I grew up in the area. Wandered the Battlefield prior to it becoming a National Park. A friend had a Trapdoor rifle that his Grandfather picked up in the battlefield area a few years after the battle. In the mid 60's my friend and I located the garbage dump from old Fort Custer, abandoned in the 1890's. The old fort location was on another friend's property so we were given free reign to explore. We dug up a multitude of artifacts...bottles, buttons, spent / live cartridges, uniform scraps, boot scraps, dinnerware, and occasionally a "US" belt buckle. Sadly the dump site was obliterated in the 70's when a new road grade was established.
According to an article in National Geographic, the entire area was subjected to thorough archaeological research sometime in 70's. That's when the complete skeleton of a soldier (about 19 years old) was found in uniform and with weaponry.
One of the sergeants who testified at Reno's board of inquiry said that "if we'd been lead by braver men, we'd all be dead." I always loved that quote.
Yet the men Reno left in the timber, survived. Only a couple of troopers were killed at that point, Indian testimony said they couldn’t understand why they left a defensible position in the woods.
@@drstrangelove4998 Reno was probably trying to withdraw to a better defendable position,And that being the closest high ground with a good 360 degree circle with good field of fire in all directions. He may have also been making sure to put the river between his command and the Indian warriors. Its possible Reno didn't recognize his position in the trees was better than trying to get to high ground? I think Reno made the right choice,he just took much longer than he should have to make that choice
@@stephengreene1856 Reno was a coward. simple as that, Benteen was a disobedient, petulant child, simple as that. They killed Custer nd his men just as much as the Indians.
I have been fascinated with this battle since I was a child. I've read multiple accounts and seen many presentations. And of course this one casts Reno in a bad light. I have always felt that Reno was unfairly vilified. Custer was a flamboyant poster boy, worshiped by many of his men. And his memory was in many ways influenced by his wife's actions attempting to defend his honor. But you cannot study this battle without having to acknowledge the errors Custer made. His plan put Reno in a bad position, and it was worsened by both of their failures to properly conduct reconnaissance before committing their forces. However, as the saying goes, even the most perfect of plans rarely survives first contact with the enemy. The Sioux warriors reacted better and pressed their advantage.
In general a very well done video and an excellent addition to Custer and Little Bighorn Studies. My father was a history teacher and a lifelong student of the 19th Century American West, particularly this battle, and was a member of the Little Big Horn Society. I started going there on family vacations as a small child. My father had hundreds of books on the subject and over the years I read them all. My brother still preserves the library. I've walked and ridden the battlefield in July and August many times. I still learned rhings from this program. Thanks very much. I'm now subscribed with notifications and I'll view your other programs.
I too have had, as an Englishman, a lifelong interest in Custer and the LBH and a goodly library. I think Benteen not only hated Custer, he suffered from a pathological jealousy of his superior. He dragged his feet all the way along the back trail, walking pace, wasted time at the morass watering companies individually, despite two verbal and one written order to come quickly. In short both he and Reno were extremely fortunate not to have a court marshall. The Army wanted to whole disgraceful affair over and forgotten as quickly as possible, Custer being dead, made a convenient scapegoat.
@@drstrangelove4998 In just the last 6 months I've been to Gettysburg and Little Big Horn. There are probably no other American battles that have so many people obsessed, despite the disparity in the number of men involved. Perhaps it is because of the great 'What Ifs' posed to the decisions made by Custer and Robert E. Lee.
@@drstrangelove4998 At the battle of the Washita in 1868, Benteen wrongly accused Custer of abandoning Major Elliott and nineteen men to their fate. Ironically, eight years later at the Little Bighorn, Captain Benteen would abandon Custer and over two hundred men to their fate. Benteen did this despite receiving urgent orders from his commander to "come on" and "be quick". Benteen was a querulous, persnickety malcontent, and his self-absorbed, unwarranted hatred for his commander colored everything he said and did.
Most maps, and video on wars, civil, WW I, II, etc., are not so difficult to grasp but for some reason this is one of those battlefields that I really need to go see it to get some bearing on just where, how, who everything moved.
My mom is full-blood Oglala Sioux. My Great Grandfather was Cheif Frank Fools Crow. His grandfather, or my Great Great Great Grandfather, Knife Chief, fought and killed soldiers in the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He was also the first agent of the Pine Ridge Agency Indian Police.
@@andytyrrell5153 I don't know. Seeing as it was nearly 147 years ago, it is difficult to answer that question with any certainty. I'm not aware of any discerning historical accounts relating to that question with respect to Knife Cheif in particular. Why do you ask? What difference would it make one way or another if Knife Chief did take scalps and/or disembowl soldiers at BLBH? If he did, it would be in line with Lakota custom, not to mention it would be in keeping with Plains warfare writ large. Just as treaty violation, enforcement refusal, non-combatant hostage taking, biological warfare, food supply depletion, teepee burning, etc is in line with US Army custom in their dealings with Plains Tribes including, but not limited to, the Lakota (Sioux). I don't hold any particularly distinguishable ill-will toward either side from a moral or honor standpoint. Despite the clashing cultures and misunderstandings of the time, I find it notable that there are numerous accounts from both sides detailing mutual respect for the bravery and fighting prowess of soldiers and warriors alike.
@@andytyrrell5153 If he did not take scalps and gut some troopers, he should have. The Cavalry started the battle in the bottom by firing directly into lodges. They killed women and children indiscriminately. If your family had been killed or wounded in that volley you damn sure would scalp and do some knife work at the minimum. Unless you are a pacifist ? In any event, the warriors were fighting for their families and relatives.
Shout out from another 1st AD veteran. Great videos. I like to defend Benteen. I think he just assumed it'd be another 'dazzling Custer victory' that would just lead to more newspaper headlines and more Custer myth. By all accounts he sounded like someone that was rather demoralized by Custer's ego and glory hunting (surrounding himself with family members and lackeys) with him as just a third wheel and outsider, having to answer to a boozed up Major Reno. When things got heavy this combat veteran regained his cool and kept the 7th from getting wiped out.
I think that you bring up a good point and one that's often overlooked in most videos about the Battle of the Little Bighjorn. From what I've read, while Custer was generally liked, maybe even loved, by the enlisted troopers, that wasn't the case with his officers. It seems that opinions on Custer were sharpl;y divided amongst the 7th's officers and they either loved him or hated him with nothing in between.And it didn't help that a clique of Custer fans formed within the 7th and those not part of it were not favored by Custer and the rest of his clique. The fact that Custer played favorites played a definite role at the Little Bighorn. As I understand it, when Custer split his command, all of the Companies that he took were all commanded by officers that were part of his inner circle of favored officers. The other two were commanded by officers who were not part of the Custer fan club and I've always felt that that played a role in Benteen's hesitance to follow orders and assist Custer. If Bentenn had been a part of Custer's immediate command and one of Custer's favorites had been in Beneteen's place, things might have turned out differently.
@@Riceball01 I'm not sure. The entire 7th could have easily been wiped out had they all gone in. It was a serious error on Custer's part not realizing just how big a force he was going up against. He should have trailed them and waited until Gibbon showed up.
@@tomservo5347 You are mistaken. Custer had a very good idea how big a force he was going up against. "He should have trailed them and waited until Gibbon showed up". Really? You don't think the Sioux and Cheyenne would have noticed a regiment of Bluecoats "trailing" them? But what the hell do you mean exactly by "trailing" them? The Seventh Cavalry had been following an Indian trail for three days - that's what led them to the village on the Little Bighorn. The trail, by the way, grew larger and larger as they regiment drew closer to the Little Bighorn valley. The trail they leave is a good indicator as to how big the Natives' village is going to be, don't you think? Duhh. You don't make a lick of sense.
@@tomservo5347 That was his orders from the book I read. He was not suppose to engage the natives. So much knew knowledge has come out since the late 1980s. Not much here in Canada sadly.
A man, born and bred in the same village as i was, Garsington, Oxfordshire, England, was with Major Reno on Reno hill during this battle. His name was James Pym, and he was awarded the Medal of Honour for his courage in volunteering to cross open ground under heavy fire to the creek to fetch water for his wounded and thirst maddened mates. He did this several times until he was wounded himself and could no longer go.
What a coincidence I was listening to the battle of the little bighorn on a podcast by black barrel media called legends of the old West Now this springs up on TH-cam Great stuff
I have to plead "confusion and doubt." I probably have 20 to 40 books on LBH, Custer, Benteen, etc. What I've learned is it all depends on the author's point of view. Because I can never truly "know" what was in Frederick Benteen's head, I can only take everything I've ever read, every document I've ever watched, and make a somewhat educated guess. I think Benteen was too good a soldier to purposely ignore the sound of the gunfire. I also think he had to do everything he could to save the unfortunate men under Reno's command. I think we can all agree Reno was at best, useless. I think it's probably not hyperbole to call Benteen a hero at LBH. Having said that...he DID hate Custer. Could that hate and jealousy color the choices he made? Did he have much choice after reaching Reno's situation? Again, I wish I could be clear and resolute, but every book iread, everything I learn, just reinforces the notion that I'll never really know the answers. I guess I can just quote Capt.Benteen in Evan Connell's Son of The Morning Star. When asked by General Terry what happened, his answer was, "Mistakes were made." I'd have to agree... thanks for another video!
Confederate Gen. Richard Ewell made a similar quote after the War by accepting his responsibility regarding his actions or lack thereof @ Gettysburg. It so impressed me that even after 30+/- years, it's stayed in my memory but not from what source. I think it was from the 4 Volume "Battles & Leaders of the Civil War" (1882), of which I don't have; neither do I think Ewell left a memoir ~ however, if he did, I'm positive I've not read it.
If Benteen was TRULY a good soldier, he wouldn’t let his feelings towards Custer sway his decision making. But as you said, we can’t really know. And maybe it isn’t as black and white as I’ve just stated. But I’d like to think he wouldn’t be so callous as to purposely leave Custer and his men to die. Then again, he probably had no notion that Custers entire command was about to be totally wiped out.
In order to judge Captain Benteen's actions that day, you have to take into account the poor decisions Custer made and the chaos that he encountered when he rode up to Reno's command. Captain Benteen was no coward and would not hesitate to engage an enemy if the conditions were favorable and not suicidal. I submit that Captain Benteen made the right decisions and the rest of the command owes him their lives.
Well he did not have a lot of choice. Reno was the ranking officer at the point Benteen could have actually done something useful. And then told him to hold until it was too late.
Benteen really helped save the day for the command after the retreat. As for Custer's poor decisions, he was hampered by the age-old problem in decision-making of embracing faulty assumptions. The entire officer corps above him had those same assumptions. That is a video I want to make on how the modern military tries to overcome those biases.
@@MilitaryHistory317Here is a question for you, I have read that when the battle was fought the temperature was in the upper nineties. Therefore the wooded area that Bentsen was taking cover was wet/damp, so much so that the NA’s were unable to fire the wood, how is that so 🤷🏽♂️
That area is quite flat and any storm could cause small, local flooding. When I was there last year, Montana had its wettest summer in the last 30 or 40 years and the Timber was like a swamp in places.
These are great videos. I visited Little Bighorn when I was in middle school. But, the more I read about it, and watch videos like this, the more I must go back since I have a much better appreciation of the importance of proper recon and communication in combat situations. Again, well done.
I love this channel. Thank you. I don't believe the Indian nations are given enough credit. They knew soldiers were looking for them. They spotted custers column before the fight and let the indians know. Cavalry were not hard to spot in the dusty lands of Montana back then. And not to tactful in the heat of the day. Splitting his force and continuing to move after seeing the village, was a blunder. Pride has its costs. He should have sent scout and waited for Benteen to return. He should have waited for Terry also, as was his directive. But glory knows no bounds and Custer wanted it all. I have been to the battlefield. And it's eerie to be there. I couldn't wear my cav stetson that day. I swear there were to many ghosts saying no. Anyway. Thanks again.
Bullshit. The Indians had about 2-3 times more warriors than the 7th and they were better armed. It was the largest encampment of hostile Indians in North American History! I've always though the real villian(s) here were the crooked Indian agents who did not give the Indians their full rations/annuities on the reservations. Had the agents not stolen so from the Indians, you probably wouldn't have had nearly this big a camp...
@@jimsatterfield8748 Well, we also have to consider that they fought General Crook to a standstill only eight days earlier at the Battle of the Rosebud, putting Crook right out of the campaign. Instead of warning the other army columns out looking for the tribes, he went fishing and didn't lift a finger beyond that. Sitting Bull had also held a sun dance ceremony that told the Lakota and Cheyenne they would be the victors in the coming battle with the army. So they weren't giving up or running like the army expected, but stuck around to fight it out. The vision Sitting Bull saw told him the army soldiers would be delivered to them in the tribes' own camp. The rest is history ...
@@ToddSauve You are right as hell about Crook being derelict on that campaign! And also that the Indian behavior was about 180 degrees from their historic MO of scattering to the wind ahead of the long knives.
gcav: I'm constantly amazed how ignorant people are when it comes to knowing the facts about the Battle of the Little Bighorn. You are no different. "I don't believe the Indian nations are given enough credit. They knew soldiers were looking for them. They spotted Custer's column before the fight and let the Indians know". What the hell does that mean? Indians spotted Custer's column, and let the Indians know? WTF? I have some factual news for you, dimwit. When the Seventh Cavalry attacked the village that day, they surprised it. "Splitting his command was a blunder". Really? How the hell would you know that? Are you an expert when it comes to Anglo-Indian warfare on the Great Plains? No. In truth, I don't think you know much about it at all. Listen, lamebrain, encircling a Native village and attacking it simultaneously from different sides, was a tried and true tactic called envelopment. In order to perform this maneuver it was necessary for a commander to divide his column into 2 or 3 separate battalions. "Pride has its costs". "Pride" had nothing to do with Custer's defeat at the Little Bighorn, you moron. "He should have sent "scout" (sic) and waited for Benteen to return". No, Benteen should have sent Custer a scout with information regarding the progress of his reconnaissance to the left. And Custer did wait for Benteen; he waited until he could wait no more, but Captain Fred Benteen dawdled even after Custer sent him an urgent order to "come on" and "be quick". "He should have waited for Terry also..." First of all, waiting for General Terry's column to arrive was not part of Custer's "directive". Secondly, Custer was in the Little Bighorn valley on June 25th. Terry advised Custer that his column might arrive at the Little Bighorn from the north on June 26, but that was only an estimate (Terry's column did not reach the site of the village until June 27). Finally, since the morning of June 25th, Custer was operating under the assumption that the Sioux and Cheyenne were aware of his regiment's presence. Custer initially wanted to attack the village on the morning of June 26 - the very day when the Montana column was purportedly suppose to arrive - but because he believed his regiment had been observed by the enemy, Custer made the correct decision to attack the village as soon as possible; his scouts even encouraged him to do so. "He (Custer) should have waited for Terry also".... yeah, that's a brilliant observation, let me tell you. You're a nincompoop. You actually believe Custer and his entire regiment should have sat idle for two whole days and nights, waiting for Terry's column to arrive, while the Sioux and Cheyenne, knowing the Bluecoats were near, packed up their village and fled? That would have defeated the purpose of the entire campaign, would it not? Chucklehead. And did it ever occur to you that, while waiting for Terry's column to arrive, Custer could have been subjecting his entire command to a massive ambush from 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors? Duhhhh. You know little about this battle, gcav, and you know even less about the Indian wars on the frontier, and George Armstrong Custer. I don't think you should ever wear your "cav Stetson" hat - you'd just disgrace it. You're a fugging idiot.
Whatever scenario is put forward, the cold truth is that the US government, Custer, Reno and Benteen, severely underestimated the strength of the combined Indian warriors.
These are great videos! I really like you showing the relevant terrain features. As I reflect on it, I have the sense that the possibility of defeat was nowhere in any of the Officers' mindset, and based on past engagements, where the enemy behavior was to run off, and Custer's modus operandi of splitting the force, hitting them from different directions at once, creating havoc in their ranks, I can see how Benteen was thinking Custer's force had simply ridden off in pursuit to exploit the situation and would return to their defensive perimeter. Very rarely had the Indians counterattacked with such determination and ferocity, in my opinion, and this was what led to Custer's defeat. It was like a landslide or tsunami that simply engulfed him before he could disengage. Custer became decisively engaged with a superior force, attacking from all sides and the matter went to a quick conclusion. Garry Owen!
Benteen was among the last of the entire brigade to see just how large the Indian camp was and how many warriors were involved in the battle. His opinion is almost completely irrelevant...once he decided to bring the pack train up slowly and once Custer decided to split his forces and head downriver away from the pack train, the rest was history. The rest of the 7th cav only survived because they were not exposed to the main force of Indian warriors.
@@touristguy87 Slightly tipsy here, but tourist guy is pointing some (maybe basic axioms of military campaigns) 1. Do not divide your numerically inferior forces in the face of a numerically superior enemy. Yes, I know, Robert E. Lee did this frequently during the Civil War with success (i.e. Chancellorsville 2nd Manassas...Wilderness)...Native Americans never read these books. 2. This one is a little closer to seeming common sense....scout your enemy, the lay of the land, their disposition, and note any weakness to be exploited. He was the commander and failed in a number of ways. The native Americans new the terrain had the numbers and took advantage of both. No tragedy here. Just a failure of command by Custer. This should be noted on the battlefield, give the 1st nations their due they won that day.
My half sisters are the great grandaughters of Captain Reno, i remember meeting my sisters grandma and her showing us an old war chest full of native artifcats, including wedding regalia, cu sticks, and even a formal headdress... she told us they had been gifted but i believe i know how they really came into her possesion.. when she died she had it all donated to the local native council in Shawnee Oklahoma.
Patrick M. Jr. People should remember that Captain Reno was absolved of all the charges against him. When he was faced with overwhelming odds he saved half his men. If he had been like Custer they would have had 2 massacres on that fateful day, instead of one.
@@spaceted3977Was he not a Major. Here are a few questions for you 😁. An Officer who left a portion of his command, who didn’t even know that their commander had retreated. Is that not a possible offence sometimes called cowardice. Reno’s charge towards the village, did not two of his men not have sufficient control of their horses & kept going into the village & be killed. Or did they not hear his command. After his civil war service having a man’s head explode next to him, would that have freaked him out to the point of losing control. Some of the things he would have witnessed during that conflict would have been bloody awful. One last one, his court marshal. Did the fact the he was (in the past) an assist provost marshal influence their decision. Maybe a political decision. Even though I am a Brit, the Battle of the Little Big Horn has always been fascinating. Oh, have you watched the CusterApollo series of vids. Very well done. Enjoy your day 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Thank you for your presentation-- here are some points --- a Fact that Custer marched his men 78 miles in 24 hours and went directly into Battle is not a decision of a wise leader graduate of WestPoint- and to send Reno into Battle with only 100 bullets per soldier and 50 of those were on a horse pouch that could not be easily got to - horses dont cooperate - Custer has no immediate idea of where the packtrain is at. Custer sent Benteen left oblique on a wild goose chase batting rough terrain on exhausted horses. Many of the horses in Custer outfit balked and simply refused to go because of exhaustion- Several Scout said their horses refused to go. Scouts reported several soldiers were off their horses and kicking their horse in the belly to try get them moving. Not to mention the men themselve were in no condition to fight being completely exhausted as well with only a few naps in last 30 hours. Soldiers called General Custer "Iron Ass" --- Boston returned to the packtrain for a different horse most likely because the horse he was on was spent. Custer brought several horses along for himself to rotate on. No doubt Custer had great moments in the Civil War - LBH was a complete blunder on Custer Part. In the Newspaper archives for months before LBH story's were ran relating Sitting Bull threat ' I have 8000 warriors and if the army comes near me we will fight' So everyone in that era knew that Sitting Bull had a force of warriors and would fight. Once Custer showed his presence to the Indians it became a mass running battle. The army came in firing on the villiage and alot of the Indians remembered what happened at Sand Creek. Hostilities were high and it was over quick with most things happening in unison as 1000s of warriors swarming the entire Custer area on fresh horses- Calhoun fell some soldiers made it to Keogh but all the while Keogh was under assault - the stragglers from Keogh/Calhoun ran to Last Stand Hill and Last stand hill was as well under assault all the while and the last ran to Deep Ravine and it was over and it was quick. -- As for Reno and Benteen- Sitting Bull said "We have killed some soldiers let the others go" so Reno Benteen were harassed until camp was moved - the Indians may not have even known Terry was close by - Sitting Bull never got the memo.. ---- Now in my opinion the key to timing Custers actions and his movements lie in Gustav Korn - Korn arrived on Reno hill just as the Packtrain was also arriving- now this man was with Custers columns- he said nothing of an all out engagement only that "Custer needs assistance " why Korn was not present at the RCOI has to point to a whitewashing of events - Weir left before Packtrain arrives- Weir watches what is to be believed end of battle - So basically the entire Custer batlle time frame encompasses the time it takes for Korn to cross Ford B ride completely through the Indian village circle west and arrives when packtrain arrives- Weir only went out a mile - this collaborate the Indians version that the battle was as long as it takes a hungry man to eat a dinner- Korn is an absolute Key
@@lowcountrydawg2525 I never heard/read of Boston being on a mule - given that General Custer had a low opinion of mules as riding animals and Custer prided his KY thoroughbreds I would find it unlikely Boston was on a mule but not completely out of the question- yes Kellogg was definitely on a mule as told by others
Custer's actions at Washita probably came back to haunt him in this fight. I think that incident was very much on the minds of both Reno and Benteen and probably effected their actions during the battle. When Custer sent Reno into his attack he promised to support him with the whole outfit. He then changed the plan in mid execution, attempting a pincer type attack instead, but failed to convey this change to Reno. When Reno's attack bogged down, he turned to look for his promised support and saw that Custer was nowhere to be seen. The first thought in his mind was probably that Custer had abandoned him just like he abandoned Maj. Elliot at Washita and that's when panic started to get the better of him. When Benteen linked up with Reno he was likely thinking the same thing. Custer has moved off down the Little Bighorn and abandoned us to our fate. In any event, once Custer divided the command, there was little chance that the thing would end well for the 7th. The Indians, who already enjoyed a massive numerical superiority, had the additional advantage of engaging the 7th Cavalry essentially one third at a time. Had Benteen and Reno not had time to dig in on somewhat defensible ground, they would likely have lost the whole regiment. As I recall, one Indian veteran of the fight said, "We didn't like to fight them when they dug holes."
I think Benteen knew what happening to Custer, and took his time to consider changing his plans. But there were too many warriors for him to contend with. Especially after meeting Reno. I think he did the sensible thing and saved most of his men.
Who uttered the famous line upon discovering the collection of Custer's fallen command, who remarked "my God how white they look." Benteen or Reno, or someone else?
I don't think Custer knew how many warriors he was dealing with until it was too late. Army Intelligence had estimated it at 800-1500 warriors, that was the information all the Commanders proceeded with on this campaign. Recall, Custer couldn't make out the village even with field glasses when his Crow scouts told him it was on the horizon. When he approached the LBH valley, much of the indian encampment was hidden from view by the intervening trees. He ordered Reno to attack the South end of the village without knowing the numbers he was dealing with-recall that Custer was surprised when he tried to ford the river and discovered he was only halfway past the huge encampment. That was his first inkling that the numbers were far greater than the Intelligence he had received and by then it was too late. Some of the sources I've read indicate that Custer was shot at the river crossing and either badly wounded or killed-and his command took him with them while falling back. He'd already sent the message to Benteen ordering him to proceed forward and reinforce, bringing packs. But it was too late-as Benteen noted at the Inquiry, there were simply too many Indians there that day. Warrior numbers, their spirit, the weapons they carried, the terrain and dividing the command conspired to defeat the 7th Cavalry that day. Had Benteen managed to reinforce Custer, it would only have resulted in more Trooper bodies on LSH. Even with the pack trains, it would have made no difference-too many factors working for the Warriors and against the Troopers.
One final comment-the 7th had Spencer repeating rifles available and had used them on prior campaigns, but Custer assumed any battle with the Sioux near the LBH would be on wide-open terrain and he wanted the advantage of longer range carbines. That's why Troopers were issued Remington Trapdoor, single shot rifles instead of the Spencers, they had longer range. The irony was, during the final stages of the engagement on LSH the ranges were very close, the Warriors used the coulees and ravines to creep close to the Troopers before firing. Had Custer's men had the Spencers they could have given a much better account of themselves, though the offset in numbers would probably still have doomed them.
@@pimpompoom93726 I wa always under the impression that the 7th used the Springield trapdoors not out of choice but because that was what they were issued. The rpeaters they had, based on what I've read, were not a part of their arms room but were used during the Civil War and were exchanged for the Springfields some time after the war.
@@Riceball01 There were issued Springfield Trapdoor carbines for this campaign, because they thought it would be conducted on the open plains where the greater range of the .45-70 cartridge would prove an advantage. In prior Indian campaigns they had been issued Spencer Repeating Rifles which used the .56-56 Spencer cartridge, which was very range limited. It was a shorter cartridge designed so that the rifle could carry a lot of them in the magazine. The.45-70 cartridge had a 30% greater muzzle velocity than the .56-56, but of course the Trapdoor Springfield was a single shot weapon without an internal magazine. As it turned out, the LBH battle was conducted on terrain with lots of gulleys and ravines, allowing the warriors to close the range considerably before coming under fire. Repeating rifles may have saved the 7th at LBH, but of course it's all hindsight and speculation.
It was not Custer's choice but the Dept of the Army to change over to the 1873 Springfield. The change was made for the entire army and cavalry during 1874. Yes, Custer had a rolling block 45/70 and did prefer the cartridge for long range just not the POS Springfield. He did not want the weapon and would have kftept the Spencers if he could. 4th Cav and 5th Mounted Infantry were changed over at the same time. They did learn lessons from LBH though about the copper cartridges.
I agree... except... by now most historians agree that the evidence does not support Custer being shot at the river. Aside from anything else, his making it up to last stand hill in the stress and chaos would seem to confirm his making it that far...
the youtube algorithm recommended this today. As a long, longtime student of the battle, I can say that this video (will find the others) is outstanding. Back when I started, we only had Brinninstool, Graham, Miller, Edgar I. Stewart, and a few others to form out database. Did not have the internet and especially google maps. Your video makes things so much more understandable. THANK YOU....GREAT WORK!!
i don't think people know maybe not amongst us nerds that custers brother tom was not just a m o h awardee but a double winner of the m o h he was a good soldier under fire and fearless
The warriors obliterated his body, smashing his face so that he was unrecognizable. Only a tatoo on his arm identified in as Tom Custer. I have no idea why the indians hated him so much, but there's a story there.
I always liked how Ken Burns' 'The Civil War' talked about what happened to Custer in the final episode. "Custer went on believing in his own invincibility. In 1876, the Sioux and Cheyenne proved him wrong."
The battle began with soldiers attacking a sleeping Indian encampment and murdering women and children. There, no bravery could be spoken of. Gal, the Indian chief, later testified that when the soldiers murdered his wife and two children, his eyes filled with blood and he showed no mercy to anyone in the fight.
@@mtgne5351 More than likely it was Custer's Indian scouts who killed the few women and children at the Little Bighorn. Custer's Arikara scout, Bloody Knife, and the Hunkpapa warchief, Gall, were personal, lifelong enemies. Bloody Knife's mother was an Arikara woman, and his father was Sioux; as such, while growing up in a Sioux village, Bloody Knife was constantly harassed by Gall and others. He would eventually move in with his mother's people, but he always vowed to avenge himself against Gall. When Reno initiated his attack upon the village, he attacked from the southern end of it; in other words, the Hunkpapa section of the village. Bloody Knife well-knew Gall and his family were residing there; and it was he, along with the other scouts, who doubtless opened fire into the lodges there, thus killing Gall's family. I don't believe the soldiers shot into the village at all, truth be told.
One of the things that has always disturbed me after nearly seven decades of study is the conundrum over Lt.Hodgson. If we accept that Reno led a fear driven panic charge back up the valley after his command was rebuffed how then did he get the courage to retrace part of the path down to the crossing to find Hodgson body. What was so important?… I personally have a theory that as adjutant to Reno Hodgson had recorded in his note book, similar to Lt.Cooke, Custer’s actual battle orders. Orders that could have revealed inconsistencies in Reno’s comments at his Court of Inquiry. It was certainly strange,and convenient, that no notebook was recovered from the body. Stranger still as most personal effects were still with the corpse. Just another mystery from June 25th.1876…👵🇦🇺🇺🇸
A boozer referred to as 'useless' I agree with your point. What was SO important to Reno that it warranted him leaving his command for over 30 minutes to recover Hodgson's body? I agree with you-there were written orders that would have incriminated Reno. I feel sorry for a capable soldier like Benteen having to answer to this buffoon.
It wasn't so important; it wasn't so courageous either (when Reno went down the hill to recover Hodgson's body, most of the warriors were downriver fighting Custer). Recovering Hodgson's body wasn't important, but that was the whole issue. Being the commander, Major Reno's priorities should have been centered upon the men who were still alive, namely his wounded. His all-consuming necessity to recover his adjutant's body was inexplicable. Reason? In a word, the man was drunk. Drunkenness explains a lot of Major Reno's decisions and actions at the Little Bighorn. Just to name a few.... at one point, the Major was observed shooting at some Indians with his revolver; however, the warriors were a good 300 yards away - well out of pistol range. On the eve of the battle, Reno reportedly got into a fight with a civilian mule packer on Reno Hill. While down on the valley floor, Reno posted no rear guard action to cover his retreat. The fact that Major Reno ordered a retreat across a river with 8' high riverbanks, then up a steep bluff with only one narrow draw that allowed access to the top, is something no officer in his right mind would have attempted, especially since that retreat led his men out of a well-protected stand of timber that offered plenty of cover and concealment. Furthermore, as any old frontiersmen well knew, turning your back and fleeing is the worst thing you can do when fighting Indians. Then there is this, according to Captain Benteen, on the eve of June 25th or 26th, Major Reno suggested to him that they should just leave the wounded where they lie and escape from the hill (Reno Hill) with their lives. Finally, shortly before Major Marcus Reno died in 1889, he apparently confessed to his former editor that he was, in fact, drunk at the Little Bighorn. Reno supposedly admitted this because he felt the need to explain his erratic behaviors during the battle.
@@Eadbhard Of course it was..the fact that the adjutants note book was missing while all his other personnel effects were present is important. I’m not disputing Reno’s drunkenness but your quite wrong as there were still warriors present. Pilfering the dead. It had to be important for Reno to take that risk and I believe it was his orders contained in Hodgson’s book. My own guess he found the book and destroyed the contents..written orders (I’m guessing to ‘hold at all costs’..).. His running, if he was the anvil, doomed Custer’s command. That’s the speculation for eternity… Personally I still think Custer fell at the ford and the one opportunity, and element of surprise, died with him. That’s when the battle was lost… 👵🇦🇺🇺🇸
@@madlenellul3430 I, for one, don't believe Custer fell at the Ford. Upon realizing that Major Reno quit the whole scene, and with no sign of Captain Benteen anywhere, I believe Custer made his way north, all the way to Ford C, in a last ditch effort to save himself, his men, and possibly still achieve a victory, by capturing some noncombatants. Unfortunately, Sioux and Cheyenne warriors were all over the place. Custer just didn't have enough men with him to capture any noncombatants. As a result, he withdrew his men away from Ford C to the high ground which is now known as Custer Ridge. Ford C, which is located on the river directly west of where the LBH Visitor Center now stands, was the approximate location where Mark Kellogg's body was found. Kellogg was the civilian newspaperman who accompanied the regiment during the Little Bighorn expedition. By all accounts, during the battle, Kellogg rode up front and was continuously by Custer's side. Then, of course, there's the simple fact that Custer's body was found on Last Stand Hill; and some reports say shells from his Remington sporting rifle were found all around his body. Without a doubt, Reno's actions at the Little Bighorn caused the 7th Cavalry to be defeated that day. When the Major first initiated his attack at the south end of the Indian camp, he caught the village completely unawares. In the beginning, Reno met with little resistance (most of the warriors ran to the benchland west of the village to retrieve their ponies), and if Reno would have charged through the village, as he was ordered to do, the Seventh may have won the day. No, I do not think I am quite wrong. If there were hordes of Sioux and Cheyenne still surrounding Reno Hill when the Major went to retrieve Hodgson's body, I don't think he would have even contemplated it - drunk or not drunk. Pilfering and mutilating Reno's dead soldiers occurred during Reno's retreat, but once the warriors heard there was another force of Bluecoats at the north end of their village, they quit their attack on Reno's beleaguered battalion and concentrated all their forces upon the new threat at the Medicine Tail Ford - Custer. Drunk as he was, I don't think Reno gave a continental curse about Hodgson's "book", if he even had a "book". Being Reno's adjutant, we can assume Hodgson kept some kind of notes, but that is only assumption. If Hodgson did keep some kind of journal, the warriors may have taken it to draw pictures on, but who the hell knows? Hodgson may have lost any notebook he kept when he was in the river fighting for his life. I believe that is the most probable scenario.
The maps are great…..BUT…. it would be easier to keep track of the maneuvers if you kept one or two common operating pictures instead of constantly changing the perspective and orientation. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this series! it's done incredibly well and is probably one of the best resources online I've seen so far. My lingering thought is that Custer probably expected Reno and Benteen charge in and help him to his last breath, I don't see much fault with Benteen since Reno was the commanding officer, Benteen actually did the right thing and rushed to assist as quickly as possible. Reno pretty much rattled the hornets nest and ran out of it only for it to turn to Custer. Pretty much the critical hour that would have most likely saved most of Custers men was when Benteen met Reno. The 40 minutes that it took for cpt Wier to move up to Wier point the situation already became critical for Custer's men and by the following hour that it took for Benteen and Reno to move up to wier point they were just in time to see the last of Custers men shot in the ravine. Saying that all the men would have died if they went immediately to assist Custer is a bit of a cope, Reno and Benteen had somewhere around 180 troopers combined, if they moved together they would have easily broken the indians starting to surround Calhoun hill and might have had a good chance to reunite with those men as well as give a chance for Custer to break through to them. I don't believe that the Indians would want to face 180 men head on, they could have moved to relieve custers men, succeeded without getting flanked and established defensive lines when company B reached them. I think Benteens three companies could have saved a lot of people had they received the order.
There were even Indians themselves that said had Reno continued his initial charge into the village instead of pulling up into skirmish lines, he would have sent the Indians reeling in panic and probably would have won the battle. I liked your other comment about Custer doing the right thing with the information he had at the time. Up until that point in history, no Indian village had ever held their ground against a large scale cavalry charge. Ever.
@@BezmenovDisciple thanks! I don't think I have enough information to adequately judge if calling off the charge was a good call or not, you have to consider that this is the largest planes Indian camp ever of all time and Reno's men got repelled and flanked in their skirmish lines pretty quickly - so charging in might have been an even deadlier mistake than not. On people's testimony, I wouldn't trust retrospective opinion's like that - there's conflicting claims on who or what killed custer, or who shot him when I'm pretty sure that the Indians only found out they defeated Custer way after the battle was over - the fame and significance of the battle meant that a lot of people had a lot to say about it afterwards but much of it might have been imagined or outright false. I think, from the information I have, Reno canceling the charge might not have been his worst decision, him panicking in the woods, fleeing or 'charging' out of the woods to a nearby river crossing and narrow hill face where the indians had a good shot at them, leaving many of his men to hide in the woods to either get killed or run back up to reno hill on their own, then just doing nothing on Reno hill, not making any attempts to contact Custer or help him when Benteen arrived and pretty much being drunk the whole time are just massively egregious failures of command. Reno was in a extremely tough situation and I don't think he was the guy for it, I think he left the battlefield in the worst way and had he stayed in the woods longer or if he had an organized retreat into another skirmishing line and kept fighting the Indians, the Indians wouldn't have swung around so quickly to overwhelm Custer and Custer and his men might have survived - in that scenario too Benteen would reinforce Reno's battle pretty much at the same time as Custer started his battle. So, Reno fleeing the battle and crossing the river near the Indians to climb up Reno hill where the Indians could shoot them easily caused the most deaths of his men, this disorderly retreat concluded as soon as Custers battle started allowing the Indians fighting Reno to swing back up north and envelop Custers men pretty much dooming them.
@@HHindsight Oh I agree with everything you said. 100%. I just thought I’d add that interesting anecdote that came from Indian sources. I think in hindsight, if Custer HAD to engage in battle, his most likely path to victory would have been to keep the command altogether and charged straight in (like Reno did but with the entire regiment), rather than try the pincer maneuver. Of course, the reason he didn’t makes perfect sense to me as well, them being most afraid of the Indians scattering to the wind.
@@BezmenovDisciple yeah it's just bad circumstances, Custer went north expecting to get to the northern part of the settlement but ended up in the middle of it, he split his command to go north again but was met with native warriors again. The strategy was to capture Indians fleeing and end the battle by taking hostages, which was a sound strategy previously and still looked like a valid strategy with the information that Custer had at hand. If they didn't encounter those three groups of Indians previously, compelling Custer to rush to take the village by surprise I think they would have gotten better information and the battle would have gone completely differently. And honestly, yeah if Reno charged in it could have caused a big panic that could've made Custer's plan to capture hostages work. And yeah totally, hypothetically if their command was together they would have won, we have to remember too that the Indians didn't have centralized command structures or army drills or any of that, the US army would outmatch them pretty handily in most cases. But I think that's why this battle is so fascinating, it's like the Titanic or the Franklin expedition and just that mystery of all those souls lost and having to piece it all together but never quite being able to because everyone that was there died. It's just that their goal was to get the Indians to surrender and march back to their reservations, so that I think was one of the big reasons that compelled Custer to that fatal strategy
Benteen was "irascible" to say the least. However, he was a level-headed commander...one of the best Indian fighting company/battalion commanders in an Army that needed all that it could get. The "Custer was betrayed" faction cleverly tries to lay any blame at Benteen's feet, even though Reno was the senior officer in the surviving group. But Reno constitutes a "weak reed..." at best. I will give Reno's judgement my approval in one area only. Had he continued his charge into the miles deep village... the day's disasters would have been even worse. A retreat to the bluffs probably in order...but it was not a properly deployed retreat...but a panicked rout...with Reno at the front of it. . When Benteen arrived, most of Reno's men were not "demoralized', but rather "shattered" (in the words of historian General SLA Marshall...) Too little sleep, thrown into what proved to be a desparate action that they were lucky to survive...and a commander that fell apart prior to ordering the retreat. Reno's battalion would hardly have improved Custer's situation. Until the reinforced troop with the ammo came up, Benteen would have been loathe to have simply ridden off...leaving a "shipwrecked command" with many wounded...and an unfit... possibly inebriated...commander who essentially didn't command... . Those who believe that Benteen should have "charged to the rescue" ignore the fact that nobody outside of Custer's immediate command had any idea that a "rescue" might be needed. Martini volunteered the (erronious) information that the Indians were "skeedaddling..." Also, while men can be ordered to "charge" into action...horses require rest, food, and water... (Reno's rout on spent horses showed just how senseless it was to ignore the state of your mounts...) . Benteen's mounts were already "stretched" farther than a good cavalry officer would be comfortable with. Previous day's watering didn't go well as water was too alkaline even for coffee. Fifteen or twenty minutes at the morass was the least that Benteen could do in the way of insuring that his mounts would not fail his battalion...at least right off the bat... . Biggest error that can be chalked up to Benteen is not having his battalion dig in on the bluffs. Unlike Reno, no question of alcohol impairment...though lack of enough sleep a definite possibility. After getting a decent amount of sleep, Benteen was in top form. Without his steady hand, the 7th might have lost the many who survived. . Custer was not alone in thinking that the Indians would run rather than fight. Otherwise, his splitting the remaining five troops into even smaller packets could not have been explained. From that point, Custer was lost. YP
Sorry pls DM etc read what I suggested. All best friends but a man's good name at stake and no detail or inquiry. In considering you still don't know what happened with LC GAC until you read the other reference in Jesu Mary's Divine Mercy way
100% spot on. Benteen was level headed, pragmatic, and not a glory hound. If he'd have been in overall command of the 7th cavalry on that expedition we would not be reading in history books today about Benteen's Last Stand.
renos condition was according to the son of the morning star probably due to shock.he was splattered with the brains of his ree scout and this was inches from him.having brains all over your face can crack the hardest soul and reno was never that.he may well have been drunk as well .he was what wed call today a functioning alcholic.probably in garrison life under no stress his failings were excused but of course under fire he came apart.he was also by any standard far from sane.his subsequent disgrace when he imagined a young wife of a fellow officer was about to run off with him proves that! although told it was all in his head by the girl he stalked her for months leering through the window at her at meals for example.custer as well as despite the movies was generally loathed by his men not the popular hero as played by errol flynn.they near mutinied when told neither reno or benteen would be replacing him full time,and petitions supporting bth officers signed by all the men were sent to washington.custer was no carer for horses either .indeed his death ride to texas with the 7th which earnt him their contempt was made in the hottest part of the year.he ordered his men to wear full winter kit and uniforms and refused several water stops while riding himself in just a shirt! the toll on the horses was worse two thirds had to be destroyed or died on the way .this was to garrison the state after the war so there was no urgency.several men died of heatstroke and custer earned the hatred of the 7th for shooting others out of hand for desertion.also his habit of abandoning men in the field as he did in the fight with black kettle who then died which earnt him benteens hatred and his cavalier style leaving the entire command in enemy territory whilst chasing buffalo was not popular.dont forget his command of the 7th was only due to grant reinstating him after his court martial for desertion.
@@mikekemp9877 I agree that whatever was holding Reno together shattered along with Bloody Knife's brains all over his face...apparently even in his mouth. "Heavy drinking" was not a career killer in those days... unless you could not perform your duty. Didn't help that Reno's combat experience in the Civil War... not against "uncivilized" warriors. . Custer could ride seemingly forever without rest or decent rations. Good trait...unless a commander decides that his exceptional performance can be matched by his entire command. Remains of troopers discovered at the Little Big Horn in the last 40 years shows average trooper malnourished. Custer's wife wrote that he never asked his troopers to do anything that he wouldn't... Uh, he left his command in the field and absented himself to be with his wife... He threatened to shoot his men for riding off on their own. . May well be that by 1876 Custer's "eternal youth" wearing thin. At 36 his resilience may not have been all that it used to be. Had he not been running a major sleep deficit, he might have made decisions reflecting a bit more thought. . Custer was popular with many of his troopers... in the Civil War... Not so much on the Plains. Most of his troopers referred to him as "hard ass..." and half his officers (the ones not related to him by consanguinity or marriage...and a few others) disliked him... intensely so in the case of Reno and Benteen. . ...On June 25th, Reno fell apart. Benteen definitely hated Custer... but he would never have "abandoned" him... because to do so would mean abandoning five troops of soldiers... and Benteen was far too good an officer to ever throw them under the bus... YP
This is an excellent channel. I would love too see a episode on the Dakota war of 1862 in Minnesota. Keep posting man you deserve so many more subscribers.
I agree that this is a great channel. I've been fascinated by the whole Little Bighorn story since I was very young...and that was many years ago. I really enjoyed The DataMeister's account of the Rosebud battle as well.
My great great grandfather was a scout for Benteen. His name was James Harvey Rager. Does anyone have any information about him? We know he volunteered to get water down at a creek.
Very Good and informative. Very sad. As a former US Army Officer I appreciate this perspective and history. Well done. GOD Bless All who serve, served, and their families and loved ones. ~ Be Safe out there folks ~ Peace & Health to Us All.
I also must add that adding to the confusion is the paradox that was Captain Benteen. He is described as brave,(VERY brave) intelligent, a good leader, a very good soldier. Also petty, vengeful, jealous, promoting gossip and stirring trouble, holding grudges. How, with this mix of characteristics, can anyone truly know what motivated him?
Characteristics like that, from the sources I have read, can be more or less the norm for Army Officers on the frontier in the Post-Civil War era. They have their attributes, but they also have their vices. Coming off of a war and being national heroes to a western backwater where you are reduced in rank from your Civil War career led to a lot of this.
Benteen may have been suicidal,,that is the source of his so called bravery, he wanted death by Indian. He is a man that could destroy a regiment, a man you steer clear of and dismiss.
Love the series you have done on all parts of the battle of the Little Big Horn, the Rose Bud Battle and the winter war. Learnt more than what Wyoming history classes taught, and from a military point of view. Most of all you have a easy listening voice. Thank you for your input and time😊.
There were no sabers in the 7th cav under Custer by his own orders. So no. And 200 men charging against 2000 who are better trained at fighting on horseback? The slaughter would have ended quicker.
0:57 Obviously the critics of Benteen's actions have never ridden or had to tend horses. These poor animals had been up hill and down dale that morning, and were probably tired. Benteen was going to lead his troops into combat on horseback shortly. The horses needed to rest and drink to recover their stamina before being lead into a charge (even if it was just to gallop up to a good position for the troops to dismount). If you read about battles like the Horns of Hattan, Waterloo or other cavalry engagements, horses are only good for two to three charges in a battle. Cavalry charges take place over relatively short distances, and the horses have to go full out during this time. Many times cavalry units have suffered heavy casualties or battles lost because commanders have tried to lead their units into battle with blown (exhausted) horses. There is a good reason why the Triple Crown winner is a difficult title to get. A horse that wins that race has to be fast over 1.19 miles, 1.25 miles and 1.5 miles. Many horses that can make the two shorter distances can't make the 1.5 miles, they lack the stamina. And that isn't doing a full gallop after going across country for a couple of hours beforehand. Benteen was taking care of his horses to ensure that they would be in the best condition possible before the battle. The issue really lies with Custer and Reno, who "jumped the gun" and left around one-third of their fighting force well in the rear.
Conder: Obviously your comment needs to be criticized by critics because you, obviously, have not read enough about this battle to even justify your comment. When Captain Benteen was ordered by Custer to lead his battalion on a scout to the west, Benteen did have to traverse a few hills and ridges, but that was about it - he traversed just a few. As the scout continued, Benteen wisely ordered Lieutenant Gibson and a small detachment of troopers to do the scouting, as the rest of the battalion rested. In short, the vast majority of Benteen's mounts were not going up and down hills and ridges all morning. Secondly, Captain Benteen had plenty of time, and plenty of places to water his battalion's horses. As a matter of fact, when he came upon a large morass located about 6 miles south the Little Bighorn, he lingered there much longer than he should have. Tired, exhausted horses was not an issue at the Little Bighorn. There are documented incidents where a few troopers' mounts gave out: Boston Custer's horse gave out; Sergeant Kanipe's horse gave out; a Pvt. Thompson's horse gave out; may be a couple of others but, by and large, the horses of the Seventh Cavalry were not collapsing in droves from exhaustion. Napoleon once wrote, "When you have resolved to fight a battle, collect your whole force. Dispense with nothing. A single battalion sometimes decides the day". Custer tried to collect his whole force. He sent Benteen a critical and urgent order to "come on", and "be quick", but, for all intents and purposes, Captain Fred Benteen ignored the order. The issue really lies with Benteen and Reno. Both these officers failed to follow their orders. Unlike Reno, Captain Benteen was no coward; nevertheless, his unwarranted, self-serving hatred for his commander colored everything he said and did. Three years after the battle, at Reno's Court of Inquiry, Benteen gave every excuse possible for dawdling, and not coming to Custer's aid. In one example Benteen, "assumed Custer and Reno had already taken the village; as such, he saw no necessity in hurrying up his battalion or the packs".
One soldier’s remains were not discovered until 1958 in a rifle pit more southerly on the main Reno defensive line on the bluff. His brass buttons still on the sternum.
Custers men were not the same trained, motivated, and for the most part loyal soldiers who were with him in the civil war, with the exception some of his officers.
If I may, I am retired from DOD procurement. In 1984 I took the class on military procurement. One of the lectures was cost control. In this class, it was discussed that so much material had been purchased during Civil War, contracts could not be cancel ed, The uniforms, ammo, FOOD was paid for and stored in Depots. There was so much "stuff" The US Army lived off of the stockpiles for 10+years. Toward the end of the 10 years, uniforms were disintegrating from storage and the Food was becoming non nutritional. Note best by dates on cans in Your pantry. With time the explosive power of gunpowder deteriorates. This happened 1876? 10+ years after the Civil war? Interesting fact-oid ??
That is the first time I ever heard of Union soldiers as being motivated. Most of them just wanted to end the war and go home. Proof of this is the rebellion in the Union army and among future draftees, that took place after Lincoln "freed the slaves". Of course Lincoln never freed one slave, ever.
@@thomaswayneward early on, yes the soldiers were all volunteer. After 1/2 of the Union soldiers died of Illness, Napoleonic tactics and just plain officer idiots, that is when the draft was started See NYC draft riots. That is where the black soldiers came in. On Streaming site Kanopy, they have the 4.5 hour Epic "Gettysburg".
The US army statistically evaporated every 3 or 4 years due to desertion. So the 7th cavalry were indeed not some elite unit. Custer may have bragged that way, I don't know. But they were a fairly rag tag unit of mostly newcomers. A lot of them immigrants from Ireland.
In my opinion, based on Reno's and Benteen's description of what they did and did not do, they were derelict in not hurrying to support Lt.Col.Custer. The milling around ignoring the order to be quick and the news from the other courier. Love the videos and your information, you really got me out to LBH a few weeks back, 1500 miles one way!
I've studied the LBH for many years and I think Reno would have died trying to fight through the Indians, or if Benteen ever reached Custer the same thing would have happened. There were just way too many Lakota and Cheyenne for the army that day, and they won. As simple as that.
@@walterbrown9651 What dereliction though? You can only do what you can do in the circumstances you find yourself in. By the time Benteen arrived at Reno's position everything was in a shambles and Custer was a goner.
@@ToddSauve Benteen sat around while Reno wasted time instead of moving to the gun fire. It was over quickly but to wait there as if in a vacuum,is outrageous. Consider had Lt.Col Custer not attacked the village,he'd have been derelict for not engaging. This is why LBH is so interesting. Reno had also not attacked earlier in the campaign,Custer tried to have Reno court martialed for what Custer called cowardice. Gen.Terry is also culpable for not getting the 7th under control.
@@walterbrown9651 There are so many possibilities but what happened is what happened. We weren't there so we can never really know much more than a divided command and fractured officer corps turned into a recipe for disaster. Especially since Custer apparently never grasped how outnumbered he was. His Indians scouts warned him but he refused to listen to them. So the army lost and the tribes won. There is no point in gnashing one's teeth over the outcome. It is what it is. 🤷♂
It sounds like from your video the senior command was incompetent to lead. Do you have any follow up videos of that? Second do you remember the video that mentioned in this video about the officer "all officers hated"? Thank you, very interesting.
What ifs!! Without them we wouldn't be here. What if Benteen came "quick" and rode hard and directly to Custer and passed on by Reno and his bedraggled survivors. My inclination is it would have been more fodder for the Indians, who were likely and seemingly invincible that day, and a much bigger death list.
Benteen was weird and petty with his hatred of Custer but he was stone cold blooded in his personal matters - challenging Custer and others who crossed him with offers of duels to the end - nobody took the challenge. To have everyone (non coms and officers) marvel at his bravery while everyone was laying low on Reno/Benteen Hill speaks volumes of his true personality.
The source of his anger was the Lyman Kidder incident, where Custer abandoned his patrol to be butchered and scalped by natives they were pursuing. Benteen was a close friend of Kidder and as with many other officers who detested the self promoting and glory mongering habits of Custer. Custer was a very flawed man and the massacre was the result of his gamble to make headlines in newspapers, as journalists put him up to it. He ruined his military career by running his mouth with hearsay accusations at a trial of an indian agent appointed by president Grant. Custer entertained political ambitions and as usual was willing to risk his officers and troopers as a means to this end. Custer was detested by his fellow officers and troopers where ever he served, Benteen was just the most demonstrative of this situation as every other officer would happily have dueled him. I have studied this man and found him fundementaly out of control, at the fight he purposfully sent Benteen on a fool's errand to stay back and cut off the escape of the natives. Benteen did the right thing by hearing gunfire and he immediately marched his command to the sound of the engagement, which was the Reno rout and without Benteen it is certain Reno's command would have been wiped out also. In the end Benteen was not an idiot, it was Custer who earned this title time and time again who had no qualms about throwing away the lives of his men for the "greater glory" of the Custer name.
@@gocatoon4591 Oh, of course!, when faced with your detailed response to counter my argument, " you know nothing" I can see your details that unravel my historical education.
@@bobwhite3895 It was Elliot not Kidder that Benteen was good friends with. Kidder was a different incident. Do not comment on things you know little about.
@@bobwhite3895 how did Custer specifically earn himself the title 'idiot'? I won't cast judgement, but I find it quite common for folks to blast Custer more than they should
I recall reading a book about Reno's command, based primarily on the written history of one of the soldiers who survived the ordeal. Or I think that was the foundation of the book. Anyway a major theme of the book was that many of the officers and soldiers were drunk in the battle, especially to include Reno. The idea was put forth that it was a common occurrence in the army of the day in that territory.
I have a lot to say about the battle & like many of the commentators & video presenters I too am an amateur. I'm just starting to dig into Gardner's ...All That Lasts book & it's a hefty read. The first thing I did was check his index & was dismayed to find that he makes no entry for Robert Utley & this is a serious omission! It may have been 15 yrs. ago that I read his book ...The lance & Shield... Which to this day represents a touchstone for me & unlike the rest of us amateurs is a respected historian. I take exception to your treatment of the principle actors in this compelling drama: especially regarding Benteen & Reno. It's Nearly impossible for us to imagine Reno's command facing the on slot of warriors charging them. Dismounted their command would have been wiped out! His scramble into the bushes, across the river & up the imbankment saved at least some of his men's lives. Benteen made a cascading number of stupid decissions, halts & misconceptions. As for Custer's 'hurry' the bottom of West Point's class had only one strategy " Charge." This was summed up as"Custer's Luck." The presidental election was to be held next month in July & The Republicans had nominated him as their leader. Yeah! he was in a big hurry. Vainglorious, impetuous and disreguarding of how many men he would. I'll leave it at that... Warriors charging Reno's command
It never ceases to amaze me that My grandfather whom I met as a child was born 4 years before this battle. He live to see Jet planes ICBMs and the distruction of cities in the melting of an eye.
@@dks13827 Nearly, just 3 years shy of "Uri Gargarin's" First orbit of earth. Ps when I say ICBM I mean the German V2 rocket at least two of which landed close by.
Benteen gets a lot of flack for his part, but Reno was the greater of the two offenders in my opinion. Godfrey and Benteen both claimed that Reno proposed escaping once Benteen arrived, and Benteen wouldn't do it. I think Weir deserves a lot of credit for what he tried to do. It's sad how his life came to an end.
Custers order:Benteen “ be quick bring packs p.s.bring packs” is a contradiction. He could’ve left the packs and galloped to Custer or he could have stayed with the packs like he did to make sure they got to Custer. Horses and mules were spent in either case. Hence the 15-20 minute watering at the morras. Can we second guess a real time operation accurately?
3:55 is very important. Reno was the present commanding officer and ordered Benteen to halt and help him. I've always maintained that this exonerates Benteen right there. There is also the distance probability that had Benteen gone forward to Custer, the entire 7th would have been wiped out to the last man. Benteens 3 companies wouldn't have saved Custer and Reno could not hold a defense with his depleted manpower.
Agree and Benteen had to have figured this. Custer had created a catastrophe for everyone involved and Benteen and Reno's alignment saved the remaining companies. The native's had their day and had to have known that Terry and Gibbon were on their way and thus their breaking camp and leaving rather than continue the battle The Little Bighorn. I applaud the bravery on that day of Reno and Benteen and those who fought and survived this.
First of all, Benteen had direct, written orders from Custer to "come quickly". Any orders Major Reno gave to Benteen did not countermand the orders of the overall commander. Secondly, when Benteen arrived at Reno Hill, there were few warriors around - most of them were upriver fighting Custer. Lastly, if Benteen did ride on to Custer, why the hell would Reno not go with him? WTF? And who's to say the combined forces of Reno's battalion and Benteen's battalion could not have saved Custer? To quote Napoleon, "When you have resolved to fight a battle, collect your whole force (Benteen, come on, be quick...). Dispense with nothing. A single battalion sometimes decides the day." It is ignorant and erroneous to say the "entire 7th Cavalry would have been wiped out to the last man" had Benteen and/or Reno tried to save Custer and his men. There are too many indeterminate factors and facets to make such a conclusion - that is why historians and scholars never assume such a presumption. I guess you're someone special, eh, tonyp? Anyway, one thing is for certain...7 out of 12 companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry sat on a hilltop while, five miles away, over two hundred of their comrades were fighting for their lives. From a military standpoint, there is something inherently wrong with that picture. The men on the hilltop even heard the firing, and they heard the sounds of volley firing (distress signals). Oddly enough, neither of the two commanders, Major Reno or Captain Benteen, recalled hearing any sounds of gunfire coming from upriver. The troops on the hilltop were getting antsy, anxious, and restless. 'Why were they not doing anything!' they cried. Finally, Captain Weir took matters in his own hands. He mounted up his own company and moved to the sound of the firing. Weir's initiative shamed Captain Benteen and Major Reno into mounting up their own companies but, by then, it was too late; Custer and five of his companies had been wiped out. Could Benteen and/or Reno have saved Custer? Possibly. No one can know for sure. But one thing is for sure... neither of them really tried.
@@Eadbhard dang man, who put a burr under your saddle. You're quite rude and quite wrong. Reno wouldn't have followed Benteen, he had too many wounded men and men with no horses. Secondly, Reno gave Benteen a direct order as a superior officer. Benteen did nothing wrong by obeying that order, especially upon seeing firsthand how bad Reno's situation was. And lastly, Benteen even with Reno's half strength would have absolutely been wiped out right along with Custer. They barely held as it was. And Weir even stated that by the time he reached Weir point, all he saw was a swarm of braves shooting at objects on the ground. There's a good chance that Custer's battle was effectively over by the time relief could have even made it to them.
@@tonyp1040 At the time Reno had, at most, ten wounded men. He could have left a small detachment of troopers on the hill to help Dr. Porter care for the wounded. There were no warriors within the vicinity; they were all fighting Custer in the north. Reno was second-in-command; as such, his orders would not supersede Custer's orders. Benteen was under Custer's orders when he came upon Reno on Reno Hill. That's simple military protocol, you dumbass. Reno's "bad situation" had passed. All the warriors were now engaging Custer. The fight was now upriver, not on Reno Hill. As I mentioned before, there are too many variables to make the assumption that Benteen/Reno would have been wiped out with Custer had they attempted to aid him. It's just your opinion, nothing more. And in your ignorant opinion, you don't take into account all the different scenarios that could possibly take place had Benteen and/or Reno rode to Custer's aid. For example, Benteen's sudden arrival could have served as a diversion for Custer. Benteen could have linked up with Captain Keogh's wing, and while they engaged the warriors, Custer could have made his way toward the river and captured some of the fleeing women and children. That's just one of several possible scenarios. Again, the men on Reno Hill were idle. Weir was fuming. He requested to ride to Custer, and was denied. Some time had passed before Weir took the initiative himself and mounted up. Yes, it was too late. Any move to assist Custer should have occurred minutes after Benteen arrived at Reno Hill.
@@Eadbhard why are you so rude? We were all having a pleasant conversation and you have to come in being a bully. And Custer did try to go after the women and children, as he had done at the washita, but was either turned back or found himself in the middle of a much larger village.
My opinion is that if Benteen had followed the written orders brought to him by John Martin instead of sitting ass for one hour after encountering Reno on the bluffs, he'd have gotten his three companies wiped out upon attempting to break through to Keogh's battalion on and around Calhoun Hill. There were close to a thousand armed and mounted Lakota and Cheyenne moving up Deep Coulee at approximately the time Benteen would have reached it if he had simply continued northward at a standard cavalry march of 4 mph after a brief halt to ensure Reno's force was no longer threatened. It seems unlikely that any reinforcement he could call on from his other battalions could have saved Custer. After all, he took the strongest of the four columns of the 7th with him, accounting for about 35% of the total force. The surviving three groups had to unify for mutual defense, and barely held out.
At noon on the 25th Custer knew: 1. It was a large village. 2. He had lost the element of surprise. 3. His ammo was more than a mile behind on slow moving mules. 4. The Indians had a habit of scattering once discovered. 5. If he could pull off a victory he would not have to share the glory. To him the last two outweighed the first three.
He knew it was a large village. He probably expected that. What he couldn't have known on a July afternoon with lots of heat haze and dust from pony herds was that it was by far the largest concentration of tribes there ever was in the Trans Mississippi West. I've been there at that time of year. In 1876 there were more trees and brush west of the river. It wouldn't have been easy to see great distances clearly. It was so large it devastated the area and the tribes had to break apart in a few days. He had left Reno's group at the south end and expected to attack from the north to meet them. He had gone a few miles and he still wasn't at the center. Reno was engaging to the south, you could hear the gunfire, and needed his support. The northern prong of the Army offensive was expected to reach the mouth of the Little Big Horn into the Yellowstone around that day and push south. He couldn't have known that sognificant opposition had slowed them. They would expect him to draw forces away from their push up the river. It's not very far to the Yellowstone. His strategy made sense provided he wasn't facing huge organized forces. For the one time in Plains history he was. Sonetimes the shit rains down on you in war. This was one of those days. Worth noting that George Crook, one of America's all time best generals, nearly came to grief in the same area at Rosebud Creek within a few days time of Custer's defeat.
@@nowthenzen Is the Civil War "all speculation" unless you were there? What I cited is historical fact. I admire Gen. Custer, and it is Monday morning quarterbacking, but having been advised that there were thousands of horses and that they would "go home by a road they do not know," he should have better balanced the risk versus the reward.
@@warrenrosen2326 this is a false equivalency. 1st no one survived to tell the story of Custer's battalion, you have to admit that. 2nd Indian accounts were biased in different directions. 3rd all American survivor accounts were biased for different reasons. That is why there has been so much said and written about that day.
Here is a quote from Benteen as recorded in January 1879: " When I received my orders from Custer to separate myself from the command, I had no instructions to unite at any time with Reno or anyone else. There was no plan at all. My orders were, "valley hunting ad infinitum". The reason I returned was because I thought I would be needed at the ridge: I acted entirely upon my own judgement. I was separated from Reno possibly fifteen miles at the greatest distance"
oh that would be great probably slam trash the natives/ aboriginals hard ..........the vikings landed in newfoundland, canada, on the North american contiinent 500 years before Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas. (basic common history Knowledge) Both did not know there were peoples there 15,000 years earlier, well before them.... holy 💩what kinda history do they teach in the school system
After looking and different videos on the actions of the day I can understand that the main issues that lead to the demise of Custer was lack of centralize command, bad planning and communications and lack of understanding of the operational battlefield. Also Custer's aggressive nature put him in a disadvantage as he made bad assumptions, rush into action to find to late that he was meeting a superior force in the open and had nowhere to go. His aggressive advance has put him in a positions where he has cut himself off from the supply train sealing his fate.
It had always worked for him before-just go hell for leather and worry about things as they happened. He finished dead last in his class at West Point-so he wasn't given to fine details in planning anything. It must have been a final moment of humility for him when he finally realized what his scouts had been trying to tell him. When one of them point blank told him that he was preparing to die, Custer snapped at him to stop being so morose.
Regarding the meeting between Custer's messenger, John Martini, and Captain Benteen, the narrator fails to point out some pertinent information. After Martini gave Benteen the written orders from Custer, the Captain asked Martini where the Indians were. In broken English, Martini replied, "skedaddling". Three years later, at Reno's Court of Inquiry, Captain Benteen was asked why he did not respond to Custer's urgent orders with any kind of alacrity. In response, Benteen said some words to the affect of, "I assumed Custer had already attacked the village, and the Indians were all fleeing; as such, I saw no necessity to hurry up my command or the packs". In short, the whirling words of an overly-excited lower enlisted man, a soldier who barely spoke a lick of English, held more sway for Captain Fred Benteen than did the crucial, imperative orders of his commander.
What is important for this battle is the terrain it was not a flat area of ground, nope it was rolling hills and ravines. Custer was looking for a great Victory that would allowed him to get elected. He split this force into three columns which some say was an mistake. But this does mean that two of those columns did manage to survive the battle. Reno had around 140 men and by the time he met up with Benteen approx 40 had been killed, Benteen's force had around 125 men. They had moved forward but Indians started to show up on their front and that area not a place to fight so Benteen and Reno fell back to Reno's Hill and Benteen setup a defense there. They were attacked through out the day, Custer had stirred up a hornet nest since the Indian camp had around 8,000 individuals and probably 2,000 - 2,500 fighters or more fighters likely some of the women joined in the fight as well. Custer's men were caught out in the open trying to fall back and were cut to pieces. If Benteen & Reno had tried to move to support they as well would have been caught out in the open and the Cavalry losses would not have been 274 dead but closer to 700 dead.
I've seen other maps of Reno's initial skirmish line superimposed on current day maps and it cuts across the present day freeway. Wondering why there are no markers down by the river, there must have been casualties in that initial engagement?
We need to consider the actions of the 7th before this morning. Hard riding very hard riding. Custer drove his men hard to get to the camp. We need to factor in the probable need to rest and water. I give Remo a pass on the time at the morass.
Yes, and compare Custer’s movement to the Indian camp with General Crooks. Completely different approaches with different outcomes. General Crook was a much better commander than Custer. Gen. Crook could fight conventional warfare as well a irregular warfare. Custer was out of is capabilities in both forms of warfare.
The timber definitely provided good cover and a defensible position for men and horses. My question is regarding Reno's ammunition supply (which I have read in several books was running low) would it have been better to stay in the timber waiting to be relieved by Benteen/Custer while completely running out of ammunition or what eventually transpired. Thoughts?
these people in charge were not true military leaders. You never, ever reduce your advantage of men by dividing them up. You stay close enough together but with some distance to cover and scout. This allows the entire company to come together once the object is found. They did the absolute opposite and caused the deaths of these men.
What do I think of Benteen? I think his organization of the defense atop the bluff prevented the entire force from being wiped out. Custer was a brave soldier but he mismanaged his troops at that battle. Should have found the enemy and waited for Terry to arrive.
Are you really that dizzy? By late morning on June 25th, Custer was operating under the correct assumption that the warriors in the village were aware of his regimen's presence. You think he should have "waited for Terry to arrive", huh? Terry and Gibbon were purportedly supposed to arrive at the Little Bighorn on June 26th (they didn't actually arrive until the 27th). That being said, YOU believe Custer should have waited for them, huh? Did it ever occur to you that the warriors in the village probably would have attacked Custer if he just waited? If they didn't do that, they would have rounded up their families, packed up their belongings, and fled the village while the entire 7th Cavalry sat on their asses waiting for the Montana column to arrive. You're an idiot.
perhaps all of them. The Indians were contemplating a full on assault to wipe out Benteen/Reno, if that command had taken more casualties in a failed charge they very probably all would have died.
You're right, if Benteen had of forced the issue by going to the sound of the guns the only difference it would have made was more names on the monuments and a larger fence around Last Stand Hill. On this day the Indians had the three most important factors going for them; far superior numbers, better fire power and supreme motivation.
@@yankee7809Bullshit. If Benteen finds Custer at the northward extent of Custer's path, together they would have had enough men to capture a sizable number of non-combatants = end of fight.
Still trying to outsmart me, aren't you, muleskinner? You want me to think that you don't want me to go down there, but the subtle truth is you really DON'T want me to go down there!
I am of the belief that Captain Benteen did everything that he could at the Little Bighorn. His action at his post were admirable and I believe he did a damn fine job!!! If you’re opinion is contrary to this, I respect that, but I am of the belief that Captain Frederick Benteen of “H” Company did a good job as a field officer and Cavalry Commander.
Gallant Cavalier. I agree. Captain Benteen was a hero at LBH. Many men had him to thank for their lives. I can't even imagine the emotions those men went through when they realized there was finally someone capable, strong, and steady there to lead them.
Benteen was seething with resentment and jealousy regarding Custer. He dragged his feet disgracefully on the back trail and wasted more time at the morass watered his horses company by company instead of simultaneously. His bravado on Reno Hill looked like self preservation, he must have known he was likely to be called to account in a court marshall. He ignored multiple orders, pretended not to hear the signal volleys, and pretended not to have any idea where Custer was. Custer’s plan of attack that day would have been carefully described to Reno and Benteen previously at officer’s Call.
I'm pretty clear Washita and the fate of Major Elliot were at the forefront of Benteen's mind. The only way Benteen might have affected the outcome would have been to ignore Reno's plea (order) to join him. Had he done so the whole 7th could have been annhilated.
1. Had the Indian agents reported the true number of those who had left the agencies that Spring it would have been valuable intel. Agents were reimbursed based upon numbers of Sioux present. There was a tendency, therefore, to inflate the numbers present at any time. 2. Had Crook reported his action on the Rosebud to Terry, this would provide invaluable intel. A. The numbers of Sioux encountered on the Rosebud was far greater than expected. B. Those encountered on the Rosebud fought very tenaciously rather than hit and run style.
Benteen was out of position to be of timely use. He was out of position on Custer's orders. Custer should have sent a small scouting force and maintained a strong central force. Custer should have issued extra ammo before leaving his pack train behind, he WAS expecting contact that day. Benteen had an obligation to assist Reno. Benteen did not receive clear orders, bring packs or bring pack train? Custer was the guy in charge, everything is his responsibility.
I have a question for all of those who say that Benteen and Reno failed Custer. That Benteen and Reno let Custer die, why do you feel such an ardent need to vilify Benteen and Reno? Reno was a drunk, okay fine, but why Benteen? What is this loyalty to Custer and the need to say that his two most senior officer failed him? I am not trying to be disrespectful to your beliefs, I simply want to understand where this loyalty to Custer comes from, and this desire to criticize how Benteen followed his orders?
Some people are angry that the army failed. So they think Custer could not have made mistakes and that his subordinates must be to blame. In fact, there were just way too many Lakota and Cheyenne for the 7th cavalry to handle. 600 or so cavalry against maybe 1500 to 2000 warriors determined to fight. No real surprise the Indians won. Somebody had to.
@@jimsatterfield8748 Okay, I understand that. But, that doesn’t sound like the best reason, if you’ll forgive my saying so. I mean, Captain Weir tried, followed by Benteen, but then they were turned back and left to save what remained of the 7th Cavalry. Is there more to your reasoning by “It was an order from Custer?” Cause, frankly I don’t think Custer would do it if one of his subordinates was out on a limb like that. Just look at what happened to Major Elliot on the Washita.
Regarding Benteen's quandry, I don't understand why it had to be one or the other. Why not send a party of scouts as rapidly as they could go to encounter Custer, help, and send one back to report the condition, while also bringing the packs as fast as they could move. How many men did he have?
IF...I'm ever going into a combat situation my " Must Have " items are : 1. Ammo 2. Water. 3 Spade or Shovel. 4. Rain Gear/ Poncho. 5. Gun cleaning stuff. 6. Moar Water. 7. Moar Ammo. 8. Food. 9. Moar Ammo. 10. More Water
Benteen's lethargy in moving to contact might be justified by a prudent wish to preserve the strength of his mounts. Even after he received the order to "come quick" his force would have been of little use had he made the three miles at the gallop. Custer watered his horsedsboth at the Morass and at the North Fork of Reno Creek, though in an attack. Benteen could have been expected to do the same. Custer's order to "come quick" does not specify where Benteen was to go. Custer was a regimental commander, and the order can reasonably be interpreted as instructing Benteen to join the regiment, wherever found, which was achieved upon linking with Reno. The Reno inquiry seems to have been the Army's vehicle to instruct its officers that assumption of the defense upon encountering a forlorn hope in the offense was justified. Benteen's subordination to Reno was fully justified. Movement of Reno's command to Custer's position would have been in contravention of his orders to occupy the warriors in the southern portion of the battlefield. The fact that neither Reno nor Benteen had contingent orders was a command error by Custer. Reno and Benteen have been long pilloried for failing to support Custer. But, Custer's concept failed to create mutually supporting elements (beyond Reno in the South, and Custer in support). The concept of operations was grossly fragmentary. Commander's intent was little more than a hope and a prayer that the Indians would flee. I do not think hostage taking was on Custer's mind. The expectation seems to have been that the non-combatants would flee; the warriors would mount a rear-guard; the calvary would harass the rear-guard and drive the village into Terry and Gibbon. If Custer had a plan to quell the warriors by taking hostages, I think he would have executed a desperate attempt, rather than mount a desperate defense. The appearance of Benteen was likely expected to threaten the non-combatants so as to compel the warriors into a rear-guard defense. Burning the lone teepee might be viewed as a signal to the Indians. In contemplation of a rear-guard action, Custer may not have wanted such complete surprise that the warriors would have no choice but to stand and defend. Most accounts of the Yellowstone expedition fail to mention that Terry had small artillery pieces capable of cannister shot. Two Moons' eye-witness account includes a description of bugle calls by Custer's battalion, as Weir and Benteen appeared at the point. Sitting Bull retells similar accounts. What were those calls? If they were retreat or dismount, I am sure Benteen would have said so. No Cavalry officer mentioned bugle calls. Sitting Bull stated that Custer had not been defeated at the time of Weir's appearance, and warriors were dispatched to intercept that reinforcement. It is probable that Weir witnessed the battle from the collapse of C Company to Custer's demise. In the final analysis, I think it was a poor plan poorly communicated, and poorly executed. Reno's failure to clash inside the village and bring about a rear-guard action may be faulted, but it was up to Custer to communicate a complete plan, which he apparently did not do. Custer's tactical mistake was in failing to provide mutually supporting elements with contingent missions. i.e. lack of a complete plan. Entirely a failure of command.
Remember, Custer left sabers and lances behind. Reno would be crazy to close with an enemy with far superior numbers with only pistol for close in weapons. Custer's entire battle plan depends on establishing battlefield control with long range rifle fire by soldier on a line. He didn't bring anything else.
@@howardwhite1507 Very good point. I would go far as to say that the U.S. Army had no effective doctrine for cavalry fighting after the Civil War, beyond constituting dragoons. The whole idea of sending Custer to push the natives from the South in place of Crook's entire force was folly.
excellent account.like the confusing light brigade order word of mouth may have sent further orders to benteen but as custer chose a raw italian recruit who didnt speak english to deliver his orders we will never know.as far as benteen was concerned his last word from custer was in no circumstances endanger the pack train.he was now told come quick bring packs.the order contradicted itself .benteen could either abandon the pack train leaving it at risk thus ignoring custers express order and come without the packs or lead the train slow as it was to the battleground intact.watering the mules was vital so he did just that expecting had custers plan been effective that the indians were running from the camp and a lengthy chase would ensue so needed the mules in top condition.as benteen recalled it custers order made no sense.in light of what happened had he led his men after custer leaving the train to fend for itself he probably would have died with custer the train been wiped out and renos men without support massacred.he did the most sensible thing given what he could discerne from the circumstances.custers complete strategy was wrong attacking without recon or having his whole force present splitting his command into 3 and vanishing with his men without knowing how the other phase of the attack were going or enemy strength.
Some interesting points and a few unfounded assumptions. Of course Reno and Benteen would claim Custer’s plan either didn’t exist or they weren’t told about it, they knew they were facing courts marshall for dereliction of duty, cowardice, ignoring direct orders. Custer could not defend himself. They both must have known exactly what Custer’s plan was at officers‘ call, Custer didn’t make Brigadier General at aged twenty-five for being an idiot. General Sheriden himself said of the Civil War surrender at Appomattox ‘there’s scarcely a soldier in the Union Army who did more to bring this about than General Custer.’ Reno was possibly inebriated, Benteen was pathologically jealous of Custer and seeking some sort of revenge, which he got after dragging his feet all the way along the backtrail, deliberately wasting time at the morass, insisting horses be watered one company at a time, wilfully showing zero initiative or responsibility on the state of the pack train, then finally only bucking his ideas up on the Reno defence line as a matter of self defence.
@@drstrangelove4998 well you cant have it both ways.custer ignored gibbons express order and attacked before terry arrived.from all accounts he decided this last moment after seeing indians looting a box lost from the pack train.claiming they were discovered he then ordered a hasty attack.he didnt include benteen back with the packs in this decision.he expected the indians to run as all his previous battles had resulted in this happening.he therefore sent reno in without recconoitering the camp to attack one end while he swept round and caught the braves as they left the other end.in fact he had no idea how big the camp was.reno was attacked by sioux who didnt run.custer got halfway was outflanked and destroyed .the outcome was totally different frm what he expected with about ten times the number of enemy.reno was totally unmanned by the fact he was covered from the face down in the brains of his ree scoutwho was shot in front of him.he was probably in clinical shock.as custer never contemplated the number of braves the fact he could get cut off what orders could he give about a situation he never expected to be in? the plan was for three columns to converge together not for him to go in alone.that was decided on the spur of the moment.despite what you say custer was a very unreliable officer.he abandoned men at the black kettle fight in 68 running away to the disgust of benteen and the 7th.he also simply left the column the next year with not a word to hunt buffalo on his own.this was in hostile territory.he went miles away shot his horse by mistake and had to be rescued.he was also only at the big horn due to pressure on grant to reinstate him after hed been suspended from the army after being court martialled having left his post without a word again during hostile activity leaving his men to go and see his wife who he missed.as a commander he was impulsive erratic and prone to spur of the moment decisions often mystifying his men.he was also an incredible martinet .on the march to texas post civil war in the hottest weather for years he ordered his men to put on their winter coats then rode round the column in nothing but a shirt berating them as they collapsed and refusing water stops though he drank plenty himself.on the same march he shot deserters out of hand.a man who deserts runs away ignores his commanders orders splits his command in the face of the enemy doesnt bother to scout their camp or find out how many are there is unreliable to say the least.to blame his failings on his junior officers has been disproved a 100 times.grant didnt want him to go but was swayed by his generals they all knew custer was a problematic choice and liable to do his own thing hence gibbons express order to wait.
I think many of these comments are very interesting, but the bottom line for me is that Custer divided his relatively small command into four (including the pack train) in the face of a large force disparity. Each of these four forces were relatively uncoordinated. The US troopers were largely inexperienced, many having previously barely fired their weapons. The Native Americans were well armed and many were experienced warriors, as well as having a very large numerical superiority. They also had the advantage of interior lines, which was used to good effect when redeploying away from Reno and toward Custer. I've been to the battlefield, it struck me as undulating with many small hills and gullies, which would have helped the Native Americans to get in relatively close, with or without tall grass. If Custer was such a good officer, he should have recognized these factors--he was informed by his scouts about the force disparity for example. In fact, Custer severely underestimated his opponents on that day. The wonder is that Benteen was able to save so many men by keeping the remainder of the troops together in a defensible position until relieved.
Poor recon - the 7th Cav had no idea how many "hostiles" they faced - so it was a big mistake to divide the command. Custer was in command - so its his responsibility. If you've never visited the battle site - its incredibly beautiful, evocative country. Rest in peace all who fought there.
All the ifs, buts and maybes. All the Shouda, Woulda, Coulda. All derive from the uncertainty caused by the decision to split forces without an adequate understanding of the enemy's strength and location coupled with vague orders. That was down to one man. He was warned against dividing and he chose to ignore that advice. Can anyone dispute this root cause? Custer lovers will say his decisions were a reasonable risk and he was let down by others. Those of the opposite view will say he was reckless in pursuit of further personal glory as his primary objective. The debate will never end.
I have to agree, what happened already happened. What’s done is done, I have no feeling for Custer, but I mourn for the Troopers who died with him. I’m grateful for the skill of Captain Benteen to hold on to the wounded men and the Troopers who were left. That’s all I have to say on the subject.
Custer was in charge. He bears all responsibility unless failure to obey orders is PROVEN. Unless I am mistaken, Reno was senior to Benteen, Benteen had to support Reno. Benteen had no idea of the situation until it unfolded. Reno may have been drunk, or he may have been overwhelmed. I cannot say. I can say his attack was undermanned and doomed. He is lucky to have escaped at all. Reno was in no shape to ride to Custer's aid. He didn't even have a clear idea of what Custer was up to. Reno needed at least half of Benteens men at the outset to have played the role he was given successfully. Custer was winging it and bit off too much. Custer was the man in charge. Custer may have been so far wrong nothing could have saved him. He may also have been just a few small decisions from a big win.
The usual thing was for the Indians to slip away from confrontations with regular troops. They were very hard to pin down. I believe Custer had orders to block their escape and, in any event, it worked at the Washita. One officer who was with the Benteen/Reno group said afterwards that Benteen should have been shot for his failure to obey orders to come quick and move to the sound of the guns. He despised Custer and probably hoped to embarrass him by holding back and didn't realize how bad the outcome would be.
I know. Back then, they used the term Company. I found a reference, since lost to time, where that changed. Some authors use the terms interchangeably, but the best and brightest scholars use Company. I do prefer Troop!
One of the reasons for this defeat often overlooked is how Crook lost his nerve after the Rosebud battle and retreated into Wyoming when he still had approx 1000 fighting men, including Crow and Shoshone scouts. His scouts could have found a village that size and with his force closing from the south, Custer and Terry from the northeast and Gibbon from the west the Sioux would have been in trouble. Crooks men were fishing and playing ball in Wyoming while the 7th Calvary was losing 268 men.
I grew up in the area. Wandered the Battlefield prior to it becoming a National Park. A friend had a Trapdoor rifle that his Grandfather picked up in the battlefield area a few years after the battle. In the mid 60's my friend and I located the garbage dump from old Fort Custer, abandoned in the 1890's. The old fort location was on another friend's property so we were given free reign to explore. We dug up a multitude of artifacts...bottles, buttons, spent / live cartridges, uniform scraps, boot scraps, dinnerware, and occasionally a "US" belt buckle. Sadly the dump site was obliterated in the 70's when a new road grade was established.
According to an article in National Geographic, the entire area was subjected to thorough archaeological research sometime in 70's. That's when the complete skeleton of a soldier (about 19 years old) was found in uniform and with weaponry.
Thats a cool ancedote, hope you kept some of those finds
Sure, pal 😂
One of the sergeants who testified at Reno's board of inquiry said that "if we'd been lead by braver men, we'd all be dead." I always loved that quote.
Yet the men Reno left in the timber, survived. Only a couple of troopers were killed at that point, Indian testimony said they couldn’t understand why they left a defensible position in the woods.
That sergeant should never be a leader of men let alone be in the military.
@@drstrangelove4998 Reno was probably trying to withdraw to a better defendable position,And that being the closest high ground with a good 360 degree circle with good field of fire in all directions.
He may have also been making sure to put the river between his command and the Indian warriors.
Its possible Reno didn't recognize his position in the trees was better than trying to get to high ground?
I think Reno made the right choice,he just took much longer than he should have to make that choice
@@stephengreene1856 Reno was a coward. simple as that, Benteen was a disobedient, petulant child, simple as that. They killed Custer nd his men just as much as the Indians.
Pure gold.
I have been fascinated with this battle since I was a child. I've read multiple accounts and seen many presentations. And of course this one casts Reno in a bad light. I have always felt that Reno was unfairly vilified. Custer was a flamboyant poster boy, worshiped by many of his men. And his memory was in many ways influenced by his wife's actions attempting to defend his honor. But you cannot study this battle without having to acknowledge the errors Custer made. His plan put Reno in a bad position, and it was worsened by both of their failures to properly conduct reconnaissance before committing their forces.
However, as the saying goes, even the most perfect of plans rarely survives first contact with the enemy. The Sioux warriors reacted better and pressed their advantage.
In general a very well done video and an excellent addition to Custer and Little Bighorn Studies. My father was a history teacher and a lifelong student of the 19th Century American West, particularly this battle, and was a member of the Little Big Horn Society. I started going there on family vacations as a small child. My father had hundreds of books on the subject and over the years I read them all. My brother still preserves the library. I've walked and ridden the battlefield in July and August many times. I still learned rhings from this program. Thanks very much. I'm now subscribed with notifications and I'll view your other programs.
Dear Sir, with your knowledge and having been to the battlefield, are there any specific books you could recommend?
@@wimsele Touched by Fire. The Last Stand. Enjoy. Your library and Amazon will have many choices.
I too have had, as an Englishman, a lifelong interest in Custer and the LBH and a goodly library. I think Benteen not only hated Custer, he suffered from a pathological jealousy of his superior. He dragged his feet all the way along the back trail, walking pace, wasted time at the morass watering companies individually, despite two verbal and one written order to come quickly. In short both he and Reno were extremely fortunate not to have a court marshall. The Army wanted to whole disgraceful affair over and forgotten as quickly as possible, Custer being dead, made a convenient scapegoat.
@@drstrangelove4998 In just the last 6 months I've been to Gettysburg and Little Big Horn. There are probably no other American battles that have so many people obsessed, despite the disparity in the number of men involved. Perhaps it is because of the great 'What Ifs' posed to the decisions made by Custer and Robert E. Lee.
@@drstrangelove4998 At the battle of the Washita in 1868, Benteen wrongly accused Custer of abandoning Major Elliott and nineteen men to their fate. Ironically, eight years later at the Little Bighorn, Captain Benteen would abandon Custer and over two hundred men to their fate. Benteen did this despite receiving urgent orders from his commander to "come on" and "be quick". Benteen was a querulous, persnickety malcontent, and his self-absorbed, unwarranted hatred for his commander colored everything he said and did.
Most maps, and video on wars, civil, WW I, II, etc., are not so difficult to grasp but for some reason this is one of those battlefields that I really need to go see it to get some bearing on just where, how, who everything moved.
a moment of appreciation for this man, he has done his research properly before feeding this to the audience
My mom is full-blood Oglala Sioux. My Great Grandfather was Cheif Frank Fools Crow. His grandfather, or my Great Great Great Grandfather, Knife Chief, fought and killed soldiers in the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He was also the first agent of the Pine Ridge Agency Indian Police.
Did he take scalps and disembowel soldiers?
@@andytyrrell5153 I don't know. Seeing as it was nearly 147 years ago, it is difficult to answer that question with any certainty. I'm not aware of any discerning historical accounts relating to that question with respect to Knife Cheif in particular.
Why do you ask? What difference would it make one way or another if Knife Chief did take scalps and/or disembowl soldiers at BLBH?
If he did, it would be in line with Lakota custom, not to mention it would be in keeping with Plains warfare writ large. Just as treaty violation, enforcement refusal, non-combatant hostage taking, biological warfare, food supply depletion, teepee burning, etc is in line with US Army custom in their dealings with Plains Tribes including, but not limited to, the Lakota (Sioux).
I don't hold any particularly distinguishable ill-will toward either side from a moral or honor standpoint. Despite the clashing cultures and misunderstandings of the time, I find it notable that there are numerous accounts from both sides detailing mutual respect for the bravery and fighting prowess of soldiers and warriors alike.
But you wear the german name Meyer
@@StefanPütz-h2f Perhaps his father's name is Meyer ? DUH ! ! !
@@andytyrrell5153 If he did not take scalps and gut some troopers, he should have. The Cavalry started the battle in the bottom by firing directly into lodges. They killed women and children indiscriminately. If your family had been killed or wounded in that volley you damn sure would scalp and do some knife work at the minimum. Unless you are a pacifist ? In any event, the warriors were fighting for their families and relatives.
Shout out from another 1st AD veteran. Great videos. I like to defend Benteen. I think he just assumed it'd be another 'dazzling Custer victory' that would just lead to more newspaper headlines and more Custer myth. By all accounts he sounded like someone that was rather demoralized by Custer's ego and glory hunting (surrounding himself with family members and lackeys) with him as just a third wheel and outsider, having to answer to a boozed up Major Reno. When things got heavy this combat veteran regained his cool and kept the 7th from getting wiped out.
Great to hear from you!
I think that you bring up a good point and one that's often overlooked in most videos about the Battle of the Little Bighjorn. From what I've read, while Custer was generally liked, maybe even loved, by the enlisted troopers, that wasn't the case with his officers. It seems that opinions on Custer were sharpl;y divided amongst the 7th's officers and they either loved him or hated him with nothing in between.And it didn't help that a clique of Custer fans formed within the 7th and those not part of it were not favored by Custer and the rest of his clique.
The fact that Custer played favorites played a definite role at the Little Bighorn. As I understand it, when Custer split his command, all of the Companies that he took were all commanded by officers that were part of his inner circle of favored officers. The other two were commanded by officers who were not part of the Custer fan club and I've always felt that that played a role in Benteen's hesitance to follow orders and assist Custer. If Bentenn had been a part of Custer's immediate command and one of Custer's favorites had been in Beneteen's place, things might have turned out differently.
@@Riceball01 I'm not sure. The entire 7th could have easily been wiped out had they all gone in. It was a serious error on Custer's part not realizing just how big a force he was going up against. He should have trailed them and waited until Gibbon showed up.
@@tomservo5347 You are mistaken. Custer had a very good idea how big a force he was going up against.
"He should have trailed them and waited until Gibbon showed up". Really? You don't think the Sioux and Cheyenne would have noticed a regiment of Bluecoats "trailing" them? But what the hell do you mean exactly by "trailing" them? The Seventh Cavalry had been following an Indian trail for three days - that's what led them to the village on the Little Bighorn. The trail, by the way, grew larger and larger as they regiment drew closer to the Little Bighorn valley. The trail they leave is a good indicator as to how big the Natives' village is going to be, don't you think? Duhh.
You don't make a lick of sense.
@@tomservo5347 That was his orders from the book I read. He was not suppose to engage the natives. So much knew knowledge has come out since the late 1980s. Not much here in Canada sadly.
A man, born and bred in the same village as i was, Garsington, Oxfordshire, England, was with Major Reno on Reno hill during this battle. His
name was James Pym, and he was awarded the Medal of Honour for his courage in volunteering to cross open ground under heavy fire to the
creek to fetch water for his wounded and thirst maddened mates. He did this several times until he was wounded himself and could no longer
go.
Excellent
Isn't that great news.
What a coincidence I was listening to the battle of the little bighorn on a podcast by black barrel media called legends of the old West
Now this springs up on TH-cam
Great stuff
I have to plead "confusion and doubt." I probably have 20 to 40 books on LBH, Custer, Benteen, etc. What I've learned is it all depends on the author's point of view. Because I can never truly "know" what was in Frederick Benteen's head, I can only take everything I've ever read, every document I've ever watched, and make a somewhat educated guess. I think Benteen was too good a soldier to purposely ignore the sound of the gunfire. I also think he had to do everything he could to save the unfortunate men under Reno's command. I think we can all agree Reno was at best, useless. I think it's probably not hyperbole to call Benteen a hero at LBH. Having said that...he DID hate Custer. Could that hate and jealousy color the choices he made? Did he have much choice after reaching Reno's situation? Again, I wish I could be clear and resolute, but every book iread, everything I learn, just reinforces the notion that I'll never really know the answers. I guess I can just quote Capt.Benteen in Evan Connell's Son of The Morning Star. When asked by General Terry what happened, his answer was, "Mistakes were made." I'd have to agree... thanks for another video!
Confederate Gen. Richard Ewell made a similar quote after the War by accepting his responsibility regarding his actions or lack thereof @ Gettysburg. It so impressed me that even after 30+/- years, it's stayed in my memory but not from what source. I think it was from the 4 Volume "Battles & Leaders of the Civil War" (1882), of which I don't have; neither do I think Ewell left a memoir ~ however, if he did, I'm positive I've not read it.
I soundly agree!!
Benteen, the man who can destroy a regiment,,a POS he is!
@@ronniebishop2496 Ronnie, you are mistaken, do more research and stop letting others do your thinking for you.
If Benteen was TRULY a good soldier, he wouldn’t let his feelings towards Custer sway his decision making. But as you said, we can’t really know. And maybe it isn’t as black and white as I’ve just stated. But I’d like to think he wouldn’t be so callous as to purposely leave Custer and his men to die. Then again, he probably had no notion that Custers entire command was about to be totally wiped out.
In order to judge Captain Benteen's actions that day, you have to take into account the poor decisions Custer made and the chaos that he encountered when he rode up to Reno's command. Captain Benteen was no coward and would not hesitate to engage an enemy if the conditions were favorable and not suicidal. I submit that Captain Benteen made the right decisions and the rest of the command owes him their lives.
Well he did not have a lot of choice. Reno was the ranking officer at the point Benteen could have actually done something useful. And then told him to hold until it was too late.
Benteen really helped save the day for the command after the retreat. As for Custer's poor decisions, he was hampered by the age-old problem in decision-making of embracing faulty assumptions. The entire officer corps above him had those same assumptions. That is a video I want to make on how the modern military tries to overcome those biases.
@@MilitaryHistory317Here is a question for you, I have read that when the battle was fought the temperature was in the upper nineties. Therefore the wooded area that Bentsen was taking cover was wet/damp, so much so that the NA’s were unable to fire the wood, how is that so 🤷🏽♂️
That area is quite flat and any storm could cause small, local flooding. When I was there last year, Montana had its wettest summer in the last 30 or 40 years and the Timber was like a swamp in places.
😅😊@@MilitaryHistory317
Hello from sunny Warwickshire. Just to say excellent video. Seeing the actual ground is brilliant.
These are great videos. I visited Little Bighorn when I was in middle school. But, the more I read about it, and watch videos like this, the more I must go back since I have a much better appreciation of the importance of proper recon and communication in combat situations. Again, well done.
I love this channel. Thank you.
I don't believe the Indian nations are given enough credit. They knew soldiers were looking for them. They spotted custers column before the fight and let the indians know. Cavalry were not hard to spot in the dusty lands of Montana back then. And not to tactful in the heat of the day.
Splitting his force and continuing to move after seeing the village, was a blunder. Pride has its costs. He should have sent scout and waited for Benteen to return. He should have waited for Terry also, as was his directive. But glory knows no bounds and Custer wanted it all.
I have been to the battlefield. And it's eerie to be there. I couldn't wear my cav stetson that day. I swear there were to many ghosts saying no. Anyway. Thanks again.
No, Terry's orders explicitly state Custer could do as he saw fit. The orders are easy to find by Googling them.
Bullshit. The Indians had about 2-3 times more warriors than the 7th and they were better armed. It was the largest encampment of hostile Indians in North American History! I've always though the real villian(s) here were the crooked Indian agents who did not give the Indians their full rations/annuities on the reservations. Had the agents not stolen so from the Indians, you probably wouldn't have had nearly this big a camp...
@@jimsatterfield8748 Well, we also have to consider that they fought General Crook to a standstill only eight days earlier at the Battle of the Rosebud, putting Crook right out of the campaign. Instead of warning the other army columns out looking for the tribes, he went fishing and didn't lift a finger beyond that. Sitting Bull had also held a sun dance ceremony that told the Lakota and Cheyenne they would be the victors in the coming battle with the army. So they weren't giving up or running like the army expected, but stuck around to fight it out. The vision Sitting Bull saw told him the army soldiers would be delivered to them in the tribes' own camp. The rest is history ...
@@ToddSauve You are right as hell about Crook being derelict on that campaign! And also that the Indian behavior was about 180 degrees from their historic MO of scattering to the wind ahead of the long knives.
gcav: I'm constantly amazed how ignorant people are when it comes to knowing the facts about the Battle of the Little Bighorn. You are no different.
"I don't believe the Indian nations are given enough credit. They knew soldiers were looking for them. They spotted Custer's column before the fight and let the Indians know".
What the hell does that mean? Indians spotted Custer's column, and let the Indians know? WTF?
I have some factual news for you, dimwit. When the Seventh Cavalry attacked the village that day, they surprised it. "Splitting his command was a blunder". Really? How the hell would you know that? Are you an expert when it comes to Anglo-Indian warfare on the Great Plains? No. In truth, I don't think you know much about it at all. Listen, lamebrain, encircling a Native village and attacking it simultaneously from different sides, was a tried and true tactic called envelopment. In order to perform this maneuver it was necessary for a commander to divide his column into 2 or 3 separate battalions.
"Pride has its costs". "Pride" had nothing to do with Custer's defeat at the Little Bighorn, you moron.
"He should have sent "scout" (sic) and waited for Benteen to return". No, Benteen should have sent Custer a scout with information regarding the progress of his reconnaissance to the left. And Custer did wait for Benteen; he waited until he could wait no more, but Captain Fred Benteen dawdled even after Custer sent him an urgent order to "come on" and "be quick".
"He should have waited for Terry also..." First of all, waiting for General Terry's column to arrive was not part of Custer's "directive". Secondly, Custer was in the Little Bighorn valley on June 25th. Terry advised Custer that his column might arrive at the Little Bighorn from the north on June 26, but that was only an estimate (Terry's column did not reach the site of the village until June 27).
Finally, since the morning of June 25th, Custer was operating under the assumption that the Sioux and Cheyenne were aware of his regiment's presence. Custer initially wanted to attack the village on the morning of June 26 - the very day when the Montana column was purportedly suppose to arrive - but because he believed his regiment had been observed by the enemy, Custer made the correct decision to attack the village as soon as possible; his scouts even encouraged him to do so.
"He (Custer) should have waited for Terry also".... yeah, that's a brilliant observation, let me tell you. You're a nincompoop. You actually believe Custer and his entire regiment should have sat idle for two whole days and nights, waiting for Terry's column to arrive, while the Sioux and Cheyenne, knowing the Bluecoats were near, packed up their village and fled? That would have defeated the purpose of the entire campaign, would it not? Chucklehead. And did it ever occur to you that, while waiting for Terry's column to arrive, Custer could have been subjecting his entire command to a massive ambush from 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors? Duhhhh.
You know little about this battle, gcav, and you know even less about the Indian wars on the frontier, and George Armstrong Custer. I don't think you should ever wear your "cav Stetson" hat - you'd just disgrace it. You're a fugging idiot.
Whatever scenario is put forward, the cold truth is that the US government, Custer, Reno and Benteen, severely underestimated the strength of the combined Indian warriors.
These are great videos! I really like you showing the relevant terrain features. As I reflect on it, I have the sense that the possibility of defeat was nowhere in any of the Officers' mindset, and based on past engagements, where the enemy behavior was to run off, and Custer's modus operandi of splitting the force, hitting them from different directions at once, creating havoc in their ranks, I can see how Benteen was thinking Custer's force had simply ridden off in pursuit to exploit the situation and would return to their defensive perimeter. Very rarely had the Indians counterattacked with such determination and ferocity, in my opinion, and this was what led to Custer's defeat. It was like a landslide or tsunami that simply engulfed him before he could disengage. Custer became decisively engaged with a superior force, attacking from all sides and the matter went to a quick conclusion. Garry Owen!
Benteen was among the last of the entire brigade to see just how large the Indian camp was and how many warriors were involved in the battle.
His opinion is almost completely irrelevant...once he decided to bring the pack train up slowly and once Custer decided to split his forces and head downriver away from the pack train, the rest was history. The rest of the 7th cav only survived because they were not exposed to the main force of Indian warriors.
@@touristguy87 Slightly tipsy here, but tourist guy is pointing some (maybe basic axioms of military campaigns) 1. Do not divide your numerically
inferior forces in the face of a numerically superior enemy. Yes, I know, Robert E. Lee did this frequently during the Civil War with success (i.e. Chancellorsville 2nd Manassas...Wilderness)...Native Americans never read these books. 2. This one is a little closer to seeming common sense....scout your enemy, the lay of the land, their disposition, and note any weakness to be exploited. He was the commander
and failed in a number of ways. The native Americans new the terrain had the numbers and took advantage of both. No tragedy here. Just a failure of command by Custer. This should be noted on the battlefield, give the 1st nations their due
they won that day.
@@gumboclaymation7885 ok Joe Blow. Thanks for your criticism of Custers' Little Big Horn. 150 yrs after the fact.
As a Brit in the UK I have to say I really enjoyed your professional presentation.....looks like you’ve got a convert in the UK .
Outstanding.
R u old enough to remember the British Telecom advert of the 80s using Custer’s last stand as backdrop? Hilarious.
@@flyingphobiahelp😂 - I am ‘reinforcements coming boys….they should get here tomorrow’ 😂
My half sisters are the great grandaughters of Captain Reno, i remember meeting my sisters grandma and her showing us an old war chest full of native artifcats, including wedding regalia, cu sticks, and even a formal headdress... she told us they had been gifted but i believe i know how they really came into her possesion.. when she died she had it all donated to the local native council in Shawnee Oklahoma.
Patrick M. Jr. People should remember that Captain Reno was absolved of all the charges against him. When he was faced with overwhelming odds he saved half his men. If he had been like Custer they would have had 2 massacres on that fateful day, instead of one.
@@spaceted3977Was he not a Major.
Here are a few questions for you 😁.
An Officer who left a portion of his command, who didn’t even know that their commander had retreated. Is that not a possible offence sometimes called cowardice.
Reno’s charge towards the village, did not two of his men not have sufficient control of their horses & kept going into the village & be killed. Or did they not hear his command.
After his civil war service having a man’s head explode next to him, would that have freaked him out to the point of losing control. Some of the things he would have witnessed during that conflict would have been bloody awful.
One last one, his court marshal. Did the fact the he was (in the past) an assist provost marshal influence their decision. Maybe a political decision.
Even though I am a Brit, the Battle of the Little Big Horn has always been fascinating.
Oh, have you watched the CusterApollo series of vids. Very well done.
Enjoy your day 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Thank you for your presentation-- here are some points --- a Fact that Custer marched his men 78 miles in 24 hours and went directly into Battle is not a decision of a wise leader graduate of WestPoint- and to send Reno into Battle with only 100 bullets per soldier and 50 of those were on a horse pouch that could not be easily got to - horses dont cooperate - Custer has no immediate idea of where the packtrain is at. Custer sent Benteen left oblique on a wild goose chase batting rough terrain on exhausted horses. Many of the horses in Custer outfit balked and simply refused to go because of exhaustion- Several Scout said their horses refused to go. Scouts reported several soldiers were off their horses and kicking their horse in the belly to try get them moving. Not to mention the men themselve were in no condition to fight being completely exhausted as well with only a few naps in last 30 hours. Soldiers called General Custer "Iron Ass" --- Boston returned to the packtrain for a different horse most likely because the horse he was on was spent. Custer brought several horses along for himself to rotate on. No doubt Custer had great moments in the Civil War - LBH was a complete blunder on Custer Part. In the Newspaper archives for months before LBH story's were ran relating Sitting Bull threat ' I have 8000 warriors and if the army comes near me we will fight' So everyone in that era knew that Sitting Bull had a force of warriors and would fight. Once Custer showed his presence to the Indians it became a mass running battle. The army came in firing on the villiage and alot of the Indians remembered what happened at Sand Creek. Hostilities were high and it was over quick with most things happening in unison as 1000s of warriors swarming the entire Custer area on fresh horses- Calhoun fell some soldiers made it to Keogh but all the while Keogh was under assault - the stragglers from Keogh/Calhoun ran to Last Stand Hill and Last stand hill was as well under assault all the while and the last ran to Deep Ravine and it was over and it was quick. -- As for Reno and Benteen- Sitting Bull said "We have killed some soldiers let the others go" so Reno Benteen were harassed until camp was moved - the Indians may not have even known Terry was close by - Sitting Bull never got the memo.. ---- Now in my opinion the key to timing Custers actions and his movements lie in Gustav Korn - Korn arrived on Reno hill just as the Packtrain was also arriving- now this man was with Custers columns- he said nothing of an all out engagement only that "Custer needs assistance " why Korn was not present at the RCOI has to point to a whitewashing of events - Weir left before Packtrain arrives- Weir watches what is to be believed end of battle - So basically the entire Custer batlle time frame encompasses the time it takes for Korn to cross Ford B ride completely through the Indian village circle west and arrives when packtrain arrives- Weir only went out a mile - this collaborate the Indians version that the battle was as long as it takes a hungry man to eat a dinner- Korn is an absolute Key
78 miles in one day? Geez. Coach Custer should have been fired for that.
I believe Boston Custer was mounted on a mule and went back to switch for a horse. I know for certain that Mark Kellogg was on a mule.
@@lowcountrydawg2525 I never heard/read of Boston being on a mule - given that General Custer had a low opinion of mules as riding animals and Custer prided his KY thoroughbreds I would find it unlikely Boston was on a mule but not completely out of the question- yes Kellogg was definitely on a mule as told by others
Custer's actions at Washita probably came back to haunt him in this fight. I think that incident was very much on the minds of both Reno and Benteen and probably effected their actions during the battle. When Custer sent Reno into his attack he promised to support him with the whole outfit. He then changed the plan in mid execution, attempting a pincer type attack instead, but failed to convey this change to Reno. When Reno's attack bogged down, he turned to look for his promised support and saw that Custer was nowhere to be seen. The first thought in his mind was probably that Custer had abandoned him just like he abandoned Maj. Elliot at Washita and that's when panic started to get the better of him. When Benteen linked up with Reno he was likely thinking the same thing. Custer has moved off down the Little Bighorn and abandoned us to our fate. In any event, once Custer divided the command, there was little chance that the thing would end well for the 7th. The Indians, who already enjoyed a massive numerical superiority, had the additional advantage of engaging the 7th Cavalry essentially one third at a time. Had Benteen and Reno not had time to dig in on somewhat defensible ground, they would likely have lost the whole regiment. As I recall, one Indian veteran of the fight said, "We didn't like to fight them when they dug holes."
I think Benteen knew what happening to Custer, and took his time to consider changing his plans. But there were too many warriors for him to contend with. Especially after meeting Reno. I think he did the sensible thing and saved most of his men.
Who uttered the famous line upon discovering the collection of Custer's fallen command, who remarked "my God how white they look." Benteen or Reno, or someone else?
@@Defender78Capt Weir made that remark. Whatever he saw must’ve really scarred him. He drank himself to death before the year was over.
Great "Blazing Saddles" reference. This was an excellent video! Thank you.
I don't think Custer knew how many warriors he was dealing with until it was too late. Army Intelligence had estimated it at 800-1500 warriors, that was the information all the Commanders proceeded with on this campaign. Recall, Custer couldn't make out the village even with field glasses when his Crow scouts told him it was on the horizon. When he approached the LBH valley, much of the indian encampment was hidden from view by the intervening trees. He ordered Reno to attack the South end of the village without knowing the numbers he was dealing with-recall that Custer was surprised when he tried to ford the river and discovered he was only halfway past the huge encampment. That was his first inkling that the numbers were far greater than the Intelligence he had received and by then it was too late. Some of the sources I've read indicate that Custer was shot at the river crossing and either badly wounded or killed-and his command took him with them while falling back. He'd already sent the message to Benteen ordering him to proceed forward and reinforce, bringing packs. But it was too late-as Benteen noted at the Inquiry, there were simply too many Indians there that day. Warrior numbers, their spirit, the weapons they carried, the terrain and dividing the command conspired to defeat the 7th Cavalry that day. Had Benteen managed to reinforce Custer, it would only have resulted in more Trooper bodies on LSH. Even with the pack trains, it would have made no difference-too many factors working for the Warriors and against the Troopers.
One final comment-the 7th had Spencer repeating rifles available and had used them on prior campaigns, but Custer assumed any battle with the Sioux near the LBH would be on wide-open terrain and he wanted the advantage of longer range carbines. That's why Troopers were issued Remington Trapdoor, single shot rifles instead of the Spencers, they had longer range. The irony was, during the final stages of the engagement on LSH the ranges were very close, the Warriors used the coulees and ravines to creep close to the Troopers before firing. Had Custer's men had the Spencers they could have given a much better account of themselves, though the offset in numbers would probably still have doomed them.
@@pimpompoom93726 I wa always under the impression that the 7th used the Springield trapdoors not out of choice but because that was what they were issued. The rpeaters they had, based on what I've read, were not a part of their arms room but were used during the Civil War and were exchanged for the Springfields some time after the war.
@@Riceball01 There were issued Springfield Trapdoor carbines for this campaign, because they thought it would be conducted on the open plains where the greater range of the .45-70 cartridge would prove an advantage. In prior Indian campaigns they had been issued Spencer Repeating Rifles which used the .56-56 Spencer cartridge, which was very range limited. It was a shorter cartridge designed so that the rifle could carry a lot of them in the magazine. The.45-70 cartridge had a 30% greater muzzle velocity than the .56-56, but of course the Trapdoor Springfield was a single shot weapon without an internal magazine. As it turned out, the LBH battle was conducted on terrain with lots of gulleys and ravines, allowing the warriors to close the range considerably before coming under fire. Repeating rifles may have saved the 7th at LBH, but of course it's all hindsight and speculation.
It was not Custer's choice but the Dept of the Army to change over to the 1873 Springfield. The change was made for the entire army and cavalry during 1874. Yes, Custer had a rolling block 45/70 and did prefer the cartridge for long range just not the POS Springfield. He did not want the weapon and would have kftept the Spencers if he could. 4th Cav and 5th Mounted Infantry were changed over at the same time. They did learn lessons from LBH though about the copper cartridges.
I agree... except... by now most historians agree that the evidence does not support Custer being shot at the river. Aside from anything else, his making it up to last stand hill in the stress and chaos would seem to confirm his making it that far...
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the "Souix War" playlist. Great Documentary!
Thank you Sir!
the youtube algorithm recommended this today. As a long, longtime student of the battle, I can say that this video (will find the others) is outstanding. Back when I started, we only had Brinninstool, Graham, Miller, Edgar I. Stewart, and a few others to form out database. Did not have the internet and especially google maps. Your video makes things so much more understandable. THANK YOU....GREAT WORK!!
i don't think people know maybe not amongst us nerds that custers brother tom was not just a m o h awardee but a double winner of the m o h he was a good soldier under fire and fearless
The warriors obliterated his body, smashing his face so that he was unrecognizable. Only a tatoo on his arm identified in as Tom Custer. I have no idea why the indians hated him so much, but there's a story there.
There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Sometimes time is the only thing that can differentiate between the two
I always liked how Ken Burns' 'The Civil War' talked about what happened to Custer in the final episode. "Custer went on believing in his own invincibility. In 1876, the Sioux and Cheyenne proved him wrong."
The battle began with soldiers attacking a sleeping Indian encampment and murdering women and children. There, no bravery could be spoken of. Gal, the Indian chief, later testified that when the soldiers murdered his wife and two children, his eyes filled with blood and he showed no mercy to anyone in the fight.
@@mtgne5351 More than likely it was Custer's Indian scouts who killed the few women and children at the Little Bighorn. Custer's Arikara scout, Bloody Knife, and the Hunkpapa warchief, Gall, were personal, lifelong enemies. Bloody Knife's mother was an Arikara woman, and his father was Sioux; as such, while growing up in a Sioux village, Bloody Knife was constantly harassed by Gall and others. He would eventually move in with his mother's people, but he always vowed to avenge himself against Gall.
When Reno initiated his attack upon the village, he attacked from the southern end of it; in other words, the Hunkpapa section of the village. Bloody Knife well-knew Gall and his family were residing there; and it was he, along with the other scouts, who doubtless opened fire into the lodges there, thus killing Gall's family. I don't believe the soldiers shot into the village at all, truth be told.
@@Eadbhard thanks bro
One of the things that has always disturbed me after nearly seven decades of study is the conundrum over Lt.Hodgson.
If we accept that Reno led a fear driven panic charge back up the valley after his command was rebuffed how then did he get the courage to retrace part of the path down to the crossing to find Hodgson body.
What was so important?…
I personally have a theory that as adjutant to Reno Hodgson had recorded in his note book, similar to Lt.Cooke, Custer’s actual battle orders.
Orders that could have revealed inconsistencies in Reno’s comments at his Court of Inquiry.
It was certainly strange,and convenient, that no notebook was recovered from the body.
Stranger still as most personal effects were still with the corpse.
Just another mystery from June 25th.1876…👵🇦🇺🇺🇸
Tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice...add them to the list.
A boozer referred to as 'useless' I agree with your point. What was SO important to Reno that it warranted him leaving his command for over 30 minutes to recover Hodgson's body? I agree with you-there were written orders that would have incriminated Reno. I feel sorry for a capable soldier like Benteen having to answer to this buffoon.
It wasn't so important; it wasn't so courageous either (when Reno went down the hill to recover Hodgson's body, most of the warriors were downriver fighting Custer). Recovering Hodgson's body wasn't important, but that was the whole issue. Being the commander, Major Reno's priorities should have been centered upon the men who were still alive, namely his wounded. His all-consuming necessity to recover his adjutant's body was inexplicable. Reason? In a word, the man was drunk. Drunkenness explains a lot of Major Reno's decisions and actions at the Little Bighorn. Just to name a few.... at one point, the Major was observed shooting at some Indians with his revolver; however, the warriors were a good 300 yards away - well out of pistol range. On the eve of the battle, Reno reportedly got into a fight with a civilian mule packer on Reno Hill. While down on the valley floor, Reno posted no rear guard action to cover his retreat. The fact that Major Reno ordered a retreat across a river with 8' high riverbanks, then up a steep bluff with only one narrow draw that allowed access to the top, is something no officer in his right mind would have attempted, especially since that retreat led his men out of a well-protected stand of timber that offered plenty of cover and concealment. Furthermore, as any old frontiersmen well knew, turning your back and fleeing is the worst thing you can do when fighting Indians. Then there is this, according to Captain Benteen, on the eve of June 25th or 26th, Major Reno suggested to him that they should just leave the wounded where they lie and escape from the hill (Reno Hill) with their lives. Finally, shortly before Major Marcus Reno died in 1889, he apparently confessed to his former editor that he was, in fact, drunk at the Little Bighorn. Reno supposedly admitted this because he felt the need to explain his erratic behaviors during the battle.
@@Eadbhard Of course it was..the fact that the adjutants note book was missing while all his other personnel effects were present is important. I’m not disputing Reno’s drunkenness but your quite wrong as there were still warriors present. Pilfering the dead. It had to be important for Reno to take that risk and I believe it was his orders contained in Hodgson’s book.
My own guess he found the book and destroyed the contents..written orders (I’m guessing to ‘hold at all costs’..)..
His running, if he was the anvil, doomed Custer’s command. That’s the speculation for eternity…
Personally I still think Custer fell at the ford and the one opportunity, and element of surprise, died with him.
That’s when the battle was lost…
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@@madlenellul3430 I, for one, don't believe Custer fell at the Ford. Upon realizing that Major Reno quit the whole scene, and with no sign of Captain Benteen anywhere, I believe Custer made his way north, all the way to Ford C, in a last ditch effort to save himself, his men, and possibly still achieve a victory, by capturing some noncombatants. Unfortunately, Sioux and Cheyenne warriors were all over the place. Custer just didn't have enough men with him to capture any noncombatants. As a result, he withdrew his men away from Ford C to the high ground which is now known as Custer Ridge.
Ford C, which is located on the river directly west of where the LBH Visitor Center now stands, was the approximate location where Mark Kellogg's body was found. Kellogg was the civilian newspaperman who accompanied the regiment during the Little Bighorn expedition. By all accounts, during the battle, Kellogg rode up front and was continuously by Custer's side. Then, of course, there's the simple fact that Custer's body was found on Last Stand Hill; and some reports say shells from his Remington sporting rifle were found all around his body.
Without a doubt, Reno's actions at the Little Bighorn caused the 7th Cavalry to be defeated that day. When the Major first initiated his attack at the south end of the Indian camp, he caught the village completely unawares. In the beginning, Reno met with little resistance (most of the warriors ran to the benchland west of the village to retrieve their ponies), and if Reno would have charged through the village, as he was ordered to do, the Seventh may have won the day.
No, I do not think I am quite wrong. If there were hordes of Sioux and Cheyenne still surrounding Reno Hill when the Major went to retrieve Hodgson's body, I don't think he would have even contemplated it - drunk or not drunk. Pilfering and mutilating Reno's dead soldiers occurred during Reno's retreat, but once the warriors heard there was another force of Bluecoats at the north end of their village, they quit their attack on Reno's beleaguered battalion and concentrated all their forces upon the new threat at the Medicine Tail Ford - Custer.
Drunk as he was, I don't think Reno gave a continental curse about Hodgson's "book", if he even had a "book". Being Reno's adjutant, we can assume Hodgson kept some kind of notes, but that is only assumption. If Hodgson did keep some kind of journal, the warriors may have taken it to draw pictures on, but who the hell knows? Hodgson may have lost any notebook he kept when he was in the river fighting for his life. I believe that is the most probable scenario.
I found myself confused by some of the satelite maps, I think it would be helpful if they were are oriented as north being to the top.
The maps are great…..BUT…. it would be easier to keep track of the maneuvers if you kept one or two common operating pictures instead of constantly changing the perspective and orientation. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this series! it's done incredibly well and is probably one of the best resources online I've seen so far.
My lingering thought is that Custer probably expected Reno and Benteen charge in and help him to his last breath, I don't see much fault with Benteen since Reno was the commanding officer, Benteen actually did the right thing and rushed to assist as quickly as possible. Reno pretty much rattled the hornets nest and ran out of it only for it to turn to Custer. Pretty much the critical hour that would have most likely saved most of Custers men was when Benteen met Reno. The 40 minutes that it took for cpt Wier to move up to Wier point the situation already became critical for Custer's men and by the following hour that it took for Benteen and Reno to move up to wier point they were just in time to see the last of Custers men shot in the ravine. Saying that all the men would have died if they went immediately to assist Custer is a bit of a cope, Reno and Benteen had somewhere around 180 troopers combined, if they moved together they would have easily broken the indians starting to surround Calhoun hill and might have had a good chance to reunite with those men as well as give a chance for Custer to break through to them. I don't believe that the Indians would want to face 180 men head on, they could have moved to relieve custers men, succeeded without getting flanked and established defensive lines when company B reached them. I think Benteens three companies could have saved a lot of people had they received the order.
There were even Indians themselves that said had Reno continued his initial charge into the village instead of pulling up into skirmish lines, he would have sent the Indians reeling in panic and probably would have won the battle.
I liked your other comment about Custer doing the right thing with the information he had at the time. Up until that point in history, no Indian village had ever held their ground against a large scale cavalry charge. Ever.
@@BezmenovDisciple thanks! I don't think I have enough information to adequately judge if calling off the charge was a good call or not, you have to consider that this is the largest planes Indian camp ever of all time and Reno's men got repelled and flanked in their skirmish lines pretty quickly - so charging in might have been an even deadlier mistake than not. On people's testimony, I wouldn't trust retrospective opinion's like that - there's conflicting claims on who or what killed custer, or who shot him when I'm pretty sure that the Indians only found out they defeated Custer way after the battle was over - the fame and significance of the battle meant that a lot of people had a lot to say about it afterwards but much of it might have been imagined or outright false.
I think, from the information I have, Reno canceling the charge might not have been his worst decision, him panicking in the woods, fleeing or 'charging' out of the woods to a nearby river crossing and narrow hill face where the indians had a good shot at them, leaving many of his men to hide in the woods to either get killed or run back up to reno hill on their own, then just doing nothing on Reno hill, not making any attempts to contact Custer or help him when Benteen arrived and pretty much being drunk the whole time are just massively egregious failures of command. Reno was in a extremely tough situation and I don't think he was the guy for it, I think he left the battlefield in the worst way and had he stayed in the woods longer or if he had an organized retreat into another skirmishing line and kept fighting the Indians, the Indians wouldn't have swung around so quickly to overwhelm Custer and Custer and his men might have survived - in that scenario too Benteen would reinforce Reno's battle pretty much at the same time as Custer started his battle.
So, Reno fleeing the battle and crossing the river near the Indians to climb up Reno hill where the Indians could shoot them easily caused the most deaths of his men, this disorderly retreat concluded as soon as Custers battle started allowing the Indians fighting Reno to swing back up north and envelop Custers men pretty much dooming them.
@@HHindsight Oh I agree with everything you said. 100%. I just thought I’d add that interesting anecdote that came from Indian sources.
I think in hindsight, if Custer HAD to engage in battle, his most likely path to victory would have been to keep the command altogether and charged straight in (like Reno did but with the entire regiment), rather than try the pincer maneuver. Of course, the reason he didn’t makes perfect sense to me as well, them being most afraid of the Indians scattering to the wind.
@@BezmenovDisciple yeah it's just bad circumstances, Custer went north expecting to get to the northern part of the settlement but ended up in the middle of it, he split his command to go north again but was met with native warriors again. The strategy was to capture Indians fleeing and end the battle by taking hostages, which was a sound strategy previously and still looked like a valid strategy with the information that Custer had at hand. If they didn't encounter those three groups of Indians previously, compelling Custer to rush to take the village by surprise I think they would have gotten better information and the battle would have gone completely differently. And honestly, yeah if Reno charged in it could have caused a big panic that could've made Custer's plan to capture hostages work.
And yeah totally, hypothetically if their command was together they would have won, we have to remember too that the Indians didn't have centralized command structures or army drills or any of that, the US army would outmatch them pretty handily in most cases. But I think that's why this battle is so fascinating, it's like the Titanic or the Franklin expedition and just that mystery of all those souls lost and having to piece it all together but never quite being able to because everyone that was there died.
It's just that their goal was to get the Indians to surrender and march back to their reservations, so that I think was one of the big reasons that compelled Custer to that fatal strategy
This channel is awesome! I just found it today. Great job, sir!
Dude. Your channel is amazing. I'm a British dude... and I'm hooked. Your videos are fascinating. Keep it up
Benteen was "irascible" to say the least. However, he was a level-headed commander...one of the best Indian fighting company/battalion commanders in an Army that needed all that it could get. The "Custer was betrayed" faction cleverly tries to lay any blame at Benteen's feet, even though Reno was the senior officer in the surviving group. But Reno constitutes a "weak reed..." at best. I will give Reno's judgement my approval in one area only. Had he continued his charge into the miles deep village... the day's disasters would have been even worse. A retreat to the bluffs probably in order...but it was not a properly deployed retreat...but a panicked rout...with Reno at the front of it.
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When Benteen arrived, most of Reno's men were not "demoralized', but rather "shattered" (in the words of historian General SLA Marshall...) Too little sleep, thrown into what proved to be a desparate action that they were lucky to survive...and a commander that fell apart prior to ordering the retreat. Reno's battalion would hardly have improved Custer's situation. Until the reinforced troop with the ammo came up, Benteen would have been loathe to have simply ridden off...leaving a "shipwrecked command" with many wounded...and an unfit... possibly inebriated...commander who essentially didn't command...
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Those who believe that Benteen should have "charged to the rescue" ignore the fact that nobody outside of Custer's immediate command had any idea that a "rescue" might be needed. Martini volunteered the (erronious) information that the Indians were "skeedaddling..." Also, while men can be ordered to "charge" into action...horses require rest, food, and water... (Reno's rout on spent horses showed just how senseless it was to ignore the state of your mounts...)
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Benteen's mounts were already "stretched" farther than a good cavalry officer would be comfortable with. Previous day's watering didn't go well as water was too alkaline even for coffee. Fifteen or twenty minutes at the morass was the least that Benteen could do in the way of insuring that his mounts would not fail his battalion...at least right off the bat...
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Biggest error that can be chalked up to Benteen is not having his battalion dig in on the bluffs. Unlike Reno, no question of alcohol impairment...though lack of enough sleep a definite possibility. After getting a decent amount of sleep, Benteen was in top form. Without his steady hand, the 7th might have lost the many who survived.
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Custer was not alone in thinking that the Indians would run rather than fight. Otherwise, his splitting the remaining five troops into even smaller packets could not have been explained. From that point, Custer was lost. YP
Nicely done!
Sorry pls DM etc read what I suggested. All best friends but a man's good name at stake and no detail or inquiry.
In considering you still don't know what happened with LC GAC until you read the other reference in Jesu Mary's Divine Mercy way
100% spot on. Benteen was level headed, pragmatic, and not a glory hound. If he'd have been in overall command of the 7th cavalry on that expedition we would not be reading in history books today about Benteen's Last Stand.
renos condition was according to the son of the morning star probably due to shock.he was splattered with the brains of his ree scout and this was inches from him.having brains all over your face can crack the hardest soul and reno was never that.he may well have been drunk as well .he was what wed call today a functioning alcholic.probably in garrison life under no stress his failings were excused but of course under fire he came apart.he was also by any standard far from sane.his subsequent disgrace when he imagined a young wife of a fellow officer was about to run off with him proves that! although told it was all in his head by the girl he stalked her for months leering through the window at her at meals for example.custer as well as despite the movies was generally loathed by his men not the popular hero as played by errol flynn.they near mutinied when told neither reno or benteen would be replacing him full time,and petitions supporting bth officers signed by all the men were sent to washington.custer was no carer for horses either .indeed his death ride to texas with the 7th which earnt him their contempt was made in the hottest part of the year.he ordered his men to wear full winter kit and uniforms and refused several water stops while riding himself in just a shirt! the toll on the horses was worse two thirds had to be destroyed or died on the way .this was to garrison the state after the war so there was no urgency.several men died of heatstroke and custer earned the hatred of the 7th for shooting others out of hand for desertion.also his habit of abandoning men in the field as he did in the fight with black kettle who then died which earnt him benteens hatred and his cavalier style leaving the entire command in enemy territory whilst chasing buffalo was not popular.dont forget his command of the 7th was only due to grant reinstating him after his court martial for desertion.
@@mikekemp9877 I agree that whatever was holding Reno together shattered along with Bloody Knife's brains all over his face...apparently even in his mouth. "Heavy drinking" was not a career killer in those days... unless you could not perform your duty. Didn't help that Reno's combat experience in the Civil War... not against "uncivilized" warriors.
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Custer could ride seemingly forever without rest or decent rations. Good trait...unless a commander decides that his exceptional performance can be matched by his entire command. Remains of troopers discovered at the Little Big Horn in the last 40 years shows average trooper malnourished. Custer's wife wrote that he never asked his troopers to do anything that he wouldn't... Uh, he left his command in the field and absented himself to be with his wife... He threatened to shoot his men for riding off on their own.
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May well be that by 1876 Custer's "eternal youth" wearing thin. At 36 his resilience may not have been all that it used to be. Had he not been running a major sleep deficit, he might have made decisions reflecting a bit more thought.
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Custer was popular with many of his troopers... in the Civil War... Not so much on the Plains. Most of his troopers referred to him as "hard ass..." and half his officers (the ones not related to him by consanguinity or marriage...and a few others) disliked him... intensely so in the case of Reno and Benteen.
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...On June 25th, Reno fell apart. Benteen definitely hated Custer... but he would never have "abandoned" him... because to do so would mean abandoning five troops of soldiers... and Benteen was far too good an officer to ever throw them under the bus... YP
This is an excellent channel. I would love too see a episode on the Dakota war of 1862 in Minnesota. Keep posting man you deserve so many more subscribers.
Confederate Army should have made an alliance with the Sioux
@@jasongriffin17 that would make sense both cultures are pretty good at losing wars.
I agree that this is a great channel. I've been fascinated by the whole Little Bighorn story since I was very young...and that was many years ago. I really enjoyed The DataMeister's account of the Rosebud battle as well.
My great great grandfather was a scout for Benteen. His name was James Harvey Rager. Does anyone have any information about him? We know he volunteered to get water down at a creek.
Cool information brother! God bless you and yours!
I don't find him in Military Register of Custer's Last Command, sorry.
Very Good and informative. Very sad. As a former US Army Officer I appreciate this perspective and history. Well done. GOD Bless All who serve, served, and their families and loved ones. ~ Be Safe out there folks ~ Peace & Health to Us All.
Trying to water 100 horses in 15 minutes would be difficult.
I also must add that adding to the confusion is the paradox that was Captain Benteen. He is described as brave,(VERY brave) intelligent, a good leader, a very good soldier. Also petty, vengeful, jealous, promoting gossip and stirring trouble, holding grudges. How, with this mix of characteristics, can anyone truly know what motivated him?
Characteristics like that, from the sources I have read, can be more or less the norm for Army Officers on the frontier in the Post-Civil War era. They have their attributes, but they also have their vices. Coming off of a war and being national heroes to a western backwater where you are reduced in rank from your Civil War career led to a lot of this.
@@gallantcavalier3306 That makes sense. Particularly when there was so much competition and jockeying for promotions.
@@gallantcavalier3306 Custer too was reduced in rank like many others after the Civil war.
Benteen may have been suicidal,,that is the source of his so called bravery, he wanted death by Indian. He is a man that could destroy a regiment, a man you steer clear of and dismiss.
So were officers after WW-1, some of our greatest.
Love the series you have done on all parts of the battle of the Little Big Horn, the Rose Bud Battle and the winter war. Learnt more than what Wyoming history classes taught, and from a military point of view. Most of all you have a easy listening voice. Thank you for your input and time😊.
Always wondered what would have happened if a more forceful leader had been able to lead a mounted saber and pistol charge?
More dead soldiers
The death count would of been higher
There were no sabers in the 7th cav under Custer by his own orders. So no. And 200 men charging against 2000 who are better trained at fighting on horseback? The slaughter would have ended quicker.
0:57 Obviously the critics of Benteen's actions have never ridden or had to tend horses. These poor animals had been up hill and down dale that morning, and were probably tired. Benteen was going to lead his troops into combat on horseback shortly. The horses needed to rest and drink to recover their stamina before being lead into a charge (even if it was just to gallop up to a good position for the troops to dismount). If you read about battles like the Horns of Hattan, Waterloo or other cavalry engagements, horses are only good for two to three charges in a battle. Cavalry charges take place over relatively short distances, and the horses have to go full out during this time. Many times cavalry units have suffered heavy casualties or battles lost because commanders have tried to lead their units into battle with blown (exhausted) horses.
There is a good reason why the Triple Crown winner is a difficult title to get. A horse that wins that race has to be fast over 1.19 miles, 1.25 miles and 1.5 miles. Many horses that can make the two shorter distances can't make the 1.5 miles, they lack the stamina. And that isn't doing a full gallop after going across country for a couple of hours beforehand.
Benteen was taking care of his horses to ensure that they would be in the best condition possible before the battle. The issue really lies with Custer and Reno, who "jumped the gun" and left around one-third of their fighting force well in the rear.
Conder: Obviously your comment needs to be criticized by critics because you, obviously, have not read enough about this battle to even justify your comment.
When Captain Benteen was ordered by Custer to lead his battalion on a scout to the west, Benteen did have to traverse a few hills and ridges, but that was about it - he traversed just a few. As the scout continued, Benteen wisely ordered Lieutenant Gibson and a small detachment of troopers to do the scouting, as the rest of the battalion rested. In short, the vast majority of Benteen's mounts were not going up and down hills and ridges all morning.
Secondly, Captain Benteen had plenty of time, and plenty of places to water his battalion's horses. As a matter of fact, when he came upon a large morass located about 6 miles south the Little Bighorn, he lingered there much longer than he should have.
Tired, exhausted horses was not an issue at the Little Bighorn. There are documented incidents where a few troopers' mounts gave out: Boston Custer's horse gave out; Sergeant Kanipe's horse gave out; a Pvt. Thompson's horse gave out; may be a couple of others but, by and large, the horses of the Seventh Cavalry were not collapsing in droves from exhaustion.
Napoleon once wrote, "When you have resolved to fight a battle, collect your whole force. Dispense with nothing. A single battalion sometimes decides the day".
Custer tried to collect his whole force. He sent Benteen a critical and urgent order to "come on", and "be quick", but, for all intents and purposes, Captain Fred Benteen ignored the order. The issue really lies with Benteen and Reno. Both these officers failed to follow their orders. Unlike Reno, Captain Benteen was no coward; nevertheless, his unwarranted, self-serving hatred for his commander colored everything he said and did. Three years after the battle, at Reno's Court of Inquiry, Benteen gave every excuse possible for dawdling, and not coming to Custer's aid. In one example Benteen, "assumed Custer and Reno had already taken the village; as such, he saw no necessity in hurrying up his battalion or the packs".
One soldier’s remains were not discovered until 1958 in a rifle pit more southerly on the main Reno defensive line on the bluff.
His brass buttons still on the sternum.
Custers men were not the same trained, motivated, and for the most part loyal soldiers who were with him in the civil war, with the exception some of his officers.
If I may, I am retired from DOD procurement. In 1984 I took the class on military procurement. One of the lectures was cost control. In this class, it was discussed that so much material had been purchased during Civil War, contracts could not be cancel ed, The uniforms, ammo, FOOD was paid for and stored in Depots. There was so much "stuff" The US Army lived off of the stockpiles for 10+years. Toward the end of the 10 years, uniforms were disintegrating from storage and the Food was becoming non nutritional. Note best by dates on cans in Your pantry. With time the explosive power of gunpowder deteriorates. This happened 1876? 10+ years after the Civil war? Interesting fact-oid ??
In military procurement the priority of acquisitions : Beans, Bullets, Blankets, Boys.
That is the first time I ever heard of Union soldiers as being motivated. Most of them just wanted to end the war and go home. Proof of this is the rebellion in the Union army and among future draftees, that took place after Lincoln "freed the slaves". Of course Lincoln never freed one slave, ever.
@@thomaswayneward early on, yes the soldiers were all volunteer. After 1/2 of the Union soldiers died of Illness, Napoleonic tactics and just plain officer idiots, that is when the draft was started See NYC draft riots. That is where the black soldiers came in. On Streaming site Kanopy, they have the 4.5 hour Epic "Gettysburg".
The US army statistically evaporated every 3 or 4 years due to desertion. So the 7th cavalry were indeed not some elite unit. Custer may have bragged that way, I don't know. But they were a fairly rag tag unit of mostly newcomers. A lot of them immigrants from Ireland.
A great book about the troopers of the 7th is called They Died with Custer.
In my opinion, based on Reno's and Benteen's description of what they did and did not do, they were derelict in not hurrying to support Lt.Col.Custer. The milling around ignoring the order to be quick and the news from the other courier. Love the videos and your information, you really got me out to LBH a few weeks back, 1500 miles one way!
I've studied the LBH for many years and I think Reno would have died trying to fight through the Indians, or if Benteen ever reached Custer the same thing would have happened. There were just way too many Lakota and Cheyenne for the army that day, and they won. As simple as that.
@@ToddSauve I certainly appreciate that but "likely annihilated too" does not change the dereliction of their actions IMO.
@@walterbrown9651 What dereliction though? You can only do what you can do in the circumstances you find yourself in. By the time Benteen arrived at Reno's position everything was in a shambles and Custer was a goner.
@@ToddSauve Benteen sat around while Reno wasted time instead of moving to the gun fire. It was over quickly but to wait there as if in a vacuum,is outrageous. Consider had Lt.Col Custer not attacked the village,he'd have been derelict for not engaging. This is why LBH is so interesting. Reno had also not attacked earlier in the campaign,Custer tried to have Reno court martialed for what Custer called cowardice. Gen.Terry is also culpable for not getting the 7th under control.
@@walterbrown9651 There are so many possibilities but what happened is what happened. We weren't there so we can never really know much more than a divided command and fractured officer corps turned into a recipe for disaster. Especially since Custer apparently never grasped how outnumbered he was. His Indians scouts warned him but he refused to listen to them. So the army lost and the tribes won. There is no point in gnashing one's teeth over the outcome. It is what it is. 🤷♂
It sounds like from your video the senior command was incompetent to lead. Do you have any follow up videos of that? Second do you remember the video that mentioned in this video about the officer "all officers hated"? Thank you, very interesting.
What ifs!! Without them we wouldn't be here. What if Benteen came "quick" and rode hard and directly to Custer and passed on by Reno and his bedraggled survivors. My inclination is it would have been more fodder for the Indians, who were likely and seemingly invincible that day, and a much bigger death list.
I wish you would indicate the sequence in this series in the titles more clearly. Part 1, part 2 etc. I almost missed this one
Benteen was weird and petty with his hatred of Custer but he was stone cold blooded in his personal matters - challenging Custer and others who crossed him with offers of duels to the end - nobody took the challenge. To have everyone (non coms and officers) marvel at his bravery while everyone was laying low on Reno/Benteen Hill speaks volumes of his true personality.
The source of his anger was the Lyman Kidder incident, where Custer abandoned his patrol to be butchered and scalped by natives they were pursuing. Benteen was a close friend of Kidder and as with many other officers who detested the self promoting and glory mongering habits of Custer. Custer was a very flawed man and the massacre was the result of his gamble to make headlines in newspapers, as journalists put him up to it. He ruined his military career by running his mouth with hearsay accusations at a trial of an indian agent appointed by president Grant. Custer entertained political ambitions and as usual was willing to risk his officers and troopers as a means to this end. Custer was detested by his fellow officers and troopers where ever he served, Benteen was just the most demonstrative of this situation as every other officer would happily have dueled him. I have studied this man and found him fundementaly out of control, at the fight he purposfully sent Benteen on a fool's errand to stay back and cut off the escape of the natives. Benteen did the right thing by hearing gunfire and he immediately marched his command to the sound of the engagement, which was the Reno rout and without Benteen it is certain Reno's command would have been wiped out also. In the end Benteen was not an idiot, it was Custer who earned this title time and time again who had no qualms about throwing away the lives of his men for the "greater glory" of the Custer name.
@@bobwhite3895 lol you know nothing
@@gocatoon4591 Oh, of course!, when faced with your detailed response to counter my argument, " you know nothing" I can see your details that unravel my historical education.
@@bobwhite3895 It was Elliot not Kidder that Benteen was good friends with. Kidder was a different incident. Do not comment on things you know little about.
@@bobwhite3895 how did Custer specifically earn himself the title 'idiot'? I won't cast judgement, but I find it quite common for folks to blast Custer more than they should
I recall reading a book about Reno's command, based primarily on the written history of one of the soldiers who survived the ordeal. Or I think that was the foundation of the book. Anyway a major theme of the book was that many of the officers and soldiers were drunk in the battle, especially to include Reno. The idea was put forth that it was a common occurrence in the army of the day in that territory.
the renobenteen defence is actually unbelievable....i can never think of something like this
I have a lot to say about the battle & like many of the commentators & video presenters I too am an amateur. I'm just starting to dig into Gardner's ...All That Lasts book & it's a hefty read. The first thing I did was check his index & was dismayed to find that he makes no entry for Robert Utley & this is a serious omission! It may have been 15 yrs. ago that I read his book ...The lance & Shield... Which to this day represents a touchstone for me & unlike the rest of us amateurs is a respected historian. I take exception to your treatment of
the principle actors in this compelling drama: especially regarding Benteen & Reno. It's
Nearly impossible for us to imagine Reno's command facing the on slot of warriors charging them. Dismounted their command would have been wiped out! His scramble into the bushes, across the river & up the imbankment saved at least some of his men's lives. Benteen made a cascading number of stupid decissions, halts & misconceptions. As for Custer's 'hurry' the bottom of West Point's class had only one strategy " Charge." This was summed up as"Custer's Luck." The presidental election was to be held next month in July & The Republicans had nominated him as their leader. Yeah! he was in a big hurry. Vainglorious, impetuous and disreguarding of how many men he would. I'll leave it at that...
Warriors charging
Reno's command
It never ceases to amaze me that My grandfather whom I met as a child was born 4 years before this battle. He live to see Jet planes ICBMs and the distruction of cities in the melting of an eye.
Moon landing ?
@@dks13827 Nearly, just 3 years shy of "Uri Gargarin's" First orbit of earth. Ps when I say ICBM I mean the German V2 rocket at least two of which landed close by.
The note that Custer/Cooke sent to Benteen, I’ve seen numerous pictures of it. Where is it today? Visitors center at LBH? Or another museum?
Not at LBH. At US Military Academy Museum, most likely. West Point. Good question tho.
Benteen gets a lot of flack for his part, but Reno was the greater of the two offenders in my opinion. Godfrey and Benteen both claimed that Reno proposed escaping once Benteen arrived, and Benteen wouldn't do it. I think Weir deserves a lot of credit for what he tried to do. It's sad how his life came to an end.
Benteen is the only reason anyone in the 7th survived.
@@michaelhart6318 I think that's a bit of an overstatement.
Custers order:Benteen “ be quick bring packs p.s.bring packs” is a contradiction. He could’ve left the packs and galloped to Custer or he could have stayed with the packs like he did to make sure they got to Custer. Horses and mules were spent in either case. Hence the 15-20 minute watering at the morras. Can we second guess a real time operation accurately?
3:55 is very important. Reno was the present commanding officer and ordered Benteen to halt and help him. I've always maintained that this exonerates Benteen right there. There is also the distance probability that had Benteen gone forward to Custer, the entire 7th would have been wiped out to the last man. Benteens 3 companies wouldn't have saved Custer and Reno could not hold a defense with his depleted manpower.
Agree and Benteen had to have figured this. Custer had created a catastrophe for everyone involved and Benteen and Reno's alignment saved the remaining companies. The native's had their day and had to have known that Terry and Gibbon were on their way and thus their breaking camp and leaving rather than continue the battle The Little Bighorn. I applaud the bravery on that day of Reno and Benteen and those who fought and survived this.
First of all, Benteen had direct, written orders from Custer to "come quickly". Any orders Major Reno gave to Benteen did not countermand the orders of the overall commander.
Secondly, when Benteen arrived at Reno Hill, there were few warriors around - most of them were upriver fighting Custer.
Lastly, if Benteen did ride on to Custer, why the hell would Reno not go with him? WTF? And who's to say the combined forces of Reno's battalion and Benteen's battalion could not have saved Custer? To quote Napoleon, "When you have resolved to fight a battle, collect your whole force (Benteen, come on, be quick...). Dispense with nothing. A single battalion sometimes decides the day."
It is ignorant and erroneous to say the "entire 7th Cavalry would have been wiped out to the last man" had Benteen and/or Reno tried to save Custer and his men. There are too many indeterminate factors and facets to make such a conclusion - that is why historians and scholars never assume such a presumption. I guess you're someone special, eh, tonyp?
Anyway, one thing is for certain...7 out of 12 companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry sat on a hilltop while, five miles away, over two hundred of their comrades were fighting for their lives. From a military standpoint, there is something inherently wrong with that picture. The men on the hilltop even heard the firing, and they heard the sounds of volley firing (distress signals). Oddly enough, neither of the two commanders, Major Reno or Captain Benteen, recalled hearing any sounds of gunfire coming from upriver. The troops on the hilltop were getting antsy, anxious, and restless. 'Why were they not doing anything!' they cried. Finally, Captain Weir took matters in his own hands. He mounted up his own company and moved to the sound of the firing. Weir's initiative shamed Captain Benteen and Major Reno into mounting up their own companies but, by then, it was too late; Custer and five of his companies had been wiped out.
Could Benteen and/or Reno have saved Custer? Possibly. No one can know for sure. But one thing is for sure... neither of them really tried.
@@Eadbhard dang man, who put a burr under your saddle. You're quite rude and quite wrong. Reno wouldn't have followed Benteen, he had too many wounded men and men with no horses. Secondly, Reno gave Benteen a direct order as a superior officer. Benteen did nothing wrong by obeying that order, especially upon seeing firsthand how bad Reno's situation was. And lastly, Benteen even with Reno's half strength would have absolutely been wiped out right along with Custer. They barely held as it was. And Weir even stated that by the time he reached Weir point, all he saw was a swarm of braves shooting at objects on the ground. There's a good chance that Custer's battle was effectively over by the time relief could have even made it to them.
@@tonyp1040 At the time Reno had, at most, ten wounded men. He could have left a small detachment of troopers on the hill to help Dr. Porter care for the wounded. There were no warriors within the vicinity; they were all fighting Custer in the north.
Reno was second-in-command; as such, his orders would not supersede Custer's orders. Benteen was under Custer's orders when he came upon Reno on Reno Hill. That's simple military protocol, you dumbass. Reno's "bad situation" had passed. All the warriors were now engaging Custer. The fight was now upriver, not on Reno Hill.
As I mentioned before, there are too many variables to make the assumption that Benteen/Reno would have been wiped out with Custer had they attempted to aid him. It's just your opinion, nothing more. And in your ignorant opinion, you don't take into account all the different scenarios that could possibly take place had Benteen and/or Reno rode to Custer's aid. For example, Benteen's sudden arrival could have served as a diversion for Custer. Benteen could have linked up with Captain Keogh's wing, and while they engaged the warriors, Custer could have made his way toward the river and captured some of the fleeing women and children. That's just one of several possible scenarios.
Again, the men on Reno Hill were idle. Weir was fuming. He requested to ride to Custer, and was denied. Some time had passed before Weir took the initiative himself and mounted up. Yes, it was too late. Any move to assist Custer should have occurred minutes after Benteen arrived at Reno Hill.
@@Eadbhard why are you so rude? We were all having a pleasant conversation and you have to come in being a bully.
And Custer did try to go after the women and children, as he had done at the washita, but was either turned back or found himself in the middle of a much larger village.
My opinion is that if Benteen had followed the written orders brought to him by John Martin instead of sitting ass for one hour after encountering Reno on the bluffs, he'd have gotten his three companies wiped out upon attempting to break through to Keogh's battalion on and around Calhoun Hill. There were close to a thousand armed and mounted Lakota and Cheyenne moving up Deep Coulee at approximately the time Benteen would have reached it if he had simply continued northward at a standard cavalry march of 4 mph after a brief halt to ensure Reno's force was no longer threatened. It seems unlikely that any reinforcement he could call on from his other battalions could have saved Custer. After all, he took the strongest of the four columns of the 7th with him, accounting for about 35% of the total force. The surviving three groups had to unify for mutual defense, and barely held out.
At noon on the 25th Custer knew: 1. It was a large village. 2. He had lost the element of surprise. 3. His ammo was more than a mile behind on slow moving mules. 4. The Indians had a habit of scattering once discovered. 5. If he could pull off a victory he would not have to share the glory. To him the last two outweighed the first three.
Much speculation on your part sir...
@@jeffsmith2022 unless we were there it's all speculation
He knew it was a large village. He probably expected that. What he couldn't have known on a July afternoon with lots of heat haze and dust from pony herds was that it was by far the largest concentration of tribes there ever was in the Trans Mississippi West. I've been there at that time of year. In 1876 there were more trees and brush west of the river. It wouldn't have been easy to see great distances clearly. It was so large it devastated the area and the tribes had to break apart in a few days. He had left Reno's group at the south end and expected to attack from the north to meet them. He had gone a few miles and he still wasn't at the center. Reno was engaging to the south, you could hear the gunfire, and needed his support. The northern prong of the Army offensive was expected to reach the mouth of the Little Big Horn into the Yellowstone around that day and push south. He couldn't have known that sognificant opposition had slowed them. They would expect him to draw forces away from their push up the river. It's not very far to the Yellowstone. His strategy made sense provided he wasn't facing huge organized forces. For the one time in Plains history he was. Sonetimes the shit rains down on you in war. This was one of those days. Worth noting that George Crook, one of America's all time best generals, nearly came to grief in the same area at Rosebud Creek within a few days time of Custer's defeat.
@@nowthenzen Is the Civil War "all speculation" unless you were there? What I cited is historical fact. I admire Gen. Custer, and it is Monday morning quarterbacking, but having been advised that there were thousands of horses and that they would "go home by a road they do not know," he should have better balanced the risk versus the reward.
@@warrenrosen2326 this is a false equivalency. 1st no one survived to tell the story of Custer's battalion, you have to admit that. 2nd Indian accounts were biased in different directions. 3rd all American survivor accounts were biased for different reasons. That is why there has been so much said and written about that day.
Very interesting and informative. Thank you.
Here is a quote from Benteen as recorded in January 1879: " When I received my orders from Custer to separate myself from the command, I had no instructions to unite at any time with Reno or anyone else. There was no plan at all. My orders were, "valley hunting
ad infinitum". The reason I returned was because I thought I would be needed at the ridge: I acted entirely upon my own judgement. I was separated from Reno possibly fifteen miles at the greatest distance"
Very well done video...ive always wanted a breakdown of movements
Another amazing series!! Quick question? Would you ever consider doing a series in the Apache Wars?
Gallant Cavalier. I second that request! 👍
oh that would be great probably slam trash the natives/ aboriginals hard ..........the vikings landed in newfoundland, canada, on the North american contiinent 500 years before Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas. (basic common history Knowledge)
Both did not know there were peoples there 15,000 years earlier, well before them.... holy 💩what kinda history do they teach in the school system
you introduced us to so many good refrences....quite astonishing
After looking and different videos on the actions of the day I can understand that the main issues that lead to the demise of Custer was lack of centralize command, bad planning and communications and lack of understanding of the operational battlefield. Also Custer's aggressive nature put him in a disadvantage as he made bad assumptions, rush into action to find to late that he was meeting a superior force in the open and had nowhere to go. His aggressive advance has put him in a positions where he has cut himself off from the supply train sealing his fate.
It had always worked for him before-just go hell for leather and worry about things as they happened. He finished dead last in his class at West Point-so he wasn't given to fine details in planning anything. It must have been a final moment of humility for him when he finally realized what his scouts had been trying to tell him. When one of them point blank told him that he was preparing to die, Custer snapped at him to stop being so morose.
I really appreciate this channel!!!
Regarding the meeting between Custer's messenger, John Martini, and Captain Benteen, the narrator fails to point out some pertinent information. After Martini gave Benteen the written orders from Custer, the Captain asked Martini where the Indians were. In broken English, Martini replied, "skedaddling".
Three years later, at Reno's Court of Inquiry, Captain Benteen was asked why he did not respond to Custer's urgent orders with any kind of alacrity. In response, Benteen said some words to the affect of, "I assumed Custer had already attacked the village, and the Indians were all fleeing; as such, I saw no necessity to hurry up my command or the packs". In short, the whirling words of an overly-excited lower enlisted man, a soldier who barely spoke a lick of English, held more sway for Captain Fred Benteen than did the crucial, imperative orders of his commander.
What is important for this battle is the terrain it was not a flat area of ground, nope it was rolling hills and ravines. Custer was looking for a great Victory that would allowed him to get elected. He split this force into three columns which some say was an mistake. But this does mean that two of those columns did manage to survive the battle. Reno had around 140 men and by the time he met up with Benteen approx 40 had been killed, Benteen's force had around 125 men. They had moved forward but Indians started to show up on their front and that area not a place to fight so Benteen and Reno fell back to Reno's Hill and Benteen setup a defense there. They were attacked through out the day, Custer had stirred up a hornet nest since the Indian camp had around 8,000 individuals and probably 2,000 - 2,500 fighters or more fighters likely some of the women joined in the fight as well. Custer's men were caught out in the open trying to fall back and were cut to pieces. If Benteen & Reno had tried to move to support they as well would have been caught out in the open and the Cavalry losses would not have been 274 dead but closer to 700 dead.
Startling and shocking at the same time, mixed thought as I am introduced to this war for the first time, thank you for creating such content.
I've seen other maps of Reno's initial skirmish line superimposed on current day maps and it cuts across the present day freeway. Wondering why there are no markers down by the river, there must have been casualties in that initial engagement?
We need to consider the actions of the 7th before this morning. Hard riding very hard riding. Custer drove his men hard to get to the camp. We need to factor in the probable need to rest and water. I give Remo a pass on the time at the morass.
Yes, and compare Custer’s movement to the Indian camp with General Crooks. Completely different approaches with different outcomes. General Crook was a much better commander than Custer. Gen. Crook could fight conventional warfare as well a irregular warfare. Custer was out of is capabilities in both forms of warfare.
The timber definitely provided good cover and a defensible position for men and horses. My question is regarding Reno's ammunition supply (which I have read in several books was running low) would it have been better to stay in the timber waiting to be relieved by Benteen/Custer while completely running out of ammunition or what eventually transpired. Thoughts?
these people in charge were not true military leaders. You never, ever reduce your advantage of men by dividing them up. You stay close enough together but with some distance to cover and scout. This allows the entire company to come together once the object is found. They did the absolute opposite and caused the deaths of these men.
What do I think of Benteen? I think his organization of the defense atop the bluff prevented the entire force from being wiped out. Custer was a brave soldier but he mismanaged his troops at that battle. Should have found the enemy and waited for Terry to arrive.
Are you really that dizzy? By late morning on June 25th, Custer was operating under the correct assumption that the warriors in the village were aware of his regimen's presence. You think he should have "waited for Terry to arrive", huh? Terry and Gibbon were purportedly supposed to arrive at the Little Bighorn on June 26th (they didn't actually arrive until the 27th). That being said, YOU believe Custer should have waited for them, huh?
Did it ever occur to you that the warriors in the village probably would have attacked Custer if he just waited? If they didn't do that, they would have rounded up their families, packed up their belongings, and fled the village while the entire 7th Cavalry sat on their asses waiting for the Montana column to arrive.
You're an idiot.
A difficult decision to make. With limited ammunition a Reno - Benteen charge looking for Custer would of added more names to the Monuments.
perhaps all of them. The Indians were contemplating a full on assault to wipe out Benteen/Reno, if that command had taken more casualties in a failed charge they very probably all would have died.
Yes, agreed.
Orders are orders. He should have gone to the sound of the guns.
You're right, if Benteen had of forced the issue by going to the sound of the guns the only difference it would have made was more names on the monuments and a larger fence around Last Stand Hill. On this day the Indians had the three most important factors going for them; far superior numbers, better fire power and supreme motivation.
@@yankee7809Bullshit. If Benteen finds Custer at the northward extent of Custer's path, together they would have had enough men to capture a sizable number of non-combatants = end of fight.
A great set of videos, a proper voice over too
Thank you kindly
Still trying to outsmart me, aren't you, muleskinner? You want me to think that you don't want me to go down there, but the subtle truth is you really DON'T want me to go down there!
Sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn’t.
Was the Big horn River known by the Indians as the Greasy Grass?
I am of the belief that Captain Benteen did everything that he could at the Little Bighorn. His action at his post were admirable and I believe he did a damn fine job!!! If you’re opinion is contrary to this, I respect that, but I am of the belief that Captain Frederick Benteen of “H” Company did a good job as a field officer and Cavalry Commander.
Yes.
Gallant Cavalier. I agree. Captain Benteen was a hero at LBH. Many men had him to thank for their lives. I can't even imagine the emotions those men went through when they realized there was finally someone capable, strong, and steady there to lead them.
Benteen was seething with resentment and jealousy regarding Custer. He dragged his feet disgracefully on the back trail and wasted more time at the morass watered his horses company by company instead of simultaneously. His bravado on Reno Hill looked like self preservation, he must have known he was likely to be called to account in a court marshall. He ignored multiple orders, pretended not to hear the signal volleys, and pretended not to have any idea where Custer was. Custer’s plan of attack that day would have been carefully described to Reno and Benteen previously at officer’s Call.
I'm pretty clear Washita and the fate of Major Elliot were at the forefront of Benteen's mind. The only way Benteen might have affected the outcome would have been to ignore Reno's plea (order) to join him. Had he done so the whole 7th could have been annhilated.
Be teen and Reno both were disloyal to Custer, and frightened
1. Had the Indian agents reported the true number of those who had left the agencies that Spring it would have been valuable intel. Agents were reimbursed based upon numbers of Sioux present. There was a tendency, therefore, to inflate the numbers present at any time.
2. Had Crook reported his action on the Rosebud to Terry, this would provide invaluable intel.
A. The numbers of Sioux encountered on the Rosebud was far greater than expected.
B. Those encountered on the Rosebud fought very tenaciously rather than hit and run style.
Benteen was out of position to be of timely use. He was out of position on Custer's orders. Custer should have sent a small scouting force and maintained a strong central force.
Custer should have issued extra ammo before leaving his pack train behind, he WAS expecting contact that day.
Benteen had an obligation to assist Reno.
Benteen did not receive clear orders, bring packs or bring pack train?
Custer was the guy in charge, everything is his responsibility.
also "come quick" the mules of the pack train could not move quickly so what exactly was Custer's order?
What brand of shirts did Custer and his men wear at the battle ? Ans: Arrow Shirts.
I have a question for all of those who say that Benteen and Reno failed Custer. That Benteen and Reno let Custer die, why do you feel such an ardent need to vilify Benteen and Reno? Reno was a drunk, okay fine, but why Benteen? What is this loyalty to Custer and the need to say that his two most senior officer failed him? I am not trying to be disrespectful to your beliefs, I simply want to understand where this loyalty to Custer comes from, and this desire to criticize how Benteen followed his orders?
Some people are angry that the army failed. So they think Custer could not have made mistakes and that his subordinates must be to blame. In fact, there were just way too many Lakota and Cheyenne for the 7th cavalry to handle. 600 or so cavalry against maybe 1500 to 2000 warriors determined to fight. No real surprise the Indians won. Somebody had to.
@@ToddSauve Thank you for this response, I can understand this point of view much better now.
@@ToddSauve again no clue, just quit
Because they failed him to save their own asses. What part of Custer's orders don't you understand?
@@jimsatterfield8748 Okay, I understand that. But, that doesn’t sound like the best reason, if you’ll forgive my saying so. I mean, Captain Weir tried, followed by Benteen, but then they were turned back and left to save what remained of the 7th Cavalry. Is there more to your reasoning by “It was an order from Custer?” Cause, frankly I don’t think Custer would do it if one of his subordinates was out on a limb like that. Just look at what happened to Major Elliot on the Washita.
Regarding Benteen's quandry, I don't understand why it had to be one or the other. Why not send a party of scouts as rapidly as they could go to encounter Custer, help, and send one back to report the condition, while also bringing the packs as fast as they could move. How many men did he have?
IF...I'm ever going into a combat situation my " Must Have " items are :
1. Ammo
2. Water.
3 Spade or Shovel.
4. Rain Gear/ Poncho.
5. Gun cleaning stuff.
6. Moar Water.
7. Moar Ammo.
8. Food.
9. Moar Ammo.
10. More Water
Don’t forget how heavy both ammo and water are.
Awesome series, question for you did terry and Custer have knowledge of the battle at rosebud when he altered his plans?
Not a clue. George Crook sent no messengers to the Terry/Montana columns.
Benteen's lethargy in moving to contact might be justified by a prudent wish to preserve the strength of his mounts. Even after he received the order to "come quick" his force would have been of little use had he made the three miles at the gallop. Custer watered his horsedsboth at the Morass and at the North Fork of Reno Creek, though in an attack. Benteen could have been expected to do the same.
Custer's order to "come quick" does not specify where Benteen was to go. Custer was a regimental commander, and the order can reasonably be interpreted as instructing Benteen to join the regiment, wherever found, which was achieved upon linking with Reno.
The Reno inquiry seems to have been the Army's vehicle to instruct its officers that assumption of the defense upon encountering a forlorn hope in the offense was justified.
Benteen's subordination to Reno was fully justified.
Movement of Reno's command to Custer's position would have been in contravention of his orders to occupy the warriors in the southern portion of the battlefield.
The fact that neither Reno nor Benteen had contingent orders was a command error by Custer.
Reno and Benteen have been long pilloried for failing to support Custer. But, Custer's concept failed to create mutually supporting elements (beyond Reno in the South, and Custer in support). The concept of operations was grossly fragmentary. Commander's intent was little more than a hope and a prayer that the Indians would flee.
I do not think hostage taking was on Custer's mind. The expectation seems to have been that the non-combatants would flee; the warriors would mount a rear-guard; the calvary would harass the rear-guard and drive the village into Terry and Gibbon. If Custer had a plan to quell the warriors by taking hostages, I think he would have executed a desperate attempt, rather than mount a desperate defense. The appearance of Benteen was likely expected to threaten the non-combatants so as to compel the warriors into a rear-guard defense.
Burning the lone teepee might be viewed as a signal to the Indians. In contemplation of a rear-guard action, Custer may not have wanted such complete surprise that the warriors would have no choice but to stand and defend.
Most accounts of the Yellowstone expedition fail to mention that Terry had small artillery pieces capable of cannister shot.
Two Moons' eye-witness account includes a description of bugle calls by Custer's battalion, as Weir and Benteen appeared at the point. Sitting Bull retells similar accounts. What were those calls? If they were retreat or dismount, I am sure Benteen would have said so. No Cavalry officer mentioned bugle calls.
Sitting Bull stated that Custer had not been defeated at the time of Weir's appearance, and warriors were dispatched to intercept that reinforcement. It is probable that Weir witnessed the battle from the collapse of C Company to Custer's demise.
In the final analysis, I think it was a poor plan poorly communicated, and poorly executed. Reno's failure to clash inside the village and bring about a rear-guard action may be faulted, but it was up to Custer to communicate a complete plan, which he apparently did not do. Custer's tactical mistake was in failing to provide mutually supporting elements with contingent missions. i.e. lack of a complete plan. Entirely a failure of command.
Remember, Custer left sabers and lances behind. Reno would be crazy to close with an enemy with far superior numbers with only pistol for close in weapons. Custer's entire battle plan depends on establishing battlefield control with long range rifle fire by soldier on a line. He didn't bring anything else.
@@howardwhite1507 Very good point. I would go far as to say that the U.S. Army had no effective doctrine for cavalry fighting after the Civil War, beyond constituting dragoons. The whole idea of sending Custer to push the natives from the South in place of Crook's entire force was folly.
excellent account.like the confusing light brigade order word of mouth may have sent further orders to benteen but as custer chose a raw italian recruit who didnt speak english to deliver his orders we will never know.as far as benteen was concerned his last word from custer was in no circumstances endanger the pack train.he was now told come quick bring packs.the order contradicted itself .benteen could either abandon the pack train leaving it at risk thus ignoring custers express order and come without the packs or lead the train slow as it was to the battleground intact.watering the mules was vital so he did just that expecting had custers plan been effective that the indians were running from the camp and a lengthy chase would ensue so needed the mules in top condition.as benteen recalled it custers order made no sense.in light of what happened had he led his men after custer leaving the train to fend for itself he probably would have died with custer the train been wiped out and renos men without support massacred.he did the most sensible thing given what he could discerne from the circumstances.custers complete strategy was wrong attacking without recon or having his whole force present splitting his command into 3 and vanishing with his men without knowing how the other phase of the attack were going or enemy strength.
Some interesting points and a few unfounded assumptions. Of course Reno and Benteen would claim Custer’s plan either didn’t exist or they weren’t told about it, they knew they were facing courts marshall for dereliction of duty, cowardice, ignoring direct orders. Custer could not defend himself. They both must have known exactly what Custer’s plan was at officers‘ call, Custer didn’t make Brigadier General at aged twenty-five for being an idiot. General Sheriden himself said of the Civil War surrender at Appomattox ‘there’s scarcely a soldier in the Union Army who did more to bring this about than General Custer.’ Reno was possibly inebriated, Benteen was pathologically jealous of Custer and seeking some sort of revenge, which he got after dragging his feet all the way along the backtrail, deliberately wasting time at the morass, insisting horses be watered one company at a time, wilfully showing zero initiative or responsibility on the state of the pack train, then finally only bucking his ideas up on the Reno defence line as a matter of self defence.
@@drstrangelove4998 well you cant have it both ways.custer ignored gibbons express order and attacked before terry arrived.from all accounts he decided this last moment after seeing indians looting a box lost from the pack train.claiming they were discovered he then ordered a hasty attack.he didnt include benteen back with the packs in this decision.he expected the indians to run as all his previous battles had resulted in this happening.he therefore sent reno in without recconoitering the camp to attack one end while he swept round and caught the braves as they left the other end.in fact he had no idea how big the camp was.reno was attacked by sioux who didnt run.custer got halfway was outflanked and destroyed .the outcome was totally different frm what he expected with about ten times the number of enemy.reno was totally unmanned by the fact he was covered from the face down in the brains of his ree scoutwho was shot in front of him.he was probably in clinical shock.as custer never contemplated the number of braves the fact he could get cut off what orders could he give about a situation he never expected to be in? the plan was for three columns to converge together not for him to go in alone.that was decided on the spur of the moment.despite what you say custer was a very unreliable officer.he abandoned men at the black kettle fight in 68 running away to the disgust of benteen and the 7th.he also simply left the column the next year with not a word to hunt buffalo on his own.this was in hostile territory.he went miles away shot his horse by mistake and had to be rescued.he was also only at the big horn due to pressure on grant to reinstate him after hed been suspended from the army after being court martialled having left his post without a word again during hostile activity leaving his men to go and see his wife who he missed.as a commander he was impulsive erratic and prone to spur of the moment decisions often mystifying his men.he was also an incredible martinet .on the march to texas post civil war in the hottest weather for years he ordered his men to put on their winter coats then rode round the column in nothing but a shirt berating them as they collapsed and refusing water stops though he drank plenty himself.on the same march he shot deserters out of hand.a man who deserts runs away ignores his commanders orders splits his command in the face of the enemy doesnt bother to scout their camp or find out how many are there is unreliable to say the least.to blame his failings on his junior officers has been disproved a 100 times.grant didnt want him to go but was swayed by his generals they all knew custer was a problematic choice and liable to do his own thing hence gibbons express order to wait.
Love your videos I don’t think it would have made a difference if Reno and Benteen had joined Custer.
That would be the Battle of the Greasy Grass. Natives Americans prevailed fortunately and so, they get to name it.
“Native Americans prevailed”…which ones? Not the Arikara or the Crow (whom were abused and subjugated by the Sioux). They fought for Custer.
looking forward for many such wars information and stories
I think many of these comments are very interesting, but the bottom line for me is that Custer divided his relatively small command into four (including the pack train) in the face of a large force disparity. Each of these four forces were relatively uncoordinated. The US troopers were largely inexperienced, many having previously barely fired their weapons. The Native Americans were well armed and many were experienced warriors, as well as having a very large numerical superiority. They also had the advantage of interior lines, which was used to good effect when redeploying away from Reno and toward Custer. I've been to the battlefield, it struck me as undulating with many small hills and gullies, which would have helped the Native Americans to get in relatively close, with or without tall grass. If Custer was such a good officer, he should have recognized these factors--he was informed by his scouts about the force disparity for example. In fact, Custer severely underestimated his opponents on that day. The wonder is that Benteen was able to save so many men by keeping the remainder of the troops together in a defensible position until relieved.
This is the best video on the terrain and battle tactics that explains why the indian's did over run Reno, and explains why they withdrew.
Poor recon - the 7th Cav had no idea how many "hostiles" they faced - so it was a big mistake to divide the command.
Custer was in command - so its his responsibility.
If you've never visited the battle site - its incredibly beautiful, evocative country.
Rest in peace all who fought there.
Correct you never go into a battle without knowing what you are facing. This was all on the genius Custer.
Really? If that were true there wouldn’t be very many going into battle.
@@andrewwood6285 He was a egomaniac who killed his men.
@@robertpapalia Robert E Lees divided his men all the time in offense and defense.
@@andrewwood6285 And when he did it he knew what he was facing not the unknown.
My great grandpa ed hall was 16 at the time in the pack team line during the battle of little bighorn
All the ifs, buts and maybes. All the Shouda, Woulda, Coulda. All derive from the uncertainty caused by the decision to split forces without an adequate understanding of the enemy's strength and location coupled with vague orders. That was down to one man. He was warned against dividing and he chose to ignore that advice. Can anyone dispute this root cause?
Custer lovers will say his decisions were a reasonable risk and he was let down by others. Those of the opposite view will say he was reckless in pursuit of further personal glory as his primary objective.
The debate will never end.
I have to agree, what happened already happened. What’s done is done, I have no feeling for Custer, but I mourn for the Troopers who died with him. I’m grateful for the skill of Captain Benteen to hold on to the wounded men and the Troopers who were left. That’s all I have to say on the subject.
Custer was in charge. He bears all responsibility unless failure to obey orders is PROVEN. Unless I am mistaken, Reno was senior to Benteen, Benteen had to support Reno. Benteen had no idea of the situation until it unfolded.
Reno may have been drunk, or he may have been overwhelmed. I cannot say. I can say his attack was undermanned and doomed. He is lucky to have escaped at all.
Reno was in no shape to ride to Custer's aid. He didn't even have a clear idea of what Custer was up to. Reno needed at least half of Benteens men at the outset to have played the role he was given successfully.
Custer was winging it and bit off too much.
Custer was the man in charge. Custer may have been so far wrong nothing could have saved him. He may also have been just a few small decisions from a big win.
The usual thing was for the Indians to slip away from confrontations with regular troops. They were very hard to pin down. I believe Custer had orders to block their escape and, in any event, it worked at the Washita. One officer who was with the Benteen/Reno group said afterwards that Benteen should have been shot for his failure to obey orders to come quick and move to the sound of the guns. He despised Custer and probably hoped to embarrass him by holding back and didn't realize how bad the outcome would be.
Custer and his command just had no room for mistakes. When Reno left the wooded area the initiative was lost.
Only 1 complaint. The US Cavalry has troops, not companies. For example "A Troop", "B Troop", etc. Veteran of the 18th Cavalry.
I know. Back then, they used the term Company. I found a reference, since lost to time, where that changed. Some authors use the terms interchangeably, but the best and brightest scholars use Company. I do prefer Troop!
One of the reasons for this defeat often overlooked is how Crook lost his nerve after the Rosebud battle and retreated into Wyoming when he still had approx 1000 fighting men, including Crow and Shoshone scouts. His scouts could have found a village that size and with his force closing from the south, Custer and Terry from the northeast and Gibbon from the west the Sioux would have been in trouble. Crooks men were fishing and playing ball in Wyoming while the 7th Calvary was losing 268 men.
I should have that next phase in the Crook saga coming up this Sunday. The "Horse Meat March"
1:11 Geez that guy must have been a handful for the natives! That mustache probably came with its own set of six shooters.