Death and Immortality at the Little BigHorn: Vol II, The Stand on Reno Hill

By James R Ashley

Almost everyone, at least in the English speaking world, is familiar with the story of Custer’s Last Stand. By any measure it is a gripping story of how some 200 cavalrymen under the direct command of Colonel George Armstrong Custer met their end at the battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. In no small measure the classic movie with Errol Flynn, They Died With Their Boots On, has perpetuated the myth of a Custer leading his command in a doomed mission of self-sacrifice in a heroic fight against overwhelming numbers of merciless savages in order to save a column of their fellow soldiers from being butchered. The troopers under Custer go to their fate without fear and although they know they will not survive, they fought like wounded tigers determined to fatally wound their enemy in their death throes. With every shot they took an Indian chief went down and despite their steadily dwindling numbers the men under Custer’s command did their duty to the last man. It is a thrilling adventure story of the most stirring kind but it is largely the creation of the Hollywood film industry whose purpose was entertainment not historical accuracy. However, in the dark recesses of most people’s minds (except the North American Indians’ of course), it is the image people want to believe.

Most people are unaware that there was another stand in the Battle of the Little BigHorn, about 4 miles away from where Custer met his end. It was on a position called Reno Hill and was occupied by 7 companies of the 7th Cavalry under the command of Major Marcus Reno. Custer had counted on the support of Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen to reinforce his offensive against the Indian village but both of them, one through cowardice and the other through jealously and hate, refused to advance “to the sound of the guns” until it was too late, and as a result the 200 men under Custer’s command were forced to fight a battle they could not win.

Once the Indians had disposed of Custer’s 2 battalions they rode back to Reno Hill to finish off the survivors there. The position was a poor one for defense, being overlooked by higher ground, manned by demoralized soldiers who had just been badly beaten by the Indians, and led by a coward who hid in a foxhole quaking in fear throughout the battle. And when the thousands of Indians buoyed by their victory over Custer and feeling themselves to be invincible rode up to Reno Hill, it seemed to anyone who cared to lay down a bet that there would be nothing standing between them and the extermination of the remainder of the 7th Cavalry. However, a leader rose up among them and the soldiers steeled themselves to survive at all costs, and they fought as if their lives depended on it, which it did. And as hard as the Indians tried, they could not break the defenders of Reno Hill. And although the stand on Reno Hill is largely ignored by American military history, it was similar in nature to a stand made 68 years later by Americans at a Belgian village named Bastogne. So if you want to know how ordinary soldiers fight to survive when everything is against them, then this is a story you want to read. The cowards and heroes are all here, so take your place beside them as you fight for your life on Reno Hill on those hot days on June 25 and 26, in 1876.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James R Ashley
• Release date: Aug 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301205714

Book preview

Immortality and Death on the Little Big Horn

Vol II: The Stand on Reno Hill

James R Ashley

Copyright 2015 James R. Ashley

Smashwords edition

The photograph used on the front cover of this book was supplied courtesy of the Custer Battlefield Museum.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The 1876 Campaign Against the Sioux

Reno’s June 10, 1876, Reconnaissance

Order of Battle of the 7th Cavalry

Custer Approaches the Little Big Horn Battlefield

Benteen Rides off to the Left

Reno Charges the Indian Village

Reno Halts His Charge

Reno Withdraws into the Woods

Reno’s Charge to the Rear

Benteen’s Reconnaissance

The Morass

The Lone Tipi

Sergeant Daniel Kanipe

Trumpeter John Martin

Reno Hill in the Early Afternoon of June 25, 1876

The Advance to Weir Point

Reno Hill in the Late Afternoon of June 25, 1876

Reno Hill on the Night of June 25, 1876

Reno Hill in the Morning of June 26, 1876

Reno Hill in the Early Evening of June 26, 1876

Reno Hill on the Morning of June 27, 1876

Aftermath

Leadership

What Happened to Them?

Map 1

Bibliography

Introduction

Almost everyone, at least in the English speaking world, is familiar with the story of Custer’s Last Stand. By any measure it is a gripping story of how some 200 cavalrymen under the direct command of Colonel George Armstrong Custer met their end at the battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. In no small measure the classic movie with Errol Flynn, They Died With Their Boots On, has perpetuated the myth of Custer leading his command in a doomed mission of self-sacrifice in a heroic fight against overwhelming numbers of merciless savages. in order to save a column of their fellow soldiers from being butchered. The troopers under Custer go to their fate without fear and although they know they will not survive, they fight wounded tigers, determined to fatally wound their enemy in their death throes. With every shot they took an Indian chief goes down and despite their steadily dwindling numbers, the men under Custer’s command do their duty to the last man. It is a thrilling adventure story of the most stirring kind, but it is largely the creation of the Hollywood film industry whose purpose was entertainment not historical accuracy. However, in the dark recesses of most people’s minds (except the North American Indians’ of course), it is the image people want to believe.

Most people are unaware that there was another stand in the Battle of the Little Big Horn, about 4 miles away from where Custer met his end. It was on a position called Reno Hill and was occupied by 7 companies of the 7th Cavalry under the command of Major Marcus Reno. Custer had counted on the support of Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen to reinforce his offensive against the Indian village but both of them, one through cowardice and the other through jealously and hate, refused to advance to the sound of the guns until it was too late, and as a result the 200 men under Custer’s command were forced to fight a battle they could not win.

Once the Indians had disposed of Custer’s 2 battalions they rode back to Reno Hill to finish off the survivors there. The position was a poor one for defense, being overlooked by higher ground, manned by demoralized soldiers who had just been badly beaten by the Indians, and led by a coward who hid in a foxhole quaking in fear throughout the battle. And when the thousands of Indians buoyed by their victory over Custer and feeling themselves to be invincible rode up to Reno Hill, it seemed to anyone who cared to lay down a bet that there would be nothing standing between them and the extermination of the remainder of the 7th Cavalry.

This book is the story of the other battle the 7th Cavalry fought at the Little Big Horn, the Stand at Reno Hill. As Wellington said of the battle of Waterloo, it was a close run thing. So it was on Reno Hill at the battle of the Little Big Horn. Contrary to all expectations, about 340 troopers were able to battle the victorious Indians to a standstill until rescued by a relieving force. This was a desperate stand but not a last stand, and most of the soldiers defending Reno Hill survived one of the most overwhelming Indian attacks in history. The elements of their battle were no less dramatic than that under Custer and the odds against them just as overwhelming. However, a leader rose up among them and the soldiers steeled themselves to survive at all costs, and they fought as if their lives depended on it, which it did. And as hard as the Indians tried, they could not break the defenders of Reno Hill. And although the stand on Reno Hill is largely ignored by American military history, it was similar in nature to a stand made 68 years later by Americans at a Belgian village named Bastogne. So if you want to know how ordinary soldiers fight to survive when everything is against them, then this is a story you want to read. The cowards and heroes are all here, so take your place beside them as you fight for your life on Reno Hill on those hot days on June 25 and 26, in 1876.

The 1876 Campaign Against the Sioux

In 1874 Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills, in clear violation of the government’s treaty with the Indians. The purpose of the reconnaissance was to scout out a route from Fort Lincoln to Bear Butte, just north of the Black Hills, but Custer was also authorized to explore the country to the south. Custer had taken a number of miners along with him and during their journey the expedition encountered trespassing Black Hills miners by the hundreds. Upon the expedition’s return, the word of the discovery of gold in the Black Hills rapidly spread and prospectors poured into the area. Custer’s report on the wealth of animals and mineral resources found in the region convinced many that the Black Hills was too valuable to leave in Indian hands and needed to be acquired by the U.S. government, in order to properly develop its resources for the benefit of the country as a whole.

At first, the U.S. government tried to enforce their treaty with the Indians and endeavored to keep the prospectors out of the Black Hills but the influx was so great that the cost to do so became prohibitive. The U.S. government then attempted to purchase the Black Hills from the Sioux, but they categorically refused to sell it. With this, there remained only one option available to the U.S. government, to take the Black Hills away from the Indians by force and resettle them elsewhere on a reservation under government control. The 1st step the U.S. government took was to refuse to