Marcus Reno

Marcus Albert Reno (November 15, 1834 – March 30, 1889) was a career military officer in the American Civil War and in the Great Sioux War against the Lakota (Sioux) and Northern Cheyenne, where he served under George Armstrong Custer. Reno is most noted for his prominent role in the Battle of the Little Big Horn, which created over a century of controversy regarding his command decisions in the course of one of the most infamous defeats in the history of the United States military.

Early life and career

Reno was born November 14, 1834, in Carrollton, Illinois, the fourth child of James and Charlotte Reno. According to one biographer, he was a descendant of Phillippe Francois Renault, who in 1777 accompanied Lafayette to America and was awarded a land grant by the U. S. (worth about $400 million by Reno's time). At the age of 15, he wrote to the Secretary of War to learn about the qualifications necessary to enter the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He was admitted and attended West Point from 1851 until 1857, requiring two extra years due to excessive demerits. Reno graduated 20th in a class of 38. He was brevetted second lieutenant, 1st Dragoons, on July 1, 1857, and assigned to duty in the Pacific Northwest in Oregon.