Frederick William Benteen (August 24, 1834 – June 22, 1898) was a military officer who first fought during the American Civil War. He was appointed to commanding ranks during the Indian Campaigns and Great Sioux War against the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne. Benteen is best known for being in command of a battalion (Companies D, H,& K) of the 7th U. S. Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in late June, 1876.
After scouting the area of the left flank as ordered, Captain Benteen received a note from his superior officer George Armstrong Custer ordering him to quickly bring up the ammunition packs and join him in Custer's surprise attack on a large Native American encampment. Benteen's failure to promptly comply with Custer's orders is one of the most controversial aspects of the famed battle. The fight resulted in the death of Custer and the complete annihilation of the five companies of cavalrymen which comprised Custer's detachment, but Benteen's relief of Major Marcus Reno's battalion may have saved them from annihilation.
Benteen subsequently served in the U.S. Cavalry another 12 years, being both honored by promotion and disgraced with a conviction for drunkenness by a military tribunal. He retired for health reasons in 1888, and lived a further decade until his death from natural causes at age 63.
Early life and career Frederick Benteen was born August 24, 1834, in Petersburg, Virginia, to Theodore Charles Benteen and his wife Caroline (Hargrove) Benteen. Benteen's paternal ancestors had emigrated to America from the Netherlands in the 18th century, settling in Baltimore, Maryland. Theodore and Caroline moved their family to Virginia from Baltimore shortly after the birth of their first child, Henrietta Elizabeth, in October 1831. Frederick Benteen was educated at the Petersburg Classical Institute, where he was first trained in military drill. His family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1849.
The election of Abraham Lincoln as U.S. president in 1860 polarized the country and the state. While a slave state, Missouri had many Union sympathizers and active abolitionists. Theodore Charles Benteen, an ardent secessionist, vehemently opposed his son's associating with Unionists. A family crisis was ignited when Frederick joined the Union Army on September 1, 1861, as a first lieutenant in the 1st Missouri Cavalry Regiment.Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. . pp. 49–50. (Len Eagleburger's book places Benteen at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in August 1861.) The 1st Missouri Volunteer Cavalry was often referred to as "Bowen's Battalion." It was later redesignated as the 9th and then merged into the 10th Missouri Cavalry.
Benteen participated in numerous battles during the American Civil War, among them the battles of Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, Vicksburg, and Westport. On February 27, 1864, Benteen was promoted to lieutenant colonel and commander of the 10th Missouri Cavalry. Benteen was mustered out at the war's end on June 30, 1865.
Shortly thereafter he was appointed to the rank of colonel as commander of the 138th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops. He led the regiment from July 1865 to January 6, 1866, when it was mustered out. Later that year, he was appointed a captain in the 7th U.S. Cavalry. Meanwhile, the Senate finally approved awards of brevet ranks to distinguished veterans of the Civil War. Benteen received brevets of major for the Battle of Mine Creek and lieutenant colonel for the Battle of Columbus (1865).
7th Cavalry service under Custer In January 1867, Benteen departed for his new assignment with the 7th US Cavalry Regiment and its field commander Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. He was assigned to this regiment for 16 years, through many of the Indian Wars. Until 1882, except for periods of leave and detached duty, Benteen commanded H Troop of the 7th US Cavalry.
On January 30, 1867, Benteen made a customary courtesy call to the quarters of Custer and his wife Elizabeth. Benteen said later that he regarded Custer as a braggart from their first meeting (and his dislike deepened throughout his years of service under the man). Meanwhile, on March 27, 1867, Benteen's wife gave birth to their son in Atlanta.
Following the Civil War, the Cheyenne Indians represented the greatest threat on the Kansas frontier. In late July 1868, Benteen led an expedition to provide security for the Indian agents near Fort Larned. On August 13, Benteen, commanding 30 troopers, encountered a Cheyenne raiding party along the banks of Elk Horn Creek near Fort Zarah. He charged into a force of what appeared to be about fifty warriors. To Benteen's surprise, he next discovered more than 200 Cheyenne raiding a ranch. Benteen pursued the Cheyenne without rest until dark, engaging them throughout the day without respite. This first undisputed victory of the 7th US Cavalry brought Benteen a brevet to colonel and the adoration of the settlers of central Kansas.
On October 13, Benteen and his men were assigned to escort a wagon train loaded with weapons and ammunition meant for the regiment. They reached the wagon train just as a war party began to attack. Benteen drove off the warriors, saving the wagon train from capture. Later following the trail of the raiding party, the 7th US Cavalry came upon a Cheyenne encampment on the Washita River in the Indian Territory.
In response to the continued Cheyenne raids, General Philip Sheridan devised a plan of punitive reprisals. His troops would respond to Indian attacks by entering their winter encampments, destroying supplies and livestock, and killing those who resisted. The cavalry was directed to travel in the dead of winter through a largely uncharted region, which required daring leadership. Sheridan turned to Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, who was brought back early from his court-martial and given the mission. Sheridan trusted only Custer with such a deed, and in November 1868 Custer returned to his regiment under special orders from Sheridan.
On November 23, 1868, Custer left Camp Supply with 11 of the 12 Companies of the 7th US Cavalry (Company L was left on garrison duty in Kansas) heading toward the Washita River. On November 27, the 7th surrounded a Cheyenne encampment at the river. Just before dawn, Custer launched a four-pronged assault on the village, known as the Battle of Washita River.
As captain of H Company, Benteen led a squadron of Major Joel Elliott's command during the attack. His horse was shot from under him by a son of Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle. The boy was about fourteen years old and was armed only with a revolver. Benteen yelled he would spare the boy's life if he dropped the revolver, and made the peace sign. In reply, the boy aimed his revolver at Benteen and fired. The bullet missed, so the boy fired again, and the bullet passed through the sleeve of Benteen's coat. The boy fired a third time, although Benteen was making friendly overtures. This bullet hit Benteen's horse, killing it, and pitching Benteen into the snow. When the Indian boy raised his pistol to fire once more, Benteen finally shot him dead.George A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, page 289, Leonaur Publishing, 2009
Custer, in his battle report to Sheridan, made little reference to US casualties. During the action itself, the 7th lost only one man killed - Captain Louis Hamilton of Company A - and seven wounded. However, shortly after the battle, Major Elliott and 17 men apparently all volunteers from various companies, had pursued escaping warriors down the south bank of the river and had yet to return: as such they were all posted as missing. It later emerged that Elliott (who rode off with the cry "Here's for a brevet or a coffin!") along with all his men, had been surrounded and killed by the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Kiowa Indians, who on hearing the sounds of the engagement, were coming from the several larger encampments further down the river towards Black Kettle's village. Custer had been unaware of these larger numbers of Indians only some three to four miles away at the time he attacked Black Kettle's camp, as he had neglected to scout in that direction. Shortly after Elliott had left, 1st Lieutenant Edward Godfrey, Captain West's second in command in Company K, had reported to Custer that whilst he had also been pursuing some escaping Indians along the north bank of the Washita River, some two miles or so east of the village, he had heard extensive shooting coming from the south side, but was unable to see what was happening because of dense tree cover along both banks. Godfrey had to retreat soon afterwards as he also ran into substantial numbers of Cheyenne, Arapaho and Kiowas now approaching from the much larger complex of encampments lower down the river.Jerome A. Greene, Washita, U. S. Army and the Southern Cheyennes, 1867-1869, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 2004
Custer claimed that he sent Captain Edward Myers of Company E and some troops in a search for Elliot and his men along the south bank of the river.Custer, My Life on the Plains, 257 Lieutenant Godfrey somewhat disputes this however. He stated that "that he (Myers) did not go down the valley any distance else he would have discovered Elliott."Godfrey to Unknown, n.d. WA-2, File11 86.01, Box 33, Thorburn Collection. It is thought that Elliott and his small command held out for at least two hours before they were finally overwhelmed.George Bent, Letter to Hyde, Sept 11th 1905, George Bent Manuscripts, Colorado Historical Society, Denver If correct, this throws further doubt as to the veracity of the Myers search claim because there would still have been sounds of shooting coming from the lower valley which Myers would surely have heard at the time that he was supposedly despatched by Custer. In the meantime Custer did however issue orders for the complete destruction of Black Kettle's camp, with troops burning several dozen tepees, destroying tons of food, clothing, weapons and other equipment, and deliberately shooting about 800 Indian ponies over a period of about two hours, the same length of time it is thought that Elliott and his men held out for. Benteen claimed that he remonstrated with Custer, particularly over the method of despatching the ponies. There was a considerable amount of lead flying around from several squads of men firing at the herd which Benteen thought endangered other troops, including his own, still holding the perimeter of the village opposite. He claimed that he received a sarcastic reply from Custer, and that during this orgy of destruction Elliot was forgotten.Charles K. Milles, Harvest of Barren Regrets, Univ. of Nebraska Press 2011
It is understandable therefore that Benteen regarded Custer's actions at the Washita as totally unprofessional and never forgave him. Elliott was a close friend of Benteen's and he wasn't just any missing Officer with a few troops, he was a very senior Officer, Custer's deputy who had commanded the regiment with distinction after Custer himself was court-martialled and suspended from duty and rank following General Hancock's campaign against the Cheyennes the previous year.Charles K. Mills, Harvest of Barren Regrets, Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2011 The charge was that Custer had ignored the plight of several missing troops during that campaign, and had then left his regiment in the field whilst on active duty to travel hundreds of miles east across Kansas to meet up with his wife who had just arrived in the territory. Abandoned might possibly be too strong a word to use in this context, but the term crops up several times over the course of Custer's career.