Custer's Chief of Scouts: The Reminiscences of Charles A. Varnum (Paperback)

~ Charles A. Varnum (Author), John M. Carroll (Editor)

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Product Description

Historic moments in the Battle of the Little Big Horn are recounted by Custer's chief of scouts, Lieutenant Charles A. Varnum, who commanded a detachment of Arikara scouts. He describes his meeting with Custer on a high bluff on the morning of June 25,1876, and the general's fateful decision to attack, in spite of a warning that the valley was filling up with mounted Indians. Varnum, who rode with Major Marcus Reno's troop, relives all that can be seen and heard in the smoke and swirl of the battle.

One of the few to emerge from the Little Big Horn debacle untainted by controversy, Varnum served in the Seventh Cavalry for thirty-two years. His testimony at the Reno court of inquiry in 1879 is included in this book. Near the end of his career, he received the Medal of Honor for heroism at Wounded Knee.

About the Author

John M. Carroll edited and added notes and a preface to this book, which is based on unfinished manuscripts left by Varnum and was originally published as I, Varnum: The Autobiographical Reminiscences of Custer's Chief of Scouts. Carroll, a leading Custer scholar, is director of the Frontier Military Research Center and editor of The Black Military Experience in the American West (1974) and General Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn: The Federal View (1985), among other works.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (October 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803263287
• ISBN-13: 978-0803263284
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,707,236 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Crack in the Shell?, August 21, 2005

By	Rick Lester "RRRICKLES" (Houston) - See all my reviews

Varnum's firsthand accounts are at once interesting and revealing. He tells his tale twice. First, he tells it as Reminiscences. Then we read much of it again as his Testimony at the Reno Court of Inquiry. In either telling, we see much that is now accepted by recent writers. I also sensed there was a great deal he was holding back that lend credence to the Carter allegations of the officers banding together for the honor of the regiment and in deference to Mrs. Custer. In testimony, he was often evasive.
For me the most revealing statement was toward the end, when Varnum states that Reno sent a messenger to Gen Terry on the 26th. On the morning after the Custer battle Reno is asking for help from Terry!
If Reno believed Custer was still alive, then wouldn't he have sent the request to Custer, his commanding officer, who they claimed to believe, must have to join up with Terry? This may have been the first crack in the cover up shell. Panzeri, LBH 1876, states that Edgerly admitted years later that they could see the bodies of Custer's men from Weir's Point.