Custer's 7th: Major Reno. Bad Behavior or Bad Luck? 😬 

Nicely done yet again, Siobhan!

Careful, detailed, well- organized scholarship, presented in an incredibly engaging manner! Thank you for your impressive work!❤❤

Siobhan, your presentations rock! You make the history of Custer and the 7th come alive more than any tactical studies! And the quotes and images are amazing! (I had to laugh at the photo of Godfrey with the cigar--- smoking with that kind of mustache just ain't feasible!) Thank you again!

Well scripted abbreviation of events. Nicely done. Thank-you for your attention to detail.

Thank you for yet another excellent LBH story. Your enthusiasm is infectious. Reno comes across as a very sad and unfortunate soul.

I love your presentations. You really know your history. Custer deserves a lot of the blame for Little Big Horn, but I think Crooke deserves a lot of criticism on how he conducted himself. Retreated all the way back to Wyoming and did not communicate promptly, until after Little Big Horn.

Your presentations are such a delight, and you really make the history of Custer and the Seventh come alive! And your use of historical images and modern artwork is awesome! Thank you again! But poor Reno... except for his wife, did anybody like this guy? Talk about Reno's luck! Interestingly enough, I recently discovered that Reno's descendant, Charles Reno, who fought for his exoneration, was a bartender in Queens not far from me! (How'd you like to find that bar?) As a native New Yorker and a lifelong "Custer addict" (to quote Robert Utley), I was amazed to find how many people connected with his history ended up in New York City... Libbie, John Martin, Francis Gibson, and a bunch more! I actually made a list, and I was amazed! Your presentations, not to mention your enthusiasm, are such a gift to those of us who continue to be fascinated by this subject and these people! Thanks a million!

Siobhan: Another no nonsense story about the 7th Cavalry’s Major Reno. Keep up the good work!

Reno seems like a troubled individual, which was likely compounded by what we now call PTSD from the Indian Wars. Another excellent presentation.

I always learn something new with your presentations. I can't wait for more. Thank you for all your efforts!

Cool video, I was just recommended your channel today and decided to try you out. I bought the entire set of The Old West at a thrift store earlier this year and I've been reading through them, this video goes well with those books. There's so much history to explore, I will check out your other videos and subscribe!

Great content, thanks!

Another brilliant, well researched video, you’re so good at bringing history to life!

Great presentation. I really enjoy all the information you find. Keep it up.

Thank you for this great video ❤❤❤❤❤❤

Great video again as others have noted the presentations are wonderful So glad others share the fascinating history of this event and those that lived it.

Siobhan, I thought it was Godfrey who described the "scene of ghastly, sickening horror"...I could be mistaken, there are so many details to this story. I do feel sorry for Reno, even though he brought some of his "bad luck" on himself with his abrasive personality. He, Benteen, Weir, Burkman, and many others were also victims of this battle, although they didn't die on that day. Another great presentation! ---Skye

I can already tell I will be watching tons of your videos. So good to hear a human doing the voiceover! You are posting on a time that has always interested me. I've read at least 30 books in the past on the Little Bighorn--very hard to get to the bottom on what really happened. Great job!

superb delivery and great information! Thank you!

I'm impressed by the quality of the depth of your research, the production values of your videos, and your authoritative demeanor.

I've never seen one of your presentations before and i have to say you are excellent. Informative, entertaining and you credited all your sources. Thank you so much. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

In addition to being knowledgeable, You do not have a robot voice. I find this quite refreshing.

Excellent presentation Siobhan!

Great work as usual.

Those maps and pictures from Geoff Lackey are the best I have ever seen.

Excellent as always! Thank you very much! I always think of Bloody Knifes end. Who wouldnt run...Soldier or not.

Your enthusiasm brings history to life. This video presentation is no exception. Please continue; and know that you're appreciated. BTW: seems as though Reno was doomed from early on; and even when given breaks along the way, he managed to find the bottom. I wonder what a psychoanalysis of his known life would reveal?

Superb work

I have really enjoyed your video series on the Battle of Little Bighorn and the biographical survey of the officers and wives of the 7th U.S. Cavalry. It caused me to realize the hardships and challenges faced by Army spouses (the frequent and often lengthy separations) have been experienced by generations of Army families. I especially enjoyed all of the quotations from their letters, etc. Fascinating insights into lives of dedicated service to our Army and country.

Wow. That was good. I subscribed.😊

Always well done!!!

excellent research and narrative.

Nobody connected to the Battle at Little Bighorn was hit with Bad Luck for the rest of their days. The Indians won the day but that win started continuous pain and loss. Even today the Native Americans continue to loose. The whole 7th Calvary went on to suffer PTSD til death. Nobody wins a War.

Very informative. Thank you

Excellent. Very excellent. Thank You. I also recommend the book, "Custers 7th Cavalry, From Fort Riley To The Little Big Horn" by Ernest Lisle Reedstrom. Incidentally, Reedstrom wrote, and I am paraphrasing, "I have traveled through that entire area and it was not feasible to get wheeled Gatling Guns through that terrain".

I always find your video presentations very thought provoking Siobhan thank you. It sounds like Major Marcus Reno wasn't a likable character before or after the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Another great one! Thanks! Sounds like Reno may have had too little or too much parental "oversight" in his youth, judging by his behavior at West Point. He either had no guiding principles instilled in him, or he was extremely rebellious. Also sounds like his life was a wreck after LBH, as he likely had severe PTS.

I like all your videos. And I will second your recommendation of the book In Custer's Shadow.

Great info , I have to make a trip too the horn next year.

So good I do not even know where to start! One thing I have observed over the years is that there were too many wolves looking after the chicken coop starting from the day they left Fort Abraham Lincoln. Recipe for a disaster that sooner or later would come.

You're very knowledgeable i enjoy everyone of your presentations. We need more historians like you! Keep uo the good work thank you so much

I’m that’s kinda creepy that he was watching a girl through the window especially since it was the commanding officer of his regiment!!!! He just had a tragic story, and I kinda wonder what had changed between the civil war and his fight at LBH. Something made him change from his gallantry behavior to being indecisive at the river and then the timber.

Really good video.

Reno is one of those fellows we sort of love to hate. Recently visited F. Abercrombie where he made his final military error.

Thank you for that, Very well done. ;) Do you have any plans on doing a piece on Tom Custer, George's brother and 2 time Medal of Honor winner?

Thx much for this great "7 minutes" video! While posterity has its opinions regarding major Reno at LBH, I tend to give strongest weight to his contemporary officers and men who were at the battle, and observed him first hand. All other opinions, even contemporary, are 2nd hand, and by definition conjectural, even if based on much personal experience (e.g., general Rosser). What I do object to is the latter day rehabilitation of a record of generations ago, especially when no new evidence has come to light. Officially weighing-in in such a manner is, in my opinion, the height of hubris & effrontery, no matter the motive. New age thinking, without new facts, carries its own predictions, preferences & BIASES. Setting aside contemporary testimonies, multiple court deliberations, and jury verdicts has the real effect of gainsaying & invalidating their conclusions for future generations. These courts actively & honestly were seeking the truth, and were not whitewash attempts or had ulterior motives (e.g., the Warren Commission). This "we know they said it, but they didn't mean it/didn't really know how to weigh the facts like WE know how," is truly insulting & shameful. Truth be told, all human emotions were invented before mankind left caves; only technology has changed. And, when I see "shenanigans" with history, like this 1967 Reno rehabilitation, I think our ancestors often had much more common sense than we.

Reno was no coward, as attested to by his Civil War record, but perhaps his drinking post-war robbed him of some of the qualities and strengths that had given him such a fine military record in the Civil War.

Assume job, You provided great learning experience. Reno as what ive learn was drinking before the 25th and that day. Alcohol did in fact did not give liquid courage. Reno was a long was from civil war land. He came upon a different world, a people with a life lived , traumatized for years, saying enough is enough. The 7th came looking for a fight, the wrong people. Its sad for all involved. Death. In Renos engagement. The warrior chief Galls wife and children where killed from gun fire in their teepees. It's a given who had more to fight for

Woohoo! Another history channel! 🤠

I always felt for Major Reno. If memory serves (I don't know if you mention it here), Major Reno attained the rank of brevet Brigadier General during the Civil War. To those unfamiliar with the term, back in those days, the Army had few medals to award to soldiers in recognition for valor in the field (I think there was but one award in those days, the Congressional Medal of Honor), so in recognition of acts of distinction, the Army would advance a solider to a higher rank (called "breveting"). Unfortunately, the promotion was temporary in nature and while the promotion carried with it the additional duties and responsibilities of higher rank and authority....it didn't come with the pay of the higher rank. BTW, Custer was a brevet Major General and I believe Capt. Benteen was a brevet Lt. Col. At any rate, and again, I don't know if you mentioned it here, Reno seemed to be a man under a perpetual dark cloud. Even his scouts referred to him along those line (they gave him a moniker to reflect the ominous cloud that seemed to follow him around). Dark cloud or not, Major Reno was a highly competent plains warfighter and were it not for his decision to NOT reinforce Custer's position, it's a fair bet that the entire regiment would have been annihilated at the Little Big Horn. Interesting side story: the Army convened a court of inquiry into Major Reno's conduct at the Little Big Horn. The court exonerated Major Reno of any accusations of cowardice or incompetence. Every survivor of the Little Big Horn signed a letter attesting that Major Reno and his leadership were the only reasons why they survived the battle. However, that wasn't good enough for some in the Army and long story made short, he was hounded out of the service (as the story goes, he was observed peering through a fellow officer's bedroom window at the wife of the fellow officer as she undressed and was cashiered after a kangaroo court trial). Major Reno died destitute in the Soldiers and Sailors home in Washington, DC, alone, the victim of Army persecution. Sometime in the 1960s, Reno's family succeeded in getting the US Army's Judge Advocate General's office to reopen Reno's court martial. After reviewing the previous proceeding's transcripts, the Army's JAG found the entire proceeding farcical and a travesty of justice. The Jag consequently reversed the court's findings and restored his rank (I think they advanced him to Colonel, a rank he most likely would have eventually attained had he not been the victim of Army persecution). And in the greatest act of making the Army eat humble pie, Major Reno's final request was granted: he was buried with his men at the Little Big Horn. Custer, on the other hand, lies at West Point.

cool video

My husband was born and raised in Carrollton Illinois 😮

It seems the armies accepted a lot men who were not socially bearable but they were needed for the dirty work. The napoleonic wars presented some examples of such drunkyards, duellists, womanizers, gamblers, astronomical in debt and so on. Those who weren't dismissed were the ones who were talented commanders.

Soldiers said Reno was drunk at LBH and he admitted it to the editor of the Northwestern Christian Advocate later in life. Plenty of contemporary soldiers called him a coward for taking flight before Custer could secure the village women and children to immediately stop the battle like he did at Washita. Reno tried screwing the other soldiers wives and tried to throw them off post when they refused (that's cruel) , he beat a subordinate with a pool cue, and he got caught creeping around houses as a peeping tom... Forcing yourself on a woman is above and beyond flirting or having an affair and then trying to separate her from her family for refusing him and getting caught being a peeping tom shows this man was a sexual predator. The more you learn about Reno and his actions the more you wonder why he was redeemed in the 1960's. Was there some kind of national amnesia when it came to his actions as an officer in the U.S military or just not being a decent human being?

I'd love a vid on Private Foley or Sgt Butler.. maybe there's not much background info on them to stretch into a full vid, maybe you could combine a few soldiers into one video.. it always bugged me not 1 soldier survived from Custers lot, to tell the story.. Foley came closest (I think that was his name anyway) but shot himself on horseback before he could realise the Indians decided to let him ride away.. and Butler who was found all alone, surrounded by spent cartridges, in a last stand of his own.. I wonder whether he was straggling behind or had also nearly managed an escape

I agree with your assessment 100%. Reno indeed was a very unlucky man. I have always been fascinated by this fight since I was a kid. It started I think because my two spinster aunts were in love with Errol Flynn! There will always be controversy surrounding this fight. All the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s Will see to it and both historians as well as the common history nerd like myself will never find consensus. I may as well give my two cents. This fight seemed doomed from the start. Even the men sensed it starting with Custer’s conciliatory behavior. One even predicted it would be Custer’s last fight but I cannot at present remember who. The flag blowing over only added to the soldiers superstitious worries. Add in one of the three prongs of attack (Crook) being knocked out early, severe dissension and even hatred amongst the officers, and arriving exhausted on Sunday afternoon. Custer planned to rest and attack in the morning however the “Biscuit box” incident altered his plans and he decided to attack immediately. Finally: I believe there was only one way Custer could have been the hero. He should have surrounded the village in a show of force then send in a party under the flag of truce to parley. I’d be willing to bet they would have peacefully returned to the reservation. Later Indian testimony corroborates this but historians always view the post battle testimonies with a grain of salt as they may have been trying to now curry favor . Feel free to challenge my assessments! It’s all part of the fun and I look forward to future videos. Maybe do a in-depth on Benteen ?

Reno made his own bad luck by conduct unacceptable for any officer

Reno and Benteen caused Custer's death. It's really gross irony that that man is buried amongst the gallant men, he betrayed.

@Siobhan Fallon thank you for the video. I learned a lot from it, and it further reinforces my dislike of Major Reno.

Custer’s order to Reno to charge the village, adding that Reno would be supported by the whole command, was deceptive. At a minimum, Reno would lack support of thirty percent of the command, due to the absence of Benteen and the Pack-train escort. Further, Custer’s unannounced decision to envelope the natives was hardly mutually supporting. Reno’s, as a diversionary attack would support Custer, but, without precise timing, the envelopment would do little to support Reno. Due to a lack of battlefield intelligence, there was very little prospect that such timing would ensue. It seems likely Custer intended the envelopment all along, and deceived Reno into believing a frontal attack by the whole command was planned. Benteen, a much more perceptive officer, would not likely have fallen for the ambiguous statement. Rather, he would likely have perceived the suicide diversionary attack and demanded it be placed in writing. Reno’s inability to articulate this point at the inquiry demonstrates that he was not very astute, even given time to think it over.

Based on your presentation of Reno starting at West Point, his character was always suspect. Stalking Sturgis daughter as a Peeping Tom was disturbing. I think they got it right the first time - a dishonorable discharge was correct.

Just to be clear, at 12:00 you say that Reno reached the top of the hill where he met Benteen. I always thought the survivors were already on the hill when Benteen showed up some time later and took command from Reno at that time. Otherwise I don’t know about his ‘adventures’ in the years after the battle and that he died of cancer, not alcoholism at age 54. Quite the story. Thank you!

One man's coward is another man s saviour

I did not know that about Reno sad story if he had stay there he and all his man would have died to. Custer went after the women and children thats why went around the natives camp. To take them down first so maybe the native would have give up. But know it went down with Custer and his 7th Cavalry. Cool to check out things Comanche from Texas hard people

If you ain't got a contingency plan for a rear guard assignment in a hurry then you'd better watch your 6 o'clock while bugging out. Those Sioux and Cheyenne think you're General Crook.. . . "Should've brought some more Crow and Shoshone with you " . . . Major Peeping Tom.

If, in March of 55', he had to repeat another year and then another year after that year, how did he graduate in June of 55'?

What was Reno drinking in his canteen?

History will remember Reno as a reprobate. Neither time or the amendment of discharge status can change that.

Nice twist on history (not an English voice or a cowboy voice) :-)

Dismount! Mount! Dismount! Mount! If you value your lives follow me! For God’s sake Benteen, help us, we’re about to be annihilated!

I believe benteen was the greatest Offender in the last Stand . If anyone were to be court marshalled It should have been him

...The Gatling guns are really a non-issue. The 1876 version much inferior to what was used in supporting Roosevelt's regiment on San Juan Hill in 1898. In addition, Congress was so cheap that they would only permit the Army to purchase horses that had been rejected for Cavalry service to pull the Gatlings. The far better Maxim Gun, used in 1893 in the Matabele War in (future) Rhodesia...did excellent service....but only from behind barricades and with Matabele warriors charging fearlessly, and falling in their thousands. . ...The guns...if pulled...would not have made it with Custer...and if packed on mule back...would never have made it into action on Last Stand Hill... With Benteen...the Sioux and Cheyenne would have quickly avoided a frontal confrontation...and simply shot down the gunners... YP

The US Policy should have changed to allow " All Native Americans" Citizenship and Allowed to form Military Units and learn Engineering and Agriculture.

He was luckier than Custer

Now I believe nothing Reno and Benteen could have done would have saved Custer and his men. If they tried the regiment would have been killed completely. Why? There seems to be a misconception about how standfast the Indians were used to fight. In my opinion there is a huge difference between a random war party, who is not willing to risk their lives against the armies firepower for nothing and warriors who fight for the survival of their families. Reno and Benteen were not counted as threat since they were dugged in, but riding in Custers direction could have been understood much different. They just killed 5 companies, why shouldn't they have been able to do it again with 7 additional ones?

Unlikely? More like completely predictable.

I see Reno Benteen as Cowards