The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-04
FOUGHT WITH CUSTER.
Major Mathey, Retired, Says Reno
Was to Blame.

/ Denver Times: Major f. G.. Mathey.
L. S. a. retired. of 1867 Vine street. this
I city. who was with Captain Benteen in
charge OF the pack train that General
Custer had under his command at the
battle of the Little Big Horn. on June
%. 1876, says the recent accounts of the
battle throw discredit upon the great
general The newspaper accounts pub
lished few days ago are in some in
stances inaccurate. according to
Major Mathey. who says the life of
Custer, as published by Frederick
Whitaker. brevet captain of the Sixth
New York veteran cavalry. shows Gus
ter to have been a brave and careful
soldier Major Mathey says Whitta-
ker's publication is the best account of
the life OF the Indian fighter.
Major Reno. in his report, blamed
Custer, but Major Mathey says the
blame is not where il belongs. An ex-
tract from the publication named,
-eacS- Reno marched until ne came to
the village. dismounted and occupied
a tmOer bottom. which completely
sheltered him and his horses. Girard
(the interpreter). says. cOrroborated by
aerndon, scout, not many Indians in
sight at this time. and firing at 500 and
900 yards. So long was the range that
Charley Reynolds. another scout said:
No use firing at this range: we will
nave a DStleI CudnCe DN ana pN. An
officers present says that Reno mounted
and dismounted. and then mounted
again in hot haste. and made what fig
ures in mis- report as a charge. He is
the only person l have heard call il by
that name.
The surgeon present says there was
only one man wounded before Reno
abandoned the timber and his loss be-
gun when he was making the charge,
men and horses shot from behind.
Think of the charge they must have
made. across the Little Horn. and were
checked in their fight by Benteen run
ming into them L say running into
them. because it was mere accident
But where was Custer? He moved down
TO the lower end of the village from
three TO four miles. How long did Reno
engage the Sioux village? Not more
than 80 minutes. What is the conclu-
sion? That Reno was in and out of
the fight before Custer was engaged.
II further proof is wanting. it is found
in the fact that Reno says in his report
he heard Custer firing from the top of
the hill, TO which he retreated."
The foregoing is the statement of an
officer who was with the expedition,
and who examined the ground. Whit
taker himself says: No general can do
anything if his colonies do not support
him; no colonel can fight a cavalry reg
iment under Upton's tactics il his bat
tanon commanders slight. diSCbey, or
even misunderstood his orders. Custer
was peculiar man. He fought in pc
culiar way. and needed to have men
under him used to his rapid, energetic 6.
style, and who understood him. Did
Reno understand him, and was he used
TO him? The official record says not.
He had never served under Custer in
the field. nor seen an Indian fight since
the civil war"
Facts furnished by a friend of Major
Reno are as follows: AT the time Reno
ceased his forward movement no man
had been killed or wounded. but the
cloud of dust denoted an immense num-
Der of Indians a short way off, and sew
eral times that number between us
and that cloud, which was over the viii
age, advancing in their peculiar man
ner and passing TO our left and rear.
The command was dismOunted,
the horses placed in a wood. and the
men deployed on foot across the PLAIN.
The number of Indians continued
to increase and surround us. Colonel
Reno ordered us to prepare TO mount.
which, of course, took every one to the
wood. We were mounted as though 10
charge. and in an instant afterward
iismOunted, and 1 supposed we were
% fight it out there, when fire opened