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BENTEEN'S SLOWNESS
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Sources:
Hammer,
Custer in
’76,
page 75
Hunt; I
fought with
Custer,
page 81.
Sklenar,
To Hell with
Honor,
pages 224,
365 note 18
Hammer,
Custer in
’76,
pages 75-76
Gray,
Centennial
Campaign,
page 183
McClernand,
On Time
for Disaster,
page 71-88
 On
June 25 1876,
after
noon, Custer
sent Captain
Benteen on a
scout in the
South, while he
was moving
towards the
Indian
village. The
purpose of the
scout was to
find
if "satellite
villages” (other
Indian villages
around the main
one) existed. On
June 22, Custer
had seen the
steps of three
villages, built
on the same day.
"Sattelite
villages" could
be dangerous, as
Custer had seen
during the
Battle
of the
Washita, when
warriors from
nearby villages
had attacked
Custer as he was
burning the
village
of
Chief Black
Kettle. Now,
seven years
later, the
commander of the
7th wanted to
prevent any
threat by
satellite
villages.
__
WATERING THE
HORSES
When Benteen
understood that
the scout didn’t
give any results,
he came back on
Custer’s trail.
He had specific
orders to follow
Custer’s steps
and to send him
a note about the
results of his
scouts. Benteen
didn’t send any
note to Custer (disobedience
of order) and
moved on the
trail with
considerable
slowness.
He then stopped his column to water the horses at a name later called “the morass”. Shots were heard in the valley, a sign that the battle was beginning on Custer’s side. Private Jan Moeller and Sergeant Windolph heard the firing, as well as Lieutenant Godfrey.
Captain Thomas
Weir became very
impatient.
Lieutenant
Godfrey stated
that many
officers became
“uneasy by the
lengthy stay.
One subaltern
wondered why the
“Old Man” (Benteen)
was keeping them
out of the
battle for so
long.
Captain Weir’s
anger grew. He
said to Benteen:
“We ought to
be over there!”
Benteen ignored him. Weir went to his company, mount up and moved towards the sound of the guns. It was a disobedience of orders, because, as Godfrey stated, “his position in the column was that of second unit.” Benteen eventually moved behind Weir. It was the first time Captain Weir was leaving his command because of Benteen’s indifference to the ongoing battle. It wouldn’t be the last.  TROT The battle was still on in the valley of the Little Bighorn. However, Captain Benteen’s battalion was still out of the fight. Benteen travelled at three miles an hour, when Custer’s other battalions did the same in an hour less time. Benteen was slow, and there is no explanation for this betrayal. He just acted as if no battle was going on. He just ignored his duty. He then met Daniel Kanipe, who was carrying a vocal order by Custer. Benteen learnt that Custer was asking for immediate reinforcements, but didn’t act at all. His battalion was still moving at trot. He even stopped in front of a lone tepee to examine it. He was wasting time, and didn’t care about it.
Soon, another
messenger
appeared.
Private Giovanni
Martini was
carrying a
written order by
General Custer:
“Benteen,
come on, be
quick, bring
packs.” The
packs were not
the entire pack
train, as it is
often stated,
but the “extra
ammunitions”.
Every soldier
knew it, as
lieutenant
McClernand
clearly said in
his articles and
book.
Benteen had to
pick the extra
ammunition up
and then to go
quickly towards
Custer. Did he
act as his
orders urged him
to? Not at all.
He didn’t go at
a gallop, but at
a walk or a trot
(Lieutenant
Godfrey).
Custer’s men had
moved on the
same ground on
overall speed or
fast trot.
Captain Weir was
outraged again.
Ignoring
Benteen’s orders
once more, he
moved quickly,
left the command
and reached Reno
Hill the first.
Again, Thomas
Weir was the
only one in
Benteen’s troops
who acted like a
soldier.
Benteen would never reach Custer (see Reno Hill).
WHAT MARTINI REALLY SAID
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source:
Custer in '76: Walter Camp's Notes on the Custer
Fight, edited by Kenneth Hammer, Brigham Young
University Press 1976 page 99