Marcus Albert Reno (1834 - 1889)

Born 15 Nov 1834 in Carrollton, Greene, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Hannah (Ross) Reno — married 1 Jul 1863 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, Pennsylvania USA

Died 30 Mar 1889 at age 54 in Washington City, District Of Columbia, District of Columbia, United States

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Biography

Major Reno entered West Point Military Academy on Sept. 1, 1851. He ranked 20th in his class (1857) of 38 graduates. He was appointed brevet second lieutenant, 1st Dragoons, on July 1, 1857, and second lieutenant on June 14, 1858. He served at Forts Dalles in Oregon, and Walla Walla, Washington Territory, until 1861.

During the Civil War, Reno was appointed 1st lieutenant, 1st Dragoons, on April 25, 1861, and captain, 1st U. S. Cavalry, on November 12, 1861. He was brevetted major, effective March 17, 1863, for service at Kelly's Ford, where he was injured.

He married Mary Hannah Ross, of Harrisburg, Pa., on July 1, 1863. Their son Robert Ross Reno was born April 1864. His wife died 10 July 1874.

He was brevetted lieutenant colonel on October 19, 1864, for service at Cedar Creek, and he was appointed colonel, 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry, from January 1 to July 20, 1865. He was also brevetted colonel, and brigadier general, on March 13, 1865, for services during the war. He was mustered out on July 20, 1865.

After the war he was appointed major, U. S. Seventh Cavalry, 26 Dec 1868. He scouted in Kansas and Colorado in the summer of 1870. During 1873 and 1874 he was in command of the escort for the Northern Boundary Survey Commission.

Little Bighorn Campaign

On June 25, 1876, Major Reno commanded the Second Battalion which opened up the battle. His troops attacked the southern end of the Lakota village on the valley bottoms. He stopped the attack and put his horses into the trees, which impeded the movement of the battalion. Since he was not coming on hard, the warriors infiltrated the area and the troop retreated in confusion, being driven further and further towards the bends of the river. The troopers who reached the river plunged their horses down the bank and scrambled up the bluffs on the other side. Instead of using his trumpeter, Reno gave vocal commands that could not be heard.

He was one of the first at the top of the bluffs. When Captain Benteen, bringing the pack train, shortly thereafter arrived, Reno told him he had lost half his men. Reno took a party down to the river to try to recover Lieut. Benjamin Hobson's body. In the meantime Captain Weir was arguing with other officers about going to a point a mile away to see what was happening to Custer's command. When Reno returned, he blew recall on his trumpet to bring Weir back and was ignored. The whole problem with the battle lies with what was happening during this crucial hour and a half. No one with Reno showed initiative except Weir.

Reno was blamed for Custer's death by Fred Whittaker, Custer's biographer. A Court of Inquiry was held with the surviving officers giving testimony in Chicago in January and February 1879. Reno was controversial, depending on whether one supported Custer or the field officers. He had asked for the Court of Inquiry due to accusations that he and the officers of his command had not done their job during the fight.

He was court-martialed 24 Nov 1879 for an "peeping tom" incident involving Major Samuel Sturgis's daughter, at Fort Meade, Dakota Territory, and dismissed on April 1, 1880 (his records were corrected in 1967 to reflect honorable discharge). He resided in Harrisburg, PA, New York City and Washington D. C. His last civil occupation was as a clerk in the Bureau of Pensions in Washington. He died, age 54, on 30 March 1889, following an operation for cancer. He was buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery; his remains were reinterred 9 Sep 1967 in the Custer Battlefield National Cemetery at the Custer Battlefield National Monument.^[1]

A link to Major Reno's Wikipedia entry is here:^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ "Men with Custer: Biographies of the 7th Cavalry, June 25, 1876," by Kenneth Hammer, ed. Ronald H. Nichols, Custer Battlefield Museum and Historical Association, Inc., pp. 291-292
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Reno

• Ronald H. Nichols, comp. & ed. "Reno Court of Inquiry :

official record, court of inquiry to investigate the conduct of Major Marcus A. Reno, 7th U.S. Cavalry, at the battle of the Little Big Horn River, Montana, June 25-26, 1876"

• Ronald H. Nichols, "In Custer's Shadow: Major Marcus Reno"

• Source: S-363717848 Repository: #R-944261781 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=85521046&pid=1009
• Repository: R-944261781 Ancestry.com Note: