Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-19
THE CUSTER MASSACRE.

Who IVas Responstbfe?- Charge of Co,card-
ice and Disobedience of Orders against
Gen. Reno.
Washington, Dune 16th,) Special to Chicago
Times.
The House committee on military affairs
decided to-day to report favorably to the
House resolution directing an investigation
of the Custer massacre. Mr.. Bragg has the
report in hand and will present resolution
asking permission for sub committee to sit
during the recess and send for persons and
papers. The basis of this action taken by
the committee is embraced in letter adj
dressed by Frederick Whitaker, of Mount
Vernon, N. Y, to Corlett, representing Wy
oming Territory, and by him turned over to
the committee on military affairs where it
seems to have made a decided impression.
wHITTAKER's LETTER
is as follows:
MOUNT VERNON, N. Y, May 1s, 1s78.-HoN
W. w. CoRLErr, NJ. C.-DEAR sR: Having
been called on to prepare the biography of the
late Brevet Maj. Gen. George A. Custer, U:s.A,
great amount of evidence, s0ral and written,
came into my hands, tending to prove that the
sacrifice of his life, and the lives Of his i'm
mediate command, at the battle of the Little
Big Horn, was useless, and owing to the
ardlce of his subordinates. / desire. there
fore, to ask your attention, and that of Con-
gress. through you, to the necessity of ordering
an official investigation. by committee of
your honorable body, into the conduct of the
United States troops engaged in the battle Of
the Little Big Horn, fought on June %, 1876,
otherwise known as the Custer massacre, in
| III: It.. ~ III - - O.
cavalry, persisted with i've companies of the
7th cavalry at the hands Of the Indians The
reasons on which I found my request are as
follows:
l. Information coming to me from partici-
pants in the battle written and oral, is to the
effect that gross cowardce was displayed there
| in by Maj. Marcus A. Reno, 7th United Sttaes
| cavalry, second in command on that day. and
that owing to such cowardice the orders of
Lieut.. Col Custer, commanding officer, to said
Reno to execute q certain attack who never
obeyed; that the failure of this movement, ow-
ing to this cowardice and disobedience, caused
the defeat of the United States forces on the
day in question, and that had Clusters orders
been nbeyed the troops would probably have
| defeated the Indians; that after Mai. Renos
cowardly fight he was joined by Capt. f. W.
Benteen, 7th United States cavalry with REIN
forcements which We're placed under his orders
| and that he remained idle with this force
while his superior officer was fighting against
the whole force of the Indians, the battle being
| within his knowledge, the sound of the firing
audible from his position, and his forces out of
| immediate danger from the enemy. In conse-
| quence of this second exhibition of cowardice
| and incompet ency was the massacre of Lieut..
| Col. Custer and five companies of the 7th Unit.
| ed States cavalry.
2. The proof of these facts lies in the evil
dence of persons in the service of the United
| States government chiefly in the army, and
| n l.
| attendance and protect them from annoyance
and persecution if they openly testify to the
cowardice exhibited on the above occasion.
| 8. The only official record of the battle now
extant is the report written by Major Reno,
above named, and is in the main false and
| libellous to the memory of the late Lieutenant
| Col. Custer, the commanding officer Of said
Reno at the above mentioned battle, in that it
| represents the defeat of the United States
! forces on that occasion, owing to the division
by Custer Of his forces into these detatch-
ments. to overmanning his forces. and to ig-
norance of the enemy's force, all serious char
ges against the capacity of said Custer an
officer, whereas the defeat really owing to
the cowardice md disobedience of said Reno,
and to the willful neglect of said Reno and
Captain Benteen to join in the battle with the
| Indians in support of their commanding OIL
| Ger when they might have done it, and it was
| their plain duty SO to do.
4. The welfare of the United States army
! demands that in the case of massacre of a
large party of troops under circumstances
covered with suspicion, it should be officially
established where the blame belongs, to the end
| that the service may not deteriOrate by the
retention Of towards.
5. Justice to an officer of the previously
unstained record of Lieutenant Colonel Custer
demands that the accusation under which his
memory now rests in the only official account
Of the battle Of the Little Big Horn now extant
should be proved or disproved.
| have thus given you as briefly as can my
reasons for asking this Investigation, and the
facts that l am confident of being able tt
prove. My witnesses will be all the ivins
officers Of the 7th United States cavalry who
where present at the battle of June Is, lnclud
ing Major Reno and Captain Benteen, mysel
to prove the statements Of an officer, since de
ceased made to me a few days before his death
F. T. Girard, Indian interpreter to the Unitee
States forces; DR.. Porter, of Bismarck, Dakot,
Territory, contract surgeon at the battle II
! question; Lieutenant Garland, 9Th infantry
Sergeant Goldman, now of the signal service
and others whose names can find in time TO
the committees session, should the same bt
ordered. Trusting dear sir, that this lette
may result in an investigation Whic b shall dc
3 clare the whole truth about the battle of tn
. 25th of June, 1876, and the purgation Of tn
/ service, am your obedient servant,
FREDERICK WHITAKER.
!
accompanies this communication by lette
to Gen. Banning, chairman Of the commit
! tee on military affairs, in which he says: q
= desire to say to you that the immediate occs
sion on my part for calling for the investigs
$ ton contemplated by said resolution, is
It litter addressed to me by Frederick Whitts
IS ker, of Mount Vernon, N. Y, in which tt
y reasons for such an inquiry are stated.
y transmit the letter to you with the statemel
It that I am informed that Mr.. Whitaker
the gentleman who is engaged in the prep
ration of a biography of the late Gen. Gu
T, ter, and is in possession of much informs
. ton relating to the subject matter OF II
y. proposed inquiry, and is gentleman
lie honor and integrity. also desire to 81
} that in the West
THERE Is STRONG SUSPICION
that the facts and circumstances attendll
the battle referred to have never been ma
L. known; on the contrary, that the facts rels
- ing to that affair have been concealed
.. those interested, and who were in great
or less degree responsible for the disaster
The communication has doubtless had nc
attention than it otherwise would have hs
te from the fact that Whitaker is in a ser
* the authorized biographer of Custer, havi
lie been an early friend and being in CO.
a munication with Mrs. Custer.
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4, New YORK. June 18.-Judge Van Brunt
n cided the suit of Benedict against the West'
rs Union Telegraph company, dismissing &C
en- plant of Benedict with costs. The pooling
ne rangement with the Atlantic g. Pacific II
IN graph company is declared not against pull