an American Flag... but he did attack at very early morning
@@Eadbhard Ignored his scouts. Bit off more than he could chew. Retreated in the wrong direction. Sometimes lucky, sometimes not. He wasn't superman.
@@tbcoachniblick1208 Black Kettle's village on the Washita was not flying an American flag. Four years earlier, when that diabolic and degenerate officer, Colonel John Chivington brutally massacred Black Kettle's, and the Arapaho chief, White Antelope's, camp along Sand Creek, their village was flying an American flag with a white flag underneath it.
Very solid review is my assessment as a first time reviewer of this RENO C of I.
Much appreciated, Darrell!
Thank you for taking the time to comment! 🙏
Ps, in noticing the tally sheets between Wallace abd Girad, can we say that Girard is most definitely closer to the truth on the Indian numbers and the timing of the Custer battle immediately afterwards? Also, can we or can we not agree as to whether Reno charged through Indians to get out?
Most lawyers will tell you transcripts of testimony don’t tell the whole story, can be misleading or twisted. Nothing substitutes for observing and listening to live testimony. The transcript doesn’t indicate voice inflections and the timing of the examination…for eg., hesitation in answers, and “body language “. But in any event, this disaster gave, in a Machiavellian way, some sort of life after death for the participants.
Great points!! This is why I read the transcripts alongside the Utley Chicago Times Account, which is a collection of the Chicago Times newspaper reporting that happened each day. Here the journalists do sometimes mention when the lawyers are being agrressive or the witnesses are being testy or flustered, and when the audience laughs. It allows me to see the moment better than just reading the sparse words on a page.
Just think if Reno held his ground preventing Indians warriors from going after Custer. When the warriors discovered Custer, they moved towards him and that would have taken pressure off Reno and he could have gone on the attack again! Instead he fled and then let the majority of the Indian warriors free to go after Custer!
And imagine if Benteen followed his orders and moved quickly to join Custer. He could have come in on the rear of the Indians attacking Custer's right wing and routed the Indians!!!
Both Reno and Benteen failed to follow their orders and contributed significantly to the disaster!
Yeah, "imagine". Too late now.
Agree. Benteen also took his time getting to the battlefield. They both despised Custer.
Still near 1000 Indians' fighting Reno until after crossing the Little Big Horn, it is far too late to save Custer at this point and the draw backs of the Springfield in combat have been clearly seen by Reno. Reno's command has to wait out the back train. Custer's orders to hurry up and bring packs is like saying fly to Washington DC but bring the elephants with you. Reno and Benten's command need ammo and Benteen's command split ammo with Reno's command.
@@kevinpollard4238 No Custer had a way of grouping officers to his command, close friends and family and had little to do with the rest. Custer becomes he saint because Libbie outlives them all, Custer is a Christian, does not drink and has no problem killing people.
It doesn't take a military genius to figure out what went wrong at Little Big Horn.Custer rode into battle with a regiment of 600 calvary, divided into three collumns which were to rendezvous at the Indian village to engage the enemy.Reno and Benteen were not to be engaged in a fight with the hostiles, but were to re-inforce Custer with the full force, not to abandon their commanding officer who had only 200 men to confront anywhere from 2 thousand to 9 thousand Indians.Benteen even had a note from Custer asking him to send the pack animals for more ammunition, since he was running low while engaged in a firefight.Reno and Benteen were cowards, and should have been court martialed.If you are in the cavalry, you should not be engaged in a fight on foot, but on your horse so you can disengage with the enemy quickly, and rejoin your commanding officer in time of need.George Armstrong Custer was victorious in every battle he fought in the Civil War,had horses shot out from under him in battle, yet was never wounded in battle.Furthermore,unlike most generals, he always rode at the head of his troops.
Luck ran out. Also, he got shot. That changes things.
Benteen was not in charge of pack train. He did send messengers back to the train. Reno and Benteen were surrounded. Reno thought custer was going to support him, he didn't or couldn't. Benteen was given no orders other than left oblique, custer was probably dead by the time Benteen got message about pack train.
@@dinogirl7466 A little after the message (that is the Custer command), Custer dead early in the fight and it is Tom on Custer's horse on Last Stand Hill.
Very interesting.
According to Nathaniel Philbrick, "General Sheridan made it clear he wanted no disclosures during the proceedings [of the RCI] that might reflect poorly on the U.S. Army." p. 301 "The Last Stand". The notes on p. 414 "The Last Stand" note the source as Hardorff's "On the Little Bighorn" p. 241.
Philbrick also cites a 1904 story in "The Northwestern Christian Advocate" claiming Reno had admitted to a former editor that his strange actions during and after LBH were "due to drink". p. 414.
The Appendix and Notes section of Philbrick's book is probably the best part of the book.
Donovan's Terrible Glory's notes are THE BEST on the RCOI. His research is unbeatable.
I’m impressed with this account. I’m from England and I believe it’s and accurate account. I’ve been reading about the LBH since I bought my first book, and I’m now retired.
I appreciate the kind words! I think I'll be reading about LBH for a very long time ;) I spent my junior year of college in England and loved it. I just posted a new video about General Custer's wife, Libbie. If you want to take a look, here it is... ua-cam.com/video/ilQDyHx1txI/v-deo.html
@@SiobhanFallon7 thanks for the link Siobhan, I’ll take a look with great interest!
it's my understanding but the Army had the old rifle where you had to open it up and put a bullet in each time you shot it where the Indians had the new guns they didn't have to load him fire away I could be wrong so no not only where they outnumbered but they were outgunned that whole speech nobody mentions that and it does make a big difference
Only around 25% of the Native Americans were armed with repeating rifles. Most only had a bow and arrows, which were actually quite effective, as they allowed indirect fire to be placed on the semi-entrenched troopers.
The trapdoor carbines used by the troopers were more accurate and longer ranged than the repeating rifles used by the Native Americans, which is one of the reasons that Reno was able to hold out. The troopers with Custer were attacked at a much closer range, thus nullifying the troopers advantage.
The Trapdoor Springfield was an effective firearm, and remained the primary service weapon during the Spanish American war in 1898.
Good report.
Do you happen to have info about the East Rosebud Valley, between Red Lodge, to Roscoe, and then north to Absarokee, and to Columbus, where the river dumps it the Yellowstone River.
I have info about the Tuttle Ranch area, more specifically.
No, I don't know anything about that, John, but would love to hear more.
The court of inquiry is like a grand jury in the civilian context.
Good point. Thank you.
Worth the listen, thanks for the summary. Did Recorder Lee really have the last word? In a trial, the Defense has the last summation to the Jury. Since Reno was largely 'on trial' I'm surprised Lee had the last summation.
The prosecution usually reserves a little of its time to the end so it can rebut the defense's final argument.
Yes indeed, good point and it is curious. But Lee has the last word, at least on that day.
I came back and listened to this for a second time.
The fiesty statement made by Luther Hare was quote: I’m a fighting sonofabitch from Texas!
Mother effer was a term that originated during WW2.
@@pigmanobvious thank you!
Excellent .My interest in History started as a teenager reading a book on Little Big Horn.I have been fascinated ever since with this battle,also the battle of Isandlwana 1879 where the British force was annihilated by a Zulu Impi.If Custer had the genius of Alexander the Great (who never lost a battle and is generally regarded as the greatest military strategist in History) he may have achieved a different result!Custer was obviously very brave but foolish 'Custer luck' having failed him on that fateful day!
Thankyou for such a full and informative account.
Thanks for the kind words!
Jake, my view is it was less Custer’s Luck which failed, but his two useless subordinate officers.
@@drstrangelove4998It would appear that Benteen,although very competent,hated Custer and appeared not to rally to the call;When Custer's book came out called" My life on the plains" Benteen chose to refer to it as "My lies on the plains!" He never forgave Custer for how he dealt with the Washita incident.
Wonderful work! thanks Ms Siobhan!
Thank YOU!!! Very kind of you to comment. Please know I'm putting a new one out this weekend...
Excellent presentation!
Thanks so much!!
I'll have another out this weekend!
The officers may have been looking to protect the Army as an institution. Also, if Reno goes down it could open them up to jeopardy too.
Class show thank you
A superb summary of the Reno enquiry
Thank you so much!
The three damaging witnesses to Reno at the court are the same three Reno had fired and Custer hired back for this operation. It is very easy to prove the 2 mule packers are lying out right. The scout is at best questionable on his testimony, which does not hold up the light of the others testimony. Remember Reno is not the first back over the Little Big Horn, as he had turned around and gave some orders to a few troops passing by him. Capt. French and Reno are two that did try to lead and help in the retreat. There are three columns of fours formed up, it is Reno that ordered all in hearing range to draw pistols. It is because of the mass fire power from the front of the charge back to cross the Little Big Horn that forced the Indians to turn back to the west and circle back around, many in one company did not get the order to mount or to draw pistols. Which is why the end of the columns have the most casualties. The 45/70 was near to junk in 1876, the best relic to get from the battlefield is a knife that has been snapped trying to get the 45/70 case out. DeRudio hate's Reno, DeRudio was an outcast a long time before the Little Big Horn, because of his tall tells (which if about his life in Europe and South America they are true).
Reno was a trash person. I don’t know what he was going through but there was a reason no one could stomach being around him for any time. He had proven to not be above using his rank to bully and belittle others including hitting on subordinate’s wives. He stayed on the sauce and likely was an alcoholic who needed the bottle to survive. That being said he could’ve been hell on wheels when it comes to fighting. But seeing the guy he depended on more than anyone personally heads blow up beside you could rattle the best of men.
Well done. Great analysis.
Thank you for the informative, educational presentation.
Great job - very well done...thank you!
Much appreciated, Larry!
Wow! Thorough, insightful, and extremely well presented! I personally believe some of the blame lies with General Terry. He knew the impetetuos and occasionally irrational decision making nature of George Armstrong Custer and probably should have issued orders not to engage until the full weight of his own (Terry's) infantry columns might be brought into a fight. Custer, for his part, acted on tactics that had served him in the past: isolate and threaten the noncombatants, and the warriors will submit. In this case, however, there were simply too many warriors! Reno and Benteen realized this quickly and took the only actions they could to preserve their commands. Outnumbered 10-1 on both fronts, I don't see that Reno or Benteen had any choice but a defensive redoubt. "Esprit de corps is a strong incentive." True, but panic, fear and survival proved even stronger in this case. They knew they were not dealing with an enemy who took any prisoners. Benteen performed admirably here, exposing himself constantly to enemy fire and walking from position to position to encourage the troopers. Major Reno, in contrast, hunkered down to avoid the melee. Both, I believe, had generously imbibed in their alcohol rations. But alcohol affects people differently. Thanks for bringing some much needed insight to this episode of history. In a nutshell, I believe the Army acted to protect it's reputation here and not to focus any blame for the disaster.
Well covered and without noticeable judgement. Also, some recommendations for people to read up on. It's such a historical battle and filled with so many if/then statements. Essentially Custer was ill prepared for what he had intended to do and less than 48 hours later the main forces would have been there to support. Now you have me wanting to know more about Marcus Reno and Frederick Benteen. I believe that everyone was heroic on that day.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting! Very good of you to reach out.
One of my go-to books is Colonel Graham's Custer Myth. And Grahams wisely writes: “…A retired Major General remarked to me that we of the present generation are too prone to judge by present day standards, and, in consequence, to misjudge… If therefore we must judge at all, let us appraise the worth of Custer, of Reno and Benteen, and all the others of that “Old Army” which had so great a part in winning the West, by their achievements, which were godlike, rather than their failures, which were human.”
Colonel W.A. Graham
lol ''nervous timidity'' is a seriously damning accusation between officers 😆
Godfrey wasn't holding back
🤣 right?
3:00 The map left out the “forth group”, the pack train that was left behind.
Good eye! Thanks for pointing that out.
Fascinating presentation of facts .....for us to fictionalize about for...........years
Thru your history factuals . I've come to bring a bit of sympathy to Marcus Reno . He was wearing Custers favorite scout Bloody Knife over half his body . It rolled him as it would most . They all carried Whows after LBH .
Yes 😥
This was beautifully put together.
Gosh, thank you so much. This was my first effort so I get very mixed comments. Yours is a lovely one! Hope to hear from you again!
I'll explain my comment further. You covered, what could have been, a very 'heavy' subject with an easy to follow, methodical approach. The balance you achieved through the written testimony of the witnesses and the history of the relationships between them was fascinating. This video has brought me to realize that this battle is much more than 200+ men riding bravely to their deaths. I'm subscribing. 🙂 @@SiobhanFallon7
@@colinglen4505 you just made my day! Hope you continue finding subjects here that interest you :)
Whenever I read discussions regarding where the blame lies for this catastrophe I am reminded of a homely Turkish proverb applied on such occasions: they say "the fish stinks first at the head".
But which head?
President Grant who suddenly made an ultimatum to the Tribes in January, knowing it would be difficult for them to adhere to these new rules so quickly? And Grant who also removed Custer from the lead role of the Montana Column because Custer testified to the administration corruption?
Generals Sheridan and Sherman, who only allowed Custer to unite all 12 companies of the 7th CAV at the last minute after Custer repeatedly petitioned for a stronger force? And Sheridan and Sherman who allowed a understaffed skeleton force lacking officers to go on this kind of mission?
General Terry, with the Nontana Column leadership thrust upon him and having absolutely no Indian fighting experience, who was out of his depth here and indecisive about what steps to take, and ended up arriving a day late to the Little Bighorn?
General Crook who retreated after the Rosebud fight, and was only 100 miles away when the 7th was fighting? Nor did he get word to Sheridan or Terry about the strength of the tribes?
LT COL Custer for multiple reasons, of course.
But also Benteen and Reno, who were heads of their own columns that day, and arguably neither of them followed Custer's final order to them?
Maybe there were too many Hydra heads to this fiasco!
The only heads we don't need to blame are the Lakota and Cheyenne chiefs, who soundly triumphed.
I'm referring to Custer, Custer's impetuousness and arrogance, stemming from his desire for more fame and glory, is what got him and his immediate command killed that day. Custer is responsible, no one else.
It wasn't Grant, or Sheridan, or Sherman that caused Custer's officers to despise him. It was Custer's arrogance that created his rotten, dysfunctional command structure.
Custer, and his irresponsibility on that day , is what got his command slaughtered. If he had acted properly on the day of the battle, with proper reconnaissance and disposition of his forces, instead of rushing in like a maniac, he wouldn't have been wiped out.
Ironically his stupidity in splitting his forces in the face of superior numbers is the only thing that saved the rest of his men. There is nothing Reno or Benteen could have done that day to save Custer from himself.
He was the type of officer who, in later days, would have been fragged.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply and this informative podcast, Happy holidays
@@georgeworthmore thanks for taking the time to comment!
@@georgeworthmore Hmmm. You are not the only one who says this sort of thing. But I'm going to have to agree with the contemporary Army officer who, like Custer, had experience in the Civil War, attended West Point, served on frontier, knew the capabilities of the 7th CAV, retired as a General, and who was fighting and leading men at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, who said:
“It is a rare occurrence in Indian warfare that gives a commander the opportunity to reconnoiter the enemy’s position in daylight. This is particularly true if the Indians have knowledge of the presence of troops in the country... When the “signs” indicate a “hot trail” i.e. near approach, the commander judges his distance and by a forced march, usually in the night time, tries to reach the Indian village at night and make his disposition for a surprise attack at daylight. At all events his attack must be made with celerity, and generally without other knowledge of the numbers of the opposing force …” (p136)
"The division of the command was not in itself faulty. The same tactics were pursued at the battle of the Washita and were successful. That was a surprise attack and there was full cooperations of the seperate commands, each commander carried out his instructions... had Reno made his charge as ordered, or made a bold front even, the Hostiles would have been so engaged in teh bottom that Custer's approach from the Northeast would have been such a surprise as to cause astampede of the village and would have broken the morale of the warriors." (p147)
General Godfrey’s Narrative, The Custer Myth, edited by Col Graham
Thanks for being a part of the discussion here, and the happiest of holidays to you and yours :)
@@georgeworthmore you might like to take a look at some of my more recent videos where I focus more on the battle.
Thanks again for watching!
Too bad Weir, could not have spoken at this . I belive he would have made the mud clear waters. But he most have seen more then he talked about. Any thing in his records about drinking to much . Before 1876. Its hard not to change after seeing a friend die . I have lived this , its not fun
@@genenoud9048 I agree with you, Gene 🙏
Is there anywhere to watch the rest of this? It cuts off right when the rest of the panel is about to chime in :( Good presentation and I learned a few things I didn't know so thanks for that!
Oh btw, great presentation!!
One must defer to the known previous characters as well acknowledge the men’s reluctance to talk because of Libby and she outlived most all. Custer was warned “Don’t be Greedy” his scouts “Saw many in the Camp , many warriors. He does not wait for reinforcements . His men and horses are exhausted from no rest. Reno having crossed the river has his face splatted by a scout being shot in the head. He was well shook. He tells his men to mount then to dismount and when they do cross the river they are faced with a formidable bank to climb and slaughtered. Custer send Martin who cannot speak clear English with a note. Shots ringing out ma have been the grey horse group , Custer I believe was quickly overtaken. Beenteens disdained for Custer went way back many years . If I remember correctly Beenteen was passed over and Custer got the position as well due to Custer arrogant show off follies and past events. But Beenteen was steadfast . He directed his men.
Custer was the commanding officer. It is automatically his fault unless overwhelming evidence indicates otherwise.
Custer made all the major decisions prior to engagement.
Anybody that tries to blame Reno or Benteen is a dam fool. This does not mean Reno and Benteen are without fault. Custer placed Benteen out of position. Custer left two additional companies behind. Reno would have held his line longer with an additional company on his left flank. Calhoun would have held his position longer with an additional company. Custer could have brought the extra men and assigned them to guard the pack train, freeing those troops to join the fight.
Attacking the pony herd would have deprived the Indians mobility.
Put two extra companies into the battle, send Benteen after the pony herd, one of the extra companies on Renos left flank, as Benteen attacked the herd. Custer would then have one more company in his force, the valley fight takes longer and the Indians are slower in shifting the figh to Custer.
We don't know if Custer would have used the extra troops wisely, but it is on him that they were not there.
Several sources say that the command was split into 3 attacking wings at the lone tepee. In Terry's report immediately after the battle, he stated that Benteen was 2 miles to the LEFT of Reno. The entire camp had moved from the lone tepee location to the Southwest and crossed the LBH South of where Reno forded ( Wooden Leg and Marquis maps)
Food for thought.
The plan laid out by Custer on dividing his command was for Benteen to scout for possibly more indians upstream to Reno's rear and, not finding any, then support Reno on his left in the valley. Read the book "Custer Vindicated."
Executed correctly, the hammer and anvil tactic is militarily sound.
Custer was well known for his sound tactics as well as his bravery prior to this battle.
Reno came unglued in the timber. His scout Bloody Knife was right beside him. Reno turned to ask him something and at that moment the scout took a rifle slug to the head which blew his brains out and into Reno's face. Reno kinda lost his shit after that and hauled ass back across the river. He was severely traumatized by that.
Yes. It must have been traumatizing. I think the whole valley and timber fight must have been awful to make seasoned vets act the way they did and forget their military training a discipline.
Great points, Donald.
@@SiobhanFallon7 but were they really seasonsed vets ? if you go to Datameister channel, he has a video detailing the experience of most of the 7th cavalry men, and it isnt that impressive, in term of days served. Also, they had like a 15 rounds per month practice allowance, which is NOTHING in term of marksmanship.
@dunbar555 they had a higher caliber of experience than other units. I'm away from my books-- home leave in the states visiting family-- but I'll get some numbers to you when I get back.
Doug Scott's book They Died with Custer is great.
The newest recruits were left at the Powder River depot.
@@SiobhanFallon7 thank you for your answer. Did you ever see the datameister video I am referring to ? He also has excellent series on LBH and the Indian wars. I am a Swiss guy and I was at LBH only 2 weeks ago for the 2nd time. What a place