Kick The Dead Lion: A Case Book Of The Custer Battle by Charles G. Du Bois

Author:Charles G. Du Bois [Bois, Charles G. Du]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786254429
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Normanby Press
Published: 2015-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

SECTION THREE—THE CASE OF THE PERFIDIOUS PETITION

Much of the testimony taken at the Reno Court of Inquiry was not, as tradition demands, “The whole truth and nothing but the truth”. Especially is this true of statements made under oath by Captain Frederick W. Benteen, Major Marcus A. Reno and a select group of subordinate officers who felt some inexplicable obligation either to actually change their testimony or to phrase it in such a manner as to cast a different implication on Reno’s various actions. And the verbal testimony of the witnesses was not alone in this respect.

On the 24th day of the Inquiry, February 8, 1879, at 10:30 in the morning, Major Reno introduced as exhibits for the defense three related documents for the consideration of the Court. We find in the official transcript of the proceedings: “Major Reno then offered and read in evidence certain pages, copies of which are hereto appended and marked respectively Exhibits No. 9, No. 10, and No. 11.”

Exhibit No. 9 was a letter to Major Reno from the adjutant general, E. D. Townsend. It read as follows:

Headquarters of the Army,

Adjutant General’s Office,

Washington, August 10, 1876.

Major M. A. Reno

7th Cavalry

(Through Headquarters Military Division of the Missouri)

Sir:

“Referring to the petition of the enlisted men of the 7th Cavalry (forwarded by you the 15th ultimo) for the promotion of yourself and other officers of the regiment who participated in the engagement of June 25, 1876, I have the honor to enclose herewith, for the information of the officers and enlisted men concerned, a copy of the remarks of the General of the Army with reference to the request contained in the petition.”

Very respectfully,

Your obedient Servant,

(signed) E. D. TOWNSEND, Adjutant General.

As may be assumed from the wording of the letter, Major Reno, as commanding officer of the 7th Cavalry, had forwarded, through channels, a petition written by the enlisted men of his command which pleaded for his promotion as well as the promotion of other officers of the regiment. In view of Major Reno’s record at the Little Bighorn, as developed in the previous chapters, the very existence of such a document lauding the conduct of Reno in any way becomes most provocative. Exhibit No. 10, introduced at the Court of Inquiry, turned out to be a copy of that petition. Here, in full, is Exhibit No. 10:

Camp Near Big Horn on

Yellowstone River,

July 4, 1876

To his

Excellency the President

and the Honorable Representatives

of the United States.

Gentlemen:

“We the enlisted men the survivors of the battle on the Heights of Little Horn River, on the 25th and 26th of June, 1876, of the 7th Regiment of Cavalry who subscribe our names to this petition, most earnestly solicit the President and Representatives of our Country, that the vacancies among the Commissioned officers of our Regiment, made by the slaughter of our brave, heroic, now lamented Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, and the other noble dead Commissioned officers of our Regiment who fell close by him on the bloody field, daring the savage demons to the last, be filled by the Officers of the Regiment only.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.