Customer Reviews

The Reno Court of Inquiry: Abstract of the Official Record of Proceedings

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A surprisingly good read. W. A. Graham's well edited book of testimony is fascinating. The inquiry report was supressed for many years until Graham came along. The Reno and Benteen passages are quite revealing of the men themselves. Reno reveals what he really thinks of Custer and Benteen's sarcasm concerning Custer's order for him on that day is so apparent one wishes he was challenged more on the stand. Benteen's reasons for his delay are quite astonishing. Those well familiar with the LBH will appreciate some of the between the lines testimony of the officers. Varnum (chief of scouts) and civilians describe the retreat from the valley as a rout and but the other officers are reluctant to critizise. Graham's editing and Pohanka's introduction enrich the book by providing more background information.

I bought this book about the famous inquiry of Major Reno who was accused of cowardice at the battle of Little Bighorn. It was fine. However, anybody who would be interested in this book might as well go all the way and get Ron Nichols' version of the Inquiry. That's why I gave the Graham abstract a 4. Nichols has taken the unpublished manuscript (from the National Archives?) and copied it down word-for-word so you get the whole enchilada, not Graham's edited version. I couldn't find Nichols book on Amazon.com but it's out there somewhere. I got my copy from the Custer Battlefield Historical and Museum Association. Perhaps someone at Amazon.com will read this review and make Mr. Nichols' heftier compilation available.

This was the first book of the Custer Library that I read and I found it very interesting. It contains an abstract of the Court of Inquiry that was requested by Major Reno in 1879. The first part of the book is a helpful preface to the inquiry. The rest is mostly testimony from the inquiry itself. At time the testimony gets a bit belabored but it is still fascinating to read the testimony of eyewitnesses to the Reno theater of battle. Major Reno comes across as a tragic perhaps even pathetic victim of history. He is exonerated but, by then, popular belief had already condemned his anyway. This book is a crucial resource for the serious (and casual) students of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

This book belongs on the shelf of all students of the LBH battle. The trouble is that the testimony is such a tease. The tough questions were not asked, or not allowed to be asked. Larry Sklenar in "To Hell with Honor" in essence called the whole inquiry a sham, that Lieutenant George Wallace committed perjury to cover for Reno, and the other survivors who testified were just interested in putting it all behind them, or protecting the Army from a military-phobic Congress. I agree that it is an interesting read, but reading it is like a hungry man looking at a chocolate cake but not being allowed a bite.