Rosser VS. Reno

[whitebull]

Rosser:

"But, if you had charged into the village, and been repulsed, could you have not have fallen back upon Benteen in good order, and thus have saved the disaster which befell you in the confusion and haste with which you were forced to cross the river?

the Custer Myth W.A. Graham

I see Rosser's point, anything would have probably been better than that fiasco of Reno's running away like he did. Where I disagree is that Reno was not "forced" to cross the river he was too scared to do anything else!

[joewiggs]

There is no force know to man that would have prompted Reno to charge that village!

[strange]

Wonderful! I didn't know Rosser had comments about Reno.

[strange]

From custer.over-blog.com/article-16652253.html

«For what I can gather from General Terry’s instructions to General Custer, it is quite evident that it was expected, if not expressed, that Custer should attack the savages wherever found, and as to the manner of attack, of course that was left to the discretion judgment of General Custer ; and viewing the circumstances of this fatal attack from my standpoint, I fail to see anything very rash in the planning of it, or reckless in its attempted execution.
On the contrary, I feel that Custer would have succeeded had Reno with all the reserve of seven companies passed through and joined Custer after the first repulse. (…)
Infantry on expeditions against Indians can only be used as guards for supply-trains, and in the pursuit of Indians upon a mission such as Custer’s, they are as useless as foxhounds in pursuit of wild geese."

[joewiggs]

Dr. Strange, not only are you correct but, you are emphatically correct. One of the greatest puzzles of this battle is the "theory" that Custer was to meet Terry and gibbon on the 26Th. of June. A myth, I might add, that did not come into existence until after the battle when the disaster demanded a scapegoat be found.

This negative legacy fell upon the shoulders of Custer, Benteen , and Reno the commanders of the ill fated excursion. Custer died so he was elected posthumously by Benteen and Reno


Surely no one anticipated Sheridan or Terry to take responsibility for a plan wherein the ridiculous theory that mounted warriors would allow themselves and their families to be "herded" from point "A" to point "B" was a basic premise?

OH no! Only when it was over and the monumentally foolishness of the "plan" was exposed did it all became the fault of the dead Custer. The military has not changed since the days of Moses.

[whitebull]

Hey Strange, you hit the head on the money! How could anybody expect the infantry to stop the Indians. It just doesn't make sense to me. My guess is that everybody involved in this battle underestimated the Indians and Custer and his men paid the price. Custer got caught up in the same wrong theory!

[joewiggs]

Here's another interesting inquiry from Rosser to Reno that absolutely is fascinating:

"But if you had charged into the village, and been repulsed, could you not have fallen back upon Benteen in good order, and thus have saved the disaster which befell you in the confusion and haste with which you were forced to cross the river?"

Hindsight is always 20/20 and perfect. However, what Rosser is referring to is an alternative to what Reno actually did. And folks, anything else that he might have done would have been better than what he did.

[joewiggs]

Portion of Rosser's Letter to Reno :


Colonel Benteen says: - "When I first came in sight of the valley of the Little Big Horn twelve or fifteen dismounted men were fighting on the plain with Indians, charging and recharging them. Colonel Reno's mounted party was retiring across the river to the bluffs. I then marched my command in line to their succor."

Rosser: "Now, in reading this account at this distance, would one be blamed for supposing that those dismounted men had been cruelly abandoned to their fate by the timely arrival of the gallant Benteen?


Rosser must have misunderstood exactly to whom Benteen "marched" his command to "their succor." The exact identity and final disposition of the men Benteen referred to are unknown. Benteen went directly to Reno's position where he gave "succor" to befuddled Reno.

To answer Rosser's misguided question of the men who were cruelly abandoned to their fate by Benteen, he later stated that it would have been suicide to try. Perhaps he was right but, how much more would we think of the leader (any leader) who tried to do so!?