The Custer Fight; Capt. Benteen's Story Of The Battle

Captain Frederick W. Benteen, E. A. Brininstool

• Publisher: Normanby Press
• Year: 2015
• Topic: Social Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9781786252579
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

FOR THE FIRST TIME since he testified before the Reno Court of Inquiry, at Chicago, in 1879, Capt. F. W. Benteen, senior captain of Custer's regiment, the famous 7th Cavalry, here relates the part he played in that most disastrous of Indian fights on American soil, over which more controversy has raged than over any other battle fought against the red man in the United States.
Much of the account is from his own testimony at the Reno Inquiry; some of it is from the personal letters of Capt. Benteen, (in possession of the author). Certain charges were made against Major Marcus A. Reno and Capt. Benteen by Frederick Whittaker, Custer's biographer. At the last moment Whittaker withdrew his charges against Capt. Benteen. He also utterly failed to substantiate his charges against Major Reno, the verdict of the Court being that "there was nothing in his conduct which requires animadversion from the Court, and that in view of all the facts in evidence, no further proceedings are necessary in this case."
No officer in the Civil War won a more brilliant record than Major Reno, he being brevetted by grades from a first lieutenant to a colonel ''for gallant and meritorious service." Later, he served as Assistant Instructor of Infantry Tactics at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point.
The testimony at the Reno Inquiry revealed that both Capt. Benteen and Major Reno had done the best that could be done with what they had to do with, and that, but for their extraordinary heroism and bravery in the fight on the bluffs, following Custer's overwhelming defeat, four miles down the river, the troops under their charge would likewise have been wiped out.
Students of the battle of the Little Big Horn will do well to carefully preserve this account of the Custer fight as related by Capt. Benteen.

CAPTAIN BENTEEN’S OWN STORY

ON THE MORNING of the 24th of June, General Custer rode by my bivouac of the night before. I approached him and reported that, on account of fearing for the safety of the pack-train the day before, I had placed the battalion on guard differently from the manner he had ordered.

“Custer stammered slightly and said, ‘I am much obliged to you, Colonel Benteen; I will direct the officer who relieves you to guard the train in the manner you have done.’ As my duties ended on delivering the pack-train at camp on the 23d, I did not have to report to the commanding officer with the new officer of the day.

“The march of June 24th was interrupted by frequent and sometimes quite lengthy halts of the column, but on what accounts I was not aware; but on arriving at Mud Creek, which was to be our place of bivouac, I was loudly called to by Colonel Keogh to come where he was; that he had been saving for me a snug nook, with beautiful grass in it for me, that I might camp next to him. The reply to this was characteristic of the plains—something like ‘Bully for you, Keogh; I’m your man!’

“After our frugal repasts which went for dinner, Colonel Keogh and his lieutenant, Porter, came over to my bivouac, where, sitting around were four or five officers engaged in listening to Lieut. De Rudio’s yarns. However, I placed my saddle in position for a pillow, and notified the gentlemen ‘that I was going in for what sleep I could pick up, as I was impressed with the belief that we would not remain in that camp all night.’

“The officers, however, went on with their conversation, and before I had caught a wink of sleep, an orderly from regimental headquarters came with information to us to meet at once at headquarters. It was then pitch dark; so I called up my first sergeant and directed him to see that everything was in order for an immediate move, as I didn’t think we would be allowed to remain in that camp all night. The sergeant assured me that everything was in good shape, so I then started to find Custer’s headquarters.

“I had not gotten far on the way thereto when I stumbled across Lieut. Edgerly, who informed me that it was not necessary to go any farther, as the only orders were that we were to move at 11 o’clock that night, at which hour we did move.

“However, there was an hour and a half consumed in getting the pack-train across Mud Creek. Colonel Keogh had charge of the packs on that move, and the column remained impatiently on the other bank of the creek while Keogh was superintending the crossing of the pack-train.

“Some little time after the column got started on the march, the only guide of direction I had for my troop was the pounding of tin cups on the saddles of the men in rear of the troop preceding me in the column.

“About this time, Colonel Keogh rode up to me complaining that he couldn’t tell head or tail of the pack-train; didn’t know ‘where the Sheol they were’ and what was he going to do about it? I told him to take it easier; that nothing but an Indian could run one of those mules off. Some of the packs, of course, might slip off and be left behind, but we could recover the same at daylight—and the tin-cup pounding on saddles of the troop ahead of me went on all of which suddenly ceased—the column was at a halt, pack-train and all spread out together.

“I should think an hour and a half after this, daylight began to peer through, and I noticed General Custer pass me on horseback. He went on, saying nothing to me. Just then I noticed Major Reno on the other side of a ravine, about to sit down to breakfast; so, not knowing where I would get any breakfast, I went over and assisted them in disposing of what they had.

“On June 24th we marched till about 3 o’clock, and bivouacked without orders to unpack mules or unsaddle horses, and on the next morning when we moved I got no orders. The command moved, and I followed the rest.

“The battalion organization was made after we had marched about four hours. I think at the first halt an orderly came to me with instructions for the officers to assemble. General Custer told us that he had just come down from the mountain; that he had been told by the scouts that they could see a village—ponies, tepees and smoke. He gave it to us as his belief that there were no Indians there; that he had looked through his glasses and could not see any and did not think there were any there.{*}

“Now, in 1875, I had a ...

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• FOREWORD
• CAPTAIN BENTEEN’S OWN STORY
• (ADDENDA) - WHY CROOK DID NOT MEET TERRY, GIBBON AND CUSTER