Marcus Reno: civil war general, Indian fighter, one of Custer's officers
Written: Jul 26 '06 (Updated May 12 '07)
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Pros: Marcus Reno, brevet brigadier general in the Civil War, rode with George Armstrong Custer.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: Marcus Reno's life was one of great success as a Civil War general and of great personal tragedy. He survived defeat at the Little Bighorn and dismissal from the service.
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| Don_Krider's Full Review: Ronald Nichols - In Custer's Shadow: Major Marcus ... |
Brevet Brigadier General Marcus Albert Reno has been a man of mystery to many. If people know him at all, it is usually for his part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.
But the picture of Reno as a frightened officer leading a retreat in a battle in which half his regiment was killed or wounded at the fight now known as "Custer's Last Stand" isn't a complete portrait of the man.
A more complete description of the man's life is now available in a biography by Ronald H. Nichols, In Custer's Shadow: Major Marcus Reno.
This book
In Custer's Shadow: Major Marcus Reno by Ronald H. Nichols is the result of nearly 20 years of research by the author into the life of his subject.
He presents Reno in a slightly more favorable light than most authors have. We see a strong young man, surviving the deaths of his parents, to attend the U. S. Military Academy at the age of 16.
We see him rise from cadet to brevet brigadier general by the end of Civil War. We witness his happiness in marriage and in having a son, but watch as alcohol and tragedy tears the man apart, resulting in his dismissal from the Army in 1880.
The 407-plus book is an oversized paperback, with numerous photos throughout, many of which I haven't seen before (I've probably read a hundred Custer-related books, and finding something new is always a pleasant surprise).
The book features an introduction by Custer historian and Western author Brian C. Pohanka. Also included are a postscript about Major Reno's son, Ross (born in 1864, he seems to have disappeared after his own divorce in 1899; no one knows if he changed his name, where he went, or when he died).
Among the appendixes are a military history of the major's 29-year Army career, a reproduction of General Alfred Terry's "orders" to Custer before the Little Bighorn battle, a list of killed and wounded men in Reno's command (including the lone African-American casualty, Isiah Dorman, killed covering the retreat), and Reno's combat report of July 5, 1876 (written 10 days after the battle).
Nichols, the book's author, previously published the book Reno Court Of Inquiry: Proceedings Of A Court Of Inquiry In The Case Of Major Marcus Reno (http://www.epinions.com/book-review-6ACB-776051D-38A45379-prod4), which dealt with the 1879 court of inquiry into Reno's actions at the 1876 Little Bighorn battle.
The book is packed with footnotes to cite every reference and a thorough index.
Recommendation
In Custer's Shadow: Major Marcus Reno by Ronald H. Nichols is a fascinating read, written novel-style. It's an easy to read story that brings to life a man who has often been little more than a sketch on the canvas of history. It left me feeling that I finally have an understanding of the man behind the myths.
I highly recommend it.
If you're interested, there's a cover image of this book at Amazon.Com, with a "search inside the book" feature at that site if you click on the book's cover at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0806132817/ref=nosim/103-8582237-0728662?n=283155
The subject
Fear not, I will not reveal too much detail here, but instead I hope to interest you in reading this book. What I post here are highlights --- for lengthy, interesting, informed discussion, read the book.
Nichols takes us through the complete life of Marcus Albert Reno, some of it through material provided by Charles Reno, the soldier's grand-nephew.
We learn that Reno was born in Carrollton, Illinois, on November 15, 1834, the fourth of six children born to his parents (a seventh child in the family was from his mother's previous marriage).
Nichols takes us through early Illinois in descriptive detail to help the reader understand the environment that young Reno grew up in. Reno's father was a farmer who became a businessman, running a hotel and a retail store in the small town. Young Reno worked for his father as a clerk.
We find that young Marcus was a good student, as Nichols tells it:
"...he gained the reputation of being an excellent student and a quiet, unobtrusive lad particularly fond of serious literature. He grew to young manhood with a desire of entering military life..."
Parents
After a long illness, Nichols tells us, Reno's mother died when he was only 13. Seven months later, a few weeks after his 14th birthday, Reno's father died from smallpox.
No doubt key factors in the man Reno became, since the seven children in the family were soon scattered to various relatives, splitting up a close-knit family group.
Nichols tells the remarkable story of a young man who has the guts, at the age of 15, to write the Secretary of War about inquiring about how to secure a paid education:
...I desire to receive an appointment as a Cadet at the (U. S.) Military Academy. As my Father and Mother are both dead and it is not within my power to obtain an education at my own expense. I can give the required recommendation in regard to moral character and intellectual capacity..."
Nichols tells us that the secretary responded, and Reno received an appointment from his congressman, who had known Reno's father. With his guardian agreeing that Reno, who was not yet 18, had his permission to join the service, Reno headed for West Point.
We follow Reno to the military academy at West Point in June of 1851. He is all of 16 years of age, stands 5-foot-8 (the average height of Civil War soldiers was 5-foot-4, so Reno was tall for his time), is "in good health, physically sound." Beneath his dark brown hair are brown eyes staring out from a "dark complexion."
Nichols' details include young Reno's journey from southern Illinois to New York at a time when there was no transcontinental railroad connecting the cities. The 16-year-old must ride trains where possible, then switch to stagecoaches and steamboats for the stretches of the young United States where railroads had not yet been built. It's a fascinating story.
Nichols takes us with the lonely young man on this journey. We learn that Reno already has a drinking problem shortly after arriving at the academy, if not earlier.
Reno is the subject of a court martial (caused by singing on duty and "talking back" to an officer), piles up demerits, gets into fights, and somehow graduates from the academy after six years. The story is well-told in a chapter about the "Long Gray Line."
Reno graduates 20th in a class of 38 and asks to be assigned to the Army's horse-mounted dragoons "since it's easier to ride than it is to walk."
It is interesting to note that as Reno is leaving the academy after graduating in June of 1857, young George Custer, his future commander, is entering the academy to begin his first year as a cadet (Custer will graduate at the bottom of his class in 1861). Also interesting is the fact that future Confederate general Robert E. Lee was commandant at West Point for three of Reno's years there.
Indian fighter
Reno is assigned to the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons (during the Civil War, the name "dragoons" was changed to "cavalry") as a second lieuetnant.
Nichols takes us on Reno's early encounters with Indians in a pre-Civil War nation. These events probably shaped the young man's attitudes towards his foes.
When the government declares the Oregon Trail "open and safe from Indian attacks" (kind of an early "mission accomplished" if you will), it becomes Reno's job to find out what became of immigrants on a wagon train that was traveling on the "safe" Oregon trail.
Young Reno, now 22, is forced to see things like a woman's husband and children murdered, while the body of the woman indicates she was tied up, tortured and raped by Indian braves. You can sense what such visions did to the young soldier via the photos in the book --- we see a handsome, confident West Point graduate's face turn sullen and tired-looking in pictures taken as he ages during his 29 years in the service.
Nichols takes the reader through Reno's largely unrecorded early Indian Wars years in fascinating detail.
Then the big war breaks out.
The Civil War
When the Confederate States of America attack the United States of America at Fort Sumter in 1861, Reno is promoted to captain. Suddenly, the "Indian problem" isn't a problem anymore, and Reno's Union regiment is ordered east to fight the new threat.
This is where Nichols shows another side of Reno --- Reno the brave. In many of his Civil War engagements, Reno is shown leading charges during the war, fearless of death. Reno was present with the Army of the Potomac in dozens of engagements detailed here, including Antietem, Sharpsburg, Cold Harbor, Winchester and Cedar Creek.
In the fighting at Kelly's Ford, Reno was described by General William Averell:
...Captain Reno, whose horse was wounded under him, handled his men gallantly and steadily...
By war's end, Reno has served as a chief of staff to General William Sandy and been breveted a colonel in command of the 12th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry Regiment.
Reno's courage under fire led to several "brevet" promotions, meaning that he remained a regular Army captain but received battlefield recognition via promotions by brevet rank to Major, Colonel and finally he is breveted a brigadier general of volunteers in 1865. When the war ends, Reno will return to his regular Army rank of captain.
Married with children
In 1863, recovering from a hernia injury received when his wounded horse took him the ground, Reno spent time recovering in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was 28 and had met an 18-year-old girl who won his heart.
That girl, Mary Hannah, was at Reno's side helping along his recovery. Reno's injury was deemed so serious that he was eventually wound up as a "recruiting, mustering and disbursement officer" in Harrisburg.
Plans for a July, 1863, Presbyterian marriage had to be abandoned when the Robert E. Lee led the Army Of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania in June (followed by the three-day battle at Gettysburg in July).
Plans for the big wedding cancelled, Reno and his young fiance decided to get married in a small ceremony at the Astor House in New York City on July 1, 1863. Reno returned to his regiment in October of 1863.
In April of 1864, a son, Ross, was born to the couple, but Reno's wife remains ill for several weeks after the birth. Reno wants to stay with his wife, but the Army orders him elsewhere.
In one incident, Reno witnesses Custer, serving in the same division as Reno, surrounded with his brigade by Confederates at Trevillian Station. The story, as told by Nichols, is an interesting one since Custer's situation in that battle would echo his situation 12 years later at Little Bighorn.
Promotion to general
Nichols describes the now-married Reno as an inspiring man, whose brevet promotion to brigadier general in 1865 is endorsed by the Union cavalry commander, General Phil Sheridan:
...The cavalry service has no better officer than Captain Reno. He is full of energy and ability... He is one of the most promising young cavalry officers of this army..."
West Point instructor
After the war, Reno finds himself returned to his regular army rank of captain. He had hoped to spend time with his wife and young son. Such was not to be.
Nichols takes us through Reno's post-Civil War career. We see Reno moving his young family in military fashion from post to post, starting with an assignment as an instructor at West Point in August of 1865.
Reno hated the new assignment. He was made an instructor of cavalry tactics (despite a career in the cavalry). Military cut-backs meant that West Point had grown, but its accommodations had not, so Reno's family was quartered in a "make-shift" home.
Reno complained on both counts. The military retaliated by relieving Reno of his position at West Point in late September of 1865, just over a month after his arrival at the post. Reno was ordered to join a cavalry regiment in New Orleans, Louisiana.
New Orleans
Nichols takes us to New Orleans in 1865, a freed Confederate city occupied by Union troops:
"...'an atmosphere of hate, created by decades of sectional bitterness and four years of fighting.' The Union did not want any of the four million newly released slaves in the South..."
Look at New Orleans today and its treatment by the federal government after Hurricane Katrina, and then read Nichols description of the city as it appeared in 1865:
"...New Orleans was a devestated and bankrupt city... The city was overrun with gamblers, prostitutes and thugs; ruled by corrupt and ignorant officials; and was a 'dirty, impoverished, and hopeless place'..."
Protecting African-Americans
Reno served as judge advocate and as provost marshall for the Army in New Orleans. Among his duties were "investigating atrocities against blacks, reuniting black families when possible, assuring blacks were treated in a humane manner," enforcing labor contracts with the Freedmen Bureau, and supervising the command's military police. He also had to collect taxes from a conquered people.
Reno's performance as a tax collector who also had to protect African-Americans and keep the peace with white men who were former Confederates appears to have been outstanding, as Nichols tells it.
When the 1st Cavalry Regiment, Reno's normal unit, was ordered to the Pacific Coast in December of 1865, he was ordered to take his family and accompany the regiment, just three months after being sent to New Orleans.
This time, Reno got the support of Generals U. S. Grant and Phil Sheridan, who acted on Reno's behalf so he could remain in New Orleans.
This delayed Reno's movement for a short while. Nichols takes us through a number of moves by Reno up until 1868.
7th Cavalry
Nichols describes the events that place Reno in the 7th Cavalry, newly formed in July of 1866.
An officer's death creates an opening for a major, and Reno gets the fateful promotion and reassignment to the 7th Cavalry at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, a regiment whose field commander was Custer. Now Reno would have to serve under a man his junior in age.
We learn that Mrs. Reno wasn't happy with this 1869 move to Indian country, but the family followed Major Reno anyway.
We see Reno's conflicts with other officers soon after his August, 1869, arrival with the regiment. He reports to a regiment divided into pro-Custer and anti-Custer camps among its officers' ranks, a situation caused by the Battle of the Washita in 1868 where Custer left the field without establishing the fate of a missing detachment of 20 men (who were later found dead and mutilated weeks after the battle).
Ku Klux Klan
Reno is assigned to detached duty during much of his time with the 7th Cavalry, heading up court-martial boards, commanding remote outposts in Indian country, or being detailed to deal with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Spartanburg, North Carolina, all the while dragging the family around post to post.
Interestingly, Reno, commanding the three companies of the 7th stationed at Spartanburg, was given authorized by the president to "suspend the privileges of the writ of habeas corpus" in any state where he found any conspiracy to deprive a "class of people" of their rights.
Reno's experiences fighting the white supremacists of the KKK are well-told here. It's also the tale of a family loving their new assignment, as Reno's 7-year-old son finally is able to play with children his own age for the very first time.
The family rented a house in the town, another change of pace from Army quarters. We also see young Ross falling behind his classmates in his studies because of being schooled in so many states.
Tragedy
Reno's many duties kept him away from his family. Nichols presents the sad man whose young wife dies in 1874 after a long illness. We then see Reno having to have his sister-in-law raise his son in Pennsylvania while he fights Indians in the American West.
We see a man whose heart has again been torn from him. To lose his parents in his youth, then to lose his wife when she was just 30 years of age, and then to be separated from his 10-year-old son, you really feel for the agony of Marcus Reno through Nichols' writing.
Little Bighorn
Nichols takes the reader through that entire Little Bighorn campaign, from the six week march from Fort Lincoln to the command's destruction at what the Indians called the "Greasy Grass."
We see "Reno's scout" which found the Indian's trail, we witness Custer's division of his regiment into four detachments, we ride with Reno as his three companies charge the village, we endure his retreat, and we observe in horror as Reno sees the bodies of Custer and the five companies that rode with him.
Reno described seeing the bodies of Custer's dead as "a scene of sickening, ghastly horror."
The battle is told in great detail in the book, with emphasis on Reno's part in the battle, of course.
Disgrace
Nichols biography becomes a very sad tale of one man's disgrace. Whether it was the horrors he had witnessed, the death of his wife and the absence of his son, or alcohol abuse, we can never know for sure.
Nichols takes us through Reno's court-martial in 1877 for "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman" after being accused of making unwanted advances to a captain's wife. This resulted in Reno being suspended from the service for two years without rank and pay. Only President Hayes' intervention saved him from dismissal.
In 1879, Nichols shows us that Reno successfully defended himself at a court of inquiry into his conduct at the Little Bighorn. This is told in detail here, too, including testimony for and against Reno at the trial.
Having been cleared officially, Nichols shows us a man who turns to drink and fighting while back on duty. He had hit a second lieutenant over the head with a billiard cue in one instance.
As told in much detail, Reno, while under house arrest, then complicated another court-martial over conduct involving the drinking and fighting by standing on his tiptoes outside the window of the post commander's home to stare in at his daughter! This led to an additional charge and specification being added to the charges against Reno.
Nichols details the testimony against Reno and his final conviction on the charges against him. Though the seven members of the court found him guilty, five would recommend clemency. Two generals (William Sherman and Alfred Terry) also urged clemency instead of dismissal.
On March 17, 1880, Reno's 29 years in the service of the country ended when the Secretary of War issued a direction that from April 1st on Reno "will cease to be an officer of the Army."
Nothing was ever easy for Marcus Reno, and Nichols tells the story of how Reno fought to clear his name, unsuccessfully while he was alive.
He then tried to find happiness via a new marriage in 1882, a marriage which created a divide between father and son, and which ended with her leaving him in 1887. She kept him in and out of court over money issues and later filed for divorce, an interesting tale in itself as Nichols tells the story.
Reno's health declined. A pain in the mouth in early 1889 was diagnosed as cancer of the tongue. On March 30, 1889, suffering from pneumonia, Reno died in Washington, D. C.
Sadly, Reno's beloved first wife was buried in a plot near her parents with no room for Reno to be buried. Reno's son begged the family to allow his father to be buried near his mother, but the family refused. So Reno was buried in an unmarked grave in Washington, D. C., for 78 years after his death.
Redemption
Nichols tells a tale of redemption after death, too.
Nichols offers a fascinating look at how Reno's grand-nephew, Charles Reno, fought to have Marcus Reno cleared of the charges against him. The fight was won in 1967, with the Department of the Army ordering all records revised to show an honorable discharge for Marcus Reno.
That was a battle in itself, well-told in a full chapter by Nichols.
The story ends with Reno's remains being moved from Washington, D. C., to the national cemetery at what was then Custer Battlefield National Monument (since changed to Little Bighorn National Monument) in Montana.
On the web
Custer's Fall by David Humphreys Miller: http://www.epinions.com/content_349631581828
Cavalier In Buckskin: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier by Robert Utley: http://www.epinions.com/content_64511708804
Reno Court of Inquiry: Proceedings of a Court of Inquiry In The Case Of Major Marcus A. Reno by Ronald H. Nichols: http://www.epinions.com/book-review-6ACB-776051D-38A45379-prod4
Tom Custer: Ride To Glory by Carl F. Day, the story of the general's brother, who was awarded the Medal of Honor twice: http://www.epinions.com/content_238532333188
Bugles, Banners, And War Bonnets by Ernest L. Reedstrom, the story of the 7th Cavalry: http://www.epinions.com/content_59344785028
The Reno Court of Inquiry proceedings are online, courtesy of the University of Wisconsin, at: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/History/History-idx?id=History.Reno
A photo of Reno's grave: http://www.findagrave.com/photos/2006/182/5816684_115185911599.jpg
Recommended:
Yes
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